Work Or Play ... ?

In The Shop 
March 27, 2012
 

Craig and Grandpa ...

head out to the shop quite a lot ...

telling me they have work to do ...

Ya right ... !!!

I found out how much work  ...

playing computer and sitting watching TV ...

they have enjoyed their time together ...

Craig was able to get the old joystick working again ...

after all these years of being boxed up ...

Uncle Ian's old bike works again ...
Craig and grandpa have been working on the bike ...
since the last time they were here ...
it needed some minor repairs ...
and a new tube for the tire ...
Hooray ... Craig took it out for a test ride ...
in the mud ...
he was so excited to finally be able to take it out ...  !

with one project completed ...
still have a couple more bikes ...
 to be worked on ...

Good work guys ... !!!

Little Helpers ...

Baking Cookies
March 26, 2012
 

While Craig was out in the shop with Grandpa ...
James and Ella with rolling cookie dough ...
into balls ...
after flattening them ...
they put sprinkles on ...
I believe more sprinkles ended up ...
in their mouths and all over the floor ...
they were good little helpers ...
and we had a good time ...
great conversations begin in the kitchen ...

 

Craig was delighted to find this suitcase ...

that we had stored in the garage ...

brought here to our home ...

from Oma's 

Just what we needed was more Lego ... !!!!

Saying Goodbye ...

To A Good Friend
March 24, 2012



Craig's best friend ... wanted to come over for a visit ...
to say goodbye ...
it was a fun evening ...
playing hide and seek among all the boxes ...
card games and eating popcorn ...

 

Last picture taken in the old house ... early morning ...
 before heading to Grandma and Grandpas ...
for a week ...
while the movers took everything to the new house ...
giving mom & dad time to unpack ...
without the kids being there ...

 

Stopping in Okotoks ...

at McDonalds for lunch ... 

and some playtime before heading on the road again ...

Sunny ... Sunny Day ... !!!

Playing In The Snow
March 24, 2012

 

It was time for the kids to go out and play ...
it was a beautiful, bright, sunny day ...
the house was still being packed up ...
and they were getting restless ...
Craig wasn't to keen on walking down to the end of the driveway ...
I wanted to check out the little hut ...
for the kids to go in and wait for the school bus ...
James was being silly and was hiding behind the door ...
so I just took a picture of Ella ...
wearing her ski goggles and it was too bright for her ..

 

James finally appeared after Ella and I started walking back to the house ...
then discovered a big ice ball ...
and he was determined to get it out of the snowbank ...
but it wasn't budging ...
it flipped him a couple times ...
when he tried kicking it ...

 

Once we arrived back up to the house ...

Craig came out to play at the swings & slide ...

perfect way to spend the afternoon ...

 enjoying the warmth of the sun ...

This was the last day the kids would be playing here ...

Nothing To Play With ...

March 24, 2012
 

The packing crew arrived ...
to get the packing done for the movers ...
the kids needed something to do ...

 

Craig had found a black marker ...

and a small pad of sticki note paper ...

of course the other two wanted to draw also ...

so I approached one of the packers ... 

if I could have a few sheets of the packing paper ...

next I was trying to find a few pens or crayons ...

the kids were called to go and see one of the guys ...

and he had a whole selection of coloured markers ...

and gave them each one to draw with ...

they were in their glory ...

it was hours of drawing ... colouring ... creating ...

before the packers found a roll of tape ...

I had taken it so the kids could tape all their sheets together ...

we ended up with quite a banner ...

when all was said and done ...

It was the perfect way to keep them busy ... 

and out of the packers way ...

so that they were able to do their job ...

It's Showtime ...

In Spruce Grove
March 23, 2012

 

 

Today was the day we headed into town ...

to go to the movies ...

kids are on Spring Break ...

and mom and dad were working ...

Yee Ha ... playtime ... !!!

Decided to see Journey 2 ...

(really good movie)

popcorn ... drink ... and Skittles  ...

sitting back ...

enjoying the show ...

at first we had the whole place to ourselves ...

and then 2 other kids and their dad showed up ...

was too funny ... !!!

Surprise Photos ...

On My iPad ...

The kids love playing on the iPad ... I had pictures in iPhoto that I was going to post on my blog ... but to my surprise I had quite a few extra photos to choose from ...
Not sure when James took these pictures and edited them ... these kids now are just too smart ...

These photos are from an App. on my iPad ... where the kids create and paint pictures ... didn't know they were being saved as well ... see that little camera with the nose ... they figured out that it is the camera ... !!! It's so nice to see them sharing, reading and playing together ... !

Snowstorm ...

What an adventure ... heading out on Thursday, March 22 ... to drive up to see the grandchildren ... woke up to a snowstorm up on the hill ... we never know what the roads are like until we reach the valley floor ... the highway seemed to be okay ... but ... after the tunnel at Fernie it was quite a different story ... near whiteout conditions ... until the turn off onto Hwy2 all the way thru Calgary and Airdie ... stopped there for a break ... then drove a few minutes and it started to snow again ... Red Deer area was a nightmare ... all the way to Leduc ... stopped to see Daigen and Nixon for a few minutes ... then off towards Stoney Plain ... took me hours ... finally reaching my destination around 7:30pm ... what a joyful sight when I could see their driveway ... my vehicle was covered in frozen slush ... it looked I had been ploughing thru drifts of snow ... I actually was ... !!! I'll be waiting for the weather to clear up before I drive back home ... !!!!

