Braces!

Calista has got braces!

She and I went to the orthodontist before school started.

Calista was kind of scared but mostly really excited. So many of her friends at school and church either have braces right now are just got them off, so it's not exactly a huge deal, socially.

I think it was harder than she expected, though. The first few days  after they were put on, she said it hurt so much she thought she would die (dramatic much???) but it's gotten a lot better and she can actually eat bread again!

For posterity, here is the before...

And right after. We'll see how they look in 1.5-2 years!

RCM Success

Calista has been working for several months now, preparing for her first ever Royal Conservatory of Music exam. 

When we first talked about signing her up for the exam, I told Calista I didn't want to fight or nag her. She had to be willing to practice and prepare on her own, with only gentle reminders from me, otherwise we shouldn't do it.

Well, this girl followed through. She practiced in the morning, before school. When she got home. After dinner. Before bed. 

Anytime she had a few moments to spare, she'd sit down and play a song or two.

And it paid off! Her songs and scales were ready to go! Time for the exam.

She was nervous but found it was actually kind of easy because she felt prepared. I love this girl and am so proud of her work the last few months!

And, I suppose I'll add this: we got her exam results, and she passed! In fact, she earned First Class Honours. Way to go, Calista!

Happiest Vacation on Earth

Earlier this month, we took a big trip. Lots of driving, to end up in California.

And at... Disneyland!

How magical.

We, along with my parents, spent 2 days at Disneyland and one day at California Adventure. 

First Day of School, 2023/2024!

First day of school! 

Grades 7, 5, and 2. 

Yup, that's right. Grade 7.

Junior high, can you believe it? Instead of her bus picking her up across the street, Calista now has to walk a couple of blocks. It's still not far, but it gives her some independence... and me some Mom-anxiety. 

Calista is ready for the challenge, though. And the challenge of a new school and switching classes with TWO-minute passing periods! 

I decided that, for the first day, I'd drive Calista to her bus stop and continue on and drive the boys to school. Their backpacks are so heavy that first day! So we got everyone in the car and headed the few blocks to Calista's bus stop. When we got there, I decided to check the bus delays app... and discovered her bus was 90 minutes late. Well, that's not going to work. Um, what can I do instead? It's too early to take the boys to school, and if I take Calista to school first, they'll be late. I decided to drop off the boys at their bus stop (early) and hope they didn't get into trouble, then run Calista to school.

Does this look like a face that would get into trouble at the bus stop?

Definitely not! Actually, he did really well. Being the oldest Rasmussen at the school means he's got some responsibility for his little brother that he didn't really have this year, and he's doing great.

He's sad summer's over, but happy school is starting again. Craig loves sharing his knowledge and trying to know more than his teachers. If he can correct their mistakes, even better!

Caleb was a bit of a wild card, but he waited with Craig at the bus stop very well (and I remembered that Kyler was working from home and so could run out and check on them, so I have a reliable source). 

Caleb started ADHD medication about a week before school starts, so I'm hoping that helps him be able to be successful and do awesome at school this year. 

Maybe he'll grow as much as "Piney" did over the summer!

All in all, a successful day. The morning didn't quite go as planned, but I got them all where they needed to be in the end.

Going back to school is exhausting.

Let's go camping!

On our way home from Raymond, we went camping for a few days at Cypress Hills Provincial Park. We stopped at the visitor's center first

and then headed to the free mini golf course in town.

Because, free mini golf! 

What could possibly go wrong?

Craig ended up our scorekeeper after he had a bit of a meltdown. 

Silly boy, but he had fun in the end.

We also went to the Head of the Mountain Lookout: the highest point in Canada east of the Rocky Mountains. 

As you can see, it was quite the view. 

One of the things Cypress Hills means for us is lots of time at the lake. 

For Craig, an open beach means running as far as he can 

and then turning around a running back. 

On our list of new experiences was Fort Walsh National Historic Site (in Saskatchewan!) 

The kids and I had never been to Saskatchewan, so we decided to expand our horizons a bit.

The drive there was... interesting. Sometimes I question Google Maps' accuracy. When we were very nearly at the site, we drove down, and then up, an incredibly steep incline on a quite narrow road. Kyler did marvelously, but I did fear we'd have to get out and push the car or something. When we left that "road" and turned onto the main one, I turned around and saw a sign: "Road Closed" from the other side. Huh. That's interesting.

Fort Walsh itself was a lot of fun. The kiddos loved the trading post at the visitor's center, 

and we all enjoyed the guided tour of the fort. 

Especially Caleb, who was sometimes too intent on asking questions and getting answers. 

Also in Saskatchewan, we went to Loch Lomond. 

Or were we in the UK?

No, it was Saskatchewan, I promise. 

Loch Leven is also in Saskatchewan. 

Gotta get more use out of the water gun I bought to attack Kyler in the parade!

The kids favorite part of the trip was probably the campsite, though. 

We let the kids be a little bit feral when we discovered that there was a small stream right behind our campsite. 

They went and explored the stream and the area behind it every chance they got. 

As they explored, they found some trails behind the stream and wanted to know where they led. At their request, we went on an impromptu hike led by the children.

Having them make all the decisions meant they were enthusiastic and had really good attitudes.

After a few days camping we are ready to go home, shower, 

and take on the rest of summer!