More Snow ...

January 20, 2016

Mike and I had cleared all the snow the day before ...

it started to snow that evening ...

and when we awoke the next morning ... another 6-7 inches of snow had fallen ...

Here we go again ... we're sure getting our exercise these last few days ...

It had also warmed up a bit and now the snow was sliding down off the roof ...

I was sitting by the window sipping on my coffee ...

watching a little Nuthatch gathering seeds ...

It took me a few hours to shovel off the deck ...

I toss it over the railings onto the driveway below ... so that Mike it plow it away ...

I couldn't believe how much snow there was ...

the stairs were pretty well buried ...

My job was finally completed ... so I decided to take a few pictures ...

for my photography course ...

I was learning so much about my cameras and the different settings to use ...

Mike was busy now clearing the snow away ...

After I had taken some pictures ... I knocked down the snow hanging over ...

on this part of the deck ...

and shovelled it over the railings again ...

 

January 22 & 23, 2016

I took two pictures on the 22nd ... of the back and front deck ...

with snow that had fallen off the roof ... around 6:00 pm ...

I decided not to work that evening ... I would clear the snow in the morning ...

Mike had gone into town on the 23rd ...

I went out to shovel the snow off the decks ... it didn't take me too long with this little bit ...

I had just gone inside to make myself some lunch ... and relax ...

then around 2:30 ... I heard a loud noise ... and like a crack of icing breaking ...

down came the last slab of snow from the top of the roof ...

down onto the front deck...

and the weight and pressure from the snow ... blew out three panes of glass from the railings ...

one of them slid down the snow onto the driveway ...

and the one closest to the stairs was just hanging there ...

the other one just had a corner that popped out ...

As I heard the snow sliding down ... I prayed that it wouldn't break the glass panels ...

and thank goodness it didn't ...

I waited until Mike came home ... to help with the glass panels...

he was able to tap it back into place ...

Mike took the other two glass panels up to the shop to store them ...

we will replace them in the spring ...

Our plan was to have snow brakes put on the metal roof ...

but the snow came early last year ... plus there were no roofers to do the job ...

Installing snow brakes are definitely on the top of our to-do list this year ...

to prevent this from happening again in the years to come

 

Birthday Party for Chuck ...

January 17, 2016

It was nice to be home ...

we had our work cut out for us ...

I spent the day shovelling off the decks ...

and Mike was on the tractor all day ...

clearing the driveway and parking areas ...

 

January 18, 2016

It was an exciting day ... Chuck our choir director ...

was having a birthday ...

We ... The Bisset Singers ... surprised him after our practise with a small party ...

to celebrate his 75th Birthday ... !!!

We were hoping that all the choir members could have attended ...

but they had other commitments ...

it was a great evening anyway ...

Chuck was touched by our gift to him ...

 

 

Last Night and Flight Home ...

January 15, 2016

Our last evening with our family ...

Mike wanted something Texan ... so that's where we went ...

Mike had a smoked steak ... it was so tender ...

Kendall and I shared an order of BBQ Ribs ... and Ian had a steak as well ...

The meal was delicious ... !!! I'm

Thank goodness for the iPad ... and Daigen had daddy's phone ...

it was a long wait for our orders ... at least they had something to do ... during that time ...

The boys did get their food before us ...

Tonight was going to be the party night ...

with lighting off Grandpa's Christmas presents ...

We gathered up the fireworks and took it out onto the street ...

still amazes me that they can light fireworks at anytime and anywhere ...

The boys were so excited ... Daigen sat back on the bench to watch them ...

and Nixon was jumping up and down by mommy ...

Kendall had a few more sparklers for the boys to light up ...

and also the fire bangers ...

Once the boys were tucked in bed ... the four of us spent the evening outside ...

Mike and Ian enjoying their drink and fancy cigar while relaxing in the hot tub ...

a perfect way to enjoy our last evening together ... !!!

 

January 16, 2016

We had a lovely morning with the family ...

it was time for us to head to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport ...

for our flight home ... too bad it had started to rain ...

