Party People in the House

Isabelle and Logan are officially in party mode as yesterday marked the first of 3 successive weekends of celebratory birthday festivities. Logan-palooza is set for this coming Saturday and Captain Isabelle's Sail of the Seven Seas follows the week after, but yesterday it was party time for their classmate Julia. For each of them, it was their first classmate invite, so a rite of passage of sorts, as many of these sugar-fueled, toddler-crazy, pinata-bashing, cake-devouring adventures are surely in their future. But it was nice to experience the first and they had a great time rocking the house, as did rookie partygoer Oliver! One down, two more big bashes to go! Stay tuned to the blog for the red carpet coverage!

Sizing up for "a big shot", as Isabelle recapped on the way home


Cake frenzy


Party on, dudes!

Happy Ruby Anniversary, Gran & Grandpa!

Congratulations on 40 years of marriage to Gran and Grandpa, a model by which all couples would be well-advised to follow. So much love between the two of them with much more left to share with friends, family, and three awesome grandchildren. Such an occasion could not go unnoticed and despite Garth's cantankerous ramblings throughout the month that nothing seemed to be going on to commemorate the event, his three daughters served him crow pie a la mode as they threw the biggest Ruby Red bash that Bedford has ever seen last Saturday. Weeks upon weeks of planning, emailing, shopping and more preceded this surprise event and it certainly did not disappoint. With live music blaring from the backyard, a signature pomtini drink, ruby red decorations adorning all that the eye can see, and friends and family all on hand, they could not have asked for a better way to honour 40 years together. Topping it all off was the vintage VW van sitting in the driveway. As many of you know, Gran and Grandpa drove across Europe in one of these for a year after their wedding, and being able to arrange for one as the first thing they saw upon arrival was incredible. Really completed the party package. A great time was had by all, especially the little ones. Dressed in ravishing red themselves, they threatened to steal the show from their grandparents but were simply happy enough to test out some drinks, rock out to real live musicians, and of course, be adored by all partygoers. 40 years is quite an accomplishment, Gran and Grandpa, all the best to you as you start your second 40!

I love this picture Meg took. I can't believe it was shot in 2009. The clothes and the porch make it look like something out of the roaring 20s. Absolutely priceless.


The much-anticipated arrival


Friends and family greet the guests of honour


Chilling out by the vintage VW


Grandpa and his favourite grand-daughter


Groupies checking out the band


Testing out the non-alcoholic version of the pomtini


Give me just one sip, Auntie Mer!


Party pals


Mommy's little party dude


Cuddling cousins


Uncle G and Olan kicking back


Ruby red delicious dessert


No one will notice!


40 years of wedded bliss!

BFFs

Olan and Isabelle. Born a month and a day apart. Separated by over a thousand kilometres. Reunited a week ago for the first time since Florida. Bestest pals ever.

Chilling in their I and O Muskoka chairs. Xmas gift from Grandpa and Mer in 2007. Wicked to see them both used again!


Shortly after this picture was taken, Isabelle was dying to show her Mom her casting skills. She casted so vigorously that she tossed herself off the dock and into the lake. She is such a mermaid that it didn't faze her in the least. Amazing.


A couple of clowns at play. Elmo and the princess painting the town red. Is there anything more fun for kids than playing dressup?


Best of friends both in and out of the water. They are always aware of where each other is no matter what the situation. Gotta have your partner in crime close by in case any hijinks need planning!


Olan shows Isabelle the ropes around Sherbrooke Lake. He's an old hand, of course. The cottage has become his second home and he is an eager tour guide to all who visit.


Olan is totally impervious to the Isabelle staredown. Having a snack is one of the best defenses. Lord knows she tries this on her parents, her classmates, and other relatives to varying degrees of success.


Even best pals have arguments from time to time. Here they do a good job of harnessing the road rage during a traffic dispute. Good thing their parents make them wear helmets even at 3 miles an hour!


The dynamic duo check out the living version of that night's dinner. Olan is braver than Isabelle, who felt she still needed to keep her helmet on in case one of the lobsters got loose.


On the way from the zoo to the cottage, the two of them passed out. Isabelle went down first and Olan kept trying to get her to sing a song anyway. We passed him a book so he wouldn't wake her up and he was so exhausted that he just stared at the cover, not turning one page, until he finally succumbed. A rare shot of them in total peace and quiet.


King and Queen taking their royal chariot back to the floating dock with Grandpa manning the paddles. The crowns, the outfits, the lifejackets, the wand. What a classic shot to capture. Nice job, Meg!


What better way to cap off a day at the lake with Smores, the tastiest, messiest treat ever invented? And to share it with a best friend just makes it that much better. Can't wait to see you again, Olan!


Thanks again to Meg, not only for many of the photos, but for Olan himself.

Cottage Life

What is vacation without the opportunity to just kick back and enjoy the outdoors? I dare you to find a better place to do this than the cottage, where clocks are not necessary and rest and relaxation are in abundance. At least as much rest and relaxation as can be found with 9 kids, 7 of which are age 3 or younger. We said rest, not tranquility! We had the perfect weather to enjoy a week up at Grandpa's masterpiece, the "boathouse" on Sherbrooke Lake, and it was all that he likely imagined it would be back when he hammered every nail and turned every screw. A week to beat all others, with loads of time with grandchildren, cousins, aunts, uncles going every which way. Oliver and Isabelle sure enjoyed cottaging it up, with nary a moment of boredom. Sleeping in the loft, gliding on the swing, zipping along the lake in Jaws or the rowboat, mowing down on corn on the cob and Smores....who could blame them? Not a worry in the world, just fun from sunup to sundown, and often well past that as regularly-scheduled bedtimes weren't on on the agenda! Thanks again, Gran and Grandpa, for building a place for us to make the most of a hot summer day.

Once again, some of these great pics courtesy sharpshooter Auntie Meg!

A relaxing chat


Dockside with Dad


Swinging sister


Junior Boys Club: Isaac & Oliver


Peter devours his birthday cupcake


Cutie-pie corn aficionado


Oliver crashes the couch


Sailing the seas


Snacking through storytime


Evening stroll

Star of the Sea

A trip to a nice sandy beach was just what the doctor ordered for all of us, with the added bonus that Isabelle got the chance to display her newly acquired swimming skills! Sherbrooke Lake was the perfect stage, with hot, sunny days and nice shallow water for little ones. Her Gran the ex-swim instructor was floored by her athletic achievements in the lake and was glad to teach even more tricks to an eager student. Isabelle spent hours and hours just playing, practicing and above all, having a blast. She adored her new "Monster" wings and you could sit on the beach all day just watching this neon fish go back and forth. She was thrilled to have her best playmate Olan nearby, many more cousins running about, plus her brother ready to learn the ropes from Big Sis. Ah, beach life!

Many of these photos courtesy of the superstar photographer, Auntie Meg!

Look out Phelps, here comes Isabelle!


Beach beauty


Oliver gets his feet wet


A family swim


Speedo sweetie


Taking a well-deserved break

Back to Reality

I'm sorry. I don't think I heard correctly. Did you say vacation was OVER!?


Much to report in the coming days as we sort through all the photos. Stay tuned for lots of stories about beaches, bashes, and Bill!

Dial 1-800-C-O-T-T-A-G-E

A long time coming but summer vacation has finally arrived! Tomorrow morning we ship off to Halifax for some long-awaited time at Garth's labour of love, the cottage, with nothing on the agenda but sun, sand, sweat and socializing. It will be quiet in the blogosphere as we are cut off from all manner of civilization, with many pictures to take but no internet access to speak of. Look forward to filling every one on the festivities once we return! See you soon!