Emily Turns 11!!!

Well, we were anticipating this Pirate Party , and finally we were all ready to start. Ryan got all gussied up...or down depending on how you see it :) and took on the name Cheese Beard.. His back story was rehearsed and he was set for a room full of girls and 1 small boy to invade the farmhouse kitchen.

One more thing.....Michael decided that Ryan truly needed to live up to his new "handle" and took pleasure in smearing real cheese in his beard...yuck...

Ryan met the girls out at the picnic table and told them his yarn of hitting his head and forgetting where his treasure was hidden..all he had was fragments of a map and a single clue.....

So the girls set about putting the map puzzle together, getting their eye patches decorated , making their spyglasses and once they had transformed into pirates, they started a cannon ball waterfight.

  Teeny Elin all set for the big fight.

        Eva all ready for adventure

The first clue was read, and the treasure hunt was on.

Grammie, Grampie, and Auntie Ange were great spectators!!

Once the girls had gotten down to the last clue, they put on their life jackets and loaded up the boat to head to Treasure Island

Sami found a friend along the way.

          

I was a little nervous of the heavy laden craft, but Ryan skillfully rowed them all safely to the Island

 Birthday Girl got her own vessel for the big adventure!!

   Uncle Shawn hovered in case he was needed...that was one full boat!!

 Once on the island, the crew located the booty and headed back home!!

 Even Bear was dubbed the Pirate Dog for the occasion

 The brave , motley bunch of mini pirates, happy with their find!! The box was one of Ryan's creations from salvaged pallets. We filled it with the treat bags and the kids were happy!!

Meanwhile back at home I was setting up a feast fit for the most food-thirsty avenger of the high seas.

 Emily chose Oreo cheesecake cupcakes for her dessert.

    Now for the gifts!! She was a happy birthday girl , and Ryan and I were anxious for her to open our gift to her... She had been faithfully saving for an i-pod nano and was a few dollars short at her birthday time. Unbeknownst to her, Ryan and I had paid for the rest, had it engraved and ordered it for her. It came the day before we left for vacation....whew!!!!

 She was one happy 11 year old!!! She lost no time loading it with her beloved Odyssey episodes and Gaither music!!  We have been so blessed to have 11 years with our beauty girl. She brings our family so much joy and  we are so thankful for her.

Second Paradise

Last year for Christmas Mom and Dad Skaling gave us their family ,the promise of  a weeks vacation  at Second Paradise Retreat, Second Peninsula all together  the end of August. We had been looking forward to it since then . We all went 2 years ago for a week  together and have always wanted to go back.  With the arrival of the twins in June and Mom's health failing quickly, we knew it would be a very special week all together .

                    Our little family started our weeks vacation by visiting our friends at their church and then went to lunch at their place after. We hadn't had our families together since last summer, so it was fun for the girls to get together.. They have 4 as well!! Bear loved Jodi.

 The girls loved the warm pool!!
 Their oldest Rachel was away ,so in the photo of oldest to youngest, we left a place between Emmy and Elle for her!! The baby was sleeping so didn't make the picture either.

       Somehow they discovered the kiddy pool was several degrees warmer than the big pool,so they camped out there life jackets and all!!

                      Bear enjoyed the wet deck.

                              We finally arrived in Lunenburg N.S. at our vacation house ,which is a beautiful old 6 bedroom farmhouse, set back off the water . We had a dock, beach, boats, walking trails, and crabs to catch galore. When Mom and Dad Skaling arrived, Mom played a game of catch with Elin.

                   Elsie and I went for a stroll to meet a new friend..

              We all quickly fell in love with this brown eyed gent.

                  He loved giving and getting kisses, and he had lots of campany during our week there!!

    Cousins all together again.

 The first morning we woke at the farm house, we woke to having an 11 year old in our family for the first time!! Em got to choose her birthday breakfast and she enjoyed it....

                  So did Eva!

                Can't believe she is 11 already. Crazy how time is flying by.

                  Ryan got to work getting ready for a huge birthday party. Emily wanted a pirate theme due to the private island we had access to that week. She thought a treasure hunt would be fun, so Ryan got an early start getting the clues written out on the paper he had painstakingly stained with tea before we left.

 The girls on the big front porch. We didn't have to worry about them being bored that week. They just visited, explored, and played all day long.

                           Elin ,I and Bear walking down to the water past the Alpaca  and Chicken pens.

                   Ryan took us out on a boat ride, and Bear had his first ride ever. He was as still and quiet as a mouse.

                      This is princess Tulula-Belle who is Ryan's sister -in-law Angela's 4th child. Tulula-Belle was not impressed with bumbling,big,clumsy Bear.

                      Little Ezra watching the water fun from the dock.

                   Ryan, I and the girls arrived on the Island and were doing some exploring.

                 Even Grammie had a ride down to the dock to watch her "grandbabies" playing on the water.

                        Bear took advantage of her shade and got a nap.

                 Emily loved being out on the water.

  Eva and 12 year old Cousin Carly.

   Even Elle manned her own craft, much to my chagrin ...and Ryan's firmness with me!....she is so tiny and slight, but once she got it figured out she made it to the Island and back. This mothering business is hard, knowing when to protect,and when to let go . I err on the side of caution and Ryan is good for me.'
     So our first morning was over and the party was next!!!!.....