Some Pics from Kendall ...

July 31, 2016

Love all these pictures ...

Nixon all dressed up for his school theme day ...

just check out his muscles ...

Daigen and Kendall taking a selfie in the car ...

on their way to school ...

Nixon having fun jumping in the foam blocks ...

We miss all of you ... hope to see you soon ... !!!

 

Harvesting the Garlic ...

July 30, 2016

Another few hours in the garden ...

picking beans and raspberries ...

a few leeks ... carrots ... and onion to make a soup ...

then a ripe apple to snack on ...

It was time to harvest my garlic ...

I was amazed at how large the bulbs were ...

most of them only had 3 cloves that were the size of 3-4 small ones together ...

Hidden in between the garlic was a potato plant ...

it was dug up for this evenings dinner ...

The garlic will be dried and a few bulbs set aside ...

to be planted in October for next years crop ...

 

 

The Long Wait ...

July 29, 2016

We left our place ... to go meet Nathan in the Crowsnest Pass ...

the timing would be around 4:00pm ...

We were there in plenty of time ...

so we decided to go to the park and let the kids run around ...

after our drive ...

It was a great little park with the swimming pool next door ...

We stayed for a while ... waiting ... we finally heard from Nathan ...

he was stuck in traffic on #22 Hwy ....

quite a distance from the turnoff and did not understand why ...

We then had heard that there had been an accident on the #3 Hwy ...

a semi had overturned and was in the ditch by the weigh scales ...

We contacted Nathan and told him what had happened ...

we then decided to go for dinner and wait for him there ...

Over 2 hours had passed and finally Nathan arrived ... we did not visit very long ...

he had to get back home as he was heading out of town ...

After saying our goodbyes ... Mike and I were on our way home ...

 

Another Fun Weekend ...

July 25, 2016

The grandchildren came back to BC with us ...

The first thing they did when they arrived at the house ...

was to check on the robin eggs (first picture was taken on July 13) ...

the kids were so excited to see that two had hatched ...

We kept checking for a couple days ...

and the third egg did not hatch ...

A trip to the garden to pick one garlic plant ...

this bulb only had 3 extra large cloves ...

After dinner the kids wanted their banana split ice cream ...

James was surprised to see a spoonful of cookie dough ...

that looked like a goat ...

July 26 & 27, 2016

Since a town trip was needed on this Tuesday ...

to pick up a few groceries ... we decided to go to an afternoon matinee at the movies ...

to see the "Secret Life of Pets" ...

 

The next day ...

we went down to the garden to gather some produce for our evening meal ...

It was great that the kids wanted to help ...

Ella saw the marshmallows and Rice Krispies ...

and wanted to make squares ...

With a little guidance she was on her way ...

measuring the ingredients ... buttering the pan ...

and putting the marshmallows into the pan ...

The marshmallows melted ... vanilla added ... and the Rice Krispies mixed in ...

then the mixture was poured into the pan ...

and with lightly buttered hands ...

it was spread and pressed down to fill the pan ...

and it wouldn't be complete without a few sprinkles put on the top ...

A job well done ... !!!

After dinner ... James was first in line ...

to have a taste of the Rice Krispies Squares ...

then off for a swim and a soak in the hot tub ...

on their last night here at Grandmas and Grandpas ...

 

 

Robert's Family Arrive ...

July 23, 2016

Mike and I drove to Alberta for the weekend ...

Jake and his family arrived this night ...

to spend the weekend visiting Nathan and his family ...

It's a good thing I made a batch of spaghetti sauce for dinner ...

these girls were starving ...

Craig ... James ... Ella and a friend ...

were having their dessert on the deck ...

while Jake and Maren were tucking the girls into bed ...

 

July 24, 2016

Sunday morning and it was decided that we would take the children to the zoo ...

The first stop was seeing the penguins ...

So many animals to see ...

We took a break and listened to the talk about tigers ...

and watched the trainer work with this tiger ...

Then off once again touring the grounds ...

By now the little legs were getting tired ...

and the bellies were growling ...

It was lunch time ...

stopping at the picnic area ... enjoying our meals ...

The girls decided it was the perfect place to practise doing their cartwheels ...

Craig and James were trying to help Ellie ...

After lunch ...

we went to the Butterfly Conservatory ...

