Farm!

One of our favourite things to do this summer has been visiting friends every week out on Lindsie's farm. It is wonderful for me to get out of the city, and the kids love playing with their friends and having so much space to run around (and new toys to play with). Isn't it beautiful?



The kiddie pool is a big hit too.





Judith likes to run and jump in, I don't know how it doesn't hurt her butt!



Gideon spent quite a while just walking back and forth from the pool to the flowers.



She likes to ride this thing down the hill at full speed. She has no fear. I just hold my breath.



Exploring the world via bike.



She has a new-found fascination with binoculars.



I love that he loves flowers.



I've noticed lately that he has taken a liking to RED cars. I'm not sure why red, but it's cute. He found 2 there and was in heaven! He makes sound effects and all.

Because Boys Can Be Butterflies Too...

My recent blessings:

61 - Getting out of the city so much lately.

62 - Children who love camping as much as me.

63 - Mountain air.

64 - Family times.



65 - Midwives.

66 - Fun times with friends.

67 - A week of nice weather.

68 - Fresh berries!

69 - Enjoying the sunshine out in the middle of a field.

70 - Great music on the college radio station.

71 - A Tim Horton's date with just Gideon.

72 - Gideon's endless joy.



73 - Finding an awesome pro-AP doctor!

74 - Judith's curls.

75 - Knowing that when I look back on my life when I'm old, I will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I didn't waste my life doing housework.

Strawberry Pickin

Judith, ready to take on the berries!



Her "New Lambie" helped.





"Look Mama, it's sooooo cuuuuute!!!"



She was a very enthusiastic helper, and did a really great job!



All of the berries Judith picked (then she left to go explore the playground).



Yeah...



Our spoils from the day (I had to pick a row and a half to get that many, a lot of the plants didn't survive the terrible weather we've had this year, and the berries that were there were TINY! But super yummy, so it was worth it.)



Yummers! Dave and Gideon were really excited when we got home with these babies.



I hope to go again this week. If I can muster up the energy to take on berry picking while wrangling both kids...

Oh the Suspense!

I have been following dooce.com for a while. Honestly, I'm not the hugest Heather Armstrong fan, but I can relate to her postpartum experience after her first child SO MUCH. When I first found her blog, I read through so many of her archived posts, I think I actually spent a couple weeks reading through every single tidbit she has written on depression. I love the way she writes too. It's probably why she is so popular.

Anyways, a while ago I thought of hopping off the Dooce bandwagon, and then she got pregnant again. So I kept reading, well, just the pregnancy-related posts anyway. I was really hoping that this time would go better for her.

Just recently she had her baby, and so far has written 2 blogs about it, but hasn't gotten to her actual birth story yet! I am seriously so excited to hear it now that I have read the first 2 parts leading up to it! Apparently towards the end of her pregnancy, she had a sudden urge to explore natural childbirth.

You can read part 1 here.

And part 2 here.

I am patiently waiting for part 3 (because really, who has much time with a newborn in the house?). I can't believe I am anticipating this so much!

Who Homebirths?

I found a wonderful blog to inspire me during this pregnancy: http://www.blognow.com.au/whohomebirths/

I'm not sure if I am going to go for a homebirth this time, or a midwife-assisted hospital birth (both of my births so far were in the hospital, but attended by only midwives, no doctors or nurses, and they were great). But honestly, I can't get enough homebirth stories! I find them so encouraging and empowering!



Judith and I moments after birth.

(I love this photo because I honestly had no idea that there was a cloth on my head until I saw the photos after! I was in total birth-euphoria!)

Camping!

We went camping this past weekend and it was so much fun! I can see us doing a lot more in the future. The kids loved it. And I got a much-needed nature fix.

Our campsite (our cousins came with their trailer, we stayed in the tent).





The view.







Gideon enjoyed finally having lots of space to walk around without me always bugging him about being careful and not getting hit by cars and other such silliness.



So much spaaaaaaaaaace, it was awesome!



Biking!



Gideon watched us all brush our teeth over in this spot, so when I gave him his toothbrush (it's more like a chew toy that cleans his teeth), he went right over there all on his own, to the "spot". It was so cute. I hope he didn't sit in a bunch of our spit...



I love the sky out here!



We went hiking and the forest was SO beautiful!







Gideon enjoyed the hike, it must have been soothing. He always seems to fall asleep in the mei tai.



Judith was brave and ventured into the ice-cold creek.



It was so wonderful there.



Family pic!



Ready to go!





Judith LOVED all of the attention from our cousins!



My favourite pic from the weekend.



Gideon loved all of the plants, trees, bugs and flowers. He is a nature boy for sure!



He LOVED exploring!





Judith loved getting dirty.



Gideon also loved the junk food...



Glow bracelets!



Watching cartoons in the trailer in the morning. Yeah, we were totally roughing it, haha.



Breakfast!



Gideon thinks that breakfast tastes better with a little dirt mixed in.



We had a great weekend with our cousins!





Sorry for so many photos, we just had such a great time!