Party On ...

June 4, 2017

The gangs all here ... even Mike made it back from Mossleigh ...

Nathan was busy grilling up the burgers and smokies ...

and finally taking time to get his dinner ...

After dinner ... Alana and the kids went inside to tend to the cake ...

James and Ella were busy putting on the candles ... 

placing them far apart ...!!!

James lit all the candles then Alana carried down the stairs ...

as everyone sang “Happy Birthday” 

Nathan had to take a deep breath to blow out all those candles .. hahaha !!!

Nathan loved the “Oilers hockey colours” 

All the kids were by his side ... waiting patiently for a piece of birthday cake ...

Nathan continued to open his gifts ...

Later on ... it was time to sit back and relax ...

sitting around the campfire and toasting marshmallows ...

Craig and James dug up a Time Capsule ...

they buried it in the yard ... 

They were eager to open it up to see what was inside ...

It was funny because they had totally forgotten what they had buried ...

and commented that they had been looking for a couple of the items ...

 

It was a wonderful weekend ...

Mike and I headed home after the party ...

 

Happy Birthday Nathan

June 4, 2017

Today is Nathan’s birthday ... a beautiful day for a party ...

Mike was at his shooting tournament ... 

and I was spending the weekend with kids ...

The kids were excited when they heard the chimes of the Ice Cream truck ...

They quickly ran outside to stop the truck so we could get some ice cream ...

After we finished our ice cream ... it was time for Nathan to open his gifts ...

Nathan was touched by the cards that the children created ...

Nathan then read Alana’s card ... he loved her card ... 

it was soooo beautiful ... it made me emotional ...

He then proceeded to open up Alana’s gift ... the children were waiting to see as well ...

Nathan was surprised to receive this gift ...

An amazing ultra modern new watch ... !!!

Nathan was overwhelmed and needed to take a few minutes to relax ... haha ...

The boys decided they would join him ... 

they sure love getting hugs from dad ...!!!

Okay ... enough relaxing ... 

it was time to get things set up for the party ...

It was a beautiful ... sunny warm day for a party ... The families started to arrive in the afternoon ... All the kids were excited when Alana brought out the balloons ... for the kids to have a water balloon fight ... 

They had a lot of fun ... with lots of screaming ...

and laughing ...!!!

 

Bachelorette Party Begins ...

June 3, 2017

After the branding dinner ... the ladies were getting ready to celebrate Alana’s friend ... (Paige) ...

Bachelorette party ... 

All the kids were so excited when the Limousine arrived ...

They were allowed to go inside and check it out inside ...

Of course ... the boys had to pop there heads out of the sunroof ...

The ladies were ready to party ... a night out in the city ...

 Oh boy ... could be trouble ...!!!

And ... they’re off ...!!!

The guys all gathered around and enjoyed the evening ...

while watching all the children ...

The kids had a great time ... playing games ... watching movies ...

just having fun ...

It was getting late and I was ready to go back to the house ...

The grandchildren were rounded up ... and we made our way home ...!!!

Tomorrow was going to be another busy day ...!!!

 

 

 

Tom’s 40th Birthday ...

June 2, 2017

We arrived at Alana’s brothers 40th birthday party ... 

oh my goodness ... everyone was dressed up in costumes ...

from the 60’s...!!!

Tom was dressed up as Elvis ... and he played the part well ...

Alana was looking pretty cool ...

Not quite sure who Nathan was ... but it was a hoot ... the kids wanted to try on daddy’s wig and beard ...

They were hilarious ...!!!

We had brought flowers for Alana ... congratulating her on graduating from college ...

Elvis was having a great time with the kids ...

Alana’s family posing for pictures ...

Oh oh ... looks like Elvis got into trouble ...

The families were having a blast ... posing for pictures ...

The kids and I stayed for dinner ... and the gift opening ... 

It took a few people to keep Elvis busy in the house ... so that the gift could be brought outside ...

and for Elizabeth (who was dressed up in a shark costume) to climb into the box ...

Colynne and Jessica-Lee managed to keep things well hidden ...

Tom wasn’t sure what was going on ... when he came outside ...

Elvis decided to play a few tunes before the shark jumped up out of the box ...

 

He was bombarded with silly string ... everyone was laughing and clapping ...

He was still unsure of what was happening ... until he was given an envelop with a letter inside ...

While reading the letter ... he all of a sudden stopped ... he was in shock ...

He was given a trip to be up close and personal with “SHARKS” ...

He was so surprised ...

 

It wasn’t long until we were all singing Happy Birthday and the “shark theme” cake was served ...

