Dakota Took the Plunge!

Last Thursday (Sept.17th) the last of our little girls decided to join the thousands of others out there...she got her ears pierced! We have always told the girls they could decide to have it done when they were 5.

Mckenna had hers done the day she turned 5.

Ainsley waited a little longer and had them done a month or so after she turned 5. She tried once before, but got too nervous when it was time for the girl to open the package. Then one day, she said I want them done today. Now, in Fort Nelson, there wasn't a lot of choice, so thankfully they were able to take her on that day!

Dakota has been talking about it for a few months. She asked me to pinch her ears so she would know the pain. One day she said I want them done. I told her that we'd have to wait until tomorrow because Dad wants to be there with us. The next morning she said today is the day. She said if she can handle the pain of cracking her collar bone, then she can handle earrings. Her trusted friend "B" of course, came along for the ride. We picked out her birth stone and I'm so thankful that there were 2 girls there, so both ears were done at once. She squeezed her Dad's hand and started to tear up as we said, "YAY! You're all done!" Her ears were burning for a bit but have been healing very nicely!

The Before Pictures

(she has that uneasy look in her eyes!)

The After Pictures!

(her eyes are much more excited now!)

First Day of School!

Wow! August 31st really crept up on us fast this year! The girls were very excited about getting to school with all their new supplies- and excited to be there with their friends, instead of hanging out in the empty building while I got things ready and set up! I took the usual photos in the morning before we headed out the door. Wow! Grades 2, 3, and 6! When did that happen? They are all very pleased with their teachers- it's neat that each one matches their personality to a tee. Mckenna has a male teacher who has taught them some great indoor and outdoor athletic games. Ainsley has a calming teacher who does silly things with them. Ainsley says, "she doesn't yell and her outfits are very well put together." Dakota has an excellent teacher who works hard academically, and goes along with the flow of things- not everyday is the same. I'm impressed that Dakota is starting to jump on the "reading and math questions stuff" a little more this year.

Our House

I thought I should put a photo of our house on here, so that those of you that wonder where we have finally settled at will know! The master bedroom is the window over the garage. I spent two entire days weeding and fixing up the front flowerbeds. By the time I was finished, my nails were history! It sure felt great to see the finished product...I wish I would've taken before pictures. Now, it's just the wonderful upkeep of pulling the little weeds when they try to come back.

Mckenna

We waited for over an hour to finally see Mckenna's favourite character in Disneyland. She bought all her clothing with some kind of Tink picture on it...she even bought Tinkerbell earrings. Mckenna's favourite ride was the Maliboomer. You sit in a chair and then get shot straight up in the air. Being the kind person I am, I graciously declined, and let her dad ride with her. She wanted to go again, but Bill said it was only a one time deal! She enjoyed all of the rides, but the fast rollercoaster ones were always her favourite. Mckenna also enjoyed the baseball game, and thought it was cool that her fries came inside a little Dodgers' batting helmut.

Mckenna is getting ready to begin Grade 6! I can't believe how time goes by so quickly! In this picture she is hanging out in a tree that she gets her picture taken in everytime we go to my parents' place in Creston. The first time we photoed her in the tree she was 1 and someone had to stand behind her to hold her up. This time she just climbed right in...and probably would've kept climbing if I had let her! Mckenna had a busy summer practicing with the swim club and attending the competitions. She also went to a 3-day Volleyball Camp at the College. She came home sweating everyday and could hardly move at the end of the camp. Now I know why it was only 3 days! She's geared up to see her friends and play indoor soccer this winter.

Ainsley

This is a photo of Ainsley during one of our lunch breaks in Disneyland. I asked her what her favourite part of the trip was, and she immediately listed all of the rollercoaster rides, which I was thankful to hear, because it took her a little bit to be persuaded to try those rides. She was nervous at first and most often rode with her Dad. She was extremely proud of herself for being so brave after she went on the Thunder Mountain ride. There was no looking back after that! She said she also enjoyed the Teacups, Flying with Dumbo, and the Bug's Life Splash park. She also said she enjoyed the parade and fireworks- I'm not surprised by this comment coming from a child who truly pays attention to colour and detail.

Ainsley was excited to reel in a fish when we were camping at Figure Eight Lake in July. She was relieved that the hook easily came out, but was really upset when we explained that if she wasn't going to eat it, we had to throw it back in the water. She wanted to just keep it and hang it on her wall. After some tears and a kind farewell to her fish, it went back in the water. She told us that someday she was going to catch one that would be big enough to stuff.

