Birthday Presents ...

Family & Friends Playing

What a wonderful day we all had ...

celebrating Daigen's birthday ...

That's it for another year ... !

Happy Birthday Daigen ...

Hot Dogs ... Burgers ... Cake

After a few hours of running around and jumping ...

the kids were starving ...

time to start up the  BBQ ... 

and enjoy a wonderful picnic outside ...

The weather was changing ...

a few drops of rain started to fall ...

so we continued the party indoors ...

It was time to bring out the cake ... light the sparklers ... and sing Happy Birthday ... !

Daigen was mesmerized by the sparklers ... or maybe it was the singing ...

he could hardly wait for dad to cut his Oreo Cookie Cake ...

Everyone loved it ...

Daigen thought it was the best cake ever ... 

he was delighted when his little friends left some on their plates to share with him ...

(we're sure they did) ...

as we watched him help himself ...

Happy 4th Birthday Daigen !

Love Grandpa & Grandma

XOXO

Bubbles & Jumping ...

Let's Party

The children have arrived ... the fun has begun ...

Kendall brought out the bubble wands ...

they were so excited ...

sounds of laughter ...

chasing bubbles in the air ...

Between bubbles, swinging, and sliding ...

all the children were jumping on the trampoline ...

grandma decided to get in on the action ...

when it was just our grandchildren within the ring ...

what a joy to watch cousins jumping together ...

Before The Party ...

Breakfast With Oma

Daigen's Birthday Gift

The rain has finally stopped falling ...

time to get busy and build the trampoline ...

before all the kids arrive for the party ....

the ladies were watching them from inside ...

of course ... the guys forged ahead ...

(before reading the instructions) ... and started putting it together ...

only to take some of it apart again ... when it wasn't coming together  ...

Daigen wasn't aware that this was happening ...

until grandma brought him into the room ...

that was a mistake ...

while a few us were commenting on the construction process ...

Daigen disappeared ... went and put his clogs on ... and slipped out the door ...

he was not happy when mom went and brought him back in ...

but mom knew what would work to distract him ...

BUBBLES ... BUBBLES ... and more BUBBLES ..

 after the netting was fastened down and the inspection done ...

daddy had to be the first one to try it out ...

then it was time to ...

get this Birthday Party started ...

Oh Happy Day ...

Kendall's New Scarf

Well, I finally finished Kendall's scarf ...
we headed up to Millet on Friday ...
to attend Daigen's birthday party this weekend ...
She was so excited to have received this gift ...
and wore it all night ...
It was the perfect length ...
just covering her little baby bump ...
as per Kendall's wishes ...

Now, Ian was not impressed ...

that we were not bearing him any gifts ...

hmmmm ... I did have something I could give him ...

as you can see he was delighted ...

to have received a DVD copy of ...

The Bisset Singers in Concert ...

he persuaded Kendall to come and see what he got ...

the two of them were fooling around with their expressions ...

of their shear excitement ...

Ian is such a tease ...

(we did end up watching it and they really enjoyed it)

Daigen liked seeing and hearing his grandma singing on TV

Wet & Dry Conditions ...

Mushrooms & Cacti

What a difference in the terrain ...

so wet in areas ....

mushrooms are popping out all over ...

in the lawn, ditches and in the driveway ...

then

so dry in parts of my garden ...

not much growing ...

but

the cacti are flourishing ...

Growing In My Yard ...

In Full Bloom

Mini Lilac Bush

Wild Roses

Grateful to see some colour around the house ...

this is the last summer without planting ...

next year there will be lots of plants ...

hanging baskets ... in a wide array of colour ...

Beautiful Summer Day ...

Grass Is Cut ... Lunch Is Served

Too nice to stay indoors ...

Decided to enjoy my lunch out on the deck ...
then sit back and relax ...
reading a great book ...
(The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini)

Fresh cut flowers ...

Love my mini lilacs ...

Light Lunch ...

Yogurt and fresh fruit ...

Home-made iced Green Tea ...

I was delighted to have this yellow butterfly ...
fly in and join me for lunch ...

Drive Slow Up the Road ...

Watch for Turtles

Our neighbours put out this sign every spring on our road ...
down by the lake ...
to help protect these turtles ...
that wander all over the this area ...

On my way back from a drive down to moms ...

surprised to see this turtle ... in the middle of the road ... 

 digging a hole ... to lay eggs ...

It was getting quite dark ... when I stopped ...

parked the vehicle with the lights shining on the road ...

to be able to capture these photos ...

and protect her from other vehicles ...

Normally we move the turtles off to the side ...

but not this time ... waited until she was finished covering up her eggs ... 

then watched her move slowly to the edge of the ditch ...

before heading home ...

Rufous On Guard ...

This One Is Mine

This Rufous Hummingbird is quite a fighter ...

managed to keep all the others away ...

he has claimed this feeder all for himself ...

It's like a war zone out there ...

Dive bombing me as I walked around the house ...

I'll have to put another feeder out ...

to avoid the battles ...

All Packed Up ...

Moving Day for Mom

It was a busy weekend ...

helping mom get ready to move ...

Saturday was the big day ...

hoping the weather would hold off with the rain until we were finished ...

grateful for the extra help from our neighbours ...

with three trucks loaded ... 

and last minute items packed into the car ...

sun shining ... and we're off ... 

this travelling caravan to moms new home ...

an apartment in the city ...

Lilacs & Bees ...

Busy Gathering Nectar

This nectar ...

a sugary fluid secreted by plants ...

especially within flowers to encourage pollination ...

and for the bees to make into honey ...

Love watching them ... buzz around ... !


Happy Father's Day to all .... !

Erdapfel Knodel ...

Potatoe Dumplings with Ground Beef

Decided to make one of my moms old time Austrian recipes ...

it consists of a couple of grated cooked cold potatoes ...

flour, salt, baking powder, and an egg ...

mixed into a soft dough ...

cutting into sections and hand rolling into a small disc ...

fill with a mixture of cooked ground beef, onions & garlic ...

place a spoonful in the centre of the disc...

pinch the edges together ...

then form into a ball ... 

Drop them into a pot of boiling salted water ...

let them cook about 10 - 15 min ...

in the meantime heat up a can of sauerkraut ...

the dumplings should be done ...

when they are big and fluffy ...

Ready to serve ...

with some fresh vegetables ...

sure brought back some pleasant memories ...

of our family time together ...

(sorry kids ... I will make some the next time you come home ...)

Colourful Project ...

A Special Gift To Keep Baby Warm

Kendall fell in love with this yarn ... 

and thought that it would make a wonderful scarf ...

to keep her and the baby ...

warm this fall and winter ...

I'm almost finished ...

 (yes ... I know ... it's not even summer yet ... 

but better to have it completed before it's needed) ...

will be delivered in person ...

 next weekend ... when we arrive...

for Daigens birthday