Heading East ...

June 2,2017

Mike and I headed to Alberta ... I was spending the weekend with the grandchildren ...

and Mike was heading to the town of Mossleigh ...

for a weekend Trap Shooting Tournament ...

Nathan and Alana were at work ... so I gathered up the gang ... 

and before we left the ... the kids received a little gift from my friend Dagmar ... a special clip for their iPad cords ...

We drove into Okotoks to take Craig to his Art Classes ...

then James ... Ella and I ... went to go shopping at Costco ...

The two of them were a big help ... part of the time ... until we were in the toy and outdoor sections ...

They could not resist sitting in the huge chair ... 

Two hours of shopping and playing ... it was time to pick up Craig ...

We ended up going to the park ... to wait for Nathan & Alana ...

as we were going to a birthday party ...

The kids had a blast ... almost making me sick ... with all the spinning ...!!!

We decided to go for a walk along the river ...

and of course stopping to pose ...

so grandma could take a few pictures ...

 

Grandchildren Arrived ...

April 17, 2017

The grandchildren were at their other grandparents home for Easter ...

I picked up the children at the highway ...

We stopped in at the neighbours ...

to see Grandpa ...

as he was working on a waterline trench with the tractor ...

The kids wanted to stay and watch ... so I headed home ...

It wasn't too long before I heard the tractor ... 

and of course the kids hooting and howlering with excitment ...

(Grandma wasn't to pleased ... with the transportation) ...

Everyone dame in the house to have dinner ...

but before that ...

they were given their pre-Easter gift ... (they had no idea what it was) ...

as daddy and Alana were going to arrive in a couple days ...

and they wanted to hunt Easter eggs with the kids ...

They were so excited opening up the bags ...

and delighted when they saw what it was ...

They couldn't wait to try them on ...

After dinner ... Ella spent a little time knitting ...

once she was finished ... she asked me how to finish it off ...

I sat down with her and showed her the technique ...

she then proceeded to finish the cover for a cover for an icepack ...

 

It wasn't long before the kids put on their coveralls ...

and began working ...

I luvvvvv it ... no more dirty clothes in the house ...

Grandpa made a spot in the shop ... for them to hang up their coveralls ...

Everyone was busy ... Ella washing parts in the parts washer ...

Craig working on his R/C car ... and James outside ...

building a track to drive the R/C cars on ...

 

It's Snowing ... Again ...

February 18, 2017

The snow was falling ... and after breakfast ... we all headed outside to play ...

Alana was amazed at how much snow we had in the yard ...

Nathan went to find the snowmobiles ... buried in the snow ... to dig them out ...

for the two of them to go for a ride ...

This was Alana's first time driving a sled ... she did great ...

driving around on the driveway her first few rounds ...

and then ventured off with Nathan ... following him on a few trails ...

Later they went together on one sled ... Nathan heading off thru the field into the crown land ...

touring the back roads but ... they were not able to go very far due to the amount of snow ...

They did stop to enjoy the quietness in the wilderness ...

 

After Alana and Nathan came back from their sledding adventure ...

they popped into the shop to check out the progress on the VW ...

It was getting late and everyone was getting hungry ...

together we made dinner ...

A delicious meal of leftover spatzle ... beans ... fresh salad ...

and fresh cooked breaded beef cutlets ...

 

After dinner ... and the kitchen cleaned up ...

we decided to go out and relax in the hot tub ... after a busy day playing in the snow ...

I had taken the picture of Nathan and Alana ...

and then the kids thought they should take a picture of mom ...

Well ... with standing next to him ... it still surprises me at how tall Nathan is ...

and how short I am ...

Everyone had a good chuckle when they saw the picture ...

It was a lovely evening ... with the deck lights on ... snow falling lightly upon us ...

as we visited ... chatting about our wonderful day together ...

 

 

Always Something Going On ...

September 4, 2016

Ella helped in the kitchen for our breakfast this morning ...

She put out an arrangement of fruit ...

while I was making waffles ...

After breakfast ... Ella went for a long quad ride with Grandpa ...

the boys were riding the little quads and then Craig decided ...

to get the little trailer of Opa's ...

but there was an issue with the tire ...that needed to be dealt with first ...

 

Nathan had a look at the tire ...

he discovered that the bearings were seized up ...

so ... Craig helped out to get it fixed ...

 

After Ella and Grandpas long quad ride ...

she made her way down to the field ... to say hello to Whiskey and Juno ...

Ella had also husked a bag of corn on the cob ...

and fed the corn husks to the horses ... 

 

 

Ella and James came to help me gather some vegetables ...

for our special dinner ...

James was surprised how big the squash plants were ... and was excited to find the large squash ...

hanging on the trellis ...

 

They also picked some yellow zucchini and lots of carrots ...

Mason came down to the garden later ...

he had been busy riding the little quad ...

 

Once again I had my kitchen helper ...

cleaning up the carrots and munching on a few ...

  

 

Action Packed Days ...

August 17, 2016

Maren decided to go into town to visit with her family ...

so Mike and I decided to go fishing for the day ...

It was another successful fishing day ...

and made a delicious dinner for all of us ...

