Just For Grandma ...

 

I was surprised and delighted ...

to receive this precious charm necklace ...

from Daigen and Nixon ...

I think they knew Grandpa had still been receiving lots of presents for his birthday ...

that was in February ... !!!!

A special treasure I hold dear to my heart ... !!!

Just for Grandma ... !!!!

Extra Birthday Gifts ...

What a wonderful surprise for Mike ...
to have received this gift from ...
Ian, Kendall, Daigen and Nixon ...
when we were visiting them a while back ....

 

This is perfect for Mike ...

to be able to sip on his beverages of choice ...

and not have to worry about spilling...

any of it ...

(it's washed and ready to use ... )

We had a good chuckle out of it and the card ...

for the old guy ... 

Thank you to all of you ... !!!

Off Peddling Our Bikes ...

April 3, 2013

The kids wanted to go for a ride on the bikes ...
and since all of them had been repaired ...
we put the bikes in the back of the truck ...
and of course the kids wanted to ride back there too ...
It was great riding the bikes on pavement ...
the boys and grandpa ...
went a lot farther than Ella & I ...

 

As we were headed home ...

I saw that there were a few Pussy Willows ...

so we stopped the truck and walked by the lake ...

the kids were also on the hunt for Cattails ... 

grandpa having to go pretty well out into the water to reach them ...

Craig loved the big fluffy ones ... he like to see the fluff fly around ...

were also found some Snake Grass ...

the kids were delighted ...

playing down at the lake ... 

A good time was had before they were going back home ... !!!

Almost Finished ...

April 2, 2013

Ella was getting bored ...
with just hanging around the fort ...
so we decided to open up the sandbox ...
Ella made me a beautiful ... sand cake ...
trimmed with rock decorations ... and one candle stick ...
Ella wanted to take a picture with me and the cake ...
she did a great job ...

Still nothing for Ella to do on the fort ...
so we went for a walk ...
well ... Ella rode her bike instead ... 

Time for an ice-cream break ...
after the floor and ladder were completed ...
now the sides have to be put up ...
so the kids won't fall off ...
the boys were saying that they need a roof too ...
but that will be another time ...
Craig & James said that maybe when ...
Daigen & Nixon come for a visit ...
 they could finish it ...

I thought that was a great idea ... !!!

Kid's Next Project ...

April 2, 2013

The grandchildren were bound and determined ...
to build a fort ...
after finishing fixing all the bikes ...
all three of them packed wood ...
over to the best spot to build ...
(grandma picked this one out ...)

The children helping grandpa ...
cutting the boards ...
for the floor of the fort ...
the boys started to hammer the nails ...
securing the boards on the frame ...

A bit more trimming to be done ...
a few nails hammered in ...
and the floor was finished ...

Great job boys ... !!!

Craig's Creation ...

Craig spent a couple of hours ...
creating this masterpiece ...
out of his dads and Uncle Ian's ...
Construx building set ...
from when they were about Craig's age ...
(Yes ... I did keep all of this as well as all their Lego ...  !!!)

 

I believe Craig said ...

this was a new age snowmobile ...  !!!

Well done buddy ... !!!

Lone Tree Gone ...

March 29, 2013

Mike was out with the tractor ...
ploughing the  road ... to smooth out the ruts ...
after the snow had disappeared ...
I was standing on the deck watching him ...
and called to him to knock down this lone tree ...
it was getting in the way of our view of the mountains ...
he worked on it for a bit ...
but it was still frozen in the ground ...

Mike decided to get the chainsaw and cut it down ...
and worry about the stump at a later time ...
There are still a few more trees that I would like to have cut down ...
Love this new view of the mountains ...

A Visit With Oma ...

April 1, 2013


We were invited for dinner at Oma's ...
the grandchildren were delighted ...
that the Easter Bunny stopped by and left them some chocolate ...

This was also the day we went to the movies ...
and on our way home ... driving along we saw ...
 a massive fire ... burning ...
at first we thought it might be someones home ...
but it was a neighbour burning his field ... and a slash pile ... all under control ...
we stopped and chatted with them ... and watched the flames ...
So grateful that ...
 that was all it was ... !!!

Bikes To Repair ...

April 1, 2013

After having waffles for breakfast ...
Craig was out to the shop ... lickety-split ...
to get the bikes from the shed that needed repairs ...
Ella was next to follow ...
while James fell ill and was laying down on the couch ...
he would have been out there as well ...
if he felt better ...

