derstood and thought about the world as we were figuring it all out. I have noticed Jaina saying some pretty funny things lately as she begins to notice the world around her in more and more detail. Like a few weeks ago, when we were about to head off to Lethbridge the next day, she said to us as we were in the car, "Your legs are going to be really tired by the time we get to Grandma and Papa's house so far away!" "Why is that?", we asked. "From pedaling all the way there," she replied. We had a good giggle in the front seat and I went on to try to explain cars in a basic way to her. It went something like this: "Oh, honey, we don't pedal the car. It's not like your bike. The car has a motor in it and it is like a machine that makes the wheels turn and the car drive. All mommy or daddy has to do is push down on the gas pedal..." and suddenly it didn't seem like such a silly conclusion for her to have come to after all. In fact, she must have been paying some attention to car talk to pick up on the pedal bit at all. And then there was the time when she watched me change Lewis' diaper, nurse him a bit, and then he spit up. Noticing that the spit up was white, she said matter-of-factly, "it must be the bum cream that you just put on him, because it's white". To which I had to explain that what I put on his bottom would not come out of his mouth, despite the fact that vice-versa is true for the human body. So anyway, I had noticed her making some funny observations and also dispensing what she thinks is novel and invaluable information to the rest of us. So here is some more from the mouth of a 3-year-old:- Whispered (thank goodness) to me as we had lunch at the Zoo, next to a table of elderly ladies: "Mommy! Those ladies all have the same hair!"
- Earnestly, to Matt's friend as he and Matt played a driving game on the Wii that he had never tried before: "Uh, Sarah's daddy? This game is better if you drive on the road."
- To Lewis, who is listening with rapt attention: "You're a BOY, Lewis. NOT a girl!" (to which he squealed his agreement or perhaps his excitement at this tidbit of info).
- To anyone who will listen: "After I'm six, I'm gonna be seven." (never mind that she is only 3. These are the ages to which she aspires. When she is her make-believe alter-ego, named Akra - we don't know why - she is always 6 years old).
- When I giggled at the fact that she groggily came downstairs one morning wearing a pair of her panties on her head and I asked why, she grumpily and matter-of-factly replied "I just needed a hat!"
Oh, to be three.
Anyways, also, if I posted more often these wouldn't have to be so long. But here are a few photos and a quick update on what we've been doing this month:
Working on the yard. We planted a couple rows of carrots and lettuce (a.k.a. "salad"), so that Jaina could have a garden. Here she is watering it.
We went down to Lethbridge on the Father's Day weekend to see the Papas and celebrate my mom's birthday. Here are the kids with Papa Olfert and Matt on Father's Day:
Matt had taken holidays during that week so we could work on the yard, but it was too wet to get much done. Even on sunny days the ground just was not quite dry enough. So we took advantage of a sunny morning and went to the Zoo as a family, which we rarely get the chance to do. Here are some pics of us at the Zoo:
Then the very next weekend we headed back down to Taber, to visit and also to attend a Klemen family BBQ to celebrate Nona's 80th birthday. It was the first time in a very long time that every single relative came to one event. The only present Nona wanted was a picture with her family, her grandchildren and one with her 32 great-grandchildren, who range in age from 2 months old to 16 years. It went off surprisingly well and hopefully the photographer got a good picture. Here is a picture of us, Veronica and Chris, and my mom and Steve.
We also had the chance just to get out and play at the park in Taber. Here are some pictures of Jaina and Lewis with their hats on and all ready to go out and play: 
So we had a fun but tiring time over the past few weeks. To top it off, when we got back from Taber my mom called to say that we had forgotten Jaina's teddy bear in her room (we had rushed home from Taber at 8:00 that morning to make it to Jaina's last gymnastics class by 11:30). This, we knew, was a potential catastrophe. My mom went down to the post office on her lunch break and sent him back Expresspost to us. We concocted a story about her teddy bear's "big adventure" at the post office and through the mail, which was received with a minimum of tears . Luckily, he arrived the very next day. 
So that's life lately. We are looking forward to a less hectic summer, with no classes for Jaina (except maybe a round of swimming lessons). Hopefully we'll get in a lot more visiting with friends, playing at the park, waterpark, backyard, etc. as well as some visits to the Zoo and Heritage Park. This weekend we hope to work in the yard some more, and maybe take in some Canada Day festivities at a local park. Next weekend we are off to a wedding in Swift Current, and finally a chance to visit the Olfert family farm. So I'm sure we'll have some more pictures to post soon!
