Happy Birthday To Richard !

happy birthday baby

Richard is 40 Today!

*picture actually taken last year around this time.

So, I have to admit, I did not send out an official invite, sorry. But if you're reading this, and you'd like to drop by on Saturday (May 28th) to wish Richard a Happy 40th Birthday, by all means, come over. All are welcome. Come for 10 minutes or stay for the whole day. We're having a casual open house, so to speak. If you have my email and you need details, email me. If you have my phone number and you need details, phone me. Literally, you can pop by anytime on Saturday.

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Sorry for the hiatus. Blogger was having some difficulties and I've been unable to post. I'll need to do a post tonight and hopefully one tomorrow with my pictures from my phone.

Here's what I've snagged off of the camera a few days ago.

AJ showing me a ship he built with Dexter's Duplo.

Dexter showing me a gun he's built with his Duplo.

Some day last week or the week before or the week before just vegging out.

Auntie Kim stayed for vegging out too and some dinner! Thanks for coming Kimmy.

More vegging. Probably watching Richard Scarry's Busytown Mysteries which they just LOVE!!! I cannot even begin to explain how much they love that show.


Dexter does not like perogies.


Thursday

On Thursday, I had Jen's kids and decided it would also be a great day for playdates. So, I invited AJ's friend Josh and his sister Ashriya from preschool to play with AJ and Makenna and 'the little kids' too.

7 kids were a few too many for 'movie lunch', so I had to split them up between the two tables.

Little kids at the kitchen table.

Big kids at the coffee table.


Two left at the table. The two who wanted 'more please'.



While the kids cozied up for a snack and little bit of Busytown Mysteries, Richard was hard at work baking cookies.




They, of course, played LOTS, but you know how it is. My camera's in the living room, so this is when I think to take a picture or two or three or four.

It was a dreamy playdate and just a perfect day! Seriously. I'm not kidding.

Back to Richard's baking. He had made some Rice Krispy Squares earlier too.

Pay attention to the effort and practicality here. This is soooo Richard.

No way is Richard spending money on oat flour when he can make it himself.


1. spreading out the oats on a cookie sheet to toast them

2. stick them in the blender to turn them into flour

3. make oatmeal cookies


This was one of those rare occasions when we have 'extra kids' for dinner. Seven people at the table for dinner (Butter Chicken, of course, because ALL the kids love it) was perfect!! And fun!


One of Those "I Need to Make This Right Now" Kind of Projects

I can't say that I got this idea from anywhere except for the idea of a word wall in a classroom.

Anyhow, I printed out all of the Dolch Sight Words for preschool-grade three, all of which AJ is proficient in reading and are VERY handy for creating your own sentences.

AJ's pretty interested in punctuation right now, and it seemed like a good game to make.

I painted a ferrous cookie sheet. An used a paint marker to write the alphabet. I didn't plan well and should have spaced them out more. Oh well. Get r done.

Bought some sticky-backed magnet tape. Very efficiently placed all the cut out strips of words on them. Added some extra words. Added some punctuation marks, some blanks, and some fun nouns like animals and people's names, and assorted other extras that I thought would help make good sentences.

I organized them all into their letter groupings except for the 'fun nouns' which are over at the side.

Note - I actually took these pics before I had finished putting all the words on here.




Awww. Sweet kid.

Darn right. I may have suggested this sentence.

If you're thinking of making one and you can get a hold of the flat sheets of sticky-back magnet, it'll make your life a lot easier than using the rolls that I was stuck using.

If you're thinking of making one and your child does not already know all these words, I'd recommend using different colours like you would see on a primary classroom word wall and cutting them into the appropriate shapes like this.


Oh ya. And AJ's been asking for a Canucks shirt. Can't justify spending money on hockey shirts, but I didn't mind whipping some up for the boys out of some felt and some old shirts. AJ was pretty stoked to get to wear it to school.

Mother's Day and All That Stuff

Mother's Day weekend was spent at Grannie and Papa's (Norma and Bud's) on The Island.
Here, AJ is helping Grannie make the turkey dinner. He's stirring the cheese sauce.


AJ and I taking a picture of ourselves in the hallway.


Here's Papa sitting in the t.v. room.

He's listening to the conversation between Richard and Richard's Grandpa-Clark.
Grandpa-Clark is showing Richard his new iBook or whatever it is. I'm so not technologically savvy.

The men are relaxing and chit chatting more.


Grannie is searching for pictures in a big giant pad of search and find thingies. You know, like Where's Waldo.
The boys LOVE those kinds of books. Kind of like I Spy books.

AJ showcasing his gnarly head wound from scootering on rough terrain not meant for scootering. It wasn't high speed or anything and yes, he was wearing a helmet. But man, scooters and gravel do not mix well.

Excuse the slight blurriness of these next photos. I not only was taking them from inside the kitchen, looking out, but there is a plastic film over the windows to help keep the heat in. So, it's through plastic too.
Finding the odd dandelion and blowing the seeds all over the place. Nice.
Wearing their hiking boots that Daddy got them.


It was so nice to be able to be inside while the boys could just run free out in the yard and around the house.

This is the driveway where there was a bit of gravel that made scootering not such a great idea.

Grannietook the boys to Walmart where she treated the boys to a special toy each and these cool Bakugan watches that were on for $2.50. Snatch them up peeps! The boys have been playing with these LOTS. They are also calculators. AJ's loving that.










The next day, I think. Helping Papa outside.



Darn it. I should've turned the picture first. Isn't the front door adorable!?



Phone pictures now.

The ferry ride over to The Island. The boys played in the play area for a while, but what they really wanted was to go to the arcade area. Obviously, they don't have mother's plan these ferries. There is a big window that divides the little kid play area from this area. So, of course, the boys wanted to go in here. No money necessary. They mostly just want to sit on the motorcycles and in the car seats pretending to shift gears.
Maybe a mom did plan that. If you are sitting in the play area with your young child, you can still keep an eye on your older children in the arcade.


The boys all comfy in their carseats. We're almost at Grannies!

AJ unbuckled and rebuckled with monkey too. Awww.


On Saturday, while Bud and Richard took the boys for a hike and Richard took the boys to Home Hardware to build me a flower box for Mother's Day, Norma and her friend Linda took me to the luncheon at the Yacht club. I had to sneak a quick pic of everyone dressed in the white pants and blazers. There were about 30 or 40 people dressed just like this!


We went for a walk after the trip to Walmart.



This picture makes me feel extra short.


The ferry ride home! It was surprisingly warm outside.




The boys watching their dvd in the van.

And eating their dinner that I packed before we left Grannie's. The timing was perfect this day.
We visited Grandpa Clark and family (thanks for the bubble blowers and popsicle molds Aunt Elaine!) before heading to the ferry. Dexter napped on the way to the ferry, as planned. We got off the ferry in time for dinner, as planned. We got home well in time to unload, hang out, then get the kids to bed by a respectable time, as planned. It went really well.


And then, it was back to normal life again.
Cherry blossoms falling to the ground. It was like snow on this slightly windy day.
Mommy and Dexy wearing matching shoes this day.


The culprit. My camera phone and lack of photography skills do not give this beautiful tree any justice.

Dexter is tickled pink over his new two-wheeled scooter.
He's even trying 'tricks'.


AJ making another skateboard park with cardboard, scissors, and masking tape.