Final Day

We decided to drive straight home from the Kilbreaths in Calgary to Abbotsford. It turned out to be quite an easy day for us and it included an hour pit-stop at Lake Louise (we couldn't go thought there without a little slice of its beauty).

We arrived home at approx. 9:30pm local time and we quickly ran around the yard and house to see how everything had held up over the past month. We again are so grateful to our friends and neighbors for their support and upkeep of our place. As we cashed in for the evening, we acknowledged how appreciative we were for our home - especially our beds! On the way home - Toby counted 11 different places that we had stayed (Julius got to 12 cuz of Calvin) and to be able to sleep in our own beds was truly a blessing. In our last few days and hours we also realized that this trip was as much more about the people that we came across, re-acquainted with, or met, as opposed to what we expected - which were the sites along the way.

Our car put 7,000 miles on it during the trip and we are so grateful for the traveling mercies that we enjoyed (including a few narrow misses, a speeding ticket in Washington, and a Wisconsin policeman's graciousness for a full car load that was caught speeding through the small town of Ripon, WI). From everything that we can tell - our car made the trip without any problems and the kids enjoyed noticing all of the different species of bugs and butterflies that our windshield and front bumper had accumulated. Our music of choice was the New Boys and Heidi's made up "12 days of driving song", and the Penderwicks book on tape made it three times through.


The trip didn't completely avoid the pains and sufferings of a month on the road ... but it was quite an exciting ride - one that we will never forget ... the Siebenga Summer Trip of 2011.

The Kilbreaths

After saying good-bye to the beloved Dinosaurs (not as sad as leaving friends or family), we said hello to the Kilbreaths at their home in Calgary. The Kilbreaths are family friends from our old stomping grounds in California, as they have recently re-located to Calgary. It was wonderful to re-connect and see how they are doing as a family. It was also fun to notice the changes in their children. Wow - is that Molly really something!

After an evening of re-connecting, and another late bedtime, we went to Southland Leisure center - a waterslide / pool park the next day, and then to their brand new house for an evening barbeque and play time in the park across their back lane-way. More fun!

Late that evening, we had a precious few moments to catch up as adults - so good to share beverages with Layne and Ann - we do miss them and hope our visits are more frequent. Thank you for having time in your very busy summer to share your life with us!

Drumheller

After a good drive and evening in Lethbridge Alberta, we made our way to Drumheller, Alberta in the middle of Alberta's badlands. A destination that has been circled on our calendar all along. Ever since we moved to BC and knew we were 10 hours from one of the best dinosaur museums and dig sites (where the Albertasaurus was discovered) we hoped it would fit in to our travel plans one day. So we decided to visit the Royal Tyrell Dinosaur Museum. What an afternoon it was as the kids were enthralled and became even better dinosaur and fossil experts. We loved it and highly recommend it to all.

Another Good Bye and Travel Day-July 31

On Sunday we travelled to Sioux Falls where the Van Donkersgooed's live. After crashing their neice / cousin's birthday dance party we settled down to sleep and prepared for another morning departure. We said our tearful good byes, stopped by Al's new coffee cabin drive-thru for a coffee and some specially made milkshakes, did some shopping at Hy-Vee's, and then we found ourselves back on the familiar I-90 for another 8 hours of driving - destination Sheridan Wyoming.

Before going straight through to Sheridan, we were "sold" by all the Wall Drug bill boards and made our way off the exit at Wall Drug for a quick pit stop. A fun time as we perused the gift shops and bought a few trinkets and t-shirts.

Round Lake - Saturday and Sunday - July 30,31

Spending time with Al and Sherra, and providing the opportunity for our kids to make new friends was truly a great experience. Al and Sherra (and Sherra's parents Vern and Elaine Ten Appel) treated us like kings as we slept in a beautiful camper (with air-conditioning!) Have we mentioned how hot it has been all along our trip? We are not used to 40 degree Celcius with high humidity!!! So the camper gave us a wonderful restful place to get our energy back for skiing, tubing, fishing, swimming and hanging out together. The first night the kids were having so much fun we didn't even notice is was midnight and they were still out frog hunting. This brought our mosquito bite count for one night to a grand total of about 50 for Toby. The bugs have been biting all vacation and we all are learning to cover-up and spray, but frog hunting has raised it to a whole new level. Toby and Jude were neck to neck with almost 50 each! But by morning they are almost recovered. Good talks and delicious campfire treats seemed to end each day and we are so grateful for our time with our friends. The kids trully loved being together and the freedom they had to roam the campground and explore was an extra treat.

On Saturday we also met up with Kristen De Weerd (Julius' cousin) and her 2 daughters Meghan and Moriah - her husband Mike was gone camping with their son Caleb. Sofie was amazed that everywhere we go we meet more cousins!! This trip has been a trip of reconnecting in a huge way and we are so happy our children have had this time of seeing a bigger world.

