We took a little drive up to West Minster Abbey, a nice place for meandering & chatting, checking out the view.
Happy 60th Dad & Mom - thanks for the great weekend together!

DOUGLAS STEWART

There you are! :)

Victoria

Last weekend, we & the Reids went to Victoria to reconnect with old friends, Doug & Carol Stewart. I used to work with Carol before we started our families - then we had our firstborn within three weeks of each other. They have been living in Victoria for about 25 years, having grown up there. We so enjoyed being together again - there really is something special about old friendships. Here we are waiting for the ferry. We were priviledged to see whales, both on the way there & back home again!

Saturday morning, after the YUMMIEST cinnamon buns ever, we headed off to Beacon Hill Park. It's beautiful & fun with georgeous flower gardens & a petting zoo for the kids.

Saturday afternoon we walked the breakwater...quite possibly the scariest thing I've done in a while. I'm not sure why I was so afraid, possibly my fear of drowning combined with a fear of heights. Regardless, Nicole & Carol held my hands & off we went - no turning back. On the return trip, I pushed Malcolm in the stroller, & I must say, we made it in record time. :)

Sunday we went to Island View to explore the beach, collect shells, leave our mark in the sand & let Rick get back to his roots. It was a cool morning, but still lots of fun. Thanks for a great weekend, Doug & Carol. We'll be back for sure!!

Rollkuchen

So yesterday I had a craving for rollkuchen & watermelon - could have been the warm sunshine or could have been Lovella's blog. Either way, I only got as far as mixing the dough and putting it in the fridge. But this afternoon, my beautiful assistant Cindi & I rolled 'em out & fried 'em up. Just to make sure we got some protein, we included chicken wings and Voila, we had a yummy supper.

Notice how the puffy pillows house the watermelon? Now that's functional food!

For dessert, we just got out the syrup bottle. NOW summer's officially here. :)

WE ARE CANADIAN!

Our family took advantage of the beautiful, sunny morning (finally) and went to Abbotsford to watch the Canada Day Parade, eh? We had a great time, all except Isaiah who had alot of pouts during and after all the emergency vehicles going by sounding their sirens. But he persevered & we enjoyed the entertainment & treats which were plentiful.

I guess summer is now officially here, since school's out & so is the sun. The abundant rain over the past month has everything very green & lush - now, bring on the heat!!

For those interested, both Isaiah & Rick are doing very well. We are grateful for God's blessing & mercy & for the prayers of family & friends.

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Birthday Dobby!

This is posted a day late, but Dobby says birthdays last at least a week in our family, so it's okay. We celebrated yesterday - Cindi made him his "fantasy cake when he was 10 years old". He's still a Saskatchewan boy at heart, but we don't hold that against him. Love you, Dob!

Enjoying the yummy birthday cake - messy is okay.

My Three (Grand)sons

I have three most adorable grandsons - a whole different breed than my two granddaughters. These two matching brothers are such a delight. Can you see the glint in Noah's eyes - he has a definite mischievious streak - LOTS of fun. Isaiah is too little to create mischief yet, but he has the greatest laugh. He laughs just looking at me. Hey, maybe he isn't too little after all :)

You can see Becky, our wondeful daughter-in-love, in this picture too. I realized that due to all the family events happening around the time of her birthday in February, I didn't acknowledge her special day in this blog. I know you already know this, Beck, but you are a delight to have in our family & we love you TONS! (You're also a great mom to those little treasures)

Malcolm is rarely still; a bundle of energy & a little tease. I love his little arms lifted up to me & his spontaneous kisses are so sweet.

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......

...

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 :)