Time To Clean ...

Last Fish Caught

Ella had the maggot container ...

and handed me a couple maggot to put on the hook ...

to catch our last fish ...

the kids were happy to help Grandpa drive the boat ...

It was time to clean all the fish that were caught ..

James really wanted to learn how to clean them ...

so Grandpa handed James the fillet glove ...

and guided him with the fillet knife ...

he did an awesome job cleaning ...

then Ella wanted to try ... so James handed her the glove  ...

Grandpa did cut the fish ...

and Ella removed the innards ...

Grandma's kind of girl ...

All the fish cleaned and put on ice in the fish well ...

time to head back to shore ...

Grandpa started up the big motor ...

and we were off ...

Craig was at the front ...

keeping a look out ...

then the motion of the waves had almost lulled him to sleep ...

until Grandpa revved up the motor ...

because James & Ella wanted to go faster ...

bouncing over the waves ...

the kids were delighted ... 

laughing & giggling ...

this day of fishing has come to an end ...

Home again ...

fish ready to be put away ...

what a great day ...

we had our limit again with the help of the grandchildren ...

and they want to back tomorrow ...

they had a blast ...

On The Beach ...

Little Island on Lake Koocanusa
Aug. 19, 2011

Pulled the boat up on shore ...

spread the blanket ...

to have our picnic lunch ...

then the kids went into the water for a swim ...

Craig swam out with Grandpa ...

way out there ...

James needed a rest ...

and Ella wanted to play in the sand ...

beautiful, crystal clear water, displaying ripples in the sand ...

Craig needed a rest after his swim ...

James and Ella had some play time with Grandpa ...

and I was enjoying the driftwood ...

scattered on the beach ...

Craig had enough of a rest ...

and went exploring ...

he discovered a fort at the top of the sand hill ...

Grandpa went looking for him and found him at the fort ...

then James & Ella were called to come and see ...

other kids were checking it out as well ...

they all got together ...

 gathered more driftwood to finish the fort ...

(it was inspected by adults to ensure the safety of it )

the kids had so much fun ...

that they really didn't want to leave ...

but we had more fishing to do ...

that sure got their attention ...

they headed down the hill ...

into the boat ...

GONE FISHING AGAIN ...!

Fishing Trip ...

Exciting Day for the Grandchildren
Aug. 19, 2011

Up early ...

heading to Lake Koocanusa ...

for a fun day of fishing ...

Craig was at the back of the boat with Grandpa ...

he was thrilled to have caught a Kokanee ...

grandpa netted it and then the billy bob came out and he bonked it ...

he much preferred to give the fish a slap in the head ...

I think we were watching too many 3 Stooges Movies ...

James was at the front of the boat with me ...

we only had 2 rods put out while the kids were with us ...

James landed a nice fish ... 

good thing grandpa was at the back of the boat to reel it in ...

and again the billy bob came out for James to bonk it ...

the boys have fished with us before ...

so they knew the routine ...

This was Ella's first time out on our boat ...

she loved it ...

Ella was at the front with me ...

to catch her first fish ...

again grandpa netted it at the back of the boat ...

as you can see grandpa was a little leery ...

 with Ella and the billy bob bonker ...

look at the twinkle in her eye ...

"don't worry grandpa ... I know how to do it"

and she did ... 

The kids took turns using the two rods ...

and catching fish ...

we were out on the water about 1 1/2 hrs ...

and caught 21 Kokanees ...

we decided we better head for the beach at the island ...

to have a picnic lunch ...

and let the kids go swimming for a bit ...

before we fished our way back ...

Just Swinging ...

And Working 
Aug 17, 2011

James and Ella helped gather some firewood for the boiler ...

they wanted the pool water nice and warm ...

but yet still refreshing ...

James liked to throw a few branches into the fire ...

when all the work was done ...

it was time to play on the swings ...

Vern & Ellen ...

(long time friends from when Vern and our family lived in Ontario) ...

travelling thru the area ...

decided to pay us a visit with mom & Kurt ...

(the kids were excited to have a few fresh specimens ...

to enter into their web of yarn) ...

 our guests were surprised ...

 when they ventured down the stairs ...

what a mess this tangled web was ... !!!

We also spent some time visiting with Ian, Kendall and Daigen ...

on Skype ...

Vern & Ellen hadn't seen the kids in over three years ..

was a lovely evening ...

Hope to see them again ...

In The Box ...

The Sand Box That Is ...
Aug. 18, 2011

Hours spent down at the play area ...

swinging ... sliding ... climbing ...

 digging ... building roads ... tunnels ... 

with Ruckus on guard ...

laying next to them ...

Asked the kids what they would like for lunch ...

and they decided on pizza ...

well being 30 min out of town ...

the only way they were going to get hot pizza ...

was if I made it ...

and of course I did ...

while they were playing outside in the sand ...

I whipped one up and topped it with whatever I had ...

as long as there was pepperoni and cheese ...

they were happy ...

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Play Time ...

No Jumping On The Bed ...
Aug. 17, 2011

Craig, James and Ella ...

playing downstairs after creating the yarn web ...

no room on the floor ...

I kept telling the kids not to jump on the bed ...

it is an inflatable mattress ...

and it will pop ... !!

Ok ... guys ... go outside ... for a swim ... !

Great ... they wore themselves out ...

remembered I still had peas that needed to be shelled ...
placed the bowls out on the deck ...
they were having a great time ...
not too many ended up in the bowl ...
as they opened up the pods  ...
quite a few of them rolled on the towel and down thru the deck spaces ...
and most of them were eaten ...
no problem ... raw or cooked ... it's all good ..
we did have enough for dinner ...