The girls had a busy day in town ...

After dinner they had some quiet playtime with puzzles ...

They love the big floor puzzles ...

and brought them upstairs for all of us to work on ...

Arden ... Brynn and Carys were happy when they finished the barn puzzle ...

 

August 18, 2016

I ventured down to the garden early this morning ...

to pick strawberries ... raspberries and apples for breakfast ...

Ellie loved to visit with Juno ... she would make her way to the see him ...

any chance she had ...

Once breakfast was over ... we got our day organized ...

everyone ready to head outside ...

Mike made sure that the quads were filled with fuel ...

for our adventure with the girls ...

We decided to travel down to the lake and then make our way thru Oma's place ...

travelling on the bush roads ...

Stopping on the hillside ... then hiking up to the top of the rock ...

to Oma & Opa's favourite spot ...

The girls know Opa from pictures and our stories ...

Maren was pointing ... showing the girls where our house was ...

far across the lake ...

We hiked back down the hill ... hopped on the quads ...

and travelled to the end of the road ...

giving them a tour of the area ...

Maren had invited her cousin to come out here for a visit ...

so the little ones could enjoy the afternoon playing ...

but first it was lunch time ...

Mike fired up the fire pit ... no open fires were allowed at the time ...

the girls didn't mind at all ...

they loved grilling up their hot dogs ...

using our crooked sticks ...

Finally the cousins arrived ...

they had so much fun in the pool and the hot tub ...

It was crazy busy ... trying to keep an eye on everyone ...

Arden ... Brynn and Carys were thrilled to meet their new cousin ...

and be able to hold her ...

This was Maren's last night with us ...

she would be heading for home the next day ...

It was an early night for the girls to go to bed ... as it was going to be a long trip ...

Mike and I helped Maren pack up the Van ...

and once that was completed ...

we were able to sit back and relax ...

and enjoy our evening ...

We had a wonderful time with the Roberts' family ...

hoping that they will make their way back here next summer ...

but this time ... maybe Jake will be able to stay a little longer ...

It would be great if Nathan ... Ian and their families ...

could be here as well ...

 

Robert's Family Arrived ...

August 15, 2016

Jake and his family finally arrived ...

after a long day travelling from the west coast ...

The girls couldn't wait to get out of the van ... and go for a swim ...

and warm up in the hot tub ...

This was the perfect activity for the girls to get their wiggles out ...

before we went in for a spaghetti dinner ...

The girls then had some quiet playtime ... with the old toys from Nathan and Ian ...

before heading to bed for the night ...

Jake, Maren, Mike and I enjoyed a relaxing evening ...

catching up on what has been happening ...

in our lives ...

August 16, 2016

Morning came early for the girls ...

they were raring to go ... they really wanted to go for a swim in the pool ...

Maren felt it was better for them to wait until the day warmed up ...

So after breakfast ... a feast of waffles and fruit ...

the girls went out to play down at the play area ...

They soon ventured up to the shop ... to see Uncle Mike ...

He decided to give them a treat while watching their show on the TV ...

while Maren, Jake were unpacking the Van.

Jake eventually joined the party in the shop ...

The clock was ticking ... the girls were getting antsy ...

guess it was time to open up the pool ...

Going for a swim ... meant that mom & dad would have to jump in as well ...

they were having so much fun ...

going back and forth between the pool and hot tub ...

Ellie loved being in the hot tub ...

Arden ... Brynn ... and Carys loved playing in the pool ...

Jake was enjoying his time ... relaxing ...

He would be heading out later in the afternoon ...

to make his way home ... as he was scheduled to start his new position ...

Vive President at the school ...

Maren chose to stay a few more days with us ... instead of driving home right away ...

The girls were excited about the plan as well ...

We were saddened (well kind of) that Jake had to leave ...

sorry Jake ... !!!

We had a lovely lunch out on the deck ...

the girls taking time out from the pool ... to visit with Oma ...

After lunch the girls wanted to check out the little quads ...

Uncle Mike dragged them out ... so the girls could try riding them ...

They did their best ... but would rather go for a ride on our quads ...

and mini rides with me on the little quad ...

When Mike took Jake to the airport ...

Maren and I took all the girls for a ride ... down to the lake ...

It was a busy day ...

we then headed down to the garden ... to pick a few raspberries and vegetables ...

The girls were also excited to feed some produce to the horses ...

that had just arrived to graze the field for a few months ...

On our way back up to the house ...

Maren wanted to take a picture of the girls ... with the mountains in the background ...

It took a few shots ... the girls were being silly ... not sure if she even got a picture ...

without one of them acting up ...

It had been a busy day ...

after dinner ... the girls went for a swim again ...

then later came for quiet time ...

reading books ... before going to bed ... for a goodnight's rest ...

First Day at Preschool ...

August 17, 2016

This is Nixon's first day at the Redd Preschool ...

He spent time here for the summer program ...

Nixon loves all the animals and especially ...

riding the horses ...

It's hard to believe that we are already at this stage ...

in his life ... !!!

After a busy day ...

the boys had a great time at the play centre ...

I sure wouldn't want to mess ...

with that tough little guy Nixon ... !!!

 

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 ...