Whooo

When I was 19 I bought the first of my collection of owls. It was about 2.5 ft. tall and beautiful. I knocked his head off bringing him home from the store but was able to glue it back on so that you'd never notice it was broken. I gave him the creative name of "Hoot". He was quickly followed by a smaller "Screech", and then by a number of others in all shapes and sizes. I have no idea where they all are now. We moved so much over the years that I guess they fell victim of purging and breaks. I still love owls though and am really glad that they're a prominent scrapbooking embellishment this year. The beauty pictured here was one of half a dozen or so that I saw at the Valley Zoo today where I went with Sara and the kids. I took pictures of them all, but this was the only one that wasn't ruined by the cage bars.

Busy Day, Busy Kids

Charlie's getting outfitted for a summer holiday in the Phoenix area - she says going to the desert - and needed funky sunglasses and a sun visor. She was picture perfect cute. Later in the day she got out all her Barbie jewellery and put it all on - another photo op. Meanwhile, Max fell asleep on the couch and Charlie had to take a picture of him (she took many pictures - not all were keepable). When he woke up, Max wanted to take some pictures too so I have him my small Fujifilm Finepix to use. Ellie did her baby stuff all day - she loves oranges. Somewhere amid all that, we went to the mall so Charlie and Max could have their passport photos taken (Ellie already has her passport).

Popsicle

I discovered today that Eloise loves popsicles...I don't know if this was the first one she's ever had but, boy, did she love it. It was mine to begin with but when I picked her up she grabbed it and didn't let go. She made short work of it - notice the red juice streaming down her arm and onto my shirt. I think she must have got brain freeze toward the end though because she suddenly started screaming and crying. We all know how that feels - poor little girl. It probably won't stop her from wolfing down another one next time she can though. The pictures were taken by Elly's 4-year old sister Charlie with my Canon Rebel. She's a pretty good little photographer.

The Next Generation

The grandchildren - 15 of them - were all gathered together, with the exception of 4-year old Brooklyn, and the one who's due on August 5. As fun as it was raising the original 7 kids, it's even more enjoyable having these super grandchildren to play and interact with. We know there'll come a time, probably in their teens, when it's not cool to spend time with your grandparents, but for now, at the ages they are now (11 years to 2 months old) they still get excited to see Grammie and Papa and we love developing relationships with these special little individuals. They are our legacy.

All Grown Up

Here they are - all grown up - and it's true what they say - they grow up so fast, although you don't really get a sense of that when you're busy with a houseful of kids and toys and school and activities. Then suddenly they start to leave home, get married and have babies of their own (tomorrow's blog entry). I consider these kids, successfully grown, responsible, good people, to be my greatest accomplishment in life. It's what I was born to do and I truly loved doing it. And that handsome old guy in the back? He made it possible for me to be at home with the kids, supported us all and enjoyed the adventure of raising them, making up songs about them (Michael, Michael, Motorcycle), making up bedtime stories for them (Adventures of Don and Key), and giving their friends nicknames (we still call Sara's friend Janelle Rosella). We've been richly blessed. On the back row there's Mike, Jenny, Me, Lloyd, Mary, Emily. Kneeling in front are Rob, Sara and Amy.

Clean Kids

When I went to Sara's place yesterday morning I was greeted by three of the cleanest kids in the world - fresh from their bath - the two oldest still wrapped in their bath towels, while Ellie was the only one dressed but still wrapped in her towel, being the first out of the tub I suppose. Other than getting dressed, Charlie spent the rest of the day in that same position on the couch - laid low by a headache, beginning of a cold, and slight fever.

I love Lighthouses

There's something about lighthouses that appeals to me...their solitary strength...their unique design...the beautiful locations...I just really, really like them. Of course, my favorite one is at Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia. Whenever we go back to NS to visit, I like to go there - it's such a small fishing village, relatively unspoiled, with the beautiful lighthouse poised on the massive rocks of the Atlantic shore. These pictures were taken on an overcast day so there's no contrast between the lighthouse and the sky.