Relax .... it's summer!

OK, pretty sad when I need a sign to remind me what I'm supposed to be doing. Instead I'm finding myself cleaning, doing yard work, putting away school stuff and organizing for fall, never ending laundry, you get the idea! 

Ahhhh, red geraniums.

I admit to having mostly American decorations but in my defense, it's hard to find cute Canadian stuff. I love this little angel!

And finally, here's my new summer mantle....

Inspired by the quilt my sister and brother-in-law gave me for Christmas, bought at a quilt show in England - it's bright and cheery!

The Squatters in our Backyard

I've taken pictures each day - they change so rapidly! Will has enjoyed spending time in the backyard observing the comings and goings of papa and mama robin. He's noticed the difference in their appearance and watching them fulfill their jobs of protecting and feeding. We've seen them chase off a seedy looking black bird with ferocity!

I'm not the best photographer but I hoped to capture their daily metamorphose. They started as arguably  unattractive and bald. In the coarse of a day they were peaking over the edge!

We love to watch their little beaks wait for food to be brought to them. Meanwhile, more feathers appear.

They look more like birds now, don't they? Check the latest out ....

It won't be long now. I am praying that we'll be fortunate enough to witness their fledging. This should be the week!! How wonderful this experience has been for all of us. Sure, they don't pay much rent - er, any. And the kids have to postpone some sliding fun on the the play structure for awhile. But how much better can nature study get?

Backing up a bit - Surprise!!

I have some catching up to do - recent news sort of distracted me I guess. 
Will celebrated his 11th birthday last month. My folks drove in for the occasion. I told Will last year that this was the final party I was offering but gave him the choice to forgo a party in lieu of a more expensive LEGO set. He chose the LEGO. I had every intention of staying true to my word and being done with parties after the age of 10 but I couldn't help myself.... I threw him a surprise party! 
It was so much fun and he really was surprised. I had the guests meet in the church basement because it would be easy to lure him there with an excuse. The basement worked great for the birthday activities too! The guests had a blast finding the perfect hiding place and they eagerly awaited the guest of honor's arrival.

The party was a great success! I had hired the "LEGO guy" (as he's known in our area by reputation) to entertain the group. The boys were in LEGO heaven! Even Zanna joined in and had a great time. They played games and put little gadgets together but the ultimate was at the end when they divided into teams and built a NXT robot that sumo wrestled! Too cool! 
Having planned my own themed parties in the past complete with entertainment, I found myself at a loss of what to do other than take pictures. It was lovely. We picked up pizzas and served up a make your own sundae station. The evening flew by! 
During the grandparent's visit it wasn't all about Will - my Dad had some lost time to make up for with Zanna after having been unable to come for her birthday in February. He made special time with her in the form of tea parties. It was pretty cute.

They had it down to a science there at the end of the visit! They easily found where the marshmallows, hot chocolate and cookies are kept. Notice her adoring face?
More activities to post later (we've been busy!). I'll update the status on our little baby birds. And stay tuned for my summer mantle reveal .....

Good News! The Babies are Here!!

I would have preferred this picture to be clearer, but I had a seriously snarky mama robin hollering at me from the fence. The kids discovered this new development this afternoon!!
Update on the patriarch of our family: things are looking much better than they did a week ago. He'll be starting chemo in two weeks but the outlook is positive! We're very grateful for the many prayers and encouragement the family has received.