Quote a Three Year Old - Amazing Stuff!

Our little AJ has some amazing quotes: today she told me I should maybe close my laptop so it doesn't get dried up. "Don't get it all dried out daddy - because then you can't press things." I asked her why i wouldn't be able to press things & her response was, "Because God made it, painted it, cleans stuff for us too, and makes stuff for us, and papers for us to draw on, boots, Dora,..." I'm not sure how the two are connected.

Happy Valentine's

Life keeps whirling on it seems this February...I love my wife, my daughters, my son, and all that God has graced me with from an amazing & inspiring job to the opportunities I have to travel, to keep adventuring, to encourage those I meet on this journey called life! I realize nothing I do is of value unless I love...and so this Valentine's I call out to planet earth - learn to love & learn to live! This video is a cool collection of postcards to postsecret - a library of broken hearts & mended ones. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

2007 in review via photo-collage - enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

A drawing by my daughter Chelsea capturing the Nativity story, pretty brilliant from my perspective!

Trick or Treat!

I just made it back from a few days of teaching outdoor education at Red Rock in time for our annual trick or treating on Halloween. I still have fond memories of being a kid growing up in Riverside and biking around wearing army fatigues & facepaint in my efforts to collect candy with my buddy Grant. I think one year we actually did a couple rounds in different outfits. I also seem to recall getting Easter eggs at one house...old candy! The other gross-out was getting homemade toffee popcorn or a healthy snack like apples.

Zachary - our sleeping dragon!

My princesses getting candy from Mrs. N. across the street from us!

Another brave visit to a neighbour's house to get some sweets.

My camera lens is a little fogged up for this shot after coming in from the cold.Wendy's annual tradition is to carve pumpkins and she goes full-on with it: here's this year's theme Super Mario! I guess the Wii influence is strong in our house these days.

Some August Holiday Pics

This month has blown by and is practically over. I thought it was wise to post some pictures before I'm in the midst of teaching this September.

Aimee's third birthday with a cake decorated by yes - candy! Her request!

Aimee opening gifts with her aunt kiki & grandpa observing her enthusiasm. We had both sides of the family over for her party and she is still talking about it.

Zach chillin' on the living room floor..he's growing & talking more and more!

Aims & Chels enjoying some swimming at the pool
My two princesses - love dressing up (& dancing) when ever they can!

Chelsea stepping back in time and posing in front of "The Heartbreaker"


Chelsea loves dressing up with some of the costumes that her Grandma has stored away in their Riverside home.My dad "gobbling" up the oats - both my girls loved their time on the field. The hours are crazy for farmers this time of year but there is something special about working the land. Gotta love the green - it's in my blood apparently - John Deere!

Uncle Blaine, Chelsea & her dad on the combine.

The reason why my allergies are acting up as I load these pics up and why I'm not a farmer!

When the wind is blowing the same direction as the combine driving it turns the sky dark with dust & straw...makes for some neat pictures but I can't imagine being outside the cab.Gotta love the golden color of this oat field in the midst of harvest.

July Holiday Images

The summer has been a good and for me with the beginning of prep now for college it means I won't be escaping as much with the family out on outings (at least during the weekdays). But I wanted to display some of the images of our summer. I actually posted the shots of Tinkertown & Grand Forks tonight but changed the dates to when they were actually taken. The cottage & home shots in this portfolio are mainly from July. SO here they are!

Our three kids: Chelsea, Aimee, & Zachary!

Zachary - the target of many, many photographs.Zachary & his lovely mom!

Aimee with her pooh bear towel after a run through the sprinklers.

July means long hot days and weekend at Star Lake as much as possible. Here are a couple shots from the Whiteshell park: Gotta love them sunsets!

Fireworks from the dock on July 1st - tradition rules at the Friesen cottage!

Sprinklers are a great way of entertaining kids and they actually keep the grass green!

Zachary can be quite the charmer with his smiles and coos!

Another grin from the Z-man!

My precious Aimee!

The girls love our play structure and are quite proficient in their swinging acrobatic routines already!

Kyle & Laura brought a couple kittens to the cottage last weekend and Chelsea enjoyed playing with them - she's got a soft spot for animals (once she gets over her initial fear).

Zach again all-smiles!

My free spirit dancing daughter complete with her gypsy wear!

More shots of my wandering Chelsea!

Roasting marshmallows at Star Lake.

Aimee exploring the shoreline at Star Lake.

Chelsea enjoying the view of some nearby ducks.

Aimee & her mom enjoying the play structure at the lake.

Chelsea sliding...

Aimee swinging...

Another close-up of Chels

And more swinging at Star Lake...

Getting Back to Blogging

Wow - okay apparently it has been awhile since I've posted! Not sure why that it is other than the valid excuse of being pre-occupied by summer and spending time with family. My musings of course continue, as do my random thoughts & wanderings...but I admit to being a complete slacker for the past few weeks. We've done some traveling, cottaging, yardwork, cycling, photography, swimming, exploring the great outdoors and visiting local parks. I'll try and post some pics from the last month which I'm still sorting through...I know I've deleted well over a hundred (I do make some mistakes) and probably have about 400 shots that have survived my judgment (I am tough on my photos).

Wendy and I are loving our family: Zachary is continuing to be a growing joy in our lives (he's taken up karate or some form of martial arts along with smiling, cooing & wooing? to whoever he meets), Aimee is still my sparkling wonder who loves to be hugged, carried around, or pushed on the swing, and Chelsea loves exploring the limits of her balance, strength, & speed in whatever sport she's attempting (namely swinging, runbiking, swimming, & climbing). It is still hard to believe we are a family of 5 persons right now and it is admittedly yet more of a challenge loading up the Escape for our infrequent escapes to the cottage, the city, church, or visiting friends & family.

So yeah - August has arrived and my escape from the office is coming quickly to an end. I'm going to try and transition it all, already doing some reading & research, but yeah this ship is about to set sail for another year of education with a touch of revolution & hopefully inspiration!

Grand Forks Escape: Canad Inn & Waterpark

We decided to do a family trip to Grand Forks (July 10-13th) because of our amazing exchange rate for the US dollar, do some shopping and check out the new Canad Inn & their amazing water park. We were not disappointed! Here's a few shots taken with my cheaper point & shoot Optio digital:Aimee enjoying Grand Fork's Canad Inn's waterpark - amazingly kid-friendly!

Chels & me shooting some hoops at one of the pools at the waterpark.

Some of the cool decor at the water park - sort of a "island theme" - very cool!

The family in the hot-tub - Zach is a little stunned apparently - not the most flattering shot but hey not all my pictures are amazing ha!

A shot of our arctic theme room for the kids - kind of cool as they had their own space as did we!

Chelsea modeling one of the bunkbeds - complete with amazing painted walls.

Aimee beside her favorite penguin!