Summer Lovin’ Part 3: August

Posted on September 26, 2016 by lifeonabramlake

In the darkness, I sip my coffee. Ada, ever present, snuggles in at my side on the couch. It’s 5:30am and the view for my morning pumping sessions, where I catch up on emails, my blog, and generally savour an hour of silence, have slowly changed from bright, inviting sunrises to the slow fading of night into the gentle grey light of September dawn.

Summer is long gone and as I sort through photos of our days at the beach, in the boat and on the water, I am baffled at how quickly those sunny days have passed us. I must admit, we had a fabulous summer. From the end of July, until mid-September, we had back-to-back friends and family join us to enjoy our beautiful home on Abram Lake. Sharing our Sioux Lookout summer was such a fantastic way to re-discover how amazing it is to live on the water. I’m already looking forward to next year! My only regret is that, for the first time since Blake and I have gotten together, we didn’t get out for a canoe trip this year. I am truly saddened by this, but with a baby and a toddler, it would have been a struggle. I am hoping that next year, when Alice is just a bit older, we can re-start the annual tradition of camping out with our family.

Anyway, here are the photos of our jam-packed August and early September! So sorry that I’m so late with this one 🙂

Enjoying the sun with Keith, Karla and Sailor (with Blake and the boys sailing in the background)

The boys

Summer days

Can’t complain!

My sister Leah, her partner Carrie and my niece (Rosie) and nephew (Luc) came for an awesome 10-day adventure to the North. They took the train all the way from Toronto just to see us! We had such a great visit. Can’t wait for next year!

On our way to Ruby Island

Henry in the tree fort

Let the games begin! At the paper airplanes contest at the Wasaya hangar for Blueberry Festival.

Rosie gives it a go

Stormy clouds don’t stop us from still hanging out at the beach

Checking out our garden

Both Brooks and Henry have eaten loads of veggies from the garden this summer. Henry eats the peas right off of the vine. I never ever worry that he hasn’t eaten enough veggies 🙂

Beach soccer with Luc & Uncle Blake

A windy day at the beach with Meghan and Johnny

Getting ready to eat dinner – Rosie doesn’t look too stoked about it

Dad-Dad 🙂

Henry and Rosie. He LOVED Rosie so so much. She was great with him and very helpful with Alice too.

Rosie, Alice & Henry

Blueberry pancakes for breakfast!

Alice, Blake’s very happy sous-chef

Henry wanted to wear one of Alice’s bonnets 🙂

Cuddling with Auntie Leah after Henry’s nap

At the Sioux Lookout museum/train station

Swinging high with Auntie Meghan and Rosie at the Town Beach

A beautiful sunny day!

Hanging out at the Town Beach

Hahah – I didn’t get a better picture, but this was a disastrous attempt at going to the Blueberry Festival Sioux Lookout Legion’s steak fry with four kids. They were all grumpy and despite us getting there right at 6pm, there was not one seat in the house and no one offered up a spot for the kids who were cranky and hungry. We will NOT be attempting that event again next year!

Leah reading to Luc & Rosie before bed in the gazebo. We had renovated it before Leah and the kids had arrived and Rosie took it over as her own ‘club house’ 🙂

I went for an early Saturday morning run and came back to this scene – Auntie Leah and Uncle Blake with all of the kids on the couch 🙂

Rosie, Auntie Leah (with Alice), Luc, Henry and Blake

Meghan and I with Luc & Rosie at the Cedar Bay stables

Henry at my favourite Blueberry Festival event – the St. Andrew’s United Church fish fry!

Henry getting into his fish and beans 🙂

Our gang at the fish fry

Alice, baby Natalie (in the wrap) and my good friend Lianne

Relaxing on the lawn after eating our fish

I love community events!

Alice, with my colleague Dr. Dooley and his wife Yvette

Getting better at sitting up…!

The day we look forward to all year – float plane rides at the Blueberry Festival! Henry was so excited. He loves airplanes!

Waiting for our turn.

Henry sitting with Dad-Dad in the cockpit

Getting ready to fly the plane!

Alice’s first float plane ride

Rosie was very apprehensive about this but loved it in the end

Sioux Lookout – lakes and trees abound!

Back at the beach.

Henry’s daily beachwear

Alice and I in the shade

Thanks for my cute romper Nana!

Auntie Leah and Alice

My cutie and I at the beach

Alice is always great company!

Blake and the kids sorting out who gets to go first to go tubing

Off they go!

Playing with Blake’s homemade solar-powered water table

Sailor, Henry and Luc

Life is good on the water!

