Knitting Knews

Although I don't have as much free time for knitting and reading when I am back home in Canada - I still manage to get some things finished.  First I finished....

.... these socks for Uncle Brian, as well as the two toned blue slippers on the right.  Then I made a pair of the same slipper - a little smaller - for Poppa.  They are upstairs in the bedroom right now - and he is still snoozing - so I'll try to get a picture of them on his feet later in the day.  In the meantime, Aunt Peggy had requested a tea cozy.  It seems that Cousin Anne, who dropped in quite often while we were in Florida - was draping a tea towel over the tea pot to keep the tea warm - so Aunt Peggy thought she should have a nice tea cozy for occasions when Anne visited.  You got a glimpse in a previous e-mail - something like this.....

.... a work in progress - lots of finicky flowers - which are quite time consuming, but a lot of fun!  What else have we been doing?  Well,  Auntie Colleen and I ........

.... have settled into a routine of going to visit Gramma Grace at the retirement home.....

... on Mondays and Fridays.  In between those days, Auntie Colleen visits with Aunt Cecile, or Uncle Shaun.  Sometimes on the weekends Uncle Mark visits too.  Poppa has been busy too....

..... working on that huge flowerbed at Gramma Grace's house.  He has it looking neat, tidy and quite lovely.  When the flowers all come out in a few weeks it will be beautiful out there!  Other than that ....

.... spring is here - the trees are starting to bud sufficiently that we can see a hint of green.... and .....

......... there is Poppa in line at the donut shop.  If it isn't raining we, once again, enjoy that morning walk to get a treat at the end.  On Sunday morning.....

.... Taffy and Squeegie got all dressed up (as you can tell - it was quite chilly outside) and we headed off to church, then we went out for breakfast, followed by a leisurely drive around town with no particular purpose in mind.  We were surprised to find.....

.... Uncle Brian and Auntie Denise - also out driving around.  We went to another donut shop - I had Diet Coke and the others all had coffee - and a nice visit!  One more thing.....

... the tea cozy is complete and ready to take to Aunt Peggy.  I am starting another - plainer - one so she can keep this fancy one for company.

Weekend Off

Are you wondering what Mommy and Daddy did on their night off?  I'll show you a bit......

..... they strolled around the grounds to admire the landscaping and the scenery.....

... Daddy tried the miniature golfing to see if he still had his golfing talents honed to perfection....

.... and Mommy decided it was fun and not so difficult.....

........ they wandered around a little more until.........

..... Daddy found a rock climbing opportunity and did a proficient job of conquering it.....

....... while Mommy practiced on the smaller version!  When they were worn out from all that climbing....

... Daddy stopped for a rest in this little chair, then........

..... Mommy climbed up there too and found she could just reach the arms - but it wasn't exactly a relaxing place to settle, so......

....... they meandered past this patch of snow - leftover from the ski-ing season - and.....

.... back to the dining room for a romantic (and peaceful) dinner before.....

.... Daddy settled in to watch an NHL Play-off game - while Mommy read for a while.  I think Daddy looks just a little lost without his little boys around - no?  You're right he looks relaxed and happy - he knows we'll take good care of them!  Mommy and Daddy had a good time and were happy to see the little guys on Monday!

Still Busy

     On Sunday morning, after a little play time....

.... we opened the doors on Poppa's "big, red truck" and strapped little Curtie .....

.... into the car seat.  He asked to take this bear with him - it usually stays in his crib - for some reason he took a liking to it that morning.  Then.....

.... Munchie climbed into his brand new car seat (that he had picked out himself) and he even buckled himself into it!  He had come with Poppa and I to the store on Saturday afternoon to find a car seat so Curtis could ride in Poppa's truck - but when he saw the car seats, he wanted this one for himself and agreed to let Curtis have his old one.  He liked this one - it sits up a little higher and he could see outside even better than he could in the old one.  He looks comfy.  Once we had them all buckled and strapped we headed into town for breakfast at MacDonald's.   Both little boys ate their food up nicely, so....

.... we let them loose in the playground for a long time.  It kept them busy and happy and all we had to do was watch - and occasionally rescue Curtie from some predicament he had gotten himself into and couldn't get out.  They seemed to have a good time and by the time we bundled them back into the truck they were quite willing to sit quietly on the way home.  As it turned out Mommy and Daddy followed us into the driveway.  They wanted to get home and while both little boys were tired seemed a good time for the drive, so....

