Mount St. Helens

One of the other day trips that we took on our camping trip was a drive to Mount St. Helens.  This was amazing to see!  Seeing how much of the mountain erupted and came crashing down through the valley below was unbelievable.  We spent some time in 2 of the visitor centers, reading about how it happened, how fast and  powerful it was and reading some of the amazing survival stories.  If you ever have the chance to see this, it is well worth the trip off the highway!

"Look, I see it over there!"

"We're up here!"

In spite of all the devestation that occured over 30 years ago there, it was very cool to see all the regeneration of life that has and is happening there now.  Many species of both plants and animals are again thriving there.  We really do serve an amazing Creator God!

A trip to Smithers

On July 2nd, I packed up the van and headed up to Smithers for a little holiday.  Kevin had the opportunity to go to Greece for a University Instructors convention and I gave him my blessing to do so.  Yes, I would have loved to have gone along, but the university would only cover his expenses not mine, so my next holiday option was Smithers! 

Our first stop along the journey was in Fraser Lake to see the VanWerkhovens.  The kids were very excited to see their cousins and their new place.  They had great fun exploring where they lived, gonig on a messy hike, feeding turkeys and just hangin' out together!  Wish we lived closer so they could play with their cousins a little more!

Cousins!

Hiking through the trees along the path . . .

. . . and in the mud!  Thanks for the piggy backs Uncle Dave!

Feeding the turkeys

Then the next stop was in Smithers at Grandma's house.  We spent just over a week there enjoying the beautiful sunshine (which we hadn't seen much of  this summer yet!), playing in lakes, playing at parks, visiting friends, going to "Grandma's Store", a day at the farm, hiking, visiting aunts and uncles, waterslides and pools at Esther's Inn . . . It was a great week there!
 Here are a few highlights!

Going for a hike up Malkow Lookout.

Kendra and Owen enjoying a view one way from the top.

The view the other way.  Mountains don't get much better than that!

Playing in Grandma's pool.  Not quite the same as Auntie Esther's but with a sprinkler beside it, it was still fun!

Jocelyn tried the whole day at the farm for the cows to come eat her handful of hay. 

Watching the last bale of hay go up the elevator into the barn.

Going for a ride on the quad with Uncle Al . . .

going for a walk with mommy. . .

going for a ride on the dog!

Playing at the beach at Tyee Lake

Stopping for lunch at a rest stop on the way home.



Me and my crew!

Jocelyn, the little fashionista, reading some books while waiting for her breakfast.

However, no matter where you go, it sure feels good to be home again.  That is a good thing.

Snow in August

The past weekend has been crazy hot here. Our house turns into a sauna when the temperature goes over 30 degrees. So, in order to escape the heat for a day, we decided to look for cooler temperatures. We piled in the van after church, crossed the border and headed up to Mt. Baker in search of snow! It was an absolutely beautiful drive and we made a few scenic stops along the way before our final stop.

This was a view of Mt. Baker from the back side. We stopped here for lunch but it was still very hot and there were lots of bugs so we didn't stay there long. Our next stop was at a place call Picture Lake. You can see why they call it that!

We tried for a family photo but Owen was having a 'moment' and refused to turn around!

We found some places around the lake where there was evidence of lava. Kendra found a small rock that she called her 'lava rock' to add to her collection and she wanted a picture of it! She is her father's daughter and has already started many collections (rocks, shells, snails, etc., etc., etc., )!

Another try at the family shot!

Finally, we reached our last stop, Artist Point, just past the Mt. Baker ski hill lodges. What an incredibly beautiful place. The kids were SOOOOO excited to see all the snow and we were very thankful that we decided to throw in the sled on the off chance that there would be enough snow to use it. And there was! Down the hill they went!

Kevin and Kendra go down!

Owen's turn!

Kendra and Quinn heading to the bigger hill. No fear in that child!

We thought it might be kinda fun to get a shot of all three kids in the sled in the summer in the snow but Jocelyn didn't think that was such a great idea!!

Finally, a quick stop on the way down for Kevin to capture this shot of Highwood Lake. Amazing!!

Brandsma Reunion

Last weekend, 46 of the 55 Brandsma's met for a family reunion on Mayne Island. It was a wonderful weekend! There was lots of visiting, kids playing on swings and at the beach, frisbeer games, and just hangin' out together! The weather was beautiful which just helped to make it an even better time!

Rosalie took a few family pictures of us. This is about the best that we are going to get of us and our children!!!

One out of three is looking!!

Rosalie also did some crafts with the kids. (There were 16 kids there!) Kendra wore her visor hat all weekend and has her frame hanging in her room!

The places where we stayed were right on the beach of the ocean. It was a great place for the kids to play in the sand, throw rocks in the ocean and look for jellyfish on the rocks.

Sid had some kyaks that were used all weekend. The kids also had to get in on the action! Don't worry, they are only a few feet off shore and we were holding on to the rope on the end of the boat!

"You been farmin' long?"

This was Kendra's favourite thing to do there - play on the tree swing!!

Jocelyn, just lookin' cute!

We did a few hikes / walks on the weekend. Jocelyn was quite happy to come along on the backpack!