Boys of Summer

Don't Let the Bears Eat You

Should I be concerned?  My beloved first born is setting off into the wilderness mountains for four days with his Outdoor Rec class.

Why this would appeal to anyone is beyond my understanding.  He was so excited!  Is this really my child?

My parting words were: 'Be safe and don't let the bears eat you'.

Can't wait to see him again on Saturday!

Dump

A few weeks ago we had the most intense dump of rain we've had in a while.  The skies opened up and it rained HARD for a good while.  It was good for the lawns and trees....

 ....but not so good for my boy who was riding home from work on his bike.  Absolutely soaked to the skin!

In Obedience

We were very thrilled when Nathan told us that he wanted to get baptized this spring. 

We never had mentioned it or put any pressure on him to do it because we wanted him to be completely on his own making this decision.  It's an important one!  We had a wonderful day (with beautiful sun to boot) at Cultus Lake celebrating his baptism along with 45 other people.  His mentor and baptizer was Brendan who has been such a blessing.  He and his wife have been a huge part of Nate's life for the past several years.

 

 We had lots of friends and family come out to support him.

 

 Well done Nate!  We are happy about your decision to obey God and publically declare it!

 

 

 

ACT ~ That's A Wrap!

 Well, we had a pretty good fan base for the final performance with A.C.T!  We really appreciated all the support from friends and family.

 My parents, Uncle Andrew and their friends, Bill & Ella.

 The renowned 'Miss Smiff'.

 Our international contingent, Daisy and William.  Oh and 'hi' Keith!

 Auntie Tracy, Heather (aka Miss Smiff) and 'the mom'!

 Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Murray.

 And Auntie Tracy even brought her mom, Lynne.

 The show was great and Chad did a bang up job with the lead role of Aladdin.  What a lot of lines he memorized!  How many people get their school principal coming out to support them?  Nice!

 Daisy needed a shot with the star.

 Chad's bride...the princess.  Very nice choice for your first proposal, Chad!

 So proud of my two self-confident and self-assured boys.  They definitely did not inherit any of these qualities from moi!

 The whole cast...such terrific kids!

 Liam loved the show and was really into it.  Sadly, he faded fast after the curtain closed due to after affects from a booster shot the day before.  Ugh....poor guy.

I won a raffle basket this year!  Yippee!  It was packed with all sorts of baking equipment which was really appreciated as I rarely treat myself to new items. 

 

The following photos are not mine.  These were posted photos that one could order but we just took pictures of them.  I guess that's sort of cheating....yikes.

 

 

 

 

And now we move onto a new chapter in our lives.  Saturdays without waking up to get to rehearsal at 8:45 am.  Oh what bliss.  What joy!  What freedom!  The boys still have the acting bug...look for them in school productions in the near future.

Celebrations

Celebrating '16' came bright and early as Nathan was super keen to get his learner's lisence straight away!  He did brilliantly on the test and we were out of there before a blink of an eye.  

 In the evening we had the family over for a gourmet meal (by request) of ribs, scalloped potatoes, salad and garlic bread.  The meal ended with a most decadently delicious Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake!

 Liam does his very hardest to remain the centre of attention...always!

Our growing family.  Next month it's Chad and Keith's turn to get a little older!

 Keith and Murray attempted the birthday bumps.  It's a big awkward with a heavy teen that's over six feet tall!

 The next night we took one of Nate's buddies (actually the only friend left in town that was NOT away on vacation!) and him out to Richmond to satisfy some need for speed at an indoor go kart track.

 I didn't race....someone had to take pictures!

 They had a great time...huge smiles when they were finished!

 Keith did win out for the final results.  I guess having some 'real' driving experience is an asset!

16 Years in a Blink of an Eye

My first born.

The baby that expanded my heart.  

The son that realigned every goal, dream and aspiration.

The child that has made me so very proud!

He is 16 years old today.

My heart hurts...in a good way!  

The Christmas Carol

We wrapped another successful ACT production of 'The Christmas Carol' over the weekend.  Thrilled for BOTH my boys as they were in their element.  This was Chad's debut performance with ACT and he did very well.  Proud mama here!

Gorgeous head shots!

The ghosts of Jacob Marley, Christmas past, present and future really gave a fright so we had to go and show Liam there was nothing to be scared of.  He was able to see that there was a friendly teenage girl under the grim reaper costume instead of something sinister.

Nate was a superb Bob Crachit and Tiny Tim was so cute.

Liam was proud of his big brothers!

Jacob Marley did almost TOO good of a job being a scary ghost.  Yikes...well done!

Time for a wee rest and then we prepare for the spring show.  Aladdin!