SURPRISE!!

It was time to christen the project with a name.  

It was difficult finding just the right fit.  We tried a few but nothing could quite stick.... until a chat online with Jim about Star Wars and rural living and other un-connected things.  He casually referred to the new building as 'the ole' tin playhouse'. 

The sign was painted and it was official.

And now...  

it was ready to welcome guests. 

The first to arrive were Seattle.

Grandma and Duncan were in the middle of a game of Canasta.  I watched the car pull up, so I casually told Emerson to check if I'd left my shoes out on the porch.  He went to check and there were shocked faces on both sides of the door. 

We enjoyed some games, and wandered a bit.  We prepared for supper when....

These guests were expected.  Just not for two more days... (well I knew... but I knew everything.. all along.)

Another round of hello's.. another tour about and some more games and we called it a night.  

Boys to the Tin House and the girls in the main house.

The next morning... dawned beautiful and bright.  With fourteen for breakfast we started the day early.

The little boys took over entertainment and set up croquet and introduced everyone to the geese and chicks.  There was a soccer ball produced and some took walks, others naps

As lunchtime approached.... 

Caleb arrived... he does pop over frequently.  We were also expecting him... just not everyone knew who he was bringing.

The mighty master.. Jim.

Now we were 16!

We were also no longer quiet, but the air rang with laughter and fun.

It wasn't more than 20 minutes later that Sarah and Boomer arrived.

Sarah completed the Noble family... (well Miles was late getting home from work... but we'd seen him earlier that morning.. and every day leading up to this moment)

What a reunion!

An hysterical and I'm told exhausting game of kickball began.

and then...

...la raison d'etre.

Texas arrived.

So did the tears.

the hugs

the laughter

and the memories...

(not pictured, Miles (on his way home from work...) Nova.. took the photo)

Stone House

When we first looked for a house in Wyoming we came upon a beautiful one.  Patrick and I do not agree.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

I did agree that we could not move in to this one anytime soon.. also it wasn't for sale.

We drive pass it each time we head to town or back home again.  We've ridden our bikes to it, just to visit.

It can not be explained this pull to this house.

When Grandma came to visit, the pull increased.

She immediately saw it and said, 'we need to come back and look at it more closely.'

Is it just that mum's maiden name is Stonehouse and this is a lovely stone house?

Is it because we've both been working on books about our ancestors on the Stonehouse side and we feel inexplicably drawn to anything that connects us?

Is the house just plain awesome?!

The house is abandoned.  I spoke with a nearby neighbour who told us that when they moved in 25 years ago, it looked just as it does now.  

That actually impressed us even more.  

This house is sturdy!.. no leaks.  and such character.

We took a closer look and are even more in love.

And we're not alone in our love of the stone house...

...apparently the 'squatter/tenant/caretaker' living in the basement really likes it also!

He wasn't home when we came to call.

Grandma took to waving at the house and calling out a greeting each time we passed.  Our Great.g.g.g.g. grandfather Henry Stonehouse may have lived in just such a dwelling.... she began saying, 'Good morning Henry', 'Good evening Henry'.  

Now that Grandma has returned home, the boys have begun saying.  "Hi Henry!"

Wyoming Grandma

Adventurous.

4-wheel rides, walks among the waving grasses, cloud watching, moving trucks out of sight, herding chicks and geese... and so much more

Imparting pyro wisdom to another generation.

After adventures and pyro days... exhaustion set in.  An opportunity for Whittaker to practice knot tying skills.

Canadian celebrating.

Poutine without cheese curd or proper gravy.

It was all consumed.

Miles made fabulous onion rings.

Antelope spotting.  I had bragged that we seemed to be in an antelope migratory pathway.  Last year we had dozens of them every day.

We began announcing the sightings... even if it was only one in the distant.  

The joy of watching a newborn through binoculars, we ordered an antelope call and a salt lick to attract them.

We stopped whenever they crossed our paths along the road.

The babies were delightful to watch.

As the end of July arrived and we officially lived here one year... the dozens per day returned.

We also stopped when cows crossed our paths!

In an effort to stay warm... 

Unfortunately it came at a price!

She was named Grandma Palpatine... a reference she did not understand!

Bundled up for a warm day at the beach.  A Wyoming beach.  

After weeks of exhausting projects, it was time to test out the guest house/ annex/ bunkhouse/  rec room??...

Still yet unnamed, it was ready for visitors.  With a set of bunkbeds, 6 hammocks and 2 air mattresses we could house a small army.

Now we just need climate control.  At times it is stuffy and hot and others it's too chilly to get out of the covers.

But it has great fun lighting and games galore.

