Waiting For Oma ...

September 4, 2016

Mike ... Nathan and the kids were needing a break ...

It was time to jump in the pool and play ...

Ella wanted to show everyone how she could swim with her Mermaid Tail ...

After a while of swimming ...

they all jump into the hut tub to relax ...

and waiting for Oma & Joe to arrive for dinner ... 

Finally Oma and Joe made it ... Oma's request for dinner was BBQ'd steak ...

and all the fixings ...

I can tell you that no one else minded either ...

 

Another surprise for Ella ... 

Oma & Joe brought a DQ ice cream cake for her Birthday ...

Ella was also thrilled to receive some cash in her card ...

She's one lucky little girl ...

 

After spending time with Oma & Joe ... before they left for home ...

The kids wanted to have a fire in the fire pit ...

and roast some marshmallows ...

I couldn't believe that they still had any room in their tummies for more food ...!!!

  September 5, 2016

Craig had found Nathan's old battery operated toy truck with many wheels...

this crawler truck would go up and down stairs ...

and as you can see ...

it even drove over Ella ...

Nathan was enjoying having a turn playing with it ...

While Nathan and the kids were getting ready to head back home ... after a busy fun weekend ...

I was out on the back deck ...

gathering all the swimming gear ... when I approached the Mermaid Tail ...

a beautiful dragonfly was resting on it ...

Of course ... it was a perfect photo opportunity for me ... 

the kids eventually came to see the dragonfly ...

We had a great ... busy weekend ... !!!

Mike and I were so ready to sit back and relax now ...

 

 

 

Our Little Mermaid ...

September 3, 2016

It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day ... perfect for our little Mermaid to go for a swim ...

Ella couldn't wait to try out her Mermaid Tail ... in the pool ...

James and Grandpa went into the pool as well ...

and then the race was on ...

between the two ...

who could swim across the pool the fastest ...

I can tell you that the Mermaid Tail really did make a difference ...

on getting to the other side quickly ...

It wasn't long before all the boys were out in the shop ...

working on the VW restoration ...

Mason was thrilled to be in the shop working with the guys ...

They also spent time playing outside and riding the little quads ...

After working in the shop ... and playing ...

James and daddy needed a soak in the hot tub ...

before dinner ...

Nathan stretched out on the floor ...

one by one ... the kids started falling in line ...

It was quite comical ... James figured that daddy was a little softer to stretch out on ...

I can tell you ... this peacefulness didn't last long ...

it was still too early in the evening to crash ...

just too much to do outside ...

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 ...

 

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 ...

 

Garden Time ...

July 9, 2016

The morning was spent in the garden ...

gathering the broccoli ... peas... cauliflower ... Kohlrabi ...

a few potatoes and carrots ...

The kids taking time out for some lunch ...

then back into the pool ... swimming around with their snorkels ...

Ella helped out with hanging up the towels ...

while I was busy in the kitchen ...

There were afternoon showers ... with a beautiful rainbow over the field ...

we headed back down to the garden ...

to pick fresh raspberries ... lettuce and peas ...

perfect for our evening meal ...

The vegetables were prepared and vacuumed sealed ... ready for the freezer ...

then it was time to get dinner prepared ...

the kids were starving ...

Craig finally made it back to the house ...

from his canoeing trip ...

and James and Ella went up to Marysville for the night ...

Craig was determined to check out the box ...

that had been stored in the white shed out back ...

These little toys had been tucked away for years ...

Craig spent a few hours going thru them all ...

tossing out the broken ones ...

then hauling the good ones downstairs to be washed and disinfected ...

He was amazed at what their dad and Uncle Ian collected ...

most of them were from the Happy Meals from McDonald's ...

 

It was nice to spend the evening with Craig ...

 

 

Summer Holidays Begin ...

July 3, 2016

James and Ella were so excited to go swimming ...

they had the pool all to themselves ...

as Craig was with his other grandparents on a canoe trip ...

James loves the hot tub ... taking a few minutes to relax ...

It looks like Ella's goggles were a little tight ... :)

Mitchell and Carter are friends of James and Ella's

they were visiting their Grandma & Grandpa who live in the area ...

with their mom April ...

The kids all go to the same school and Mitchell plays hockey with James ...

They had so much fun ... in and out of the pool and hot tub ...

they only stopped when it was time to have a snack ...

James and Ella continued to play in the pool ...

James finally was able to lay down on the noodles without falling into the water ...

Ella was busy taking some pictures ...

Ummmm ....

I think there was more whipped cream than strawberries ...

I know there were lots of berries cut into the bowl ...

before the whipped cream ...

I have to chuckle with these two ...

they love getting out Grandpas bib ... (it was a Christmas gift years ago) ...

and also our boys bibs from when they were small ...

the only ones I had left were Santa Claus and a Snowman ...

They usually put them on when it is going to be messy meal ...

I just luv it ... !!!

It was a great day playing and visiting with friends ...

 

Houston Camping Trip ...

May 22, 2016

Ian & Kendall decided to have a little holiday ...

taking the boys on a camping trip ...

and a chance to ride their new dirt bikes ...

Ian riding on the back of the dirt bike ...

teaching Daigen how to ride his new bike ...

Eventually Ian was able to just go for a ride ...

as Daigen drove him around the sandy area himself ...

Kendall was on the quad and giving Nixon rides ... following Ian & Daigen ...

It was time for a break ...

a what better place to be than up in the tree having a snack ...

After their break ...

it was time for the gang to go out riding again ...

They're looking pretty cool in their outfits ...

Daigen was totally exhausted from riding all day ...

and it looks like Nixon still had some energy to burn ...

Love that they were having so much fun ...

It was time to cool off in the man-made lake ...

while daddy was enjoying a cool beverage and watching his boys in the water ...

Ian spending some time with "Meatball" ...

and Nixon taking his turn taking "Brutus for a walk ...

They had a great holiday ...

and also celebrated Kendall's birthday ...