Garden Flourishes ...

 

My little gardens continue to grow ...

the tomato plants are starting to flower ...

and we are enjoying our lettuce ... daily ...

I also started a green pepper plant ...

with the tomatoes ...

and it has sprouted ...

hope to move that one out into our garden ...

also plan on starting a few other vegetables ...

to transplant in the late spring ...

Making Soup ...

Shiitake Hot and Sour Soup
Recipe from Dr. Oz

This first batch was made with Cremini mushrooms ...
it seemed that the stores had a run on Shiitake Mushrooms ...

 

This batch was made with Shiitake Mushrooms ...

"This delicious soup was designed for super immunity. The shiitake mushrooms along with the garlic, ginger, onions, and jalapeño peppers all have immunity-boosting properties. Bolster your defenses against germs while enjoying this hearty dish."

Click Here ... for recipe

First Day of Spring ...

 

What a surprise to wake up to it snowing on the 1st day of Spring ...

out here in the West ...

and it was sunny and warm towards the East ...

Hoping the nice weather reaches us soon ... !!!!

Opera in Cranbrook ...

An evening at the Opera ...with mom and Johanna ...
It's not very often that this type of entertainment performs in Cranbrook ...
Chuck Bisset who is my vocal coach and director for the Bisset Singers Choir ...
was delighted that his wife Audrey Bisset ...
 in this production ... was a Principle Soloists ...
 a Mezzo Soprano playing the part of "Demeter"

Picture of Persephone

KHAOS, the opera

March 17, 2012

KHAOS, the opera by BC composer Don MacDonald and BC playwright, Nicola Harwood. Cranbrook is the first stop on the inaugural tour of this newly commissioned opera. Featuring soprano, Allison Girvan, mezzo soprano, Audrey Bissett, tenor Roger Ley and baritone, Kevin Armstrong in the principal roles. KHAOS is an opera that re-imagines the fertility myth of Persephone and Demeter, a myth that reinforces our understanding of the seasonal cycles of death and regeneration. The story has all the hallmarks of a great operatic libretto with love, betrayal, loss and redemption played out on a grand scale. This one-time only performance is jointly sponsored by Nelson Community Opera and the Symphony of the Kootenays. Don't miss this world premiere performance!

An enjoyable evening ... !!!

Time To Go ...

 

Getting ready to leave for the airport ...

snuggling with the boys before we head out ...

I had a great weekend with the boys ...

Daigen was not happy when he realized I was leaving ... 

he thought he was going in too ...

As Kendall drove away ... Daigen kept saying ...

"No ... this way ... "

that's the hardest part of going up for a visit ...

having to say goodbye ...

sure tugs at my heartstrings ...

Grandma will be back soon ... !!!!

Tummy Time ...

March 11, 2012

Nixon having some tummy time ...
after his bath ...
I was surprised to see his new sleepers ...
and he is in no way ...
"Bad To The Bone"  ...
he is one sweet little boy ...
we were trying to keep him awake ...
hence putting him in the swing ...
for a change of activity ...
before he was put to bed ...

 

These photos were take the next morning ...

Nixon doing his exercise ...

working his chubby little legs ...

babbling ... cooing ... smiling ...

telling grandma stories ...

Such precious moments to capture ... !!!

An Irish Greeting ...

 

Somewhere Over The Rainbow ... !!!!

ChuckeCheese's ...

A Friends Birthday Party
March 11, 2012
 

What a great day ...
Daigen was invited to his friends birthday party ...
Paige's 3rd birthday ...
(in the background)
playing games at ChuckeChees's ...
Daddy and grandma helping out with the Skeet game ...
tossing the balls into the rings ...

 

Going for a car ride with Chucke ...
then a horse ride ...
climbing in the schoolhouse ... sliding down the slide ...
then twirling around and around ...
in the Cup & Saucer ride ...
just so many things for the kids to do ...
 in a playland like this ...

 

Nixon slept thru most of the activities ...
the noise and chaos didn't have an affect on him at all ...
Daigen was excited to meet Chucke ...
he was also amazed at the blue screen ...
and being able to see himself on TV ...


After having pizza and cake for lunch ...
it was time to just to check out other stuff ...
Daigen was amazed by the mechanical Chucke ...
and having fun playing with the balloons ...

 

Daigen was so ready to go home ...

this picture of him ...

saying it all ...

that he had had enough ...

 Nixon... on the other hand ...

 was still ready to party ... !!!

(the parents were happy to be heading home ... it was a busy day ...)

Cousins Arrive ...

At Uncle Ians' and Aunt Kendalls' House
March 10, 2012

 

Getting a picture taken with all the kids ...
you have to be quick if you want to take a picture with Daigen ...
he was just too excited to have his cousins visiting ...
he just wanted to get going and start playing ...


They had so much fun ...
Daigen was rolling down the stairs on his ball ...
Craig & Ella took turns playing tunes on the guitar ...
and James was busting a gut ...
laughing at Daigen and his wipe outs ... 

 

Ella smiling with her new bracelet ...

Receiving a gift from Aunt Kendall is the best ever ...