Open House 2013

Chris has been working crazy hours.....here is one of the fruits of his labor.......the volleyball court that he got finished for the Open House on saturday was a huge hit.  I was very happy to see him even playing with everyone....he even got a few good spikes in there!!!

 I forgot how much I enjoy driving boats.....

 Trish and Court....part of the old Imadene girls club.....known them for 12 years, met them while they were still teens, and now they are both married with babies (or babies on the way)--and I danced at both of their weddings!!!  Court got dressed for her wedding in my house.......

 Daniel and I after an hour of driving....this is our "we are DONE faces"....as much as I had forgotten how much i love driving, you also forget how tired it makes you.....

 Mike we have known for a long time, he came to open house with his little girl (!!! he had a baby!!), and his beautiful wife....when I first saw him yesturday, I was say to him "Mike, your wife is gorgeous!! How did you ever manage to land her??"  He replies, "she looks like you....I had to try hard".  Poor little Levi did not enjoy being held by me.....i just loved that he had on an Imadene shirt!!

 Ashley and Mandy are the women who love imadene and love the WOA retreat.....they are my right and left hand at the retreat, so it was nice to be surprised by them yesturday.....they were more than happy to be at camp which is nice to see......

 Jim Badke!

 Here is Katrina....she and I were friends back at Qwanoes days.....and now she has 4 lovely kids and a husband who works too much.  The quote that goes through my mind when I see this picture "Be kind to everyone.  Everyone is fighting a hard battle"

 Jennie Lynne and I just trying to document that we saw eachother.....she is also part of the old imadene girls club, but we have always sort of been parallel friends....we are in the same environment, but we are very different people.

 Happy Place....

 Ava and her family showed up near the end of the day....Ava scored a ride with me since she was at the right place right time......

 Nic and her family arrived around lunch.....she and I walked back to the house so she could nurse Amara, and when she was done feeding, Amara and I left her there to sleep....she stayed there all afternoon and only was woken up when Isaac called the answering machine trying to be funny leaving a long winded message on the machine while he was down at camp, that I haven't even listened to yet......something about being the pizza man?  I just remember that utterly weary feeling.....she jumped at the chance to crawl into bed....

 Here is the lovely Amara.....I was telling Nic that if i was guaranteed a sweet spirited little girl like Amara, I would have a few of them in a heartbeat!!! But, I would probably get another boy...and my team of boys is at a good number!!

 Here is Auntie Laura and I trying to be funny!!

It was a good day.....hats off to my husband, who by the way, is still out at camp...he took a nap this aft and watched a movie with us, but he is back down there putting a cabin together....which really isn't in his job description, so I am unsure how this happened, but I suppose if he doesn't do it, nobody will.  He is amazing.  Good job my love.....

Friends who stayed....and played.

Normally they come for a day or two....this time they came and parked for a week.

I worked all the days they were here, but we had wonderful dinners and bonfires in the evening.

Here I am with her favorite coat on....I was hiding .... she was looking for me....

Here she comes.....

It was nice to come back from work and have them here, playing on the property....feeling at home....

Qwanoes Alumni.......we all met 17 years ago in 1996....Jim says we all look the same, just a little older, and Scott adds "a little more haggard".....9 kids between us all!

Photobomber!!!!  

Notice I don't even flinch?

Not many shots of the kids ... they were constantly all off and exploring or whipping down the zipline.

Some days are simply meant for playing.....

It was "Staff Fun Day" on thursday.....I started the day by working in the morning from home (awesome perk!!), and we met the staff at the Kinsol Tressle around noon.  It was a cold, rainy day, but that was ok....we still had some fun;

Chris is still learning to share his umbrella......he is much like Elliot in this way.....

After lunch at the tressel, it was time to head to Fort Rod Hill......on the way, Chris had to stop for Ice Cap #2 of the day to keep him going.....

 I love that the guy who married us is on our staff now....still cool. 

 Just a little selfie thrown in for good measure, so that when I am 80

 looking back, I can see what the 37 year old me looked like..... 

 With my 34 year old neighbor......

 Then it was time for dinner and games at Charlottes house....we played 

a fun game called 'personal preferences....'

