Relaxing Day ...

Daigen & Friends
July 19, 2011

After lunch ...

Daigen had disappeared ...

we found him in the guest room ...

snuggled on the floor ...

with his blanket ...

and a few of our stuffed animals...

quiet time was needed ...

All rested up ...

it was play time ...

in the pool ...

Ian & Daigen playing ...

waiting for mom to come out for a swim ...

last day at grandmas...

Heading back home in the morning ...

July 20, 2011

Travelling with Daigen in the new Jeep ...

 back to AB ...

he was excited to have grandma sitting beside him ...

he pretty well held my hand ...

the entire way ...

reading books and watching DVD's

Let's Have Lunch ...

So Delicious ... !
July 19, 2011

Kendall made this delicious sandwich ...
rye bread, goat cheese, avocado, lettuce &  tomatoe ...
and for dessert ...
Huckleberry Pie made for last nights dinner ...

Meet Ian, Kendall & Daigens dog...

"Brutus "...

he is an Victorian Bulldog ...

5 yrs of age ...

and  93 lbs
He spent the time with us while the kids were travelling ...
and his sister ...
"Meatball" ...
(no photo of her)
is a British Bulldog ...
 2yrs ...
at 38 lbs
spent her time with Lorraine & Barry ...

Daddy giving Daigen a helping hand ...

picking up the toys ...

with my Reach Extender ...

that I got as a gag gift ...

Ian was quite surprised  ...
at how well this nifty gadget worked ...
took awhile to clean up the toys at the rate they were working ...
A job well done by both of them ... !

Morning Walk ...

On Betts Road
July 19, 2011

We were brave to go for a walk this morning ...

as long as we kept moving ... 

we could avoid being eaten alive by mosquitoes ...

I decided to head back with Daigen ...

Ian & Kendall wanted to go for a longer walk ...

I figured by the time I got to the top of the hill with the stroller ...

they would already be on their way up to meet me ...

(actually I wanted to give them some time by themselves)

Hand in hand they walk ... how sweet ... !

Made a detour to the neighbours that live by Edith Lake ...

we had heard that their son, Tag was home ...

Ian, Tag and friends shared a home in Vancouver many years ago ...
(it was a real bachelor pad)

Unfortunately Tag had left the day before ...

so we had a quick visit with Tom & Bonnie ...

Daigen loved the landscaping with a waterfall & pond ...

swarming mosquitoes and a storm brewing ...

we decided we had better head home ...

for lunch ... !

Our Last Night Together ...

What A Great Time We Had !
July 13, 2011

Dan & Teresa ...

one last hug before Jake takes Teresa home ...

Took pictures after dinner ...

before the twins went to bed ...

the two girls look so sleepy ...

and Arden was raring to go ...

The boys having just to much fun ... !

Bedtime stories being read ...

off to bed little ones ..

time for us adults to play some games ...

Dice ... Frustration ... and a new one ...

Apples 2 Apples ...

We had a lovely evening ...

hard to believe our time together ...

coming to an end in the morning ...

Roberts family off to Vancouver Island ...

for a couple of weeks ...

then Jake, Maren and the girls heading back up to Repulse Bay ...

and Dan going home to Wisconsin ...

Ian & Kendall travelling to the Slocan Valley ...

to visit her sister for a few days ...

What will I do with my time alone ... ?

Afternoon With Teresa ...

Thru The Screen Door
July 13, 2011

Teresa spent the afternoon with all of us ...

she was able to watch the kids playing ...

in the pool ...

thru the screen door ...

avoiding being eaten alive by mosquitoes ...

The kids loved being tossed into the air ...

and splashing into the pool ...

they were not to happy ...

when they would slip thru the guys hands ... 

(accidentally of course) 

down under the water ...

Ian fooling around ...

trying to sit on Ardens' Dinosaur float ...

it was definitely a challenge ...

success after a few wipe-outs ...

Bubbles ... bubbles ... and more bubbles ...

again Ian playing ... just a big kid himself ... 

brought out the bubble guns ...

the little ones had a blast ...

trying to catch them

Carys and Brynn ... enjoying the pool ...

so adorable ... ! 

Fun and Games ...

No Mosquitoes In Here ... Let's Play
July 13, 2011

Ian & Dan playing Frisbee in the house ...

this is Nathan's indoor Frisbee (flippy TM)

it was for the Heart & Stroke Foundation ...

in Grade 7

"Jump Rope for Heart"

campaign

Let's talk to grandma on Skype ...

there wasn't enough room on the table for everyone to talk to Cindy ...

so she was moved to the floor ...

where we could all chat with her ...

and grandma could see the twins crawling ...

the girls left and Daigen continued his conversation with Aunt Cindy ...

 the stuffed snowman toy popped in to say hello ...