Mike and I said our goodbyes ... lots of hugs and kisses ... before we made our way inside ...

We checked in and went thru customs without any issues ...

Mike and I decided we should get something to eat before boarded the plane ...

We found this old-time diner ... old tunes playing along with large screens showing the football games ...

The meals are massive ... I wanted a hot dog ... and boy did I get a whopper ...

I could hardly eat the meat never mind the bun and fixings ...

Mike ended up ordering a hamburger and it was a big meal as well ...

We definitely would not be hungry for quite some time ...

Making our way down the run way ... watching the rain fall ... and taking a few pictures ...

Once we were up in the air ... I took a few pictures of the city from out my window ...

I thought it was sure getting dark outside ...

I then looked over to the other side of the plane and saw how beautiful the sunset was ...

I asked the gentleman across from us ...

if he would mind taking a picture for me ... and he did ...

I was so glad that I had turned to look out that window ...

We had a great trip home ... arrived about 15 min early ...

we thought that was great ... all we had to do was get our luggage and go thru customs ...

and we would be on our way home ...

Well ... that didn't happen ...

We waited over an hour for our luggage to arrive from the aircraft ...

apparently the cargo doors were frozen shut due to the -21C degree weather ...

and blowing snow ...

We finally made our way home in a snowstorm for part of the way ...

and some windy sections near the Crowsnest Pass ...

We were happy to be home ... everything seemed to be good ...

we turned on the heat and went to bed at 4:00 am ...

hoping to get a few hours sleep ...

It was a wonderful holiday with Ian, Kendall, Daigen and Nixon ... !!!

Hope to see them again soon ... !!!

 

 

More Presents ...

January 15, 2015

Kendall had taken Daigen to school ... when she arrived home ...

she had another birthday gift for Nixon from his friends ...

He was so excited when grandpa helped him put together his ...

Fisher-Price Imaginext Power Ranger Robot ...

More gifts for the boys ...

these gifts were from Nathan, Katie, Craig, James and Ella ...

Daigen loved his new red scooter ... and Nixon is going to take Tai Kwan Do lessons ...

Nixon received a small gift from grandma ... some Power Ranger figures that go with his Robot ...

We had an interesting morning when Kendall took Daigen to school ...

Grandpa and Nixon were still sleeping when I was going to let the dogs out ...

I decided to let them out thru the garage ... I had unlock the door from the inside ...

but when I took Meatball out ... the door closed behind me and I was locked out ...

All the other doors were locked as well ... I put Meatball into the backyard ...

I knew that the bedroom window was open ... so I started to call up to Mike to get up ... plus knocked on the door ...

I wasn't getting anywhere ... so I went to the neighbour to give Mike a call on his cell ...

of course it went right to voice mail ... no help ...

I went back to the house ... I knew that when Nixon would get up and he would see me outside ...

he would come to the door ... and he did ... we talked ...

I had asked him to go upstairs to wake Grandpa up to come and help Grandma ...

I was so proud of him ...

He went upstairs and told grandpa that I needed help ...

Mike was still half asleep ... Nixon came down and said Grandpa wouldn't wake up ...

I then told Nixon he should run upstairs and jump on him ... he started to laugh ...

I think he liked that idea ...

Finally Mike did get up and came down to unlock the door ...

I gave Nixon the biggest hug and kiss for being such a big helper ...

I will never go outdoors from now on without taking the keys with me ... !!!

 

Later in the afternoon we were outside relaxing before we went out for dinner ...

the boys were having fun on their scooters and playing ...

Nixon wanted to sit down on one of the chairs ... the cushions were a little damp ...

so he took it off the chair ... and underneath the cushion was gecko ...

Ian leapt up from his seat and caught it to show it to Nixon ...

Nixon wasn't to sure if he should touch it at first ...

Ian was good with him ... showing him that it would not hurt him ...

He finally did touch the gecko and then they let it go ...