After weeks of editing and rewriting and fact checking and more editing, the nailbiting work was completed... Now just a few days of learning curve to know how to publish.

The Stonehouse historical book was completed.

Now to finish the Stonehouse historical fiction book.

It was a busy six weeks.  We packed a lot in; projects, activities, outings, visitors... We also enjoyed some very peaceful moments.  

65 years of FUN

Summertime heat forces hordes of children indoors to find amusements.... I've offered chores but receive blank stares and eye rolling...

While some activities entertain for a while, some have stood the test of time.  Grandma's hockey game and the rolling moon have lived on the table for over a week and have been in almost constant play.  Young and old alike took on challengers.

Pros
-works when the power is out
-No batteries to charge
-Amuses players and observers
-Never seems to get old even though there is only one level of play
-No screen to glaze over the eyes

Cons
-small ball is often missing
-Only a two player game... often a dozen people watching
-Increases smack talking
-Fingers get sore after a while (hours)
-Disputes over goal keeping abound
-Disputes over one side being better than another

Who's kidding.... I had to stretch to make them cons.

Tank you Dram ma ma ma

Emerson is so good to keep himself hydrated.  He helps himself to everyone's water bottles. Grandma's is his favourite though.  So when she left it behind, we told him she gave it to him. Every time he reaches for it now, he says, "Tank you, Dram ma ma ma."

Drink up!

Molino de Viento

What fond memories from a vacation of long ago.  Bailey and Caleb have grown a bit since then.

It was the trip of "Molino de Viento's".  That would be the spanish for windmill.  We did a fine job identifying every 'molino de viento' from Victoria, BC, Cananda to Dallas, TX.  

Time heals all

 This post is for Grandma.

It has been exactly one year since this surgery.  You were there.

Today as you go for your eye surgery, Emerson will celebrate his surgical anniversary.  Next year you can celebrate, jumping out of boxes, dressing up and generally running amuck!  ... if that's how you feel like celebrating.

Duncan was asking about Emerson's surgery wanting to know what it was for.  We explained how the intestines were collapsing and it was suffocating the layers underneath and that a section of dead intestines had to be removed along with his appendix.  Duncan's response.  "Now I understand why he poops so much more than anyone else.  His poop doesn't have as much intestine to travel through as everyone else."

Fashion forward

My mother has managed to live through many a fashion trend.  She has survived the dignified hats and glove era, the beehive hair days, the tye dye, bell bottom period, and now sports yoga pants with panache.  Will she make the... I am always cold and love my new crocheted beard to warm my face ....  A fad or the newest trend in practical winter wear. 

Cold feet...

Some people get cold feet about new steps in their lives.   My mother has cold ears when asked to play new board games.   

Well truth be told she is always cold all over, hence multiple layers all over and the hesitation to move from her spot to retrieve more clothing with which to warm herself.  So instead, she warms herself with whatever is close at hand...  As in baby socks for her ears. 

Time will Tell...

Time was quickly approaching.  Fortunately things just fell into place beautifully for Grandma to schedule a trip to Utah for the summer without having to spill the beans.  We all played it cool as cucumbers.  We even took care to keep our online video skype calls shoulders and above.  If she had any inkling of an idea she didn't let on.  She was coming to accomplish all sorts of projects and complete some long awaited genealogy and scanning and sorting and computer woes.  In other words a typical visit with all the same projects, only this time she was staying long enough to do something about them.  I felt a little guilty that our little surprise would take some time away from the plan but we were sure she would adjust and understand.

Her date of arrival was drawing closer and obviously the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  She decided to surprise us with her exact arrival date.  We had an idea of which dates she might come and were checking for any indications that she was on the road, such as no emails for a 24 hour period.  Channa was nervous that the surprise might be more of a shock and didn't want to miss the arrival and reveal.  She also had started in on another round of hounding to be able to drop hints and just generally be a leak. 

Grandma arrived in record time as she often does on her drives and I received a phone call letting me know that her arrival would be imminent if we wanted to all be together.  I placed myself at the table busily working on some mending at the sewing machine as all the kids bombarded her and she came in the house.  Channa texted that she was on her way... WAIT til she gets there she wanted to see the reaction.  I sewed as slowly as I could so I didn't have to get up from the table and the kids gave Grandma a tour of things in the house and generally talked her ear off.  Channa finally arrived and Grandma returned to the area I was tucked away in.  I walked towards her and after only a moment or two, her jaw dropped and her eyes popped out of her head and she remained quite speechless for a few minutes.  Then there were a lot of "Oh my!... Oh My!!"  Everyone was laughing and she was still saying "Oh My!!"  Eventually she moved on to questions like, When? and What? and How did I not know?  Then the nitty gritty...WHY?