Alice, content as always, just hanging out

Getting ready to have an al fresco feast with Carrie, Leah, John, Meghan, Blake and I and all of the kids.

Alice chilling out while Henry serenades her. Trying to keep them occupied while we ate dinner!

Luc and Henry with Sally, the geriatric dog from next door

A perfect evening for a bowl of ice cream at the beach

Beautiful!

Outdoor craft time

Henry and Hunter – best buds

Haha Blake and Henry goofing around

Henry’s favourite indoor swing

Alice jolly jumping

Family pizza dinner!

Jailbird! He hasn’t quite made it all the way out yet…

Snuggling with his stuffies

This one is ALWAYS so happy waking up from her nap!

5 months – time is flying by

This. Every day.

Luc and Henry playing with the diggers at the beach

Lianne, baby Natalie (nursing), Leah, Carrie and Alice at the beach

Johnny with geriatric Sally

Blake and Josh coming in from an evening of fishing

Fish fry coming right up!!! Yay for second dinner 🙂

One morning, I was busy in the kitchen making lasagnas for dinner. Henry was running around the house and then went into his room. He was quiet for about 5 min which any Mom will know is HIGHLY suspicious. I yelled out from the kitchen, “Henry, what are you doing?!” and Henry replied, “Reading a book”.
I thought for SURE he was lying, so I went to his room and saw this 🙂 He was sitting in his toy box actually reading a book!

Skinny dipping cousins

A quiet afternoon. Notice poor Blake who passed right out in his chair!

Henry and Rosie doing ‘yoga’ on the lawn

Dinnertime!

Waiting for the train on an early, rainy morning. Sad to see Leah, Carrie and the kids go home 😦

Henry at the Farmer’s Market – he ate probably two cucumbers and countless peas while I shopped. Thankfully, the vendors didn’t seem to mind his freeloading!

Alice reading in her chair 🙂

Henry wanting to revert back to babyhood!

Loving the swing!

Alice’s turn – with Henry and Blythe

Henry, wearing Blythe’s jacket, with Meghan

A GORGEOUS sunset!

Enjoying our amazing view

Our friends Kelsey and Dirk came to visit for a week, all the way from Calgary with their new addition, baby Julie!

Julie, Henry & Alice

Henry and his big zucchini

Ada taking care of the babies

Hunter taking Henry for a ride on the inflatable ‘jet ski’

Enjoying the water

Most our afternoons – on the lawn, drinking beer, watching the babies

Alice and Julie hanging out together

Dirk waterskiing on a beautiful evening

Blake’s turn. I also got to go out a few times. I hadn’t waterskiied in over 15 years! I did manage to get up on one ski and it came back to me pretty easily.

Matching!

Over the summer, my brother, John who is a nurse at the hospital got a temporary job at the prenatal clinic that I work in. It was great seeing him at work. Here we are on our last day of clinic together. Unfortunately, he was only covering vacation time so he’s now moved on to a different job 😦

Beach time!

Summit, Kelsey, Julie & Dirk

An amazing evening with a big moon overhead. This view seriously NEVER gets old.

Mornings with Henry while I drink my coffee

Blake out sailing with Kelsey, while Summit waits patiently in the boat for their return.

Julie and Alice playing in the shade

Gorgeous again!

Henry, Blythe and Alice at the beach having an after dinner swim before bed

Alice is so hilarious. She LOVES watching Henry, even though he generally terrorizes her. She always takes it in stride and hardly ever fusses when he tries to drown her every night by ‘washing her head’ (aka dumping water onto her face)!!!

Getting splashed. As usual. Poor baby!

John and Blake were featured in the local paper for their triathlon success!

Spending the afternoon with Auntie Bacon (it’s actually Megan, but Henry somehow calls her Bacon!)

Sailor’s one year birthday!

Sweet Alice

Standing up all by herself at 5.5 months

Cousin Ava and Uncle Darren came for a week-long visit in August.
Ava was a great helper with Alice and loved to hold her and give her lots of cuddles.

Lounging in the sun

Sunset gazing

Selfies with Auntie Meghan, Brooks and Hunter

Hunter, Alice & Ava. Alice LOVES Hunter and laughs and laughs at the faces he pulls for her!

The kids endlessly playing on the paddleboards

Watching the kids swimming with an ever-smiling Alice

Blake, Darren and Ava heading out to go fishing

A day at the beach

Henry, Alice & Ada on the deck. Notice Henry was adamant that he eat his dinner sitting in Alice’s Bumbo chair, rather than his highchair!

Fish Fry with our neighbours!

