Quebec Trip :: Hannah's Birthday

It was a very happy day for our little Firecracker, who turned 4 on July 4th, 2014, this year!

Thank you so much to our dear friends who came to make her party special and gifted an amazing chocolate coconut raspberry cake, 

complete with homemade raspberry gummies and candles. :)

We also went swimming, (thank you Marie, for your help!!!,) and relaxed, playing Play Doh and reading stories, Hannah's favorite activities.

We had been grounded at the campground for several days without a vehicle, 

so her gifts came from the campstore, wrapped in newspaper.

But she loved them! :)

Our neighbor camper, Suzy, also brought over cookies with a sparkler stuck in one, 

singing to Hannah the morning of her big day. 

Such big-hearted people to make a little girl feel loved.

playing train

she was so excited Daddy was "home" she disregarded the downpour

celene made hannah a birthday banner with coloring pages on a clothesline - so sweet

gifts wrapped in newspaper...i don't think she even noticed

Quebec Trip :: More Camping Photos and Stories

We've met so many wonderful people here. Such blessings!

Time spent relaxing at campground gives plenty opportunity to make friends and meet new people.

I have to mention a few stories.

The first week we met a sweet mama, Suzy, and her boy Raphael.

Miles and Rafael enjoyed playing basketball and racing their bikes and kicking balls together.

Suzy was wonderful...she took the older ones swimming and played with them while I let Eli nap,

or was busy cooking or cleaning up dinner. 

She even watched over the tent while they slept early one morning, while I dropped Shawn off at work. 

She also gave them snacks and shared marshmallows and played movies on a tiny screen.

Miles and Raphael hope to exchange letters once we get home. 

They are from Montreal, which, being a larger city, has more bilingual people. 

Suzy spoke English well, and Raphael understood most of it.

The second week was graced by a fun single mama named Anny and her little guy, Jacob.

She lost her husband to a brain aneurism when Jacob was a baby.

She was nothing but wonderful also...she had a trunkload of toys which kept my kids busy for days.

She routinely beckoned them over to play games, read stories, and also took them swimming.

She said it was a blessing I shared my kids with her, that Jacob was lonely, and loved friends.

She said it gave HER a break when my kids came over!

I tend to disagree, that the blessing all mine, but I was glad for her nonetheless.

this is where eli took his bath each night

enjoying the campfire

roasting something

riding bikes

one of the campground playgrounds

Hannah learned to pump!

3 buried kids sleeping one chilly morning

Anny and Jacob playing games with the kids

Anny's trunk full of toys

Quebec Trip :: Camping

And now we finally start our camping photos!

We camped for two weeks in the middle of July, right in the middle of our stay here in Quebec.

It was a nice way to change the pace. 

A few of the days were hot, which was difficult for this preggo mama. But the kids weathered it just fine. :)

Note: from here until I get home, the pictures will not be as pretty!

My Photoshop trial ran out, and I will not be paying to download it on my laptop,

given that I have a perfectly working (and free) version on my home desktop.

So, all I can do now is resize and drop them in the blog pages. Sorry!

the kids washed the dishes at the water tap

this is what the cabin tent looked like. it was really nice!

muscle man

a super hot day...eli sleeping naked in front of the fan and still sweating

summer heat

view inside the tent...it was well-furnished

eli loves apples...unfortunately his teeny tiny nose gets in the way ;)

eli helping with dishes

ceney

kids and their friend Raphael

Quebec Trip :: Chutes de Sainte-Ursule

That title means "Waterfalls of Saint Ursula" I believe.

Marie will correct me if I'm wrong. ;)

We visited this park several weeks ago. 

It's about a 1.5hr drive from Drummondville (our home this summer.)

It was so beautiful.

"Mom, can we pet the dogs that look like Poppy? Pleeeeeeas?!" :)

Eli could see the rushing water through the spaces in the bridge

Under attack

Oh my, there were soooooooo many stairs. This mama was beat.

See-saw fun

We stopped at this cute road-side restaurant for lunch

They had a fun playground for kids in the backyard

Quebec Trip :: Hello There!

Wow, it's been a while since I've popped in to say hello!

Hello to everyone back home in the States, and hello to all the new friends here in Quebec!

The past few weeks have been eventful, sprinkled with lots of sunshine, friendship, and fun.

We have lots to share with you all, 

but you will have to be even more patient as I work on pictures and sort out stories in my head. :)

How are you all doing?

How's summer life?

Thank you, again, family members, who have helped us tremendously over the past 2 months.

Without your help, this trip would not have been possible.

Thank you for caring for our farm, the animals, yardwork, and Poppy...

...we miss you so much, Poppy!..

and keeping our little home in your minds and hearts while we are gone.

We are SO grateful.

..................

And a picture to share.

You'll have to forgive this proud mama, but this is a sampling of Celene's writing.

She was missing her home and decided to write down all her "family."

I guess it made her feel better.

I think it's funny she included her pet chickens and duck.