wooden playpen

I've been on the search for a wooden playpen. 

Since my two oldest never did well in a pack n' play I was hoping a wooden playpen would be a better option as they can see out the sides. 

There are always a lot of little toys hanging around and so its probably best in Kate's best interest to be confined to a playpen. 

But wooden playpens are hard to find. 

After being informed the Dutch store in Norwich imports them I called to find out a price. I was willing to spend a price but not close to $500 as quoted. This is my third child after all. Maybe I should have made the investment earlier....

Then one was posted on the mom swap I'm a part of. $50 for a Dutch playpen! by time I saw the ad I think I was 20th in line. Frustrated and bummed... 

Then my dad and mom came to the rescue. They were out shopping at a antique place and found two old wooden playpens. Perfect seeing as my sister Carrie wanted one too. Score! Dad took pictures and showed us and we both liked them so he went back to go get them for us. I painted it white to freshen it up

Huge deal! Thanks dad you are the best!

Old wooden playpen : $20

Foam: $13

White paint: $0 as I always have a can of white paint in stock

Making his daughter so happy: priceless!

Kate likes it too!

Thanks Grandpa!!

growing

Last Tuesday we began a new chapter in our lives. Sending our firstborn off to school! 

Owen was quite excited to go, especially to ride on the bus! He ran to the bus and didn't look back. 

We are sending him to Covenant Christian School in London, there are 122 students in the K-8 school. We love the small school and its been very welcoming (we are one of 2 new families!). Owen has 3 friends from church in his class but also has made other new friends. I met a mom at the kick-off BBQ and her son has been talking about Owen at home. cute!

Emma wants to go too, little does she know she has to wait 3 more years.

she is a little lost without him, but plays well on her own.

my 5 month old... sitting for little bits on her own. 

five months!

Time is going too fast. My baby girl is 5 months already!

 sister love!

my girls and their blankies

to the zoo

Last Thursday my mother-in-law called me up in the morning and invited us to join her, my father-in-law and two nieces at the Brantford Zoo for the day. So off we went! We had perfect weather. Its a nice small zoo and something you can do in a few hours, perfect for my little children!

 Owen feeding the goats- Emma was scared of them...

selfie!

Cousins Rebecca and Naomi. they were great carrying and lifting my kids to see stuff.

me with the kiddos. Kate had fallen asleep in the carrier!

Everyone loves Marineland!

Yesterday we took a day trip to Marineland with friends of ours.

Twice in the day Owen summed it up by saying "this is a really good day!"

fed the deer! they devoured Owen's food so fast I couldn't even get a picture!

Beluga whales

 

Us adults got to go on rides too, us girls went and then the guys. It had been a long time since I'd been on a roller coaster, loved it! (that is John and Jason waving!)

All the kids! They had lots of fun going on rides together. 

We may look hot and tired here. This is 8 hours of being at the park through rain and hot humid weather.But we all had a great time and the kids keep talking about it!

four months!

flying with dad!

breakfast with her brother and sister

Civic Holiday

We didn't have plans for the Civic Holiday because John was supposed to work but then his run got cancelled and we found out mid morning he'd have the full day off. We did a few projects around the house and then decided to head out on a hike on a path in town that we've recently discovered. It winds through the woods and along the river. Nice to have that in the middle of town!

We don't get many pictures of the two of us I've discovered while photobooking. 

So we try to do selfies once and awhile! 

We were taking a water break when we discovered a praying mantis on a branch nearby. My bug lover was quite intrigued.

throwing rocks in the water, always a must

Kate loves walks too!