Ainsley had a very busy summer travelling around the Peace Country competing in swim meets. Every race she raced, her time was quicker and quicker! The highlight was when her relay team qualified for Provincials...so we were off to Edmonton! The pool was huge, there was a thousand people attending, and she was so excited to be there! She received a Provincials swim cap and was so proud to wear it! The relay team came in 9th place in the Medley Relay (in which Ains swam the breaststroke) and they came in 12th in the Freestyle Relay. They swam their hearts out, and once again, beat their time!

Dakota

This is Kota after spending a long day and night at Disneyland in April. She is pooped out and ready for sleep! When asked what her favourite part of the trip was she says "Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Grizzly River Run, and Pirates of the Carribean." As you can see, she was all about the daredevil rides! She was upset when she was too short for some of the wild ones...I, on the other hand, was relieved she was too short!

Early July we went camping to Figure Eight Lake, which is 20 minutes northeast of Peace River. We went to the lake to fish from the shore one evening and the girls had a blast! This is Dakota with her very first fish! She reeled it in all by herself, with a little coaching from her Dad. She was very proud of her catch. The hook was embedded quite deep, so we had to keep it. We cooked it over the fire later, and Dakota loved the taste of her trout!

It's hard to believe that Dakota is beginning Grade 2 in a week! She had a very busy summer learning how to ride a bike with hand brakes, camping, playing with her cousins, and spending time outside. She has had many laughs this summer and the more I really stopped to listen to her laugh, the more I realize it is exactly a "Dakota" laugh; a genuine, loud laugh that comes right up from her toes.

We Finished With A Bang!

The 2008/2009 school year ended super fast! Between Field trips and report cards we were extremely busy! Year end activities for the girls included bowling, swimming, trips to Saskatoon Island for a bug walk and fun day for Ainsley and Dakota and a Track Meet for Mckenna.

For the Grade 1-3 Fun Day, Bill had the day off so he was able to come watch some of the events. The girls participated in relay races, "javelin throw" with swimming noodles, soccer kick, lawn bowling, and long jump to name a few. The girls had a wonderful morning and were sure excited that Daddy (and Mom) got to watch.

Mckenna's Track Meet was exciting to watch! The Grade 5 Girls' events had some steep competition for Mckenna. In Fort Nelson she was able to win a lot of ribbons and events- in GP it was a little more difficult. She was in good spirits about not winning, but she was very determined to win ONE ribbon before the end of the day. The last event of the day...the killer 800m race! She lined up at the start line... competitive juices flowing... knowing that she could run such a long distance because of her Moose Run winnings...eyes glued to the track ahead...and she was off and running. She worked hard, pushed herself, and came SECOND! She gave it her all! I was very proud of her and she was excited to finally win a ribbon!

Swimmers 'R' Us

Mckenna and Ainsley competed in their first swim meet of the season on Saturday. They had to be up and to the pool for a 6:30am start. They were excited and a little nervous to see how the Alberta meets were ran. They quickly realized that they are all the same, and settled in for a day of races, snacks, drinks, and more snacks. I had a cooler full of food and after every race they would recharge their system for the next one. Bill had to work, so he missed all the action, but Dakota and I sat and cheered all day. Well, maybe me, while Dakota coloured and watched movies. She was pretty patient considering we never left until 5:30pm.
Anyway, the girls raced hard and even won some of their heats! Ainsley signed herself up to compete in the 100m IM which is where they do a length of each discipline (butterfly, breast, backstroke, and freestyle). She was slow and steady and very proud of herself for finishing without being disqualified. Mckenna swam hard and her fastest race was her backstroke!
We are proud of our girls! They worked hard, cheered loud and are ready for their next meet!
I've attached the results for their races...it lists the event, time, and placing.

June 6, 2009 Grande Prairie Swim Meet

Wolstenholme, Ainsley
G 8&U 100 IM
2:54.53
3

Wolstenholme, Ainsley
G 8&U 25 Breast
43.67
6

Wolstenholme, Ainsley
G 8&U 25 Back
33.01
13

Wolstenholme, Ainsley
G 8&U 50 Free
1:13.50
13



Wolstenholme, McKenna
G 9&10 50 Back
56.07
6

Wolstenholme, McKenna
G 9&10 50 Breast
1:01.89
8

Wolstenholme, McKenna
G 9&10 100 Free
2:06.36
11

Wolstenholme, McKenna
G 9&10 50 Free
51.51
12

I'm Officially a Blogger!

I have enjoyed reading Jenn's Blog and our girls sure enjoy seeing the photos and reading the stories about the adventures of her girls. I decided that with our girls growing up way too fast, this would be a great way to share their adventures with family and friends! So, welcome to our world and bare with me as I figure out how to use this blog-thing!