birthday celebrations

As I began a new post for today, I realized I never posted anything about 2 very special birthdays!

Anneke turned 3 the week after our visit to the zoo. So we gave her part of her present before we left, as we wouldn't be making it to Barrie the next weekend. She loves to colour and she loves Dora, so she is now enjoying a BIG colouring book of Dora pictures. When we arrived a few weeks later, she received the next part of her present: a pair of pink and orange giraffe pajamas.

  We went to Barrie a few weeks later for Kaelyn's 1st birthday as well as for David's. We gave her a baby with her own stroller. What else does a little one learning to toddle need?

The facial expressions on these girls faces were priceless as they opened their gifts: their smiles of pleasure gave me pleasure! 

We hope and pray that each of them will be graced with God's blessings as they continue to grow!



Thankful

 It's finished! At last!
Last winter, when I asked about making quilts for the girls, Katrina suggested that I make one for Rachel first. OK! When I asked Rachel what her favourite colour was, she said orange. Oh dear. You see, orange isn't always an easy colour to work with. Well, I kept my eyes open (of course!) whenever in a quilt store, and one day I saw them. And bought them. When all was said and bought, there were several shades of soft orange prints, a solid yellow, a red print, and a blue print to pull it all together. Normally, one has a pattern in mind and then the fabric purchases follow. I did it the other way around, but I did know I wanted to do something with pinwheels.

And so it's done: Rachel's Happy Days (and Nights) Quilt, in the Dutchman's Puzzle pattern. I am so pleased with how it turned out, and greatly encouraged to keep up with this all-encompassing hobby.... and I think Rachel is rather pleased as well!

Thanksgiving weekend was spent doing various tasks around here, but on Sunday, Stevin and Katrina and the kids came over for the day. The leaves on the ground were plentiful, and dry, so raking was easy. Amazing what happens when someone throws the first handfuls....

 

I am very thankful for each one of my kids, and each one of my kidlets. My heart is so full with love and pride and appreciation. God has made each one so uniquely special.

I am thankful for my husband, who completes me - and lets me mess up the kitchen table with fabric, as long as there's room for his dinner plate! I love you, hon!

God is good - all the time.

Rainy Day at the Zoo

 We went to the Toronto Zoo with David, Stephanie, Anneke and Kaelyn this past weekend. We weren't sure about going in the rain - but we did it! We all had raincoats or waterproof coats and we purchased umbrellas 'just in case'. There was a downpour just as we entered the parking lot, but then it slowed to a light rain/drizzle. Anneke loved her Minnie Mouse "umbreya" while Kaelyn stayed dry and warm under the weather guard over her stroller.

The rain did keep the crowds to a minimum,
so we were able to enjoy the animals and buildings at a more leisurely pace.

Anneke certainly kept us moving along, though - here she is following Mama Peacock and her baby...

 I always enjoy the effect of the raindrops on berries and leaves and flowers:

 Here we are looking at the babboons. They are in an enclosed outdoor area, so they can't escape! That red bird is painted on the glass - a bird deterrent?

 The white lions were beautiful.

 We had to backtrack to see the elephants; they were practicing "crating" when we went by the first time. Apparently, they will be shipped to California soon.

 A little girl with her umbrella and some puddles - what else can I say?

 And the last animal we saw were the pandas.
First we read the displays giving information on the bears. They eat only bamboo, and that is why they are endangered. The bamboo forests are slowly being depleted due to encroaching civilization.
Anneke enjoyed playing with the computers....

 and Kaelyn LOVED the pandas!!

She started chattering and laughing at these big teddy bears.

So, naturally, her souvenir of the zoo is a panda bear stuffy,
while Anneke's is a giraffe stuffy.

Visiting the zoo helped me realize again how beautiful our world is. God must have had so much fun when He created! And what an awesome God we have, to have created with such diversity!
Fluttery butterflies. Multi-coloured birds. Zebra stripes. Lumbering elephants.
We enjoyed this day very much,
and I think the rain even helped us with that enjoyment!
Thank you, David and Stephanie!