Reading stories ... rolling around on the floor ... 

 adults playing a dice game in the kitchen ...

it sure didn't take the kids long to join in after hearing...

 the dice being rolled on the table ...

this is how we spend our time together ...

young and old ...

playing games ...

Uncle Dan Arrives ...

Are You Awake Yet ?
July 13, 2011

Good morning Uncle Dan ...
Daigen & Arden decided to play a duet ...
early in the morning ...
they were done with sleeping ...
and it was time everyone should be up ...
WHEN'S BREAKFAST ...?
I came down from upstairs and the first thing Arden greeted me with was ...
"Where's the waffles ? "
my intuition told me that she was put up to it ... !!

So ... the boys had to look after the children ...

while waffles were being made ...

Dan & Ian took the twins ...

played with them until their breakfast was ready ... 

then they headed into the living room to watch the kids dance to a show on TreeHouse ...

poor Jacob wanted to catch a few more zzzz...

but Arden wanted to have a fuse-ball game ...

Daigen was setting the balls on the table ...

"Game On"

Breakfast completed ...

children playing ...

enjoying my coffee with Brynn

What a thrill for Uncle Dan to finally meet his new nieces ...
they are 6 months old ...
 he had only seen pictures and visited with them on Skype ...
We were delighted to have the Roberts family staying with us ...

Off To The Airport ...

No Problems ... !
July 12, 2011

Jake & Maren were off to the airport ...

to pick up Dan arriving from Wisconsin ...

(a surprise for their sister, Teresa)

Leaving the girls with Ian, Kendall & myself ...

Well ... 

in our household the children know that wrestling or jumping on the couch is not allowed ...

Yea, right ... !

Kendall thought it was time for the two older ones ...

to settle down and watch "Thomas the Train"

so we could get the twins ready for bed ...

the sitting quietly on the couch didn't last long ...

both of them had their turn ...

Kendall trying to stop them ...

but, I think she was egging them on ...

While we were getting Daigen & Arden settled on the floor ...

Carys was beginning to fall asleep ...

so Kendall fed her her bottle ...

then tucked her into bed ...

We decided to feed Brynn before she fell asleep as well ...

I took Brynn downstairs ... but she was not ready to go to bed ...

Ian stepped in to help out ... in the rocking chair ...

cuddling with Brynn ...

now with Carys fast asleep Kendall took Daigen & Arden ...

into Arden's room to read a bedtime story ...

(after having a snack then brushing their teeth) ...

Ok, the older two down ... wait ...

only Arden came out of her room a couple times ... the old I have to go pee story ...

(with potty training ... you have to give them the benefit of the doubt ...)

We kept Brynn up awhile longer ...

it was time for her to go to bed ...

she fussed with Kendall and myself trying ...

as Jacob normally puts the girls to bed when they are given a bottle ...

Ian suggested that maybe he should give it a whirl ...

and lo and behold ...

he succeeded ... !!

Quiet time for the three of us ...

relaxing, watching a movie ..

waiting for Jacob, Dan and Maren to come home ...

after they enjoyed an evening in town with no kids ...

After Nap-Time ...

Let's Go Swimming Before The Storm
July 12, 2011

Daigen and Arden ...

wanted to go swimming ...

this ... was after Arden had a nap ...

and we returned from town ...

from the Water Park ...

Everyone out of the pool,  NOW ... !

We had quite the thunderstorm ... with buckets of hail falling ... torrential rain ...

and a wind storm bringing down branches ...

Jacob was smart ...

staying in with the twins ...

feeding them dinner ...

before heading into town ...

Mayook Mania ...

Music Fest in the Valley
July 16, 2011

2011 MAYOOK MANIA

Saturday, July 16th

music, carousing, swimming, dunk tanking, visiting, volley balll, etc

potluck 7pm'ish

pancake breakfast sunday morn

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Mayook Mania started 22 years ago ... with local musicians getting together ...

 family, friends and neighbours ...

joining in the festivities ...

The music fest falls on or around the full moon in July ...

a weekend of fun, food and music ... music ... music ...

playing into the wee hours of the morning ...

The worst year ever for mosquitoes ...
but everyone came prepared ...
bringing mesh tents ...
covering up  ...
and lots of bug spray ...

(smoke from the open fire helped to keep them away as well)

This was the first year that we experienced rain during the festivities ...

a beautiful rainbow appeared ...

the skies cleared up ...

a great night to party ...

Dancing under the full moon ...

this party was far from over ...

a few had wandered off to their campsites for the night ...

being lulled to sleep by the music ...

(or it could be from the consumption of sociable beverages )

Mike & I headed home around 1:00am ...

 we were not able to make it back for pancake breakfast ...

as Mike has to head back to Okotoks ...

Another fabulous Mayook Mania ... !

Water ... Water ... Everywhere ...

Oh What Fun ... !
Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Daigen & Arden having fun ...

splashing in the water ...