Happy Birthday Sybil

Sybil attended our Jeopardy Birthday game in October with the surprise pencil sketches of each of our birthday subjects.  She has been waiting for her birthday sketches.  Her birthday was in December.  November brought with it a few (major) issues... like knocking us to our beds for a few weeks with Covid, Patrick's job loss, cold temperatures, Thanksgiving, a small mice infestation, along with regular day to day school, chores..etc... plus ongoing construction.  I didn't manage to celebrate any of the November Birthdays.  

The art night before her birthday we made party hats.

I forgot to get a screen shot of everyone else's awesome party hats.

But I didn't miss the delightful Sybil sketches.

I sent a little questionnaire to Sybil so we could include some trivia with each of the sketches... however... the sketches just came pouring in and we suddenly had more sketches than trivia.

Sybil by Sparky

Sybil's favourite movie is Home Alone.

Sybil by Sarah

Sybil's favourite colour is hot pink and black.

Sybil by Sadie

Sybil by Rhyanna

Sybil's favourite snack is gummies and apples.

Sybil by Nova

Sybil's favourite dessert is ice cream.

Sybil by Marina

Sybil by Jim

Sybil's favourite ice cream flavour is birthday cake ice cream.

Sybil by Grandma Jill

Sybil's favourite subject at school is art. 

Sybil by Grandma Jill

Sybil by Grandma Jill

Sybil's favourite zoo animal is a wild cat.

Sybil by Grandma

Sybil does NOT like cleaning her room.

Sybil by Emerson

Sybil by Eden

Sybil does NOT like rats.

 

Sybil by Eden

Sybil does NOT  have a favourite season.

Sybil by Duncan

Sybil by Channa

Sybil does NOT like mushrooms on her pizza.

Sybil by Caleb

Sybil does NOT like going to bed .. or waking up early.

Sybil by Bailey

Sybil by Ava

Sybil by Ava

Sybil by Ava

Sybil by Whittaker

Sybil by Sarah

Sybil's favourite farm animal is a horse.

Sybil by Audrey

Sybil by Mackenzie

Sybil's favourite song is 

Sybil by Valerie

Sybil's favourite Disney princess is Aurora.

Sybil by Debbie

After our Sybil trivia / bingo game, it was time for Birthday treats and arts and crafts time.  So we all decorated cookies/cupcakes.

Who says you can't have a grand 6 year old birthday party virtually. 

Of course then we also discovered another December Birthday amongst our partiers... 

She is a little older than 6. 

Debbie has been a friend of the family for over 40 years.

So Happy birthday Debbie!

Welcome to the family.

Happy Harvest and No Heat Day

 Good Morning Jim.. 

The high today is 48 degrees... There's still no heat.  I've made pancakes, bacon and eggs for your birthday as requested.  

The boys made a new birthday celebrating hat.  This one stays in place a little better and has compartments on top to carry things so you can be hands free.  Oh and there is a small flag on the back with your name.... 

Oh you discovered the flap when you walked under the light fixture and it took your entire hat off, suspending the hat from the lights.  

Well that was fun.

I can't remember what you requested for your lunch on your birthday, but I spent as much time in the greenhouse as I could because it was warmer in there than in the house.  I brought in the "big" harvest.  Aren't the carrots the cutest?  Since it's your birthday you can have one of the 2 cherry tomatoes if you  like.

I think we'll have a veggie lunch to celebrate the harvest.. your birthday!

For supper you requested pork chops with applesauce and potatoes.  YUM.. So glad you requested a hot meal.  (Since we're all wearing our extra sweaters, fingerless gloves, long underwear AND coats to supper!  We should have given you heat for your birthday instead of all these freezing temperatures. 

Peach-blueberry crumble with homemade ice cream. 

It's as fabulous as it sounds.. Difficult to put candles in though.

Make a wish! 

(I hope you are wishing for heat!)

Thanks for having math candles.. I didn't have a number 7 candle... or 57 single ones.

Caleb's Domination

Caleb likes to pop in from time to time... 

He really likes to pop in unannounced.

As he did for his birthday weekend.