A Week Out East

 I returned home from Banff on Tuesday night, and got right into planning dinner for 150 people: cyclists and support crew of the Sea to Sea Tour! On the Sunday before, Pastor Jack announced that the tour would be coming through Brockville on Thursday - would anyone like to plan a dinner for them? John volunteered us!! I'm thankful that Pastor Jack did a lot of footwork with the planning; several people were involved in making salad, a pasta dish, and lots of desserts. Main item on the menu: boerenkool met worst. John and I prepared it here at home, and had a kitchen up to its elbows in mashed potatoes and kale! It went over very well, and even got mentioned in the local EMC.

Friday was spent in getting ready for the next adventure: camping trip in PEI with Martin and Emily. We took the back seat out of our little Fiat, and then filled the back full with our gear.

We drove through Maine, but are not sure if we'll do that route again. It's pretty, but it seemed to take longer. We thought we'd stay a night around Bangor - but all the hotels and motels were full, so we ended up driving half the night until just before the border crossing, where we slept in the car in a rest area! The next morning around the next bend we finally found a couple of motels that had vacancies!

All Nation's CRC was having its annual campout, so we joined them on Sunday afternoon and night. Dollar Lake Provincial Park is a very nice park,
and I hope that someday we can camp there with all of our kids!

On Tuesday, Sheila, the two girls and I took the ferry across to Halifax,
 and then a bus ride to the Halifax Public Gardens.
Very nice gardens! And delicious ice-cream cones!

 

 On Wednesday, we went on another ferry ride - this one to PEI.
We had lunch on board, and then did some walking around to enjoy the sea air.

 

 We camped at Twin Shores Campground, just north of Summerside, on the ocean side of the island. We all enjoyed the water,except for Lauren. She was happiest playing in the sand.
Below, a ladybug had landed on her and she had fun trying to keep it on her arm.

 Maria and Nicole loved the water!
You can see the sandbar where they did a lot of swimming - putting their lessons to great practice.

 Toddlers love to slide zippers up and down, and Lauren is no exception. Here she's playing with the zipper on the tent ---

and going in ---

 and out of the tent.

 It was quite windy while we stayed there; turns out that the wind was unusual. The waves made such a noise! It was nice to hear the surf, but combined with the wind, gave a very restless feeling. But early one morning, before breakfast, we hurried out to have a look....

 And the reason for the trip was Brian and Stephanie's Geertsema's wedding.
They were married outdoors at Stanley Bridge Resort, and the dinner was in a tent at the same location - complete with bonfire and s'mores!

 We left the island via the bridge, which is cheaper than taking the ferry. Arriving on the island is 'free', one pays the toll when leaving. Encouragement to stay?

We returned home via the Trans-Canada, until we got to Quebec City. Then we drove the scenic highway along the south shore of the river.

Before arriving home, we stopped in at Stevin and Katrina's for supper and to celebrate Elijah's second birthday. He was fascinated by the sparkler #2 candle we found for him!

Well, summer 2013 simply flew by! I enjoyed all of my kids and kidlets, and enjoyed the beautiful sights and sounds of God's creation. Didn't get as many of my projects done as I had hoped to, in fact only one, but oh well, there's always tomorrow!

The summer ended with the opportunity to visit at the farm again - Tante Netty came for 2 weeks to visit with Tante Ans, who is now in a nursing home. It was her birthday on Sunday, the first of September - so she had a lovely celebration with her Canadian family before she flew home again!

 

And of course, when we get together it's always an occasion for another photograph - here I am with my cousins: from left to right - Mary Lynn, Christa, Jane and me. Wouldn't it be nice to have a photo with the two that are missing? Jessie, who is the eldest of these three, lives in France, and Marjan, Tante Netty's daughter, lives in Holland.

 Some day....? Something to hope for!







Falling in Love with Banff

Banff.

Calm and serene lakes.

Bubbling streams and roaring waterways.

Majestic and rugged mountains.

Beauty, awesome beauty, everywhere!

Our awesome God made an incredibly beautiful world for us to enjoy!

 

I flew out to Banff to visit Michael the first week of August

(and plan to go again for a week or so next summer again).

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay!

I walked a lot and biked a bit.

Tried to find that perfect landscape photo.

Browsed the farmer's market.

Awed by the power of water and its effects post-flood.

Stayed away from bear feeding grounds.

Stayed away from mosquitoes in the fenlands, too.

Watched a baseball game.

With a home-run or two.

Attended an opera.