Nixon watched it as it scurried away into the bushes ... maybe he will find it again sometime ...

 

Grandparent's Day ...

January 14, 2015

It was a special day ... Dr. Earle Martin is an amazing man ...

we really enjoyed his presentation ...

It was great to meet and talk to him ...

Mike purchased his book ... Dr. Martin signed it for us ...

"To Daigen's grandma and grandpa ... with best wishes ..."

Mike and I were thrilled to go into the classroom with Daigen ...

and to see him working at his desk ... doing really well ...

we had to chuckle when it was time to do his math ... it isn't one of his favourite class ...

He hardly has to think about the answer ... his pencil just fires them off ...

When it was time to go outside for a break ... we had stayed behind to talk to the teacher ...

Daigen came back to get us ... as he did not want to go outside without us ...

It was great watching all the children playing ...

Once we went back inside ... they had some time to gather their things together ...

as school was finished for the day ...

Once again, Daigen took us by the hand to lead us down the hall ...

to meet up with mommy and Nixon ...

Kendall decided to take us all to ...

Dave and Buster's Restaurant and Entertainment Centre ...

to have lunch and play a couple games of bowling ...

This place is amazing ... all sorts of games ... video games ... arcade ... sports bar ...

and so much more ...

It was a great way to spend the afternoon playing ...

before Daigen had to go to one off his Occupational Therapy Sessions ...

It's been years since Mike and I have played 10 pin bowling ...

it's pretty sad when the four year old beats all of us ...

We had a lot of fun with the kids ...

After dinner we all crashed on the couch ... we were exhausted ...

at least I was ...

it wasn't long before the boys got their second wind and ran circles around us ...

Daigen pulling Nixon around the room with the blanket ...

the boys were laughing so hard ...

and so were we watching Nixon trying to keep up with his brother ...

I guess it was like the game Crack the Whip ...

The adults were happy when it was bedtime for the boys ...

we needed some down time ourselves ...

after a very busy exciting day ... !!!

Enjoying Our Holidays ...

January 12, 2016

The guys spent some time in the hot tub ...

after a busy day of school and work ...

Kendall and I enjoyed our drinks by the poolside ...

as we were too chilled to hop in ...

 

January 13, 2016

It was a beautiful morning ... Kendall, Nixon and I ...

thought the conditions were perfect to have a soak in the hot tub ...

While Kendall went to pick Daigen up from school ...

we decided to go for a walk to the park with Nixon ...

he was adamant that he did not want to go with mommy in the car ...

With grandma and grandpa visiting ...

he was able to have a break in picking Daigen up ...

Mike and I were invited to spend the morning with Daigen at his school ...

for Grandparents' Day ...

We couldn't have planned it any better with booking our trip ...

 

I received a special gift from the boys ... (my birthday gift) ...

a beautiful leather bracelet with a special message that ...

"All things are possible"

along with the Autism symbol and the boys first initials ...

I was brought to tears ...

something I will cherish forever ...

Thank you so much Ian, Kendall, Daigen and Nixon ... !!!

So excited to spend the morning with Daigen at school ...

 

Visiting A Friend ...

January 11, 2016

We were fortunate to meet up with Britt ... while staying in Texas ...

Mike and Britt had worked on the control systems ...

for the compressor stations and pipeline years ago ... they have continued to stay in touch ...

Britt happened to be working in Houston at the time ...

so we went out for dinner to the Thai Bistro downtown Houston ...

We had a great time reminiscing about good times together ...

Britt and his wife plan on visiting us up north one of these days ...

We left the Thai Bistro and walked back to the Hyatt Regency ...

and went to Shula's Steak House ...

for some exquisite coffee and dessert ...

It was an amazing place ... loved all the pictures on the wall ...

of famous entertainers and sports celebrities ...

 

"Shula's Steak House is themed after Don Shula and the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only team in NFL history to go undefeated for the entire season with a record of 17-0. Shula's serves "The SHULA CUT," Premium Black Angus Beef which is the best beef money can buy."