Travel Day to East Side Acres

After a fun night of visiting with Uncle Jack and Aunt Brenda's kids and grand-kids (Ross and his wife Ang and their 2 children Addy and Chase, as well as Marissa and her husband Dan, and Nicole), we managed to get away at a decent hour and embarked on another 7 hours or so in the car with a rendezvous set with Al and Sherra Van Donkersgooed and their 4 children (Noah, Kyla, Jude, and Titus) at East Side Acres. This is a campgrounds on Round Lake, just outside of Worthington, Minnesota. After driving through acres and acres of corn fields, and Sofie commenting again that all there is around us are cars and corn, we found our friends. The children were quickly off to see the dock, boat and find the fishing poles.

Being Lake People! July 28th

Thursday was a day devoted to hanging out with the De Blaey's and catching as many fish as possible. Our lake week in Picton Ontario had spoiled us, as we could catch something almost as fast as we could put our hook in. But we persevered in Plymouth Lake. Eliot spent many hours that day waiting for his fish to find him and gratefully by dinner time he caught a great large mouth bass (about 10 inches Eliot says). We went on the pontoon boat (something Sofie does not like!), rode the wave runner (something we ALL really like) and paddled around Uncle Jacks and Aunt Brenda's cove. The paddle boat gave the boys the opportunity to troll around the cove and the freedom that gave them was great fun and a an easy way to fish as Toby is getting his energy back. We had a big dinner with all the De Blaeys that night and caught up with cousins and their children. Uncle Jack and Aunt Brenda were more than gracious to host us for these days (especially since their house is under construction) and we are grateful for all their care. Despite Tobys strep diagnosis the night before and the lack of sleep for all the adults-even Jack and Brenda-we had a wonderful last day in Plymouth, WI. Tomorrow we are off to camping in Minnesota at yet another lake!

Visiting with Grandma DeBlaey

We woke up to a stormy day and plans to visit with Grandma De Blaey. Toby wasnt feeling himself, but we hoped it was just late nights catching up with him. Despite the rough weather Grandma De Blaey (our children's only living great grandma)was still happy to see us. We headed over and met Grandma at her place and visited for a while and then took her to lunch. We had a great time sharing about our life in Abbotsford and hearing how she was doing. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent visiting and fishing. The rain stopped and we were able to be outside for a while.

The children were all tucked in bed and the rest of us were on our way to bed too when we checked on Toby and he was not well. He seemed to have a fever, his throat was horribly red and he began feel very ill. We were worried about strep and when Toby said he wanted to go to the hospital at midnight, we knew something was wrong. After most of the night in ER Julius and Toby came home with antibiotics and a strep diagnosis. It was a rough night, but we are grateful for the good care we got and pray that he is feeling better in the morning.

(Some of these posts are almost a week late, but we have had limited Internet access)

On our way to Wisconsin

We got off at a decent hour from John and Jodi's as we said good-bye to Jocelyn and Kirsten who had to head to work in the morning. Destination: Plymouth, Wisconsin - approx. 11 hours of driving (give or take traffic in Chicago). We made very good time and the trip was highlighted by a dinner date at an Oasis over the freeway in Chicago with Uncle Marve and Aunt Phyllis Wolterstorff (they heard we were passing through). We caught up quickly as the kids enjoyed Subway / McDonalds / Panda. It was great to catch up with them as they shared what recently retired life is like ...

We managed to arrive in Plymouth at Uncle Jack and Aunt Brenda's just before sun-down and we were ready for a relaxing, fun 2 days with family on the beautiful Crystal Lake. We look forward to catching up, having fun, and visiting with Grandma De Blaey.

Niagara Falls - last day in Ontario

On Monday, July 25 Jodi (Julius' sister) and her girls, took our family to see the Niagara Falls. It was a perfect day to go because it was so hot outside. The cool mist off the falls was great in the heat of the day. The highlight for the kids was the "Journey under the Falls" as we went down under the falls to experience the majesty - it was beautiful and Heidi found herself overcome by it all (a small woohoo came flying out when entering the observation deck). After the falls we came back to the Klompmakers for shish-kabobs with Grandpa and Grandma Siebenga joining us. A bitter-sweet night as we said our goodbyes. Leaving in the morning was sad but necessary as we had committed to getting to Uncle Jack and Aunt Brenda's in Sheboygan, Wisconsin by nightfall. The Klompmakers were wonderful and we miss them already. Thanks Jodi, John, Jocelyn and Kirsten.

Beautiful Sunday

Our time with family here in Ontario is coming to an end. Sunday was a beautiful day starting with Brooklyns baptism and ending with many beautiful cousins playing together until it was much past bedtime at Nate and Winonas (Thanks for hosting all of us). We were able to visit with some friends as well as family and it was such a meaningful time to witness the baptism and then spend time together strenthening our bonds as family and friends. Tomorrow we get to enjoy one last day with the Klompmakers and Julius's parents in the evening and Tuesday morning we head out for the US.

so much fun

Pictures of cottage life

Oh what a week it was!