These cuties 🙂

Auntie Megan (aka Auntie Bacon) and Henry enjoying the late afternoon sun

Dinner and playtime on the deck

Blake, Darren, Keith and the kids out fishing in front of a beautiful sunset

Henry zooming along, with Ava behind him on Thomas the train

Henry taking a break 🙂

A boy and his bike

Brooks and Henry in the garden. These two are HUGE veggies lovers and eat greens straight from the source every day.

Munching on a freshly picked cucumber

Henry giving the pumpkin some love

Beautiful Northwestern Ontario skies

This little beauty in the swing

Alice and her Uncle Johnny

The pre-bedtime meltdown

Alice and Uncle Darren

Uncle Johnny getting some ‘love’ from Ava and Brooks

After-dinner soccer with Hunter, Brooks and Ava

Sorting out teams for a game of capture the flag

Early-morning bed selfies 🙂

Henry ‘helping’ Dad-Dad in the garage

Ava, Sailor, Henry, Blake, Brooks, Darren and Alice

Henry with his fleece as he wakes up from a nap

Henry and I with his new bike seat. We had biked into town for the market and so Henry held onto his much loved cucumber the whole way home 🙂

LOVING the swing 🙂

Darren, Brooks and Hunter playing soccer on the lawn

Out for a bike-ride

Darren pushing Alice and Ava

Henry helping Blake drive

On the boat on our way to town for ice cream

Catching our ride to dinner! We had a float plane come pick us up at our place and fly us to a nearby Lodge for dinner!

It was Ava’s first time on a floatplane

Henry LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!

He was fascinated by the lakes and trees and for the first part of the ride, was absolutely still with his face pressed against the window watching intently

Alice, like Henry, waking up with a smile with her fleece

Cousin love

Ava and Uncle Blake fishing

Caught one!

Summer-time boat fun!

After feeling a bit cooped up with the kids and work, I was desperate for one day of alone time this summer.
I enlisted some girlfriends to go out for a day of paddling. Thankfully, I have wine-loving friends who are game for adventure.
So, I left the kids for the day and we headed out for a day paddle at a nearby provincial park.
Here is my friend Tal, all ready with her wine in her backpack. She had never been in a canoe before but was a true sport!

Off we go!

Beauty day

Meg and I

We found a perfect little spot to pull out some snacks and pour some wine!

Relaxing in the sun.

Cat, the fisherwoman

Of course, being away from Alice all day meant that I still had to pump!

The best!

Having some fun 🙂

Hahah!

Love these ladies

Tal and I on the paddle home

After Darren and Ava went home, we welcomed our good friends Gorin & Irena from Calgary who are expecting a little one of their own very shortly!

Alice and her Sophie, bathed in evening sun while we eat dinner on the deck

Happy baby!

Dining with a view

A quiet evening

A morning alone, just me and my coffee on our dock

Gorin, Alice & Blake enjoying the sunshine!

Henry helping Dad-Dad in the garage

Uncle Johnny and Henry reading 🙂

Henry is anxiously awaiting ski season – already! Wearing his ski helmet in preparation…

We hired a float plane for Gorin & Irena’s visit to take us on a mini tour of the lakes before heading to dinner!

Our little town!

Henry always wanting to be just like Dad

He also copies what I do to! Here he is helping me ‘clean up’.

I just love watching Henry play on his own. I snuck into his room to see him build this massive tower by himself 🙂

Eating ‘super beans’ (aka beans that are a foot-long!) from the garden

Auntie Megan and ‘Baby Murphy’, her new puppy!

Love you Meg!

My sweet baby girl

How have 6 months passed already!?

A baby and her Grandpa

Starting solids 🙂

Henry and Grandma Joey in the garden.
Henry (every day while inspecting the garden): “Look! Mama! Come here! Look! A big one! Oh my goodness!”

Henry playing with the Fisher Price house that Mom and Dad brought from Muskoka. We played with these ‘little people’ when we were small too. Henry loved it and made all the people sit in the chairs for ‘snack’, lie down in their beds, etc. It was super cute to watch him play.

Playing with Duplo

Alice and Grandpa Steve

A sunny beach day with Brooks and Hunter

Playing with the water table

Henry going for a canoe ride with Grandpa & Grandma

Grandma Joey playing with Henry and the many, many bath toys

Boys and their bikes

Cool kids 🙂 Sailor, Hunter and Henry having a tailgate party

Henry eating his carrots from the garden

Dad watching Blake windsurf from our beach

Alice meets blueberries and avocado!

Out on the lake for a canoe ride

It took ALL SUMMER for this to happen – I had been trying to get both kids into the canoe for weeks and weeks.
We finally had a day where it wasn’t windy, both kids were awake and I had extra hands to help me paddle!
Hurray!