 

Still Celebrating ...

January 10, 2016

We arrived at the house after our Chuck E Cheese activities ...

Ian and Nixon were having a balloon fight ...

while grandpa was out starting the BBQ to cook up some dinner ...

This was a good time for Nixon to light up the sparklers ...

hanging out with Grandpa ...

We enjoyed a lovely dinner ...

now it was time to sing Happy Birthday ...

and

enjoy some of Nixon's birthday cake ...

You can see by his eyes that he was thoroughly lov'in it ...

MMMMMMM

It was time to open up his Birthday gifts ...

he was so excited to have gotten a Power Ranger gun that turns into a dinosaur ...

a Snackees cup and some playdough ...

Nixon could hardly believe his eyes when opened up his gift ...

from mommy and daddy ...

He had asked Santa for this 2 foot T-Rex dinosaur ...

that walks ... stomps and roars ...

While Ian was reading the instructions on how it put it together ...

Nixon continued opening up his birthday card ...

He was thrilled to get this card from Oma ... !!!

With all the guys help in constructing this dinosaur ...

it was ready to take its first steps ...

and shout its roaarr ... !!!

Both Nixon and Daigen had fun playing with this toy ... !!!

 

This was the longest day ever ... Christmas ... Birthday ...

partying ... playing ...

No wonder we were exhausted by this days end ... !!

 

Birthday Celebration Begins ...

January 10, 2016

Now that we had finished breakfast after our Christmas celebration ...

it was time to celebrate Nixon's 4th birthday ...

Kendall wanted Nixon to receive our gift to him ...

so that he would have a chance to ride his scooter before we headed out ...

for the day ...

Daigen also received a gift ...

for both the boys to have some fun by the pool ...

Here's Mr Cool ... on his new ride ...

the boys had a lot of fun ...

cruising'

Love the shades boys ... !!!

It had warmed up a bit outside ...

the boys wanted Grandpa to fill the water balloons up ...

there was an attachment for the garden hose to fill up 40 balloons at once ...

the boys had so much fun ... popping and throwing the balloons ...

Love the last picture of the boys in the hot tub ...

Part of Nixon's birthday celebration ...

was spending the afternoon playing games ...

at Chuck E Cheese's ...

Nixon really wanted to ride the race horse ...

and he did really well placing ...

Both the boys took turns driving the 4x4 ...

and playing basketball ...

Daigen loved this game ... he has quite the arm to make the shots in the hoop ...

Nearing the end ... collecting the coupons ...

from the games that they had played ...

cashing them in and waiting in line to pick out their prizes ...

We all had a great time with the boys ...

It was so nice to see the them sitting down ...

and talking about their day ... !!!

Time to go back home and continue with the party ...

 

 

Our Christmas in Houston ...

January 10, 2016

The kids were excited that today on Nixon's birthday ...

we were going to celebrate Christmas as well ...

Daigen and Nixon worked hard at opening up their gifts ...

Nixon needed a little help from daddy ...

I think Ian was anxious to open up the tin ...

as he knew what was inside ...

I also think he will have to fight Nixon for the icing cookies ...

Daigen was so happy to get a box full of Gluten-free Gingerbread men ...!!

The boys were ecstatic when they received their Smarties packages ...

Kendall was enjoying a few of them as well ...

Mike was surprised with a couple of his gifts ...

He was excited to have received a bunch of fireworks ...

something totally different ...

We were going to set them off on the last day of our holidays ...

We were given so many gifts ... love them all ... !!!

One of our most favourite gift was ...

opening up a beautiful memories book ...

of when the kids were at our home in the summer ...

Something we will cherish for ever ... !!!

The boys love playing with balloons ... and so does Brutus ...

The only problem is ... he loves to pop them ...

it was so funny watching the kids and dogs chasing the balloons ...

We were going to have breakfast before we start ...

with the Birthday celebrations for Nixon ...

It's going to be another busy day ...