Summer fun

Without Internet access it has been difficult to keep up with the blog. Our time in Ontario has been tremendous - highlighted again by the fact that the kids are connecting wonderfully with their cousins. We look forward to water skiing and tubing today - our last full day at the cottage. Next up - baby Brooklyn's baptism on Sunday and then hanging out with Jodi and John and their girls Jocelyn and Kirsten.

Picton Bay with Siebenga's

The last few days have been full of fishing, campfires, kayaks, swimming and great times with family sharing and playing. Our trip from Grand Rapids,MI to Picton, ON was a good one and we made it just in time to share in our first campfire of the week. Tonight we had smores after a great day at the beach.

Our last day here in Michigan

Its a bittersweet day as we enjoy our last day with family here in MI and we say goodbye. Our time here has gone by quickly as each day seemed to hold a new place to see and people to get to know for the first time or again.

Some of us slept in today and then after some packing we headed out to see Aunt Carole's new place. It is wonderful! She has decided to upsize rather than downsize in her retired years and it looks like she will be the hostess for many wonderful gatherings of friends and family. We will miss you!

Then off to meet Uncle David, Aunt Cathy and Cousin Emily for an afternoon at Meijer Gardens. It was a steamy day, but everything in this amazing place kept us going. Whether it was the enormous DaVinci horse or the tree house or the gardens it was beautiful. Thank you for taking us to such a great place! The frozen custard afterwards was a delicious treat and we are so glad we got to spend time with you.

But our day wasn't over yet, we decided to surprise Julius and snuck over to Calvin and found him. He was heading out for dinner with his group, but it was good to see him and plan our departure for tomorrow. His Fellowship is going well, but he is looking forward to starting his summer vacation.

Back home in Hudsonville we ate pizza with Uncle Chuck, Aunt Diane, and 2nd cousins, Sarah, Jacob and Anna. It was a special night with smores from the fire pit, playing tag and catching fireflies. We wanted it to never end.

Our time here has been so special for all of us. Staying with Uncle Chuck and Aunt Diane has been a gift we could not even imagine as we planned for this trip so many months ago. Their constant generosity of time, housing, friendship, child watching, meals and outings has made this trip more meaningful than we ever expected. We are so very grateful. We will miss waking up in your beautiful home every morning. Thanks for giving us the best beds in the house...

Sunday we leave for another leg of this wild ride. Eager to see what it brings.

Amazing day at the Lake

Today we headed up to the lake house of our cousins Kara and Harold and their 3 beautiful children-Will, Ty and Alyssa. Aunt Diane and Uncle Chuck showed us the way there and it was as beautiful as promised. We did so many new and exciting things!

Fishing was one of the most anticipated events and we were not disappointed. Uncle Chuck got us going and gave us our first lessons and soon Uncle Harold came and we were baiting hooks, learning to cast and reeling in some pretty amazing fish. Sofie, Toby and Eliot all caught a big fish and lots of little ones and felt so proud and happy to of had a new experience. Especially for Eliot as he has been interested in fishing for a long time.

Next we all took turns and went really, really fast on the wave runner and also got pulled in the big skee doo tube. It felt as if we were flying! Each one of the kids loved it and couldn't wait for it to be their turn again. Even Heidi learned to drive the wave runner and took a turn in the tube. She was not the driver of choice for Toby as she didn't drive fast enough, but Sofie took a ride with mom and she said is was "fast enough for her"-thanks Sof.

Then a ride around the lake on the pontoon boat for more fishing. Then when we didn't think it could get any better, the kayaks came out. What a great way to see the lake in a quiet peaceful ride. Sofie said that it took a lot of "determination" to do some of these new and scary things, and she is so glad she tried them.

So we arrived home exhausted with stomachs full of good summer BBQ and memories to last a long time. Thanks Krols and Konings! We loved spending time with you all and getting to know you better!!

Fun in the sun with cousins!

Wednesday was a day full of so much fun. We started at VBS which was full of crafts and great story telling. Heidi and Amy Koning had a chance to grab a coffee and catch up on things while the kids were busy there-what a special time.

Straight from VBS we went to Grandhaven Beach which is such a beautiful Lake. We spent some good hours there in the very cold water (OK maybe just the kids played in the water), building sand castles and walking down the pier.

Next we headed to our cousins house and played more, had a delicious summer BBQ meal, played some more and then had more yummy Hudsonville ice cream. It was great to be with Bob, Amy and family. Already our kids are looking forward to more visits with them. Julius was able to steal away from his meetings for the evening, so we got to visit with him as well and hear how things are going with his fellowship. Then late night drive to Grand Rapids to drop him off and late to bed for all of us.

Today was a quieter day for all of us with errands and time spent at Uncle Chucks and Aunt Dianes. Our outdoor highlights today were fire flies and playing with the biggest frisbee we have ever seen-thanks Uncle Chuck! Chuck and Diane also did some major babysitting today for us and we are grateful! It gave Heidi the opportunity to go to Calvin and see the work that Julius is doing as well as meet some of the great people he has been meeting with over the last 18 months. It was great to see Julius in action.

We can't believe we only have a few days left here. It has been such a good time. But there are lots of good times still to be had here before we leave for Ontario. More tomorrow!