... Mommy and I packed their little suitcases, put on their jackets and their sunglasses and soon we were waving goodbye to our little boys as they drove away.  See you soon boys!
     A couple of sidebars.........

.... this is our little niece - Trinity.  You'll remember her modelling her pink fuzzy hat in a previous post.  She had an unfortunate incident at a recent ballet class and broke her leg in two places below the knee.  This poor little girl is just four years old and will be on bed-rest for a whole month.  Granny is there taking good care of her and I know she'll be fine, but we feel so bad for this captivating little lady... Nanna & Poppa love you Trin!
     And.... yes I have been knitting and reading since we returned from Florida....

.... but I'll save that for another blog.

Busy Boys!

Last Friday Mommy, Daddy, Munchie and Curtie came to our house for Easter dinner and a visit.  We had a little visit and before long everyone was tucked into bed.  Saturday was spent chasing little boys and preparing the dinner.  Aunt Peggy came out to partake of turkey, mashed potatoes and accompaniments with us - and I was way too busy to take any pictures!  Just take my word for it - the meal was good and everyone enjoyed the visit.  Sunday after breakfast (which was quite late), Mommy and Daddy left - Mommy had a surprise for Daddy!  She had booked a night at Horseshoe Resort for the two of them to have some together time without the little boys.....

..... this is the room they had.  Meanwhile, this meant we had the little boys all to ourselves to spoil and play with!  Honestly, the minute their parents left, these two little boys sprouted wings and haloes!  They were both soooo good.  The first thing on their list was to unpack all the toys in those big drawers that Poppa had made.  Munchie got started...

....... and then convinced Poppa......

....that it was time to play together.  While they played.......

..... Little Curtie checked  the drawer to see what his big brother had missed.  In a few minutes.....

.... they were all playing together - Munchie was trying valiantly to pick up Poppa - but he wasn't quite strong enough yet.  After some play time, we stopped for a snack.....

......... aren't they cute?  After supper it was time..........

.... for a bath - and then to bed!  Good Night little ones.

Family Matters

     Poppa and I were babysitting on the weekend and as usual our little men kept us quite busy...... but more on that later.  First an update on Gramma Grace.  Over the last few months she had been experiencing significant pain in her upper abdomen.  Unfortunately she also seems to be suffering from significant memory issues.  This seemed to result in numerous calls to Aunt Cecile, resulting in many hours spent at the ER where often Gramma Grace would seem to forget that she had been in pain.  When this situation escalated into visits to the ER every couple of days - after endless tests - some surgery was done to remove an intestinal blockage which could be causing the extreme discomfort.  She recovered very well - but the same symptoms exhibited themselves again promptly when she returned home.  Again extensive testing was done and no cause for the pain could be found.  It was determined that she should stay at a local retirement facility for a period of time so that help would be readily available.   Although there were a couple of recurrences, and another prescription was added to her daily ritual, she has now been symptom free for about three weeks.  Since I had developed a nasty cold shortly after returning to Canada's chilly climate, I had not been to see her until more recently.  When the cold had mostly cleared up.......

...... Taffy and I went to visit her.  She looks healthier than when I last saw her, and seems comfortable there, albeit she is wishing she was at home and doesn't seem to understand exactly why she is there.  We met.........

.... Aunt Cecile there and had a nice visit.  Hopefully Gramma Grace will continue to recover well.  Thank you to all those who have sent well-wishes.
    Next blog will be about our visit with Munchie and Curtie............!

Quick Update

     Hi!  Sorry for the long delay between posts!  We have been quite busy, but nothing has been very noteworthy.  I realized that I did not get any pictures of our little boys when we were visiting on our journey home from Florida!  Oh Dear!  We were so busy with them, that I didn't even have time to take the camera out of the case.  We took them to the playground and brought them home shortly before Mommy arrived home from work.  She had supper ready in the slow-cooker. It was some yummy beefy concoction and we all enjoyed it.  After supper the boys went outside with Daddy and Poppa to play with some bubble solution we had brought home for them, while Mommy and I cleaned up.  Then we were back in the car to head home.  A couple of hours later we arrived - too tired to even unpack the car.  We had no snow at all and it had been a mild day.
     The good news is - I have Easter pictures that Mommy sent me.  We decided to have our Easter celebration late so we could get unpacked, go through three months of mail and phone messages, check to see when the various appointments started for Poppa, Aunt Peggy and Great-Gramma, not to mention get the fridges running and get some groceries, turn on the hot water tank and gather up the income tax information.  But, Mommy and Daddy had Easter on Easter Sunday and luckily sent me lots of cute pictures!