This party crowd was getting a little rowdy ...

The kids and I decided that it was time to head back to the house ...

and we would have our own party there ... playing games ...

watching movies and munching on popcorn ...!!!

 

 

 

Last Day in Mesa ...

March 9, 2017

Our last day in Mesa was going to be ...

a day of packing and relaxing ...

We attended the line dancing class ... and hanging out at the pool ...

in the afternoon ... then met the guys for happy hour ...

There was a band playing at centre court ...

Mike and I danced a few dances ... 

and when the band began to play a Polka ...

Mike asked Oma to dance ... they had a great time ...

All our friends joined in throughout the happy hour ...

We were having so much fun ... that the band played for an extra hour ...

We decided that we were going to have an easy dinner ...

Oma was springing for pizza ... 

All of us went to go pick up a few things at the grocery store ...

and of course ... the Pizza ... !!! 

 We returned to the trailer ... and enjoyed our delicious dinner ...

 

After dinner we walked over to Bob & Carols' trailer ...

to spend our last evening together with our family and friends ...

We had such a wonderful time ...

You never know we may all get together again next year ...!!!

 

 

 

 

 

   

Market in Mesa ...

March 5, 2017 

We decided to go and spend a few hours ...

at the Mesa Market ...

We arrived there in time to stand in line ...

for our $2 breakfast ...

It was a a hearty breakfast ... and it was nice to have a live band ...

playing and singing songs from The Beach Boys Band ...

The place was packed ... with people from all over the world ...

There was a lot of chatter ... laughing and even people ...

joining in singing with the band ...

We made our way back to the resort ... later in the afternoon...

Today we were planning a potluck BBQ ... with all our friends ...

Dave found a palm leaf on the street ...

and decided it would add to the decor of the patio ...

Oma was sitting there ... minding her own business ... 

when thought she needed a picture taken of ...

"The Queen for the Day"

It was funny because Dave thought he was out of the picture ...

just by leaning over ... but when I mentioned that he was ...

in the first picture ...

he figured he might as well ... peek thru the palm ... teasing Oma ...

I did manage to get Oma by herself ... 

 

The gang arrived for appetizers ...

the sociable beverage for today ... was a few batches of Ceasar's ...

We were having a great time ...

Dave started cooking up burgers and smokies ...

the table was set with all the fixings and salads ...

for all of us to help themselves ...

Our dinner was scrumptious ... 

how lucky we were to be in the warm ... sunny weather ...

partying with our family and friends ...

 

 

 

Vacation Begins ...

March 2 & 3, 2017 

Today was the day we were heading south to the sunshine ...

Leaving the Cranbrook airport for Calgary ...

then flying to our destination in Phoenix ...

to spend the week with Linda (Mike's sister) & Dave ...

along with some of our friends from Sarnia, Ontario ...

Linda and Dave picked us up from the airport ...

then drove to Towerpoint RV Resort in Mesa ... 

It was a long day and it felt good to sit back and relax ...

We then needed to get our sleeping arrangements done ... 

The trailer was a little tight ...

for 3 extra people sleeping in the front room ...

Oma and I would share the bed and Mike had an inflatable bed ...

Mike figured it would be too crowded ...

and too warm for him to sleep inside ...

He had scouted out the storage shed outside ...

and decided to make this ...

his accommodation for the duration of our holiday ...

He was quite comfortable in his room ... ha ha ...

He had shelving for all his items ... and all the tools ...

just in case he needed them ...

The next morning ... after a good nights rest ...

we decided to join our friends at the resort complex ...

for a couple hours of Line Dancing exercise ...

Oma joined in as well ... for a few of the dancing ...

 then sitting out when the moves became a little more difficult ...

After our workout ... we walked to Joan's residence...

for a lovely luncheon and cool fruity slushes ...

We had a great time ... 

_______________________

Oh yes ... Mike slept well also ... although he woke up on the floor ...

in a flattened air bed ...

Apparently the brand new mattress had a hole in it ... 

Mike and Dave went to exchange the damaged mattress ...

and got things back into the shed ...

The guys came and joined us at the complex ...

and we all had our loungers reserved by the poolside ... 

Enjoying our time visiting with everyone ...

 

After dinner ... the gang from Sarnia came over ...

for an evening of reminiscing about our schooldays ...

and telling stories ... oh my we laughed so hard at some of the memories ...

Of course after a few sociables ... Mike thought he better get his CPAP ... (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure)

set up for the night ...

A few of our friends were interested in how this device works ...

Sooooo ... naturally Mike would put on a demonstration ...