It was determined that there was an issue with the tire tube ...
it was taken out of the tire ... repaired and put back in ... with Grandpas help ...
next was filling the tube up with air ...
Craig in charge of the trigger ...
it was all for-not ... as the tube was still leaking air ...
a new tube was in order ...

Ella riding around on one of their old little bikes ... that is stored here now ...
James having a little something to eat and drink ...
he really was not well ... very high fever ... rest is what he needed ...
although he did have a burst of energy ...
to try out the new Frisbee from the Easter Bunny ...
with mom ... dad ... & Ella ...
It was a beautiful day to have our lunch out on the deck ... !!!

Easter Sunday ...

March 31, 2013

It was a lovely ... sunny ... warm day ...
Mike was invited to go ice-fishing ... to be back for dinner ...
Mom came out for the afternoon ... after we prepared the main dish for our meal ...
while it was cooking ...
we went for a walk ... then ended up hiking up the hill ... to mom & dads favourite spot ...
looking over the lake and toward Baker Mountain ...
It was great to spend some mother /daughter time together ...
we hadn't spent a day like this in a long time ...

 Mom helped with dinner ... she was hungry for an Austrian Roast Pork dinner ...
 Schweinsbraten with Flour Dumplings and White Cabbage Salad
it's infused with heaps of garlic .. caraway seeds ... cooked in the oven for hours ...
and the last hour doused with beer and sliced onions ...
the best part is that you make this pork with the skin on ... a delicacy of super crisp pork rind ...
I had also cooked a Turkey with all the trimmings too ... including dessert ...
for a very delicious buffet dinner ...
for just the three of us ...
we were not sure what time the kids would be arriving after a glorious day of skiing ...

Lot's of leftovers for the next few days and then some ... !!!!

The Easter Bunny had arrived early Sunday Morning ...
leaving baskets with a little chocolate and jelly beans ... bubble wands ... Frisbees
plus a poster of "The Croods" movie ...
that the grandchildren wanted to see ...
along with tickets for the show on Monday night ...
we had an Easter Egg Hunt before they headed off to bed ...

It was a beautiful day for all of us ... !!!

First BabyTooth Is Gone ...

James has had a wiggly tooth ...
and was working on trying to get it out ...
 he approached me in the kitchen ... to take out his tooth ...
it was just hanging there ...
so with a Hemostat ...
I gripped onto it ... and popped it out ...
He was a little surprised ...
that it had come out that easy ...
James then put his tooth in a small container ...
and tucked it under his pillow ...
hoping the Tooth Fairy ...
would arrive during the night ...

And she did ...
exchanging two toonies ...
for his first lost tooth ... !!!

Hanging Out ...

Perfect way to enjoy a beautiful sunny day ...
snuggling with your sweetheart ...

Love these little bunnies hanging out on the deck ... !!!

Easter Greetings ...

Wishing all our families and friends ...
a Happy Easter ...
Enjoy this glorious Day ... hopping around ...
hunting and gathering eggs ... !!!

Let's Colour ... Eggs .. !!!

All ready to colour eggs for Easter ...

Creating using crayons with the boys ... 

Nixon was very possessive with his eggs ... he drew unique designs ... all over them ...

Daigen drew designs and words on his eggs ...
and really enjoyed ...
dropping them into the glasses ...
filled with dye ...

The Easter Bunny ...
will be thrilled to hide these eggs ...
for the children to find them ...
on their Easter egg hunt ...
Sunday morning .... !!!

I enjoyed every minute with the boys ... !!!

Under Construction ...

We were excited to drive up the driveway ...
to see that while we were away ...
the construction crew had started building the lean-to ...
off the shop ...

The metal roof was put on the framing in one day ...
probably another couple of days to finish it up ...
putting up the soffits ...
to prevent the birds from building nest up in the rafters ...

Excited to start cleaning things up ... !!!

Play and Rest ...

It was finally nice enough to go out and play ...
taking the boys for a walk and sledding ...
and it was a good thing we did ...
as the other storm dropped almost 30cm of snow that next day ...

Innocence of a Sleeping Child ...

Nixon was exhausted after playing outside in the fresh air ...
falling fast asleep on the couch ...
Shhhhhhh .... !!!!