We inducted her as the most reluctant member of the club!  She was certain that she would be forever unforgiven by those did not yet know if she didn't leak something of a hint to them.  She spent the next month badgering, pleading and tormenting regarding permission to send a hint. 

The only thing in our favor was that she was COMPLETELY on board with the fact that we didn't know the gender.  She also became very involved in the feud over possible baby names.  With all the excitement of the surprise baby, and  not knowing the gender, the names had been very difficult to decide on and as the weeks, became days.... and even hours... no name was decided on.

The final weeks and days encountered a few more unusual circumstances.  I experienced my first and horrible charlie horse.  The pain was terrible and then the pressure in my leg seemed to remain for the rest of the pregnancy.  At my next appointment a few days later I explained the feeling to the Dr. and he insisted on an ultrasound of my leg to rule out any blood clots.  So I experienced a strange ultrasound of the leg.  No clots, so I was cleared to resume life.  Braxton Hicks contractions were becoming so common that I wondered if I'd know if I ever went into labor.  I was also experiencing so much lower pelvic pressure that I was positive this baby was going to fall out one afternoon on it's own.  I heard from everyone that saw me... from neighbours, Whittaker's school teachers to complete strangers that I was carrying so low, I must be ready to pop!  Of course I had to reply... 'not for a few more weeks.'

Mum and I even thought I was carrying quite low, so we came up with an idea of how to compare to see if it was lower than ususal.... an odd idea.....  I didn't have a lot of photos of me pregnant with my other children but I did know of a photo of me taken a few days before Whittaker was born.  I could recreate the photo and we could do a side by side comparison..... 

Aug. 2009 - Whittaker

June 2012 - New Baby

 Ok.. so not all our ideas were brilliant.  And neither photo is flattering, nor what I envision myself as.

We gave up trying to figure anything out based on the location of my belly or how I was carrying and settled into the month just trying to accomplish as much as possible.  It was still a busy month with flute lessons, science classes, scouts, girl's camp, Caleb's two scout camps and day camps for Miles and Duncan, Whittaker's school, a trip to the Ranch, primary activities, and regular day to day school and chores.  We also squeezed a few hundred hours of genealogy into every spare moment and we tackled more than a few major nesting projects... like the garden shed, the back yard, the storage closets, kitchen cabinet purging, freezer clean out, and the downstairs bathroom remodel... oh and we babysat the Connolly three. If there was any chance that I might go into labor naturally... this month would have done it!

No such luck.

As I sit here this evening with my hospital bag packed and the camera charged ready to check in at the scheduled time tomorrow morning, I reflect on the last months and wonder how it can possibly be here already and at the same time wonder how it took so long to get here!  All the worries over being sure that Whittaker was potty trained and how would he accept a crib being set up where he used to sleep and how is he going to adjust to the new arrival are the past.  We will simply see how things go from here.  Only time will tell how the adjustment will be.... what the gender will be..... if we'll ever decide on a name....

So until the next update ......

Blueprint for Grandma

What more could a Grandma want?
The kids overheard Grandma saying that she just needed a small place to live.  Sarah designed a scale model of an addition for her to live in.  How handy are legos?  I think all architect firms should use lego in their designing departments. 

How to lose 6 weeks

and love it! 

We returned from our trip to Texas and Mississippi and went on yet another adventure, searching this time for the ancestors... instead of the descendants.   The majority of this search is done from home.  Although the opportunity presented itself for us to go to the cemetery in Rawlins, WY... on the way.. hee hee hee... to Evanston from SLC so we could pick up Caleb from a scout camp.  Whittaker loved the freedom to run and meet all the people of the Rawlins Cemetery. 

I remember growing up that we visited plenty of cemeteries searching for other family names.  It seems right that I should pass it on.  Although, I do tend to talk to the headstones a lot.  It might leave an impression on Whittaker's young mind of my sanity... or lack thereof!  When I say 'talk', sometimes I mean, complete conversations, sometimes I am lecturing, sometimes simply pleading with a deceased member of the family to guide me to the information that I need.  I wouldn't continue with such behaviour except... IT WORKS!...  I sat between the graves of Patrick and Kate Byrnes, the great grandparents and told them that I knew who they were and I was so glad to have found them and most of their children and even her parents.  I simply had to know where their other daughter, Pat's grandmother, was, and what had happened to her.  I wanted the family to be reunited but couldn't make it happen without their assisstance... and umm, quickly please.. as it was we were already an hour late for picking up Caleb at camp.  Within just a few minutes of speaking to these individuals, we knew we had to leave and incredibly as we turned to return to the van, we stumbled upon the grave of Esther the daughter we simply coudn't find.  Overjoyed, my first reaction was to snap a photo and then yell out, "Thank you!  Now where is her husband?!" 

