Kaitlyn's Horseback Riding

Kaitlyn had a great lesson tonight! She has been riding Ben for 2 weeks now and her confidence has grown 100%. It is so amazing how changing horses has made such a huge difference. Not sure what it is but I think she is really learning that she CAN control a horse and he will listen. Ben is a Norwegian Fjord. He's a sweet horse but does like to get a bit pushy when she is tacking him up. Kaitlyn wanted to trot tonight and her instructor Tara said ok. It took a little bit to get Ben going but once he did she did very well for a first time. Kaitlyn is on cloud nine now. It's so great to see each of girls doing something they really love and how happy they are when they get to do it. I think I horse may be in our future one day. Better start saving my pennies and Kaitlyn too!!!

Sunday Picnic

On Sunday we had a wonderful picnic with our friends that we made here in Canada. The Convay's and McBride's. The Convay's daughter is good friends with Kaitlyn and both her and the McBride's daughter played on Grace's hockey team.

We all met at a park in Kincardine. The kids all had a blast playing at the playground, throwing footballs and Frisbees. The guys BBQed hamburgers and hot dogs. After we walked down to the "rock garden". Which is where all the pictures were taken.

It was a great end to a great day. We are so thankful to have met such wonderful families that have welcomed us into their lives.

Beach Day!!

Today it was 85!!! Man was it such a beautiful day. The sun was shining , a light warm breeze was blowing and I was excited for the girls to come home so we could go down to the beach and have some fun.

We loaded up the buckets and shovels, grabbed Starbuck and went down and played. The girls had fun because the river had changed so much that it was shallow enough for them to cross. Starbuck spent the whole time chasing his stick and I just enjoyed the laughter and fun around me. We were the only ones down there the whole time. Near the end Matt was able to join us after work for a bit.

Afterward, we BBQed hamburgers, the girls and I washed the car and Matt mowed the lawn.

What a great day!!

Last few days

On Friday Matt and I went up to Sauble Beach, which is about 45 minutes from here. It's a neat little town with lots of beachwear shops and a Dairy Queen ( what a great find!! ) The beach is awesome and I hear it gets pretty busy but we will do some day trips up there this summer.

Friday night all the guys went golfing for Jim's birthday. They all had a great time finally getting out there on the course.

Saturday was a quiet day. Matt was home for the morning then left about 1:00 for Detroit. The girls and I rented some movies and had a girls night in.

Sunday Matt flew out to Vegas and spent the remainder of the day checking out the sites and hanging out with all the guys meeting up. Babcock was have a bi-annual meeting and Matt was asked to go. The girls and I went to church then over to the Berkmans for dinner to celebrate Jim's birthday.

Today was Victoria Day so no school. Both girls slept in late and so we headed up to Port Elgin to the movie theater to see Monsters vs Aliens. It was cute and the girls liked it. Afterwards, we went down to the beach. It's sunny but cold. Didn't stop the girls from building sandcastles. For dinner we made pizza. I was able to do a little planting of some flowers. I am excited to do more and hope at some point soon to get some planters so I can fill them up. I miss my big wine barrels back home that I would go crazy with!

Matt flies home tomorrow and should be here sometime before the girls go to bed. We are ready for him to be home.

Girls Band/Choir Concert

The girls had their band/choir concert last night. Kaitlyn played her flute with her grade 6 class. This is the first year that most of them have played an instrument. Also is the choir song that the group won an award for this year. The videos aren't that great but you get an idea.

Campfire

Last night we decided to have a little campfire and enjoy the nice weather before it changes again. We roasted marshmellows and made smores. YUM!

Inverhuron Park

We decided to walk north on the beach up to Inverhuron Park and check it out. It was 75 degrees and beautiful. Off we went and it was so much fun just exploring new things and getting an idea of what the park holds. We went all the way out on the point. We got to see a bunch of frogs in a pond on the way. The girls thought that was cool.

Beeaches

Last Sunday we had the Berkman's over for dinner. Matt made steaks and lobster. Can you believe we paid $22 for 2 lobsters!! I guess that is the joy of living so close to Maine I guess. Anyway, we had a wonderful time of visiting and eating. Brooke and I took the kids down the beach. They had not been out to our beach yet. It was very windy but that didn't stop the kids from putting their feet in the freezing water. After dinner Matt and Jim roasted marshmellows with the kids while Brooke and I cleaned dinner dishes.

Today was an early release day so I meet Brooke at the beach in Kincardine. She had Kris's kids for the afternoon so it was a great way to spend the afternoon. The kids played at the park and had fun at the waters edge. They are all anxious to get into that water but I think it will be a few more months before that happens. It's still very cold.

What a week!!

It has been quite a week for us Halsted's. Where do I begin....

Let's start with Kaitlyn. She came home on Wednesday announcing her poster she designed and drew won 2~ 1st place ribbons and $20. We all were unaware that the posters the kids made were being entered into the local home and garden show and were being judged. It was such an awesome moment for Kaitlyn. We are SO proud of her. To top this off she babysat for the Berkman's on Friday night. She took Connor under her wing and helped him get a project done for school. He had to come up with a theme and menu for a restaurant. Kaitlyn loves that kind of stuff and just listening to her tell us how she guided Connor through the evening and helping him was a confirmation that teaching is the right path for her. Our future teacher, taking after her great aunties, grandma and cousins!!

Now Grace had her hockey banquet on Friday night. It was a fun night of reliving the season of all 10 hockey teams here in Tiverton. Each team was presented to the families and the coaches gave a run down of the season they had. Three team members were awarded one of 3 awards. Grace received Most Improved Player. What a great end to Grace's first season of playing to be recognized for her hard work. She loves hockey and is really missing being able to get out on the ice and play. But her daddy bought her a net and a street hockey stick. So they all go out and play road hockey.

Spring has finally sprung! On top of working a lot of hours, Matt's been sprucing up the yard, trimming trees, and taking care of his morning ritual of filling the bird and squirrel feeders. Yesterday, he said, "Well, babe. We've hit a major milestone in our Canadian adventure today. I cut the grass for the first time. It sure beats snowblowing!"

For me, my week has been one of realization of how wonderful this move was for our family. I look at all that has happened in the last 6 months. The opportunities that has come for Matt. How much Kaitlyn is maturing and growing in herself. Her confidence is growing strong and she is becoming such a beautiful young lady. Grace, seeing her excel in school and conquer the obstacles that were in front of her.

I know it was hard for our family and friends to see us move so far away but I know for a fact God brought us here for many reasons. Had we stayed in Kennewick I think our girls would have gotten "lost in the crowd". The opportunities are so great here for them to grow into strong, confident young ladies. Our family is stronger as a unit, the experiences we have had just in these few months will last us a life time. I am so thankful God has brought us here. We miss our family and friends very much but we know this is where we are to be.

To top it off we were able to purchase new furniture for our living room and a new desk for me to work at. I just love our new living room and all the furniture that was upstairs in now downstairs for the girls to have a nice cozy place to hang out.

I feel so blessed and I am thankful for all that God has given us.