The butterflies gently float between the flowers ...

landing on them ...

absorbing the warmth and energy from the sunlight ... to give them flight ...

It was a thrill for the kids when some of the butterflies landed on them ...

It was a truly beautiful peaceful place ...

Ella relaxing by the garden beds ...

waiting for all of us to head to the next area ...

Checking out the monkeys ... reptiles and lions ...

Ellie had enough of sitting in the stroller ... so ...

Craig decided to take a break and sit in the stroller ...

Ellie thought it was great and started to push the stroller ...

with a little help from daddy ...

We were headed to the ice cream shop ...

for another break ...

All these little (and big) legs could use a rest ...

Ice cream is always a delicious treat ... !!!

It was time to get up and get going ...

the sugar-high had kicked in ...

We still had about another hour of walking thru ...

the forested pathways of the Canadian Wilds exhibit ...

We were fortunate to see the grizzly and black bears ... cougars ...

bison ... bighorn sheep and mountain goats ... wolves ... eagles ... owls ...

These are all animals that reside in the beautiful ... unspoiled wilderness ...

which includes the prairies ... sub-alpine forests ...

and Rocky Mountains ...

We then arrived at the starting point ...

stopping to make sure everyone used the washroom facilities before

heading back to the house ...

Ellie spending this time with daddy ... and the giant Penguin ...

The kids were gathered ... on the couch ...

taking a few minutes to play on the iPad ...

before dinner was served ...

Jake and Maren had tucked the girls into bed ...

then came out on the deck to kick back and relax ...

Jake fooling around with the boys ...

not quite sure why he was tossing Craig around ...

(perhaps needing to do a few arm curls) ...

It looked like they were having fun anyways ...

It was getting late ...

Maren figured she should get a good night's sleep ...

as they were heading out early in the morning ...

on to their next adventure ... camping in the parks ...

The guys were still visiting ... all the kids had gone to bed ...

I heard the guys mention that they needed a snack ...

so I figured the one sure way that they would eat and then go to sleep ...

was to make the traditional "Grillers" ...

Jake had mentioned not to let Maren know ...

that I had made "Grillers" ...

This would not make her very happy ...

as she loves them as much as the guys do ...

We had so much fun this weekend ... !!!!

The next morning ... at breakfast ...

Jake couldn't keep it from Maren ... he had to tell her ...

(it was a mean thing to do) ...

I wish I could have gotten a picture ...

with the look of disappointment on her face ...

I'm so sorry Maren ...

I promise to make "Grillers" ...

when you come to our house in a couple weeks for a few days ...

after Jake returns home to go to work ...

 

A Few Busy Days ...

July 19, 2016

Finally after a few busy days ... and arriving back home from visiting Ian ...

it was time to venture into the garden ...

Delighted to see the fresh produce ... ready to be gathered ...

 

July 20, 2016

We decided to get up early this morning ...

to spend a day on the lake ...

Enjoying a lovely day and catching our limit of Kokanees once again ...

This batch was packaged up and vacuumed sealed ...

to be put into the freezer ...

with a few left out for our dinner tomorrow ...

July 21, 2016

Up early to head to the garden again ...

wanting a few vegetables to make a batch of leek ... beet ... garlic soup ...

Raspberries were abundant and ready to be processed ...

Today making a batch of raspberry jam ...

It's my favourite ... !!!

Jam was cooked up and poured into jars ...

waiting for it to set ...

I always save a sample in a little dish to have a taste ...

MMMMMMM

Cooking up the Kokanee ...

on the BBQ ...

for our dinner ... with a fresh garden salad ...

and corn on the cob ...

It felt great to have the time to get a few things done ...

these past few days ...

 

Visiting with Ian ...

July 16, 2016

We traveled to Alberta ...

taking the grandchildren home ...

then continued on our way to meet up with Ian in Leduc ... for the weekend ...

We were so excited to see him ... it had been a long time since we last saw him ...
He had travelled back to Canada for a couple weeks ...
to do some work in the Oilfield ...

We had a great time ... catching up and visiting ...
On Sunday we spent the day with Lorraine and Barry ... (Kendall's parents) ...
We also went out for dinner to the famous Sawmill Restaurant ...
enjoying a delicious meal ... their speciality of Prime Rib ... !!!

