Visits

There is nothing more exciting in our house than visits from family and friends.  Here are some recent visitors.

First time in the high chair!  (It only lasted a few minutes, but she liked being able to see the action.)

This was a special visit from a special friend.  Glad you were able to meet Addy!

We look forward to many more visits and sleepovers.  Before we know it, these kiddies will be so busy, they will have to squeeze visits to Grandma and Grandpa's into their schedules.  We are enjoying the moment.

Tears

I am not sure if I should or will publish this entry.  The emotions are so raw that it might not be fair to readers, especially those readers who are casual  acquaintances, to have to read it.  So...you are forewarned.  Stop now if you check this blog just for pictures of the kids.

This has been a strange, hard, sad weekend for two reasons.  The first reason is the funeral I attended on Friday.  The 21 year old young woman was a student at the last school in which I worked, and I was saddened to read of her sudden passing.  I joined other present and former staff members at the prayers, and with them tried to find the words to comfort her parents, grandparents, and younger sister.  The words were few, but the emotions were huge.  With others, I couldn't help but put myself in the place of this young woman's parents.  How do you bury a child?  I know others who have done it, and I guess I would be able to do it too if I had to, but I can't get my head around the overwhelming emotions that would be part of that process.  It is so unnatural, the order is completely wrong, and a life is over far too soon.

Then today, my good friend lost her oldest daughter, and as yet no one knows how it happened.  She was in hospital, awaiting surgery tomorrow, and suddenly and peacefully passed away.  We are all in shock.  This young woman was a wife and mother of two beautiful little girls.  Her husband knows how much he will miss her, but the children have a lifetime in which to learn just what they have lost. How do they go on with life, when there is such  a huge missing piece? How do my friend and her husband, and this young woman's sisters and brother, cope with losing her so suddenly?  How do they go on day after day, knowing that for their first born, life is over?

I struggle with the notion that things happen for a reason.  If there is a reason for either one of these young women to leave this earth, I can't see it. I can only pray that I never have to go through what these two families are experiencing tonight.

Welcome Little One!

According to my family, one is not an official member of the family until one's name is on "the quilt".  So, welcome little one, you are now official!

Farewell to August 2012

What better way to say good bye to August of 2012 (when the temperature is 29 degrees celsius) than by spending the day at Grand Beach.  After too long an absence, we went back to the best beach in the world (well, at least in Manitoba) and spent a glorious day just "beaching".  We stopped at "The Chair" to pay homage to the wavers first, then sat, waded, slept (at least I did), snacked, walked, and just enjoyed.  I think that will be the last time my toes are in the sand until Ka'anapali in Maui.  Try not to feel too sorry for me!

Thomas and friends

We asked to have our younger grandson for the day, and visited a train museum and various other places where the two rivers meet.  For someone who dotes on Thomas the Train, the museum was an exciting place!  The other highlight was throwing rocks in the river and french fries and ice cream for lunch.  Lots of fun for all of us.

Another great visit

It is interesting for us to travel east, as every time we go we see huge growth in the two granddaughters who live there.  The first surprise was that one of them now wears glasses! They are purple (of course) and quite gorgeous.
The girls are now old enough to enjoy camping, so we decided to try camping closer to nature than we have in past years (i.e. at a Provincial Park rather than a KOA).  Our daughter- in -law recommended what turned out to be the perfect spot - relatively close to home, spacious clean private camping spots, no bugs, and best of all, with a lake large enough to provide just the right sized waves for all of us to enjoy.  So...that is what we did.  We jumped in the waves until our legs were tired, played in the sand until we started to get a bit sunburned, then went back to the campsite for backwards supper (we wore our clothes backwards and ate dessert first), campfires, and a great night's sleep.  Of course, we also found time to attend a soccer game, eat out more than once, help celebrate a 5th birthday, visit with the extended family, shop a bit, play lots of games at home, jump on the trampoline, and explore the various playgrounds in the area.  All in all it was a terrific week, and we are so happy to have been there.  These memories will have to hold us until New Year's week, when we will see this family again.

Car is packed, groceries have been bought, and we are ready to go! Below you see the first of many craft projects, and the beginning of the backwards supper (note the hat and shirts on backwards), yogurt and fruit.  This was followed by s'mores, then later in the evening, hot dogs.

Lake days...glorious!

What a great way to spend an anniversary!  The next few photos are of the new "cottage" - which is now clean and ready for the big move on the weekend.

My apologies to out of province viewers.  Next time I will take some photos of the outside as well.  Suffice it to say, it is two storey, almost all covered by rolled logs, triple-peaked, and has an enclosed storage area underneath.  It is a perfect place for the new residents.