SO much fun stuff happened this week – so much that this post is jam-packed with photos!  First up, the kids made a rocket ship fuelled by bubble juice and blasted off.  I love when they use their imaginations!

The Big One found a bird’s nest sitting on the ground next to the sidewalk when we were out for a bike ride one day.  Thankfully, no babies were spotted, so we took a moment to inspect the construction of the nest and then moved on without disturbing nature.

I found a neat little pond tucked away in the fields of wheat and hay near Nana and Papa’s house.  When I was about to leave, I noticed a team of ducks paddling away.  A truck rolled down the gravel road and startled them just as I was snapping the shutter.  The evening sunset photo in this grouping was taken from the far side of Lake Minnewasta, half-way through an epic bike ride.

On Saturday we took our annual family trip out to Cartwright, Manitoba – my Mom’s hometown.  August long weekend is Cartwright’s annual “Ponderosa Days” festival.  One of our favourite activities of the weekend is the parade.  I love seeing all the kids’ happy faces as they run to gather the candy thrown from the floats, as well as the happy faces of those doling out the treats.  I love that Auntie Ruth is still riding in the parade, smiling and waving at all the spectators.  Our second favourite activity is the Firefighters’ water polo race.  The Big One has participated in it for a few years now, and loves that when it’s hot there is no better way to cool down than standing in the steady mist of that fire hose!  This year, the Little One decided to try her hand, too.  Although she nearly drowned in the firefighters’ jacket she made a valiant first attempt.  There are so many other activities we love, but our third favourite activity has to be visiting the Blacksmiths’ shop.  The Big One, especially, finds it fascinating to see how things were made in the past.  This year we toured the shop at the same time as a kind gentleman who was visiting Cartwright from the USA.  He enjoyed taking the time to tell us stories about when he was a young boy helping out in his local blacksmith’s shop.

So many exciting things happened this week, but I must argue that for me This was the most exciting…The Haircut.  One day this week The Big One all of a sudden said, “I want to get my hair cut.”  So, without skipping a beat I packed the kids into the car and drove uptown to see if someone could *please* squeeze him in!  I think it is an amazing transformation, what do you think?