I'm not sure what happened here...but I think both little fellows were startled when they realized that a big Easter Bunny actually snuck in while they were sleeping - and their hair stood straight up!  Soon .....

...Munchie remembered and hugged his little brother to reassure him that everything would be all right...they should.....

... go hunting for Easter eggs!  Little Curtie caught on quite quickly and started filling his basket.

And Munchie did the same - and discovered a wonderful present - the bunny had brought him his very own suitcase for visiting Poppa and Nanna (and Gramma too of course!).  It didn't take very long....

.....until Little Curtie found his own suitcase too!  Both little boys kept hunting and soon....

...Munchie had a basket full of eggs - and each one was stuffed with something yummy or fun!  I just have to bring your attention to his socks......he loves socks and just can't bring himself to leave one of his favourites in the drawer - so puts on one of each - and thinks it is so funny!

And even though he'd had to bend and stretch to collect enough - Curtie had his basket full of those exciting eggs too!  You will notice that Curtie doesn't have socks on at all - just his little bare feet.  After collecting all the eggs......

.... Curtie sat down to sample some of the goodies....

.... and it looks like Munchie enjoyed some of them too.  I laugh at this picture - I remember when he was born, Mommy was a little worried because the doctor mentioned that Munchie might be slightly tongue-tied - I think he's just fine in that regard now!  There was only one thing left to do.....

.... Curtie wasn't at all sure that he wanted to be an Easter bunny when he grows up.  So....

... Munchie thought maybe he should consider that career.  But, he decided that the headband pinched a little, so........

.... it was decided that the tall guy with the money in his wallet and a knack for sneaking into houses should take on that job!  Congratulations Daddy - you are the official Easter Bunny at your house!

We're Home In Canada

Yes, we are back at home.  On Friday, March 30th we relocated from the villa to the Baymont Inn on Hwy. 192 in Kissimmee.  We stayed there for two nights.

Taffy settled in right away.  It was quite comfortable - with a fridge & microwave and tiny sink in the corner - you can see Poppa on the left if you look carefully - and pillowtop mattresses.  When we stepped out the door.....

....we looked down on the pool.  On Saturday we went for lunch at Downtown Disney with the owners of our villa.  I didn't get any pictures there, but I think everyone enjoyed the lunch - in spite of the teeming rain.  After three and a half months with about three days of rain - that happened to be the day it finally came.  When we were done eating our lunch at Cooke's - an Irish fish and chip restaurant - we went back to the villa for a piece of Easter cake.

This is Claire - she is sixteen now and prettier than ever.  Pardon the flash reflection in the photo - what was I thinking?  This....

....is her brother Robert.  This kid is such fun - always cheerful.  He is much taller than last year and is fifteen already!  Both these children are friendly and polite and a pleasure to be around.  Perhaps....

......that is because their parents are so nice!  Here is Poppa with David and Allison.  We had a lovely visit with them and were there far longer than we had anticipated!  Thank you to them for the use of their villa (which we call "ours") and for their hospitality on that Saturday before we set out for the long journey home!

Early on Sunday morning, we checked out and jammed our ovenight bags into the car, grabbed the bears and settled in for a long drive.  Due to the unusually mild weather this winter in all of the eastern states and Canada, Poppa decided it would be safe to travel up the center route to Niagara Falls as we did last year.  So we drove through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and stopped for the night in West Virginia.  This time it was a Super 8 hotel.  There is not a lot of choice in that neck of the woods, so we took what was available.  It was clean and quiet - just what we needed.....

..........Poppa had a long day of driving, and this time he snuggled on the bed with the bears to watch some TV before turning in.  I should mention that the temperature was still 75F when we arrived there.  Next day - another day of driving.......to reach our intended destination of Niagara Falls, Ont., Canada!  We found our Days' Inn.....

........and they gave us the same room as we've had the two years prior!  It is the corner room on the fourth floor and if you look closely.........

....... you can see him waving!   So  we settled in for our last night on the road.........

In the morning we were quite pleased to go and get coffee......

....... at this place - and we realized we really were back in Canada.  And, the temperature reflected that too!  It was only about 39F in Ontario!  Yikes.  We got out our long pants, but didn't walk around very much - too chilly!  After breakfast at Timmie's we went back to the hotel room....

.......and found Squeegie and Taffy all packed, dressed and ready to go.  Next destination - Munchie and Curtie's house.