Christianson Kids: Catching Up!

We survived the 32 hour drive up North and are still all in one piece! We have been here in Airdrie, a small community just north of Calgary, for a week now. The differences between Canada and the States are subtle and not so subtle. We definitely got a lot of stares when we took all three kids to the grocery store with us. Apparently kids in Calgary are meant to be seen, but not heard!
We are currently experiencing a "heat wave," (80s during the day, 50s at night) which we find extremely pleasant! The weather is so nice that we head outside right after breakfast and have to drag the kids in at bedtime. The kids have been taking great naps!

The "company house" that we are staying in is furnished and has all of the basics that we need. One of the families Jared works with even dropped off toys for the kids to play with. That has been a blessing since we could only fit so much into our minivan! The area is beautiful and we can see why Canadians love their summer so much! We are planning on taking a day trip to Banff soon along with a few other outings. My only complaint is that Jared is here for work and not for leisure!
We have enjoyed meeting a college friend and her children who live in Calgary now, going to playgrounds/splash parks, and getting to know Jared's co-workers. I am finding that I have less distractions here since my only responsibility is my family. I pray that it will be a sweet time for our family and that I will have energy and time to focus on Kai's speech and development and addressing some behavioral issues with a little girl that I know!
We had a lot of fun times in Texas the month before we left. Jared's parents came to visit the first week in July. One of the highlights of their trip was hosting a crawfish boil at our house with family, church friends, and neighbors. Jarred got the crazy idea while at an oil field event months ago. He flew in crawfish from Louisiana, then added other meats, veggies and a lot of spice. The kids were very brave and held the live crawfish. When Julia was told that we would be eating the crawfish later that day, Julia said,"Mommy, no way!" To our surprise, she ate more than her share that night!

Checking it out

Turtle fruit bowl made by Jan

Isaac enjoying a dirt appetizer!

Neighbor friends

We also enjoyed a visit from my brother. The kids can never get enough of Uncle Zachy! A few weeks later we packed up the van and headed to Nebraska. We dropped Jared off at the airport to join his father and brother for a fly fishing trip in Washington while the kids and I spent the week with my family. We were able to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday, see all of our cousins and close family, and wear out my poor mother! Here are a few pictures from the birthday party. Mom really wanted a nice family picture to use for her Christmas photo this year. Needless to say, the kids didn't have good naps and the pictures speak for themselves. I think she should still use it for their Christmas card. It's so much more real than having 7 toddlers all smile at the same time!