Asher Turns 11!

Asher' birthday this year was also the last day of school, so his whole class celebrated with pizza, donuts, & going bowling!  You might think that was enough, but Asher was not satisfied that that was enough of a celebration!

After school we let Asher open his presents!

 A card from Grandma & Grandpa!

A new video game (which we have all been enjoying!)

A new book by David Walliams!  The kids love these books, & Asher actually is happy about the gift, he just insisted on not smiling...

Then we headed to Montana's for dinner since Asher wanted to go somewhere that would make a big deal out of his birthday.  Seeing as they put a giant hat with moose antlers on your head while they sing to you, Montana's fit the bill!

Looking forward to a year of 11!

A few days later we had a birthday party at the splash park with some friends from church & school, but we had such a good time we didn't take any photos.  We'll just have to remember the good times instead!

Chancery Turns 8!

Our family's birthday tradition is that the person whose birthday it is gets to pick a restaurant for dinner.  Chancery chose to eat at Boston  Pizza, & it was a nice warm day, so we sat outside.  Boston Pizza is at the corner of 2 fairly busy roads, & once when we were leaving we witnessed an accident in the intersection.  I think the kids pick this restaurant in hopes that it will happen again.  Well, Chancery got her wish.  While we were eating, 2 cars collided trying to beat a light.  Now, Asher & Chancery joked that we should call it the "Car Crash Restaurant"!

 Since the weather was so warm, the kids' ice cream was quite melted, & there is always more ice cream than the kids should have an hour before bedtime, so Chad usually takes one for the team & eats a few bites.  Asher was trying to drink as much of the ice cream as he could before Chad could eat it!

 Chancery was very excited to open her presents, despite the fact that she knew what a few of them were since she had gotten into my present stash a few months before!

She received a few lego sets...

A fairy costume for her stuffies...

 And a David Walliams book which stated that it came with a "Free Owl"!

(she found the owl)!

Double Digits!

Chad's parents came to watch the kids while we were in Paris, & they left on Father's Day, which was a few days before Asher's birthday.  Since we were planning on having a small celebration with them, we got an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen & had been eating it for the past few days.  So, by the time Asher's birthday rolled around, there wasn't much left of the cake which is why there is no cake in the photos!

It's tradition in our family that the person having a birthday gets to pick which restaurant they want to go to for dinner,  Asher got to double up on this since we had the early celebration with Grandpa & Grandma.  He picked the Dublin Crossing Pub since he knows he can walk right up to the bar to ask for refills of his lemonade, to eat with Grandpa & Grandma.  Then on his birthday we let him pick again, & he chose East Side Marios.  I checked to see where the nearest one was, & it's in Cranbrook (800 kms away), so we opted not to go there.  His next choice was Boston Pizza.  Before we left for dinner, he opened his gifts!

Let the games begin!

Every piece of tissue paper must be checked to see if there's something hiding amongst the folds!

"You have combined 3 things I love!  Harry Potter, Lego, & Nintendo!"

I was glad to see that he was so excited about this book.  It's the 4th in the series, & I ordered it before Christmas.  It finally came about 3 weeks before his birthday!

  

Book 4 "Tales of a Sixth Grade Muppet"

Another book by David Walliams.  The kids love these books!

You really can't go wrong with Lego can you?

Happy Birthday to my 10 year old!

Chancery's 7th Birthday!

When Auntie B & I asked Chancery what she'd like for dinner for her birthday she said she'd really like mac & cheese, & hot dogs!

So we decided to do a fire pit since my kids had been asking for one for the past 2 months, but we didn't have one in PEI

I got to sit by Noodle

Asher & Apple enjoyed watching the fire

Then it was present time!  Noodle, Jelly, & Apple gave Chancery a playmobile set

'How to Train Your Dragon 2'

"I've wanted this for so long!"

"A new Dork Diaries Book!"

Chancery had been asking for the past 2 years for a "fuzzy pony".  I knew she wanted a My Little Pony which was fuzzy, but they don't make them anymore, so I put in a call to Grandma V, & she gave me my old fuzzy pony to give to Chancery!

Grandma V also gave Chancery 2 jackets, which she loves!  In fact, she is so excited to wear them that despite 32 degree weather she wore black jeans & her new black jacket!

She had a great day & enjoyed celebrating her birthday with her cousins!

Asher Turns 9! (Part 2)

The second part of Asher's birthday celebration was going to a restaurant of his choice & he asked 2 of his friends from school to join us.  Asher as usual, chose the Pizza Delight Jail!

It was pyjama day at school, so Asher was still in his PJs when we went to supper! 

 He was excited to have his friends join us, & they had a great time together.  Since they all go the French school, but a few of us don't speak French, there was some discussion about which language they should communicate in.

It was decided that since they were Asher's French friends, French would be ok!

One of the boys gave Asher a 'Simon' toy, so we were entertained after dinner while we waited for everyone to finish eating.

Asher Turns 9! (part 1)

Due to a hectic weekend schedule, we celebrated Asher's birthday a little early.

 Asher had asked for an ice cream cake, so Chancery & I went to DQ to pick one out.  I was too late for a good photo of it, but Chancery picked one that looked like a watermelon with some large ants on it.

Asher made a birthday list of things he'd like...

He was quite pleased to have his first 3DS game!

And it's a Mario game!

Grandma got Asher a giant Mad Libs book!

(he's been asking us for ad-JEC-tives all morning long)

Asher likes watching PChad play Zelda, so a Zelda book seemed like a good gift

And the final gift...

"I think this is from Grandma Toots.  She always buys me big Lego!" 

"Happiest picture ever!"

Sunday Pictures

Asher – 8.5 years

Chancery – 6.5 years

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Chancery: “I went to a birthday party yesterday with Daddy!”

 

Asher: “Is that where these balloons are from?”

 

Asher: “I thought they were for Uncle Kurt’s birthday!”

 

Chancery: “No!  It was Uncle Kurt’s birthday yesterday too, but he didn’t turn 90!”

 

Asher: “I guess not.  He didn’t seem that old when we saw him last summer.”

 

Chancery: “Did you remember to tell Uncle Kurt ‘Happy Birthday’?”

 

Asher: “No, I’m not on Facebook yet.”

 

Asher: “…but we can use Mummy’s blog to say it!”

 

“Happy Birthday, Uncle Kurt!”

A Gathering of Generations

The second surprise for my Dad was that we were all going up to Lynden to have breakfast with the extended family.  We had 4 generations represented.  All in all a great turn out!

  In the front, are the cousins, along the right side of the ‘L’ are the parents, & Great Uncles & Aunts, & in the booths in the back are the cousins’ kids.

 

Great Uncle Bill always has good stories!

There are 21 cousins, & 10 of us made it to breakfast (we took this picture after Michael left).  Represented in this picture are Washington, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, & Prince Edward Island!

After breakfast we went to Grandma’s farm, & of course had to swing on the rope in the haymow!

Then we went to visit Grandma.  We had a nice time reminiscing & visiting together.