We were so happy to have spent this time with Ian ...
and hoping to see the whole family soon ...
Perhaps they'll be coming home for Christmas ... !!!

 

A Day at Home ...

July 15, 2016

Today was a day to take it easy ...

just hanging around the house ... riding quads ...

and maybe getting some twigs for the fire pit ... using Opa's homemade trailer ...

Lunch time ... waiting for the coals to be ready for roasting hot dogs ...

Craig was playing with his RC car ... driving it up and down the slide ...

Enjoying our lunch ... sitting around the fire pit ...

roasting a few marshmallows for dessert ...

After lunch ... it was time to cut the lawn ...

Craig wanted to learn how to work the lawn tractor ...

so after a few rounds of teaching him how it works ...

he was on his way by himself ...

Craig did an awesome job of cutting the lawn ...

his was so eager to help out ...

From now on when Craig comes for a visit ... this will be one of his jobs ...

After a busy day of playing and doing odd jobs ...

it was time to sit back and relax ...

in the hot tub ...

Mike and I had brought back a few souvenirs from Austria ...

and this was our first chance to give it to them ... before they headed back home ...

A small beer stein for the boys and a glass globe for Ella ...

plus some chocolate and honey candy from the Bee Store ...

They loved it all ... !!!

 

 

Fun On The Water ...

July 14, 2016

It was a beautiful ... calm day to go fishing this morning ...

the kids were so excited ...

as soon as the fishing lines were put in the water ...

it wasn't long before James had caught the first fish ...

and then Ella ... then Craig ...

these fish were hungry for their breakfast ...

Each of the kids used the bonker and place their fish into the water bin ...

to be cleaned later ...

We decided to go to shore ... and stop the boat ... in order to clean the fish ...

it gave the kids time to play in the water as well ...

Each of them taking their turn in cleaning the fish ...

they are becoming well trained fisher people ... !!!

Fish all taken care of and put on ice ...

we decided to have our lunch heading back to the boat launch ...

to pick up the tube ...

Grandpa went up to the truck to bring down the tube ...

attaching it to the boat ...

the kids couldn't wait to jump aboard and go for a ride ...

Oh my goodness ... !!!

Grandpa gave it gas and away they went ...

laughing and yelping ... thumbs up to give it more gas ...

Grandpa goosed it and swerved over the wake ...

and turning in circles ...

and at one point loosing all three kids ...

Good thing I was the spotter ... letting Grandpa know how they were doing ...

They loved every minute of it ... !!!

Grandpa needed a break ...

so the kids just floated behind the boat ...

waiting until they could fly around the lake again ...

 

We ended up going to the island to have a break ...

the beach there is sandy which gave the kids a chance to play and swim ...

Craig had dug himself a hole ...

and climbed into it ...

Ella helped bury him ... and soon there was only his head exposed ...

It gives me an uneasy feeling ... not sure I would be able to do that ...

It took Craig awhile to pull himself out ... and then he needed to go for a swim ...

to rinse off all the sand ...

We had some snacks and relaxed ...

then off on the water again for a last go around on the tube ...

before heading home ...

We had a delicious meal of fresh panfried Kokanees ...

fresh garden salad and roasted potatoes ...

Everyone was exhausted after our thrilling fun day on the lake ... !!!

 

Pool Time ...

July 13, 2016

It was a warm day ... perfect for spending time in the pool ...

I had picked up handles for the noodles at the Dollar store ...

the kids had a noodle sword fight ...

having a fun time ...

The grandchildren were amazed at the Robin's nest on the support by the shop ...

hoping to see the eggs hatched within in the next few days ...

Grandpa had dragged out the family Christmas gift ...

hoping to take the tube to the lake the next day ...

First grandpa needed to check out the rope ...

to make sure it would fit on the boat ...

Next it was time to unpack the tube ...

and fill it with air ...

The kids decided that it would be a good idea to put it into the pool ...

and try it out ...

So they all helped packing it over to the pool ...

They had a blast playing on it ...

trying to climb onto it was a challenge ...

and then trying to stay on it was another issue ...

I actually think they made it more complicated than it actually was ...

They sure had a lot of fun ... and were excited to take it to the lake ...

on our fishing and play day ...