Wandered through the Cascade Gardens.

Inspired by the floral displays.

 Followed the Bow River to its falls.

 Discovered the Banff Springs Cave and Basin
which started the whole Canada National Parks system.

Enjoyed sunny days interspersed with a just a few showers.

 Enjoyed picnic lunches and walking with my favourite youngest son.

 Climbed a mountain - not. This photo just looks like I did.

This is on top of the hill blocking Moraine Lake into place.

 And this is the view from where I was standing:

 And yes, the water really IS that deep turquoise colour!

Climbed through Johnston's Canyon.
(Along the boardwalk path.)

We did this hike during an extremely cold day one December a couple of years ago, and I really wanted to see it thawed out. We tried to do the hike on Saturday, but decided to go early Sunday morning instead, because it is a very popular tourist site. 

NEXT year, I hope to climb to the Inkpots at the top of the canyon, as well as climb a mountain - a small one maybe, but certainly an item on my bucket list!

Another item on my bucket list: a lap quilt or two. There was a local artist at the farmer's market whose renderings of the mountains make great applique patterns!

Oh, that reminds me: you know you're a quilter when --- flying over Manitoba all I could see out my window were quilt patterns in the fields below!

Thank you, Michael, for suggesting a summer visit.
I miss you lots, and so had great pleasure in being with you for a short while.
Being there helped me understand why you love living there. I took pleasure driving through the mountains when I drove truck, and missed them when I couldn't do so any more. But touching the ground with my feet was a totally different experience. The air felt clean, the scenery was breathtaking, and I loved the small-town-of-8000-yet-big-town-amenities feeling.
Banff is a great place to be in!



Summertime!

Summer around here begins with the warmer weather in May, and what way to celebrate but with ice cream! Have you noticed that anytime we get together, there's food to eat?

 Ice cream cones, hot dogs on salad forks,

and birthday cakes and celebrations. 

We celebrated Uncle Bob's and Aunt Mary's birthdays with a family reunion.
I thought it was

rather interesting to see all the physical changes happening to us: we're all a little grayer and a little, ahem, plumper. But we could still share great stories and lots of laughs!

Lots of hugs at family reunions, and lots of hugs when we see our little ones who live far away from us. Here Pookie-1 Anneke sneaks in a hug as she tries to attach a necklace to Opa.



 Our Sweet-Peas arrived at the end of June, and spent their first weekend in Ontario at Oma's and Opa's. Food again - can't make cookies unless the chocolate chips pass the taste test!

 If you look carefully,

you'll see 2 hummingbirds discussing the benefits of hosta nectar.

 Last week, we had our Geertsema Campout. We went to Presqu'ile Provincial Park. It's a nice park, but you have to drive everywhere. We had a site in the group camping area, which was quite nice. Level ground, but we could have had more shade. We usually take a hike or two, we did just one this time - to the Nature Centre. The next day, we drove to the Lighthouse, which is where the photo at the top of the blog was taken.

 What's camping without books? These kids love to be read to, and here they're listening to Aunt Katrina, at bedtime, reading 'Elephants Can't Dance".



We did an activity each day with the kids; the shaving cream play was a winner!

After the initial oo-yuck hesitation in touching it for the first time, they had a great time with it!

Elijah stole the show with his antics -

and Maria got her Daddy to shave!

Campfire and 'smores at the end of the day....

All in all, in spite of the wind, and the lack of water for 24 hours, and the hot sun making hot tents for napping, and a snake in the outhouse, we had a good time! It was wonderful to see our kids catch up with each other - we sure missed Michael - and our kidlets played so well together.

Even though our times together always seem so short, it was just as well we went home when we did: Thursday ended up being a rather wet day. I'm looking forward to Next Time!

On Thursday, Martin came over to clean out the car to get ready for the trek home. Maria and Nicole came with him. They played at just about everything that Oma has, and we even tried out Daddy's reinforced bubbles.

We did some colouring as well, and what's colouring time without a sheet of stickers -

Nicole stuck the whole sheet of stickers on the paper, whereas Maria used just the stickers from the outside of the sheet.

And now, I'm getting ready to go west for some time with Michael before going east for a camping trip with Martin and Emily and girls, and a wedding. We'll be home just in time for me to do the 'check-the-route' run with the school bus!