Picnic at the Mill of Kintail - Part 1

Sunshine and warm breezes visited us one day during the A-Team's visit, so we packed up a picnic lunch and headed for the Mill of Kintail. Simple sandwiches and a bag or two of chips is a delicious feast when eaten outdoors.
Yum!
CB looks on with an anxious expression wondering why he can't have some of the treats too.
After lunch Auntie scooped him up and took him for a walk amongst the trees.
Then it was time for a snuggle with Smudge too.
The little adventurer sure didn't stay on one spot for long.
She lead us on a merry chase around the park all afternoon.

Gardeners

When Smudge comes over to our house for a visit she loves to go out into the backyard and get her hands in the garden. With bucket and trowel in hand she gets right to work.

Here she is moving mulch from the garden into the grass. Must talk to her about that! On this day, she dug up a petunia, transferred a pot of soil to the middle of the lawn, stored a ton or two of dirt under her finger nails, gathered a bucket of stones and plucked a few weeds.
Yes, she does love to get into her work, and she is such a cute little Petunia while she is gardening.
At the end of a busy day in the garden she sits with Buppa to survey her handiwork.
They are both very pleased with all that she has done.

Strollin'

Smudge came over for a visit the other day and while we were relaxing out on the front porch she slipped on my shoes, grabbed her purse, reached for Buppa's hand and said "outside". So, out they went for a little stroll. It was a slow one as my shoes were a tad too big for her.
She had to make a stop to check out the neighbour's garden, put her hand in the mulch, throw some around and then continue on the adventure.
Then it was time to take a closer look at a caterpillar on the sidewalk.
Somehow Buppa ended up with the purse when they said goodbye to the caterpillar,
but soon it was back in Smudge's hand as they continued on their walk.

In the Pink!

Look what happened after I had a glass or two of wine, and Puff asked me if she could do something creative with my hair.


Yes, I am in the Pink.

Snuggles with Aunties

How nice for the Aunties to meet CB and share snuggles all around.

Time for a story with Smudge too.
Then off for a walk in the park...
and another snuggle.

Busy Days

The A-Team is visiting for a few days, so we are busy, busy, busy. I have lots of pics on the camera, but that is where they still are, on the camera. Will post a bunch of new ones for you in a few days, but in the meantime here are a couple more from the weekend to tide you over.

They both get cuter everyday.

35th Birthday Bash - Part 2

Look what Little Miss Busy Bee got her hands on when she thought nobody was looking.
Once she finished her refreshing drink it was time for a bubble-facial.
Then off to the chalk board to work on some art there.
My goodness, that was hard work, time for more cake.
Then back to the bubble machine with Daddy.

35th Birthday Bash - Part 1

Daddy turned 35 on the weekend and we had a fun BD Bash with him. Smudge and CB gave him lots of help to blow out the candles.
Then it was time to chow down on some delicious BD cake. Smudge thinks Buppa needs help eating his cake.
Daddy and the girl had lots of fun with the bubble machine...
while Nana watched Son and Grand-Daughter with great delight.
CB would love to get his hands on some bubbles too, but for the time being...
had to leave that up to big sister while Nana kept a careful eye on her.

Day on the Town with the Grands

The A-team is coming for a visit on the weekend, so AC and I had to head into town to do some shopping before their arrival. We decided to take Smudge into town with us for the day, to give Mommy a break. The trip started off with a stop at the library to drop off and pick up some books. Smudge likes to play in the toy section there, so we spent some time there lettings her get rid of some energy before we set off in the car again.

