Summer Update 2011

Hey all :)  I need to get this blog update done before the kids' school starts and life of homeschooling kicks in full force!

This summer has been a good one for the kids and our family.  We spent 2 weeks in Canada seeing all our family which was awesome!  Both Karen & Keith and Don & Laura came over from Kelowna to see us!!!   The kids had massive cousin time and loved every minute.  The change from 38 degree to 15 degree days was a shock to the system and for the first week we all wore the ONE pair of pants we each had!!!  Then summer showed up so we made the most of Kootney lake, the splash park and a homemade "hill billy" water slide!

Our beautiful Creston Valley

4 wheeling on Grandpa's airplane runway!

Wildlife Centre

Selling bracelets at the Farmer's Market

4 Wheeling up with mountain :)

Splash park with Livy

Isabelle! 

Ellie and Mia

Tea Party with Gramma Ruth

Handy Cousins

piggy back tag

swimming at McBlains

I love my sis!

The Handy Family 2011

banana splits with papa

My girls!

Keith x2

Kootenay Lake

I love my mom!

my dear friend Candace! 

Between all the sleepovers, crafts, farmers markets, tubing, water skiing, jumping off bridges, 4 wheeling up the mountain, tenting, volleyball, badminton and yummy eating we came home EXHAUSTED!  But all the memories and family time was certainly worth it.   I can also say that I am very grateful I did not see a bear- they are quite bad this year and I am so scared of them.  Now- there was a cougar in my parent's neibourhood the night the kids slept in the tent, but I am pretty sure the kids' noise kept him away!

There were many tears as the kids said good bye to their cousins and grand parents.  A whole year is a long time to wait to see each other again!  Thank goodness for Skype and email!

Re-entry into Louisville life was a tough ride this time around with power outages, laptop crashes, tree issues and a hectic schedule for the fall, BUT we were so glad to see our own beds!

SO...  Keith is at his classes this week and he is regularly looking at his course and class load so that he can potentially graduate with his MDIV in May 2012. It is hard to comprehend that time does zip by this fast.  Keith is also looking at taking another year of biblical studies that will keep us in Louisville bit longer.  We do not look forward to leaving here :(

The fall is full with school for ALL of us, volleyball for the girls, piano for all 3, church ministry activities and many other wonderful things to do!  I can hear the LOUD cicadas right now and see my beautiful roses in bloom.  Fall will be here soon and it is a season to love in Kentucky....  so year #3 here we go :)

Summer FUN!

Here are a few pictures from this summer.  Time is flying by as a blur and we are just trying to keep up with all the fun things, serve our church, stay sane and have enough clean clothes to wear!  The kids have all finished a multitude of books and are now on reading limits as they get little else done when absorbed in a good book!  We are getting ready for our trip to Canada next week, but Keith still has a class and heaps of reading to do...  

Hope you enjoy these pics! 

Happy Father's Day puzzle!

The finished puzzle :)

Trip on the Frankfort trolley to the Mellwood Art Center

Ellie's last picture with braces!  

Luke's good buddy Ethan on July 4th

July 4th party at the Wigginton's!

trying to be american!

waiting for fireworks

I really love this guy!

our goofs who are fun to be with!

great fireworks

we dressed up as cows

at chick-fil-A

to get free food!

and then had Dairy Castle ice cream

Keith's fishing trip

The Hanson Men fishing!  

tornados and weather

With the active tornado season in the USA this year we have had a few warnings and tornados in the Louisville area.  2 nights ago there was 3 tornados in Louisville and the warning sirens were going for a couple hours.   These storms are quite the experience.... the skies quickly become dark like night and the gusty winds pick up.  There's loud thunder and massive downpours.   Our streets instantly turn into rivers of water and my poor garden gets blitzed.  

We all have different reactions to these warnings and sirens:
- Keith:  "I need to go out and see if I can see this tornado"
- Luke: "Mom did you check the weather channel?"
- Megan: "Dad- you should get in the house and to the basement"
- Ellie: "What storm?  I am reading a book and am just fine in the basement."
- Mom: "How many weather channels can I watch on the computer at the same time?  And yes- we are safer in the basement!!!"

So we hang out in the basement and read books to pass the time.  So far there has not been huge damage in our area like other unfortunate cities, but it is a new experience altogether!    We are thankful for our own basement....our friends from the seminary who live in student housing have to go to the "basement boiler room" with all the other peeps on campus for a midnight gathering!

I guess one gets used to this....

Florida 2011

The Hanson family "needed" to see the beach again so we made the 10 hour trek to SeaGrove, Florida for a week of relaxing and spending time as a family.  We enjoyed the warm water, hearing the waves and walking in sand!  Sure made us miss NZ- heaps :)  We also enjoyed 2 days with "royalty" as we hung out with the KING family- what a joy to be with friends on a holiday.

tubing with Alexis and Rachel

The old guy still has what it takes! 

Ellie got up no problem! 

yes- we really brought these 3 with us:) 

I love this guy! 

The King family with us on the Blackwater river 

sand crab :) 

As we drove south to Florida we went through Tennessee and Alabama - it was a whole new experience to see the south.  Keith stopped at a road side place in Alabama for fresh watermelon, cantaloupes and BOILED peanuts... well we could hardly understand these guys with their southern accent.  Then there was Luverne, Alabama- I'm still trying to find a category in my brain that would begin to describe that town.

The Florida gulf coast beaches were white as I've ever seen- like flour almost.  The sand squeaked under your feet while you walked.    We managed to stay in a quiet area with quiet beaches, but there was a fresh bloom of algae so our swim suits were FULL of green guck after every swim.   We still swam lots!

So all said and done- we are home with a tan and some good memories.  Keith had lots of reading and 2 papers to do while we were away- so reality kept up with us :)  But one cannot complain if you get to go to the beach.