It was fun until....

Katie's bit into a jalapeño pepper 😳

Yup it's a true story.... We had been harvesting Friday morning... Trying to beat the rain (which we so desperately need and are longing for!)

Katie was walking around just doing whatever ... Then she was beside me hugging my leg, whimpering and then full out crying!

 It didn't take me long to know what it was.... Poured some cream into her mouth and gave her yogurt to eat and then slowly she was happy again!! 

We had a good morning, digging out our gold, harvesting all the tomatoes off the plants - red and green alike because rain will finish them off - I was going to throw away these plants because I didn't have room in my greenhouse.... Then I put them into some little corner of the garden, completely neglected them and they still rewarded me with this! Thank plants... I owe you one!!

We made 3.5 batches of salsa with the ripe ones on Saturday and now I still need to work away the green ones plus all the tomatoes I picked from the greenhouse!! 

The kids had a lot of fun digging for (Yukon) gold!! And also love picking beans! 

we sure picked a lot so we picked up Helen's pressure canner on Saturday and canned up 16-500ml jars of beans... Especially for Ben because I am not such a canned beans fan! 

Such a great helper!!

The rewards... 

A little dog loving in the process

She's my favourite... But she's getting old! 

Ranen loved taking pictures of the crops still growing...

Love building memories with my kids in this way.... Wish I could post the video of their excitement when digging up potatoes!!! Xo

one more year...

... has come and gone.

one more year of missing our Landon.

one more year of milestones past that he was not present at.

birthdays, weddings, family pictures,

school opening, kindergarten performances,

uniform fit days, holidays, ....

the list goes on!

 

Last week Ben and I were just discussing

how you have this day, the day he was born,

where you really pause, stop, reflect, remember

(and I am thankful for that)

but that every day Landon is missed

in the daily doings of our family.

 

Ranen is now at an age where she is asking questions

and it is difficult to explain everything to her

but her comprehension is amazing.

Last night she said to me "Mom I wish I was born before Landon"

My reply was "why sweetheart?"

"Because then I would have been able to hold his body"

 

God's mercy is new each morning and I am

thankful that I have today to hold, love and cherish my

other three little sweethearts.

 

 

My lady is 5!!

Last week... admist all the busyness and beauty

of Laura's wedding

my dear darling girl turned 5!!

 

After many talks about 'no, you will not be receiving a

REAL HORSE as a birthday gift...'

we celebrated on the Monday with a swim party with her friends

and then both my Opa and Oma's and my parents came in the evening.

The Korporaal's came this past Saturday for a big barbeque,

 including Ben's brother Will, his wife Trina

and their two youngest kids from Ontario.

 

A lot of fun for a special girl...

 

Ranen...

you are a precious girl,

how happy we were... a little girl to love and cherish...

you've grown so much and looking back at all these pictures

make me so thankful to have you in our lives...

you bring us so much joy and love!

  

you still love your trips with us to White Rock and your dolls!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

things you do and love in your fifth year...

sleeping in - you need and love your sleep and I appreciate

the fact you are able to sleep in...

although you often wake and say "I wanted to be the first one awake"
You say the quierkiest of things...
have excellent memory...
and notice everything!

 helping, helping, helping...

yes, you love it and you thrive on it...

 

you are an animal lover through and through...

all your years this shines through - and now you have your sights

set on getting a horse... maybe we will have to saddle up a cow for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

and this is still one of my favourite animal pictures with you yet:

wow... how you have grown!!

 

You love your cuddles and your one on one time...

another way you take after your mommy!

singing, books, puzzles, learning... you love it all!

see... you've loved books for years... and still do!

pretty sure you have heard your '1000 books by kindergarten!'

  

I have so many pictures of you standing with your brother like this...

it warms my heart...

you love to protect and care!

 

 

 

 

 

and your little sister... you've doted on her from the start!

although you sometimes say to me "mom why doesn't she like this, I am just trying to love on her!" ... it is so hard to understand hey, why she enjoys mommy carrying her but doesn't like it when you do!

 

Preschool... you've completed it like a champ...

you are SO ready for Kindergarten to start! 

You love to learn and I love watching you grow!

first day and mothers day lunch!

 

for your lunch out... you wanted to get dressed up:

nightmares... we almost have them under control!

you hardly have them anymore...

 

 

Gardening... you LOVE it!! and you LOVE to share

your harvest with the neighbours!

I think you have helped mom develop a passion to grow and nuture plants...

 

 

Family time... you thrive with it and often ask to just stay home and be together...

lately we do that pretty much all the time and it makes you SO happy!

tractor time... permanent hugs for daddy!

 

 

We take trips into Vancouver every other month for your eyes...

you have a scar on your cornea from the herpes virus,

your one eye's scar is directly in front of your pupil so you need to

patch your good eye in order to make that one work... every day for two hours!

it is a difficult thing for you to do but you do, and I am proud of you!

waiting on the eye doc... love your love!!

 

Your favourite place to go after the eye doc appt is the caurosel... and the airport!

Planes ... a true Lindhout! you love them and look up

at the sound of them...  and if you see four smoke trails up in the sky

you declare the place an A380!

Love it chick!

(looking up for the plane)

you think of others too... you asked for my phone to take a picture of me on the plane after I had just taken a picture of daddy and you three kids!...

 



You are a determined little girl, not easy to give up...

one of your favourite sayings is

"lets go build some muscles mom"...

i love how improving my lifestyle has shown you

that health is important... you love biking and now we are starting with hiking...

you have always loved biking... and climbing the tower from the blue heron reserve at the end

of our biking adventure... you are a great motivator for mommy!

 

 

 

determined when it comes to blueberry picking too!!

this was your first basket which you followed with 7 more!!

and putting the numbers into order... 

 

 

you have two cousins your age on the Lindhout side

who you love and adore a lot...

first some oldie goldies...

little and big...

 

two years old and five years old...

Then on our most recent trip to Ontario,

you met your cousin, Laura, for the first time:

you two were instant friends!

 

 

 you and your mommy... most say you look like me! 

you usually love to make goofy faces for the camera...

 

 

 

Ranen, Mommy loves you so incredibly much!!

You are a sweetheart who grows in leaps and bounds...

you teach me to slow down and enjoy every moment...

relationships matter to you and that means SO much to me!

I truly treasure every day I spend with you.