 This is Charlotte, with the pen in her hand....she is super sweet.  She is Chris's assistant this summer and has been helping him with games.  She told me the nicest story last night around the fire, that when she was a little girl, she came down to the ski dock for a tube ride, and she remembers a blond boat driver and she remembers thinking how cool this driver looked and she would often wait to just be able to get behind this girl drivers boat....and yesterday, while I drove boats, she realized that girl was me!  Aw.

As a side note about Charlotte, she has been coming here for years, and she chose today to be baptized in the lake, in the pouring rain....it was quite lovely and touching with her mom and dad by her side.

Downton Abbey...

This is my favorite song that Isaac plays....or did play until he got focused on the Zelda theme song.  Here is his brother taping him on our friends piano while playing in their basement....I love that he doesn't wait to hold the last night as he runs off to play!!!   Also,  this is the friend we have been trying to talk into buying their kid a new piano {mine!!}....

Piano Recital 2013

Some days...it takes a bird to wake this kid up!!

 They both are playing so well...and have had much improvement this year!!  Super proud!!  However, not super proud of only getting a photo of isaac playing and not elliot....I got video of elliot...will try to upload it, but i often don't have good luck with uploading videos!!  Did my best....but its at the bottom of this blog.  Isaacs song has an annoying backsound!

The boys have improved so much this year....and its mainly due to this lovely lady!!

piano video here.....

Happy Fathers Day to my dad.....

This is one of my favorite pics of me and my dad.  For many years, it was the picture that was on my desk and I would look at it often, but now it stands prominantly on my table in the hallway, and I pass it everyday.  Its the kind of picture a parent would get of their kid with my expression if he were tickling me....but alas you can see both his hands, so this is a genuine happy face on me.  We were in Assiniboine Park for my grandma's birthday.  I had brought baby Elliot with me on this trip.....he had just finished his first piece of angel food cake with strawberries and whip cream, a family tradition for birthdays.  He ate it in the winnipeg heat, in a diaper and a smile on his face {as well as the rest of the cake!! and ps: i am talking about elliot here, not my dad}.....but this is only only one snapshot of me and my dad in a happy moment.  We actually have many....most snapshots are in my head.  But now that I am a parent myself, I love him from a different perspective.  He no longer has to look out for me, though he does....and he no longer has to pay for my food when we go out, though he does....he has become one of my very best friends.  He is one of the first people that I call in my day.....I try to call often...and I can always tell by the tone in his voice whether we will talk, or whether he has better things going on at the time!! ;-)   I know within the first 3 seconds......but I am so proud of how this guy is spending his life....he is planning and dreaming of big adventures.  He is taking big risks, and expecting big payoffs....and its a real thrill to watch.  I will be in my 60's soon....but I am in my 30's....with little kids, and a job and things to juggle....and he is now watching his kids in their 30's with their kids, with their jobs and their juggling.  I love that he is one of my biggest cheerleaders....he wants the best for my sister and I, and he always has.  Which is probably why I, too, want the best for us!  And you couldn't get any better than him for a dad.....we are two very lucky girls.  Happy Fathers Day dad......love you more than you know....xoxoxox

Fathers Day Lunch at the Burdges.....

It was time to head out to the Burdges for a Fathers Day lunch....its a nice time for everyone to get together and all the cousins to play and it was a nice sunny day.....I have been part of this family for over 15 years, so that is 15 years worth of driving out to cobble hill for birthdays and holidays with these people and never ever has this ever happened!!  First we pulled up to this guy......and harassed him a little;

 And then right behind him was Jenny.....{rescue vehicle since the jeep has no seatbelts??}

 and then right behind HER was Mike and Lauras car.......I had a good time photographing the whole event.

 When we arrived, everyone piled in for a pic with Grandpa... ..can you not just imagine Wren as a 16 year old? I sure can..... 

 Handing over her purse.....elliot continues to poke the driver......

 Now elliot resorts to punching the driver.....and Isaac is holding onto Wren for dear life, hello no seatbelts...so cousin is the next best thing?

 And they are off!!  it was so sweet.

 i took a mini nap in the playhouse.....yes, i did feel like gigantour, thank you for thinking that.

 And little Oscar stood in front of Chris till he picked him up onto his lap.....sweet boy.

The lunch was over quickly before everyone was heading in different directions, but it was quite the spread!  We are fed well at this place......Happy Fathers Day to the Burdge Men......