We didn't find him until the next day.  A thought came to us during our drive home of a resource that we hadn't tried yet.  Less than 24 hours after I spoke to Esther in the cemetery, we had found her husband amongst others.  

Once we returned home, we essentially lived at the computer, searching census records and old documents to find ancestors connections... eating and sleeping became secondary in importance.  It's such an addictive and rewarding endeavor.  No matter where we were or what else was happening, our minds were whirling with names and dates and the desire to look up another record or find another person.  Reconnecting the families was like doing the most rewarding puzzle ever... only we had to go on a treasure hunt for each piece of the puzzle and we still don't know how many pieces there are in our puzzle. 

Six long weeks, flew past and when we looked up, the summer had vanished and it was time to wrap up the 24 / 7 adventure and back burner it to just cramming it into spare moments.  Our pedigree charted only showed a fraction of the information that we had discovered and all those still blank spaces just keep us chomping at the bit to keep going. 

The kids were tolerant of our obsession.  At times they requested that I teach them how to do genealogy, that way they could do stuff with us.  They lack the stamina at this point, but we encourage the desire! 

Only a Fool

I've been reading a health book and considering taking a cleanse diet for a while.  A few nights ago I was reading and suddenly everyone was asking me questions about it and before we knew it we were all gung ho. 

So the four of us Patrick, Caleb, Grandma and I began the cleanse.  We began at dinnertime on March 31st.  I set up Patrick's meals for the next day at work and he set his phone alarms to remind him when to drink or snack.  And so we began. 

The next day by noon Grandma and I were finding the foods we had to eat a bit blah..  Caleb was complaining that he was really hungry, and Patrick had called us from work three times to double check that he was drinking or eating the correct things at the correct times.  By noon when Patrick called again, he said, "This better not be some elaborate April Fool's joke to make me eat these crazy things all day today!" 

We laughed so hard.  We only wished we had been so clever as to have come up with such an idea. 

As far as how it's going... well...  I wish it had been a joke!  Patrick and Caleb just weighed and measured themselves and they've both lost 6lbs!  What a bonus, it's just supposed to be a great healthy cleanse!  So of course Grandma and I had to go weigh... well... even together we hadn't lost 6 lbs, but we're feeling so much healthier... we think. 

Witchy Women

Raven hair and ruby lips
Sparks fly from her finger tips
Echoed voices in the night
She’s a restless spirit on an endless flight
Wooo hooo witchy woman, see how
High she flies
Woo hoo witchy woman she got
The moon in her eye
She held me spellbound in the night
Dancing shadows and firelight

The Halloween spirit is in the air.  We've been working on Halloween costumes for the four costume parties we're attending this year.  It's almost more exciting to know that we have multiple parties to attend to make the costume making even more worthwhile.  EXCEPT, there are those who feel the need to have a different costume for each event... Oh well... even more fun.  After a busy week and a lot to do on Friday especially, I heard about an event that might be fun for the witches among us.  I didn't tell them until the very last minute since I didn't want to dash their hopes if they didn't get home in time.  Home in time they were though so I told them to dress in warm black attire and to don a witches hat.  We were going to the 'witches night out'!

It was a well attended event.  The witches were certainly out in all their splendor.  The two witches with me were definitely playing the part of the witch... They had witch envy... bad!  

"Oh, I could have really put together a great witches costume if you'd given me more notice." 
"Look at that costume."
"Look at her hat."
"I love that outfit." 
And then.... to top it off... the tutu witches.  Oh I'll never live it down.  Bailey has been making tutu's for another costume and having such fun prancing about in her tutu.  When she saw the tutu witches I was done for. 

I've given as much notice as I can for all future events and have learned NOT to spring a costume party on these witches in the future!  Fortunately, they are forgiving witches and once the costume angst and envy was out of their system we had a delightful witches night out. 

What to wear?

... for Halloween that is.  My mother set the example and set the bar high when it came to Halloween costumes.

With only 23 days left before Halloween, I better get crackin!

Fish and Chips

It was deemed Fish and Chip night!  Hooray!  So we were off to Ford's Cove for some vittles.  Apparently so was everyone else on the island.  So it was a bit of a wait for our group of 9 to get our order filled.  At first we all sat down to wait on a log. 

Waiting began to take its'  toll on some.

Hunger pangs were giving way to exhaustion.  We had spent the whole day at the beach in the hot sun, running and playing all day. 

