first cottage trip of the summer + more!

family pic from my sister's wedding last month

We are home from a week at the cottage and the kids can't wait to get back up there again. They were at the Brinkman-Tukker abode for a full week, and spent most of their time swimming, fishing, crafting, and playing games. Steve's parents knocked it out of the park again - with meals, activities, patience, and childcare while Steve and I booked it to Gatineau to move out of our condo. "I wish we were driving back to the cottage right now," said Hendrik on our way out. "I wish we could live at the cottage," said Alana. Maybe one summer they can, but not this one. Steve is back at work this week (check out this article that landed their crew on the front page of the paper, pic below) and Hendrik is in sports camp in the afternoons. I couldn't find anything right for Alana, so we'll spend the afternoons running errands and hanging out at home while her little brother naps. Today she pretended to be mom and I was the kid - so I told her I wanted her to read me stories and tuck me in for a nap - win win! 

front page a few weeks ago - steve is on the far left

way more sibling love at the cottage ... love love!

they couldn't get enough

Jordan loved it up at the cottage too, and spent most of his time lounging in his chair, swimming in the kiddie pool, eating and sleeping, and playing in the sand and water down at the beach. While we were in Gatineau, I finally picked up Scaredy Squirriel and  Have You Filled a Bucket Today? - which is a bit cheesy but has a great message and the kids do like it, and when I asked if they'd filled anyone's bucket that day or if anyone had filled theirs (you fill someone's bucket by doing kind/thoughtful things for them), Alana told me that Justin had filled her bucket (heart melt!). He was great with them, and I know both H and A had a great time hanging out with him.

loungin'

alana and justin playing alana's rules othello 

hendrik's dino craft, complete with food 

i had to selfie, otherwise i might not make it in any pics!

getting' sandy

CLASSIC. love the gogs.

driving the boat

some of the cast and crew: me and jordan, justin, jordan, gramps, unc and jordan, alana on a boat

so much fun down by the water!

doing a nice and then a crazy pic is one way of getting hendrik to maaaaybe make a nice face in the first pic. not sure why the resolution is so poor but ??? a great group for summer's first cottage trip!

In other news, both big kids are over 60 pounds despite the fact that Hendrik has 21 months on his younger sister. They DO feel heavy. I knew it. Hendrik dropped a massive bucket of water on his toe early in the week, and the nail will fall off one day soon. He wondered aloud what would happen if he put his toenail under his pillow; would the toenail fairy come? I really have to put my thinking cap on for this one, because I don't think such an offering could be refused. It's bed time - more to come soon, I promise!

goodbye gatineau, chapter closed!