Easter Week - Visitors from the West

Easter week was a busy one around our household - mainly because Gramma and Grampa McGifford came to visit!  They came a bit after midnight on Monday night (Apr 3) and we dropped them off at the airport on Tuesday afternoon (Apr 10).  The kids had a shortened school week with Easter holidays so they didn't have school on Friday or on Monday.  This left lots of time to hang out and just have fun.

Navia loved being picked up at the bus by Gramma and then having the entire afternoon with her grandparents while Emma and Kaleb were still at school.  Emma and Kaleb had a harder time last night though, because they became used to (very quickly) having Gramma and Grampa at the house while I was teaching and being able to play with them while I was busy. The Tuesday that they left it was back to occupying themselves - not as much fun!

My back took a few steps backwards, healing-wise, as the week before they came Navia had jumped on it - forgetting that I still wasn't better - and that flared it up again.  I had a list of things that I had been planning on doing but couldn't because of my back.  Well - that list is soooo much shorter now!!!  The front and back gardens have been readied for the summer - new edging, cleaned up, the dogwood that I mistakenly purchased is gone (got too big - waaaay too big), and it even got a bit extended at the front.  And all of this without me picking up anything :)  Emma was also taught how to prune and did a great job - now she just needs to teach me how to!  The garage is completely cleaned out and a HUGE amount left on garbage day, although after the storage room got cleaned out after and it has left another pile in the garage waiting for the next garbage day!  The trampoline is up.  The basketball net is ready for some serious games of 'H-O-R-S-E".  Oh, and the basement has been all drawn up in blueprints, ready for Brade and I to figure out how we want to  renovate it this summer!

I think they're slacking off - just sitting around talking and talking!

Emma's friend came over to lend a hand too.

Emma and Gramma worked for a few days on a huge puzzle that they didn't have a picture for so it was a surprise as they would put pieces together and discover what the picture really was!  Navia and Kaleb couldn't be left out so they pulled out one of Navia's puzzles to show Gramma and Grampa that they could do one all by themselves - which they almost did.  Many other games were also pulled out to play - just the kids and grandparents.

There were bike rides, walks, scooter-ing and even watching some old movies (like 'National Velvet').  On Easter Sunday we went to church and then after lunch we did our traditional Easter Egg Hunt.  We filled up almost 150 plastic eggs full of yummy chocolates and then went to a local park and hid them all over the place.  We felt bad for the passing kids who would yell "Look!  I found an egg!!!" and then their parent tell them to leave it there because it wasn't theirs.  Oops. . .  but our kids LOVED it!  This was our last time doing it with Emma's friends as they are in grade 7 now and we're pretty sure that when they're in grade 8 this won't be so fun for them (or cool).

Don't you just LOVE the Easter Egg tree!!!

On Monday Braden had the day off so we headed to Hog's Back Falls to take some family pictures - although the kids would have rather concentrated on their tree-climbing ability and improving it!

Family bonding time - everyone pushing Emma off the wall together - awww!

Taking pictures can be challenging with these little goofs!

I just had to take a picture of the lengths Gramma goes to take pictures - I'm pretty sure it's her  'signature' move - lol!

After Daddy caused some tension (bugging Kaleb and making him think it was Emma) the kids decided to beat up Daddy and they felt much better afterwards!

It was a great visit and as we were walking back to the van from dropping Gramma and Grampa off at the airport the kids were walking a little slower and Emma looked up and said that she already missed them and wanted them to miss their flight so they could stay a bit longer - which of course the other chimed in that they agree and next time could they miss their flight.  Awww.  It was really nice to have my parents here and also to watch the kids with their grandparents.  Emma mentioned that when she gets older and has kids she's going to live close to family so that her kids can go to their grandparent's house and play with them and their cousins.  I guess she's getting to that age where she sees what other kids have when they live close to family and is wanting the same thing.  I just tell her that other kids don't get to have their Gramma and Grampa for 24 hours a day for a week at a time, they just see them for a few hours at a time . . . but don't think that this reasoning is working.  So I agree with her - it's not fair, but it is what we live with so we have lots of fun while family visits and then miss them when they leave.  Oh, and count down has already begun to the next visit!