Grandma was taking it the toughest.  You can just see her thoughts... "I should be doing something productive with my time.  I wonder if there is something in the car to work on... no I took everything out so I would have seats for everyone.  hmm... I should relax and enjoy this time.. I wonder if I should go ask about the order, see if they've started it yet.

The wait was long... well over 40 minutes, but mmmm it was yummy and I managed to find a few photo ops to keep me busy.  Much to my subjects dismay!

Caleb his efforts to look aloof  and not notice me are wasted... I know he really wanted to turn and give me a big cheesy grin!

Dayton sitting on the log by the cove was such a natural shot for him. 

Miles, Whittaker and Sarah were all tolerating the wait at different levels.  Sarah, was too mature for her own good and was waiting patiently.  Miles definitely was needing something to take his mind off of waiting, but Whittaker wasn't aware that this moment was any different than another moment of being cooped up in a stroller and moved from one location to another. 

Once we decided to leave the log, the wait wasn't nearly as difficult to handle.

Bailey had come prepared for a bit of waiting time.  She had swimsuits, towels and juice boxes.  She also knew that the rocks at Ford's Cove could be a lot of fun to play on.

We headed down to find a place to claim as ours out on the rocks.  On the way, Miles found a penny on the ground. Lucky pennies are something my boys love to find.  This one was very dirty.  Miles hoped that meant that it was really old and not just dirty.  He took it to the water to clean it off.

*plop*

Yes.  Waiting no longer consumed his thoughts.  Now much of the wait was spent trying to relocate the lost penny.

Everyone assisted for a bit, but all gave up... except Miles.  He explored the rocks for a bit and played some also, but he returned every few minutes to look one more time for the penny.  Unfortunately he was unsuccessful.  But if you're a treasure hunter.... I know where there's some money out by Ford's Cove!  (Miles is now asking for a metal detector for Christmas so that he can take it to Hornby next year)

Warning:  Picture intensive.  How we entertained ourselves while we waited, and waited, and waited ....


and waited for our food. 

Fortunately, a gorgeous sunset, an exquisite formation of sandstone rocks and the tide coming in provided a natural playground and plenty to occupy an excruciatingly long wait....

 

 

 
The kids leapt, they splashed, they explored, they made new friends, they observed marine life, they sat and absorbed the tranquility, they asked a few times how much longer until the food was ready....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanging with Dayton, navigating the changing pathways as the tide came ever closer, testing new abilities to leap from one rock to another and amazingly no one fell in... although there were a lot of near misses! 

 I loved watching as people came in so many ways to get their take out food.  This one in particular was great.  They kayaked in, she hopped out, placed their order, then she popped into the cove store and grabbed a bag of groceries, she returned to the restaurant window, picked up her order and returned to the kayak with their food.  Once the groceries were stowed, they sat in the kayak, allowing themselves to be swayed by the waves as they enjoyed their meal.  Then they went on their merry way. 

Similarly, sailboats, small yachts, hikers, bikers and even hitchhikers came down to the cove for their meal. 

 Sometimes we needed to take turns babysitting.  Whittaker was strapped into his stroller which was becoming all to familiar to him, but this time it was carried out to an outcropping of rocks not yet covered with the tide.  He was in the thick of the action.  He could see everyone around him hopping on the rocks and having a great time.  It was so fun I'm sure he forgot about being strapped in like a prisoner for once!

So, I snapped a LOT of photographs while we waited for our food.  My subjects were generally cooperative and patient with me.  It was only fair to allow a photo of myself to be taken. 

 I'm sorry... I can't help it...  I am a Supernova after all! 
Once the camera was back in my possession again I assisted those who were preparing to carry the food down to our dinner location.

Miles was fascinated by the boating equipment and how it worked on this boat shaped restaurant.  He determined that the ropes were too short for them to be anything more than decorative. 

Finally... our food was ready.

With such an order, they had waited until they could put our order in all at once so we could all eat together rather than cooking it as they had space in the fryers and some of us eating sooner than others.  Sometimes decisions are made that if given the opportunity to do them differently another time, we would... I think this was one of them.  Two smaller orders would have fed us a lot sooner.  However, we might not have enjoyed such a tranquil and delightful pre-dinner ocean show. 

Regardless, we all (except Duncan), enjoyed our meals.  He decided that cod wasn't his favourite fish.

We were spread out at different 'tables' so to speak, but we all found just the right spot to enjoy our meal.  

Once our meal was completed, the big boys loaded up into Dayton's boat......

and swung by our dinner location to give us a wave before they .....

... sailed off into the sunset!

Day 4 had been another wonderful day!