Not knowing he was coming we hadn't much planned... well.. in some ways we had a great deal planned... work on phase 2, go on a Sunday picnic, have mac and cheese on the 27th. (in Caleb's honour.)  

Caleb's unknown and unannounced arrival didn't change much.

He assisted with construction on phase 2.

We still went on our planned picnic, which became more fun than even anticipated and included a dip in the lake.

We still had mac n' cheese but now also had lava cakes!

We also spent our spare minutes and late night hours playing his favourite board game... which he carries around with him when he comes.  (It's only a lot of boxes... not the least bit cumbersome)  Good fun though.  Be even more fun if we could beat him.

Summer Birthdays

 There's a birthday every month from June to September here.  Thankfully we only celebrate with food for those who are actually here!  We're getting full.

Whittaker turned 11.  Emerson provided him with the official birthday hat of the year.  

He requested, fruit salad for breakfast, greek salad for lunch and stuffed peppers for supper with 'wagon wheels' for dessert.  I had to create the wagon wheels since they can't be purchased here but there were no complaints.

 

His birthday was fairly relaxing.  He requested lots of game playing and a movie.  We ordered the game of Dominion, but it arrived a few days later. 

Boring Birthday Sunday

Since we are still out to prove to Whittaker that Sundays are NOT boring.  We planned another picnic.  It also served as a lovely restful outing while Caleb was visiting.  The day before his birthday we called it a birthday outing.  It has been nice to get out and relax since our weeks have been extremely packed with WORK.  The construction is moving along but it's taking every spare minute.  We have also not really explored this place we live much and we know that millions visit here yearly so there must be great appeal.  And there are plenty of visitors even now in the summer of Covid.

It was noon and the weather was beautiful.  We had made our BLT's, and had grapes and watermelon.  We didn't intend to do anymore than find a quiet secluded spot near the lake to enjoy our picnic.  I grabbed a big blanket  in case we found a less than amenable seating area.

Duncan drove us to the lake area and we began looking for a suitable location to park and have our picnic.  We drove... and drove.. We saw lots of delightful locations near the lake, some with picnic tables even.. but they were all in use.  Some were even crowded.  We kept driving.  We came across the camping loops by the lake.  Each campsite had picnic tables so we thought we'd look for one with a view of the lake that was empty.  Easier planned than executed.  We had to explore three different campsite loops before we found our spot.  We had a lake glimpse from a higher vantage than we intended but it worked.  

We picnicked and then cleaned up.  The boys began a bit of exploring and soon we heard delighted cries of 'there's a trail'.  

We began to follow their voices and noticed that there was a private little beach way down below.  We wondered aloud how a person could enjoy such a delightful secluded beach. 

Then we saw...

Just keep following the path that zigzagged all the way down the steep slope and then.. 

SPLASH!

At first I wondered if someone had fallen in.

Not knowing the depth of the water, if there had been a steeper section of slope and they'd slid or who was in the water, I began to hurry along the trail.  I hadn't fully decided if I was going to hike with them or not but after the splashing noises I needed to know that all was well.  Passing the large bush I discovered that it wasn't just one splash.  The water wasn't deep near the shore and the large rock just beckoned to be jumped off of.  

Next I began to think of four wet boys having to hike back up and travel the 45 minutes home again.  Swimming hadn't been part of our intentions.  Then I discovered their cleverness.  Jim was still wearing his p.j. pants under his jeans, so he swam in p.j.'s and the boys proclaimed boxer briefs as acceptable swimming attire.  

Once down we didn't relish the idea of climbing back up so I sat in the shade and enjoyed watching the silliness and impromptu beach time unfold.  

The log poking out of the water that looked like an alligator.

The rocks stacked up like the beginnings of a stone 'snowman'.

Pat and Caleb having fun rock skipping.. and some plain rock splashing tosses.

A frog joined us and the little boys played with him quite a while even after I reminded Emerson that he'd just managed to be rid of his wart.  They all reminded me that he didn't get a wart from holding a frog.  Some canoers paddled by and we watched them.  Some swimming and then time to dress in the willow bush changing rooms.  Emerson didn't get the memo about wearing your pants and carrying the wet underwear, but he just smiled and shrugged his shoulders and started looking for the frog again. 