Her favorite area is the toy kitchen. Here we see her making a hamburger for lunch. Yum!
Next stop was Mark's to look for a BD gift for Daddy. Smudge lead us on a merry chase around the store and insisted on carrying the bag on the walk back to the car. AC walked her around the parking lot while I made a quick stop at Winner's...
then it was off to McDonald's for lunch.
Smudge had a great day, but she was one weary shopper during the ride home. She quickly nodded off in her car seat, so we took the long way home, and she got at least a half-hour nap before we arrived back at her house.
I think I need a nap now too. ZZZZZZZZ

Table Talk

During visits to our house CB's bouncy chair is put on the coffee table, and Smudge finds this the perfect table to sit at and play with her toys. Here they are enjoying a conversation while Sesame Street plays in the background. I just finished sewing a strap on Smudge's sun hat, so she is testing it to see if it is comfortable.
She is keeping it on, so I think the strap is OK.
I think Smudge is telling CB he has to move so she has more room to play. They both seem to be pointing at something don't they? They are so cute together. He watches her intently and she is very gentle with him.

It wasn't all play.

When the gals from Sarnia were here, it wasn't all play. Not only did they offer to babysit one morning for Thesha , but on the day they had to catch the bus for home, they wanted to spend more time with the Wee Chillin's before they left. So, we all set off for a morning shopping in Almonte.

Here we see Miranda exchanging smiles with CB while Thesha chats with a friend.
Smudge got her fair share of attention too. She now has two new best friends - Hillary and Miranda.
Miranda helped her explore the toy corner at Kentfield Kids...
and Hillary shared a seat with her at the coffee shop.
No, it wasn't all play, it just seemed that way.

Ready to Ride

The Sarnia gals went home Friday afternoon, so Friday evening was spent doing laundry and other things that didn't get done during our busy week. That gave us Saturday free to garden and then go over to the kids for a visit. When it was time to leave Smudge thought she should join us for the ride. Once Buppa's hat was donned and glass adjusted...
she was ready to motor.
We ended up taking her to the garden centre with us, then back home to go for a walk with Mommy while we drove off quietly in the other direction. It is getting harder and harder to leave her when we go over for a visit now. She seems to sense that we are getting ready to leave, and she grabs her shoes and coat and stands at the door saying "car". If we don't take her with us she dissolves into heartbreaking sobs, and it takes mommy a while to calm her down. It is very hard on this Grandma's heart to see Smudge's teary little face at the window as we drive off to the sounds of her pleading to go with us.

Fairy Tales and Peace Signs

Sorry I have been so lax in posting pics for you this week, but we have been busy with the girls from Sarnia. It was rainy again on Wednesday so the day started with a babysitting gig at Sha's. Tash brought Evan over to join the fun so the girls had three munchkins to babysit. We all gathered back at the house for lunch then it was naptime for the chillin's.
Time for some fune before saying goodbye.
CB loves his bumbo chair. Smudge never did like it, but CB thinks it is just the ticket. Looks cute in it too, doesn't he?
After our goodbye's we made tracks for the tattoo parlour. Yes, you "heard" me correctly, the tattoo parlour. The gals wanted to get another tattoo on their holiday, so AC and I were game for another new adventure. We did some research and found a highly recommended place just down the road from us, so we loaded up the gang and pointed the car in that direction. Half hour later we pulled up in front of the gallery and I wondered what we would find inside. Oh my, it was something else I must say. We did feel out of place walking through the motorcycle gear and smoking apparatus to get to the piercing gallery that lead to the tattoo parlour. The tattoo artist was a rather large fellow with big glass earrings, multiple piercings and multitudinous tattoos, covering huge arms, thick neck and fierce face. I felt like I had just stepped off planet earth into another realm, and I guess in a way I had. I had never entered this world before. The girls were very excited though and laughed and giggled while they looked at the tattoo art and tried to decide on final designs and placement of their tattoos.
I wandered around the shop looking at designs and as I relaxed I started to warm to the idea of getting a small tattoo for myself. Why not, some of the designs were quite pretty. Maybe a rose on my ankle????

Here we see Hillary up on the table all set for the artwork to begin.
As you can see, the artists was really a rather gentle talented fellow and did a very nice job on her "peace sign" tattoo on her foot.
He also did an excellent job on Miranda's artwork. She loves fairy tales and...
Lessons learned that day - never judge a book by its cover, and don't be afraid to explore new world's outside the small one you live in every day.