June to October in Pictures

Braden is the Account Director at his job and his client is McDonald's Europe.  This means that he is going overseas usually once a month for a few days.  This is a photo of June in Paris.

The kids love baseball so Braden took them to an Ottawa Fat Cat's game and they LOVED it - I have a feeling more will happen next week.

Our anniversary wknd - kids to "The Landing", first time eating calamari for the kids (Emma didn't like it - hehehe!) then to a Medieval Festival to see sword fights, try stilts, catapults and so much more.  Oh, and the kids locked Daddy and Kaleb up and threw water sponges at them - so much fun!!!

The kids love it when Brade reads to them.  He had a trip to Russia so this was his last night before he left for the week.

While he was gone Gramma McGifford came to look after all of us - seeing that I wasn't up for looking after the kids by myself yet.  We had a lot of fun and she kept the kids soooooo busy - camping in the backyard, picking raspberries, feeding ducks and more. (oh and weedings - hours and hours of weeding!!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 (i had to put this one in - sorry mom, but it was just hilarious when a boat's waves started knocking the little dock around mom tried to get the ground fast, but i think the rocking dock helped her there faster than she anticipated - and i laughed - yep - laughed and laughed and laughed!!!   hmmmm..... i guess i'm not that sorry for putting the picture in!!!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Here are a few pictures that Braden took while in St. Petersburg, Russia for the week. 

When he came home we got to still have Gramma for a few more days - which meant family pictures :)

The kids were stuck outside in the rain and put a tarp over the playhouse so that they wouldn't get wet - creative children!!! 

They also decided to have a lemonade stand outside our house - selling freshly squeezed lemonade and homemade chocolate cookies.  The neighbor kids came over to help too and they actually made a bit of money - they even had a car stop to purchase - so funny!  Their advertising . . . signs on the little brother and sister - hmmmmm.

Our neighbours were moving so let us have the pool for a weekend, in-between them leaving and the new neighbours moving in - the kids loved it!

  

Hockey season starting in September and we have weekend passes for the Ottawa 67's (OHL).  The kids are loving it and have so far been to 5 games with many more to come!

  

First day of school came after Labour Day weekend in September.  Emma is in Grade 5, Kaleb in Grade 3 and Navia in Senior Kindergarten.

Great Gramma McGifford came up for the weekend so we got to hang out with her and had a lot of fun.  Even took her to 'The Landing' for ice cream - yummy!

Emma was in Cross Country again this year - but this time had to run 2.2 kms.  She did well and is wearing the blue tank top number 3 with maroon t-shirt under it.  She came in 47 out of approx 140 grade 5 girls.

October started with Navia's first field trip of the year - to Valleyview Little Animal Farm with all her friends!

Grampa Bailey came up for a week in October and Emma was really excited because she'd finally have someone besides us cheering her on.  Emma made the Jr. Girls Soccer team and had an all-day tournament that they came in 3rd.  She played hard and they only lost after an extra inning, regular shoot out and then a final to-the-death shoot out.  She loved that Braden took the day off work to see her play, along with Grampa and even Kaleb got the afternoon off of school!

Grampa spent a couple of days at Braden's work, just seeing what he was doing and checking out the local record shops - which I guess are pretty good around his work.

We did McDonald's breakfast - as the tradition has been set - and then went to find the perfect pumpkins!

The kids had a hard time with him leaving, but are glad that we're going to Saskatchewan for Christmas! Yay!!!

Emma's class did a haunted house and Emma's spooky short story was the idea behind the entire event.  She had a lot of fun reading the story to each class as they came to see it - 900 students in all!!!

Then it was Halloween time - the kids carved pumpkins (and Braden dremelled them as the designs were a bit intricate.)  We had a cowgirl, black ninja and Princess Belle.

And now I am officially caught up - and you are officially tired of looking at waaaaaay toooooo many pictures - hehehe!  Hopefully I'll be going back to regular posts now!