First Picture ...

Kendall's First Ultra Sound Picture

It was an exciting day for Ian, Kendall and Daigen ...

to hear the news ...

A Healthy Baby BOY ...

due to arrive Jan. 6, 2012 ...

Mike & I were waiting to get the phone call to let us know ...

oh how happy we are to be having another grandson ....
and a great-grandson for Oma ...

we're absolutely thrilled for big brother Daigen ...

Congratulations to the Knight Family 

sending love & light always 

Dinner With Oma

At The New Apartment
Aug. 16, 2011

The children were excited to see Oma ...

and this was the first time they saw her apartment ...

they thought it was really small ...

and only a table to seat two ...

how was that going to work with all of us ...

We were the special guests ...

therefore we were seated in the family room in the dining area ...

James showed Oma all the friendship bracelets that they made ...

Ella took her disc of yarn and Oma helped her count the strands ...

Before dinner was served ...

 we headed out into the dining room ...

to the table where Oma usually sits with her friends for dinner ...

(Rita, Rosa and Burk)

Burk with his accordion ... entertains ... while everyone waits for their meals ...

Kurt was kind enough to take some of these photos for me ...

Back in the family room ... a delicious meal was served ...

the kids ate soup, salad, buns, chicken with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetable ...

Kurt, Oma & I had the BBQ ribs ...

I didn't think that they would have room for dessert ...

but they did ...

in fact they each chose to have 2 desserts, jello and ice cream ...

they should be fed up ... 

we'll see  how long before they asked for something else to eat ... !

We ended up going for a walk ...

after dinner ... 

along the creek behind Joseph Creek Village ...

Ella watching the ducks ...

James had a piece of bread ... to feed the ducks ...

Craig went over the bridge to the other side of the creek ... in the lush foliage ...

Oma and Kurt watching the kids play ...

We had a lovely evening ...

Craig, James, and Ella would like to go back for a visit ...

Kids In The Kitchen ...

Let's Make Rice Krispies Squares

Let's get started ...

what do we do ... ?

Put the marshmallows into the dish with melted butter ...

having trouble ...

sticking to their fingers ...

Pop the dish into the microwave ...

to melt the marshmallows ...

play a little tune with our spoons on the stainless steel bowls ...

take the dish from the microwave and pour in the Rice Krispies ...

and start to stir and mix it all in ...

Pour the mixture into a greased pan ...

butter up the fingers and hands ...

press the gooey ... sticky stuff ... down ...

wait ... it's still not working ...

explained to them to gently pat the marshmallow mix ...

instead of mashing it ...

much better now ...

they wanted to put sprinkles on top ...

surprised that there was any on the Rice Krispies ...

more ended up on the floor ...

and in their mouths ...

they had a great time  ...

a lot of laughs ...

and silliness ...

but they got the job done ...

heading out to play until it was set ...

A delicious treat after lunch ...

and a swim in the pool ...

Before Mom & Dad Go ...

Oh ... What Fun ... !!

Chill'n in the pool ...

I believe there were more blow-up toys in the pool than people ...

Lunch on the deck ... they were so hungry ...

(the table and chairs were Nathan & Ian's ...

a gift from their Grandma Jean when they were little )

then taking time to help grandma with shucking corn for dinner ...

Oma & Kurt came for a visit ....

"Ok daddy ... just stand there ... want to show you something "...

Craig filled the Noodle with water then blew into the one end ...

spraying his dad with a blast of water ...

the kids thought it was hilarious ...

then they were having a conversation ...

 to all go under water at the same time ...

James wasn't to sure of it at first ...

but then joined in ...

he still doesn't like the water going up his nose ...

it was easier just to hang onto the ladder ...

to go under the water ...

Maybe in the next few days ... 

being in the pool for hours daily ...

he will eventually go under without holding his nose ... !

When It Rains ...

Crafting Begins

We had a day of rain yesterday ...

I thought it would be the perfect day to show the grandkids ...

how to make the Friendship Bracelets ...

I had all the yarn pre-cut ...

gave them the instructions ...

and there was no stopping them now ...

they love it ...

they even took it into the vehicle when we went to see the Smurf movie in Fernie ...

Up bright and early this morning ...

the boys started on the Friendship bracelets before breakfast ...

they could hardly wait to show Dagmar on Skype ...

just how many they had already made ...

Then they wanted to make their own personalized discs ...

took them awhile to find the pictures from old wallpaper books ...

so many different ones to choose from ...

Paper ... scissors ... glue ... and cardboard discs ...

busy ... busy ... working away ...

marking the partitions with a marker ...

ready to finish ...

I decided to laminate them instead of using parcel tape ...

it did make them stronger ...

Craig with the loader ...

James had the race car ...

and Ella chose a butterfly ...

they were excited to grab some yarn and get started ...

with making more ...

I was pre-occupied with cutting more strands of coloured yarn ...

the kids went downstairs to play ...

when I was looking for the ball of black yarn ...

asked the kids if they saw where it went ...

all I could here was laughter and giggling ...

they told me to come down ... and boy ... was I surprised ...

a fine web they wove ...

from one end of the basement to the other ...

it was their trap ...

they were having so much fun ...

I just asked them where one of the ends were ...

so I could cut a few strands ...

I wasn't going to worry about gathering it all up just yet ...

hopefully they will help  ...

It may take me a day or so to work out all the knots .... !!!

and this was just the morning ... !!!!

(crazy ... but ... I love every moment of it ...)