It was hilarious ... even though the gang was asking questions ...

they couldn't stop laughing ... as Mike was talking with the mask on 

...

Now our friends know how it works ...

We had a lovely evening with all our friends ...

and they loved having Oma there ...

 

 

 

 

 

   

Big Day for Nixon ...

 

This was Nixon's first visit to the dentist ... We're proud of him as well ...

Kendall attached this note with the picture ...

"Nixon had his first cleaning. 

Perfect teeth no cavities and did most of his cleaning without me in there room. 

Was so polite and acted like a big boy. No problems, so happy. Xo"

Nixon had his Birthday on January 10 ... 

but his celebration with his friends was held on January 21 ...

Looks like they had a great day for the party ... and lots of fun ...

Nixon and his dog Brutus ...

enjoying a walk along the shores in Galveston ...

 

Happy New Year ...

December 31, 2016

The last day of the year ... turned out to be a beautiful day to go for a hike ...

strapping on the snowshoes and ventured off into the field and the woods ...

The sun was shining ... and the snow glistened in its light ...

loved seeing all the animal tracks in the snow ...

and there was one large rabbit somewhere on this path ... hopping around ...

Thought it was amazing how much snow was on the roof ...

of the bluebird house ...

It was time to head back to the house ...

and start getting ready for our ...

New Year's Eve celebration ...

We spent the evening with our friends ... at the St. Eugene Mission Golf & Casino Resort ...

enjoying a wonderful buffet dinner ... then going to the casino ...

trying out our luck on the slot machines ... dancing to the music ...

and gathering with our friends ... with all our fancy hats ... party favours and champagne ... counting down the seconds as we rung in the New Year of 2017 ... !!!

We continued to play in the casino ...

throughout to the wee hours with a few of us were coming out winners ...

before heading to our rooms ...

This was a wonderful New Year's Eve event package ...

we were able to spend the last day of the year ...

and the first day of the year with our friends ...

Hope everyone had a very Happy New Year ... !!!

 

Happy Birthday Oma...

November 24, 2016

We went to pick up Oma and Joe at Joseph Creek Village ... to take them out for dinner ...

All Oma wanted for her birthday ...

was to go have a Prime Rib dinner at Frank's Steak & Schnitzel Haus ...

We were all surprised at the large plate set before her ...

wondering how in the world would she be able to eat all that ... !!!

All of us ended up asking for a take out box ... to take home our leftovers ...

The portions were so large ... that we will all have an extra meal ...

Oma was surprised to have received a piece of Birthday cake ...

and the staff coming over to sing Happy Birthday ...

We had a lovely time being together ...

 

 

 

All In One Day ...

October 29, 2016

It was an early morning for some of the hockey families ...

a few were a little under the weather ... after last night's Halloween party ...

We enjoyed watching James play hockey ... Oma ... Craig and Ella ...

watching from the enclosed warm area ...

Mike ... Nathan and I were out in the arena ... cheering the team on ...

After the hockey game ... we all travelled to Calgary ...

to meet Vern and Ellen for a late lunch ... early dinner ... at the Edelweiss Village ...

It is a complete European store ... with grocery items ... gifts ... deli ... bakery and restaurant ...

We had a lovely time visiting ... and eating the fabulous meals ...

Once we arrived back at the house ...

it was the to have a birthday celebration for James and Craig ...

We decided to celebrate this evening ... as James had an early morning ...

out of town hockey game ...

and our family would not be making the trip back to Alberta ...

James birthday #11 ... is on November 4 ...

and Craig's milestone birthday #13th is on November 24 ...

Both the boys blew out the candles ...

and soon the gift opening was happening ...

Craig received cash ... as he is saving money to buy a remote control truck ...

He was so happy and thankful ...

and James ... all he wanted was a new skateboard ...

 

James was so thrilled ... it was the exact one he wanted ...

he couldn't wait to try it out ...

a few rolls in the house and then we all had a piece of ice cream cake ...

Even though it was almost 10 o'clock ...

the kids went in the garage to compare the new one with the old one ...

they even had me stand on the boards to check it out ... holding on to me so I wouldn't fall ...

and then James went for a ride ...

down the driveway and onto the road ... with no jackets on ...

 

It was a little chilly for me being out there taking pictures ...

so I left the boys out there riding ...

 

October 30, 2016

 

Oma ... Craig and Ella ... were huddled together ...

watching a movie ...

while Mike and I packed things up to head back home ...

James had left early this morning for his hockey game ...

we had said our goodbyes the night before ...

It was a fun ... busy weekend ... again ...

!!!