Camping at Betula Lake

Clay and I and the kids headed out to Betula Lake, which is part of the Whiteshell Provincial Park. We loved the Whiteshell as it reminded us of all the picturesque camping we did in Ontario. We went there with four other couples and had a great time. Clay and I brought the boat and taught everyone else's kids how to water ski. Fiona did great water skiing and got it on her first try. She skied around the lake a few times. We were all quite shocked and proud. She wasn't the youngest kid trying though. Our friends' son, Madden, tried it too and he is only 2 1/2! He didn't make it too far, although on his last try he did probably get 25 ft before falling sideways. Gotta give the little guy credit for having some guts.

Another big moment, Brodie learned how to get up out of the water holding the rope directly from the boat. He has since, in the past couple of weeks, mastered the deep water start, without having anyone to assist him to keep steady. Riley is getting really good getting out of the water on his own too. He actually skied with Clay which is a first for our family. I am waiting to get photos of that from a friend.

So, here are the photos from Betula.

Special Visitors

I had been over one year since the kids have seen any of their friends from Kingston. Riley and Brodie's best buddy, Aiden Fullerton and his family, came to Winnipeg for trip and stayed with us for one night. The kids were all super excited and had such a great time together. It was like they hadn't spent a day apart. Here are photos of the kids with Aiden and Emma and their parents, Brenda and Gary.

More of the Lake

Here are a few more photos from the lake. We got some early morning fishing in the canoe, which was awesome. We did more waterskiing and my parents joined us on the last full day that we were there. The kids loved having both sets of Grandparents at the lake with them.

90 Years Young

What a year for birthdays! My Grandma turned 75, my Grandpa turned 80, and Clay's Grandma turned 90. Her birthday was the 4th of Aug, but we celebrated the occasion on July 26th, with our family, Uncle Elwood and his family and some of Grandma's closest relatives and friends. Although there were quite a few of us, it was actually a nice private affair. Unfortunately, Mark and Laura were unable to attend and we missed them tonnes. It would have been so cool for Grandma to see all 15 of her Great Grandchildren playing together. But, she had to do with only 12 and they got along so fabulously that it was a real treat....for all of us. Here are some photos of Grandma's birthday and a some from the days just before the event.