There were a few 'lovely' rocks found also.

I adamantly insisted that the frogs stayed!  Also, any rocks had to be carried so I strongly discouraged it.  Fortunately Daddy kindly carried the large wishing rock, complete with 5 white rings around it!, up the steep trail back to the car.  

Whittaker asked what are we doing next week??  Can we bring the kayak's back here??  Oh dear.  This week's picnic turned into much more.  

We stopped four times on the way home.  

• First, to take a photo of the enormous dandelion puffs.  (Grandma once asked for photos of everyone blowing them... not sure the significance.  
• Second, (no photo) to investigate a new picnic spot for another time... This one only 5 minutes from our house, secluded, grassy and delightful!
• Third, to photograph the large 'barrel thistle' that Jim has been raving about for the last few weeks.  When Patrick told him they were edible they sampled it.  He's encouraging a rhubarb, strawberry thistle pie....
• Fourth, to enjoy the lovely baby antelope on the road.  

Hot Diggity Birthday

A much anticipated birthday.  We discussed the menu for weeks.  His birthday present was ordered and tucked away almost a month before.  

He kept us apprised of the countdown for two full weeks.  

He woke early and eager to begin the excitement.... Just as it happened eight years earlier.. Sarah was there to greet him!  We were surprised by a birthday visit from Sarah and Boomer!  She arrived in the middle of the night and was eager to come in out of the cold when we awoke.  

They went on an early morning walk, which resulted in Boomer discovering some muddy marshy areas and requiring a bath when the returned.  

We then enjoyed Hot Cocoa and croissants.  

It was followed by games and he opened his gift from Whittaker.  

Whittaker had an idea and worked out in the shed in secrecy for two weeks getting the action figure activity house built.  It was a hit.  

Birthday Biking

Obviously a birthday is a great day for a bike ride... most days are, but especially birthdays.  

You  might think that a bike ride every  few days would get old... but we've managed to try a new route almost each time.  We also discover new things each time... such as... a house made out of straw... a teepee house... a few cute tiny houses... some signs that tell us to slow down and enjoy our time... others that say enjoy the retreat... another says, 'this is where love is'.  We discovered Mary Kay's pink vacation house and some 'golden arches'... no drive through though.... no building either.. just the golden arches in the middle of a field.  We also found tangible goodies, some lupine to transplant, a tall stack of old tires just begging to be used for something... a decoy owl which we were joking we should stop and ask if it was any good at keeping the gophers away... we found two stacks of lumber just waiting to be turned into some fun project... we found some baby goats and plenty of dogs.  we found a few hills and a bridge over the canal, and a lot of good rocks to be gathered..  

Now we joke that we have a full day of errands to send Patrick on with the truck to gather all of our finds.... I still want him to retrieve the lovely doors in the old abandoned stone house..  

Lunch was Fried egg sandwiches with Root Beer floats!  Sarah had a gift of colour changing cups that were instantly put to use with our floats.  

After we ate we played Jenga and apples to apples.  Then Jim and Sarah took a snooze while we went out on the porch to hammer nails as quietly as we could.

It was our Thursday art, String Art Project

Once the hammering was completed, we went inside to wrap the string on our creations.  Such a variety of art.  

Supper had been long anticipated..  He wanted hot dogs and tater tots.  I baked hot dog buns, and Sarah had some fun cream cheese stuffed bagel bites.  

Jim presented Emerson with a delightful birthday party hat.  It was fashioned from a punctured wheel barrow tire tube taped to a record; decorated with colourful streamers.

  

He then opened his gift from Mummy and Daddy and was surprised to find a train track turn table and round house.  After dessert (a fruit pizza with a brownie crust, cream cheese icing sauce and plenty of fruit {DELICIOUS}) and another game of Jenga, with Daddy and Jim this time, he headed off to create a train track throughout the entire living room.  

We enjoyed the day until we couldn't go another minute.  Even bedtime was a party.