BIRTHDAY BOY

Some of the many faces of our son Greg. This is a man who does everything in life to the best of his ability, whether it's family time, work, or sports. He is a husband, father, son, brother, businessman, coach, neighbor, friend, and really funny guy. He's other things too, like silly, contemplative, sarcastic, tender & full of surprises (when he's not predictable). He has been a joy in our lives for 32 years. He is also Rick's boss (but only at work) :) Greg was our first shot at parenting & I'm happy to say that I think we got it pretty right. Or are we just lucky? Either way, by God's grace, we are SO proud of the man Greg is today. We love you! Happy birthday!!

Guess where we went today?

I'm off work this week! I have five weeks vacation that I like to space out through the year & wow, did I ever luck out with the weather this week. I've gotten a fair bit of work done around home, so today, we play! We had decided earlier in the week that Birchwood Dairies would be a destination one day this week & today seemed as good as any.

In the barn. Is it just me, or do the kids look a little apprehensive? Noah's on the lookout for anything trying to sneak up on him...

...& it might have paid off, because just before this picture was taken, this little calf licked Sabrina's arm while she wasn't looking. Does she looked impressed? Olivia's trying to make her feel more comfortable, but it looks like the shock's still there.

Malcolm was intimidated by all the big animals & didn't want to leave his mommy's arms. Of course, he rarely wants to be far away from her anytime!

Everybody had some yummy ice cream, except Isaiah. He had to settle for milk. Oh well, sort of the same food group.

It was a beautiful day & the kids had lots of fun in the playground area. Malcolm was intrigued by the little goat.

The kids all got a chance to test drive the tractors...

...a little group shot in a great old buggy; & then home for...

a McDonalds picnic in the front yard. (The french fries kept most of them awake on the drive back to Mission)

Whistler Weekend Getaway

Me & some of my co-workers spent this past weekend in Whistler. It's so great to spend time together away from the work environment. We had semi-decent weather & LOTS of great food & beverages; walked; played games; watched DVD's; visited; hot-tubbed & steamed; laughed; sang (tv theme songs being the favorite choice); slept ( a little). It was a pretty diverse group, but we had a really good time!

My sister/co-worker...those were YUMMY strawberries!!!! The eyes don't lie :)

Because of Rick's brachytherapy, he's not allowed to have the grandkids sit on his lap for two months, but, as you can see, he's found ways to improvise. Here he's feeding Malcolm his dessert. The grandkids are quite adaptable & the good news is that the two months are now down to three weeks!!

Family entertainment. Everyone looks a little worried (especially the horse)

Isaiah's too little to ride horses, but he loves to watch. He is such a smiler......

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Our beautiful baby grandson continues to thrive & is such a delight.

GAZEBO!

We love being out in our backyard - working, playing, eating, visiting, sleeping in the sun (not necessarily in that order). Now, we can do some of those things more often & more comfortably, because this morning Rick finished putting together our new gazebo. He & Cindi started yesterday, but it turned into a two day effort due to other commitments. The rest of us came home from church this morning (or rather early afternoon) & were thrilled to see it completed. Naturally, we had to have lunch outside to try it out. It is grand!
Now, he's out there putting together a new glider. Just TRY to get us inside this summer :)

Oh my goodness....

...we're gonna need some extra guardian angels this summer

This boy NEEDS to be ON TOP of everything!!

Just wanted to show some of the beautiful flowers in our garden - I'm partial to the Olivia & Sabrina varieties :)

"In my Easter Bonnet..."

This morning was such a beautiful sunny one, that Olivia & Sabrina sent the easter bunny an e-mail requesting that he come by and hide eggs for a hunt. We then waited & checked periodically to see if he would show up, but there was no sign of him. We had sort of given up hope & started making lunch for the family who was all coming over. Then, while the girls & I were busy getting the fixings together for gourmet hot dogs, the men got home & asked if the bunny had been by. We checked outside once more, and to our delight, there were eggs EVERYWHERE!!! We had our lunch & then out we went to fill our baskets (well, the kids had baskets) Apparently, the easter bunny is fairly tall, because some of those eggs were pretty high up! WHAT FUN!!

Malcolm found some eggs too,

but he was much more interested in playing ball with Daisy!

Of course, no Easter party is complete without Paska!!

Back to Spring...

...as it should be!
That snowfall from Monday has disappeared & the flower beds that I spent two afternoons last week cleaning are looking more like April again. And yes, that is rhubarb! I think I might have enough to make a Danish this weekend. Anyone interested in coming by for a piece?

Easter Parade

Every year at this time, my place of work - Tabor Home - has a kid's "fashion show" for the residents. They LOVE seeing little kids anytime, so this is a highlight for alot of them. This year I convinced my girls that their kids could put off their naps for a couple of hours so I would have a chance to show them all off. Well, of course, they were the most beautiful children there. Olivia & Sabrina modelled their matching Easter dresses & all three boys...

fueled the Canuck fever that is sweeping the country!! That's right Ontario folks, I said the country!!!

Olivia did a quick change (as all models are used to doing) & was resplendent in her flowergirl dress from her cousins' wedding last summer. She DOES look like a princess in that dress!
They all had a great time, especially Isaiah who slept through the entire event, & got to take home treats of their choice as well as balloon animals. Thanks for being great sports, kids. You make Grandma proud!

happy birthday to me...

I could NOT believe my eyes this morning! I cannot recall ever having snow falling on my birthday before today. So, as I sit & wait for my ride to work i will share a picture of my best birthday present ever. Now I've had some pretty amazing gifts over the years, This year is no different - a spa pedicure @ the Wild Orange; a very cool lamp/wrought iron stand combo AND tickets to the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill concert in June. But the best gift EVER was.......
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that's right - my daughter Cindi was born on my birthday & we have shared this day for 30 years now. Happy Birthday, Cindi! I love you. You are a great daughter & an amazing mom to your three treasures.

DONE!

These green socks were probably the most fun thing about yesterday...the rest, not so much! However, the procedure is done & according to reports, went well. We were able to get home in time for the Canucks game, which was very important to one of us. I am happy to report that Rick is semi-comfortable today. We are relieved that it is over & the healing has begun. Thanks for all your prayers & blessings...you are appreciated!