Hmmmmm...

The last few months and the fairer weather have found my friend and I out for lengthy evening walks. We push ourselves to walk a fast pace, me often ending up with severe pain in my shins, refusing to avoid the hills. We have decided to alternate biking with walking so tonight we took off on the trail that runs the route of the old railroad. Fifteen kilometers was what we accomplished tonight and neither of us are sure that we will be able to move tomorrow. My wrists even hurt! I'm just wondering if the result will be worth the torture! Off I go to soak in the tub. That is if I can make it up the bloomin' stairs!

playing catch up...

I'm not really sure where the time has gone over these last couple of months, but it seems to have gotten away from me! We have been busy enjoying life, so I thought I would bring you up to speed in pictures. Lots of what we did was not captured, but I think you will get a good sense anyway...even if it is all in reverse order with most recent events first.

Daniel took part in the Father's Day run for Prostate cancer. Although the group form the school was small, they raised the most money of any school.

Aaron Daniel and Brian right at the start line, ready to take off...Brian ran the 2.5 k and Daniel and Aaron took on the 5 k.

Daniel managed to come in twelfth, beating his run time for the Bluenose by 1:40 coming in at just 23 mins.

Daniel took part in a track and field meet with five schools participating. He ran the 1500 m placing third, and took fourth in the longjump...

Calire celebrated her birthday with some friends...

and played in her piano recital...

we managed to have a dry and windy-less evening so gathered with some friends for a bonfire...the first of the season.

I attended Leah's baby shower for long awaited Josie...

I reupholstered a chair...

we celebrated Claire's eighth birthday...

and Daniel went to his first awards banquet. Does he not look impressed?!?

Sam decided that climbing to the top of the fence was an easier way to talk to Tessa than calling through the fence...

Daniel took part in the youth run...

and the Bluenose Marathon 5km on the same weekend...

I attended Keltie's wedding shower, and am looking forward to her wedding on the 28th. Keltie is a precious girl who I have known for years both as a kid I used to babysit and now as a friend. Daniel carries her dad's name as his middle...Bruce died almost twelve years ago so this wedding will be full of joy and sadness all mixed together...

we had sick kids...they decided to be sick together in Sam's bed, watching movies and sleeping off and on for a few days. We all had it in fact. This pic was taken just before I was hit...

we had our first road rash...

I went to the annual ladies retreat where our cabin was the Saturday night entertainment!

and we got a new kitchen door... going backwards, that pretty well sums things up for the last few months!

sunshiney, swinging fun!!!

The last few days have been nothing but glorious, with the exception being this morning which greeted us with wet snow. Sam was thrilled to get the shorts out of hiding, revelling in the appearance of new freckles daily! I love how in the last pic it almsot looks as though he is about to run backwards off of the fence into the neighbours yard!

SHOCK, and a broken heart...

Beautiful Sandy, beautiful friend.
Sandy and her girls Nova and Quinn. They were her life...yesturday she was ripped from their lives in a tragic car accident. They were with her in the car and their seats saved their lives.

Sandy was an incredible woman who loved God with all of her heart. She was a good friend, who even loved on my kids before she had her own so we could get out in the evenings. She stayed with Daniel and Claire while Sam entered the world. A girl who you could count on. She shall be missed terribly, but never forgotten....

Easter 2008

beautiful ice...

Claire went from this...to this...for locks of love...

Daniel enjoyed time at Martock...

Calire tried her hand at skiing...

PAY IT FORWARD...

Here's a chance to get a surprise in the mail from me. My surprise is coming from blog buddy, Jamie Dawn.

Here are the rules:

1.~Leave a comment that says you want to receive something from me and you want to Pay It Forward. The first THREE to agree to Pay It Forward at their blogs will get a gift from me. I need your home address, so email it to me at hat@ns.sympatico.ca

2.~The three winners must do the same thing on their blogs, so the Pay It Forward challenge will continue throughout Blogdom.

We just started March Break so the kids and I are looking forward to the arrival of Karen and the gang for some entertaining days. Twoonie Matinees, and the Arctic exhibit at the Museum of Natural History and the Seamonsters exhibit at the Museum of the Atlantic are some of the activities we hope to partake in. The rest of the time will be spent laughing, eating, and perhaps reupholstering a chair for Karen...the kids will just be content to tear around, enjoying being together again.

an icy world...

so very pretty....

a rather hungry mourning dove, flying solo today...

no words...just the sound of her fingers making music on the aged ivory keys...be still my heart...

Attempting to capture the lunar eclipse...

What a glorious site to behold...it was rather cold so I kept running back and forth from the porch to the house to warm up...I can only imagine how much more spectacular it must have been out in a field!!! The camera did not manage to capture the redness of the moon, but nevertheless one gets the idea, if only slightly...

Welcome Levi...

A very excited Isaiah!!! Being a big brother is a ton of fun so far!!!

Wee Levi being loved on by Grandad Riley...

So thankful to finally hold this precious boy!!!

A wee chat with Mom...such an alert wee man!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Sam and Claire were thrilled to have such entertaining eggs for breakfast this morning... Sam of course loves his pepper!

the old grey mare, she ain't what she used to be....

nuff said!

Shannon and her Kylie crafted wirework coffee scoop....

both Kylie and I ordered the choclate terrine with mango and raspberry sauce....

Sannon and Shelley went for the warm banana bread molton something or other~

Celebrating us!

The wonderful menu for our annual birthday dinner...this year we chose to go to Stories, a beautiful restaurant in the Halliburtan Inn. From the moment we got through the door we were treated like queens! We had our own room where we spent the night laughing 'til we cried...

Shannon was quite taken with the miniscule cornmeal muffins.

Amy our most gracious hostess, who I think we managed to exhaust by the end... although we stayed quite late, she made no effort to remove us, and just let us enjoy ourselves to the fullest!

rather well fed contented souls....

Shelley's duck...

Kylie and Menen both ordered the bison, deer, and quail...very, very tasty!!!

Shannon's guini hens...

Rosa and I each enjoyed the sesame crusted salmon with lobster mash....amazing!!!!

Shelly with her candle holder for the patio...

all the stuff I need for a perfect relaxing bath...all by myself. So sorry Sam!!!

Rosa very excited over her beautiful vase!

Kylie set for overnight travel in style!

Rosa's something or other panna cotta with drunk and sober berries...

Our happy post dinner crew....not wanting to go but the hour was late and we were well past last seating...

One snazzy Rosa! She has come through this year with amazing grace and courage and we pray she will have many more years of the same!