My Little Cadet

Here's my little cadet. I can't believe he is old enough to be going to cadets at church. He is so snapping cute in his little shirt and kerchief. He earned the kerchief by being able to recite his landmarks (don't ask me... ;) I especially love the part about promising to obey his parents. Can I get that in writing for him in ten years?

Sonnor

Sara and Connor were busy after school... creating! Sara came up with an idea for making her own boardgame on some paper. They made Ya! cards. These were the challenges that had to be completed. There were music and dancing challenges, mad libs, carnival cards to buy things with (kisses and hugs), and acting challenges. They made a BIN which was a grab bin that contained many little mini prizes. After supper, we had to play it all together. It was quite a fun game!

Trying it out for the first time...

A "Mad Lib" Ya! card...


The inventive creators...

The board...

Thanks, Sara and Connor for entertaining us again this evening! Maybe we should contact Hasbro and see if they're looking for a new game for their line-up!

PS: They named it "Sonnor". Can you figure out why?

For the Beauty of the Earth...

Don't you love fall??

Don't you love fall even more when the kids are old enough to help with the job of leaves??

Ahhh... this is what we've been waiting for!!

November 2

November 2 will always be a special day for our family. 43 years ago Annette Grace was joyfully welcomed by her parents after a long wait. Each year thereafter, the second of November was met with great celebration and joy. While this family only got to celebrate 41 of these milestones with her here on this earth, we will continue to mark this special day. Our celebrations will be much more quiet, if not silent. But we will celebrate with joy. Joy for the years we had. Joy for the person she was. Joy because she helped make the people we are today. Joy because she now celebrates her new life eternally. Joy because we have the hope of being together again. Our joy may be shadowed with a longing and missing, and yes, even sadness. But we will have joy.

Mom ~ In Loving Memory ~ October 31, 2006

The message is the same as last year, and missing her is the same, too.

A MOTHER'S LOVE

A Mother's love is something that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining, it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret like the mysteries of creation . . .
A many splendoured miracle we cannot understand
And another wondrous evidenceof God's tender guiding hand.
~Helen Steiner Rice~

Three years ago we said our "good-bye for now's.

Missing Mom today, as every day.

Fantastic Day at Fantasy Island!

Where have we been for the last month and a half, you ask?

Well, we've been a little, ummmm, tied up...

...doing all kinds of fun summer stuff. We've had a great summer together at the cottage, playing soccer, resting and relaxing.

Now, it's back to reality. However, today we took another day to play!

We've been very busy this summer! But we'd promised the kids that if they wanted to use their birthday money for some day trips, we could go places they'd like to go. (We're trying to teach them that we're not the bottomless pit of denaro that they like to think we are. Ha!) So, today was the first chance we had to get to a theme park. We'd never been to this particular park and we had so much fun! There was no one there, which made it that much more fun (don't take that the wrong way, that almost sounds anti-social! What I meant was no crowds, no lines etc.) We could ride the rides over and over and over again. And we did. Sara and I did the roller coaster 5 times in a row without getting off. Whew!

It was great to steal another day with our family "while the gettin' is good". What a gorgeous day of weather we were blessed with today!

We did a round of mini-golf (Connor's favourite...)

Another of Connor's favourite... driving the antique cars! Maybe when Opa gets his '32 Chrysler finished, Connor can take it out for a spin!

I made Sara pose with me as I am in NO pictures for the last, oh, 7 years.

Sara and Connor on the slide...


Racing down together:


Bumper Cars!

Hey, Guess what????

What??

Really, what??

It's raining!

No, I'm not kidding.

Rain.

Here.

Now.

Again.

I think we might start building an ark.

The kids decided that if you can't have sun to play in, rain isn't so bad either.

Huh. (anyone watch Canadian TV?)


Oh, and here is what happens when they find some washable markers to entertain themselves in the rain.
Except that is stopped raining. Har-dee-har-har.
Now they're waiting for Daddy to get home to turn on the sprinkler.
Ah, youth.