Happy Birthday, Tehya and Paeton

 Is this the little girl I carried?

Is this the little boy at play?

I don't remember growing olderWhen, did, they?

When did she get to be a beauty?

When did he grow to be so tall?

Wasn't it yesterday when they, were, small?

Sunrise, sunset, Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

Sunrise, sunset, Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly fly the years

One season following another

Laden with happiness and tears.

This is what I had to think of,

dear Tehya and Paeton,

the years have flown by 

and you have grown into 

beautiful young adults.

We are so proud of you!

Sending love and hugs across the big wide ocean

that has not been able to separate the making of memories.

Happy 17th and 15th Birthday to you this week.

Love, Papa and Grammy

♡♡♡

Airshow Weekend

Where we live, we don't have much choice hearing about the Abbotsford Airshow.

It takes place every year on the second weekend of August.

 Well aware of the practice going on before the actual events ...

loud, whether we like it or not ... we may as well embrace it.

Our kids' earliest memories of it are likely about watching it from our rooftop,

or (more sadly) as Ben insists, that he had to take a nap

while the girls got to go on the roof.

 This year friends invited us, along with more friends,

to watch the opening performances from the hangar where he

parks his little plane. 

This was front row seating from the lawn beside the tarmac.

I loved the snowbird parade before they took off.

 And there they go!

 At a certain angle, they showed only white ...

with Mt. Baker in the background, they fit the name.

 Dinner was brought together potluck style ...

a picnic of farmer sausage, KFC, salads, veggies, watermelon and chips.

 Lovella treated the whole gang to Rollkuchen. 

 Richard and Dorothy are the friends who run Sweet Dreams B&B in town.

They know how to do hospitality.

If the invitation was not enough, they also handed out bags of candy for the kids.

I think some of them will remember that as a highlight in their first memories of the airshow.

 There were numerous acrobatic type performances

that no one would want to be in.

This military transport plane loomed huge on the tarmac, compared to other planes.

 It flew low and slow right side up and came down again.

With darkness came a beautiful display of hornets flying in synchronized formation.

Seeing only lights, they looked like they were one ...

forming an illusion of a spaceship.

The night ended with fireworks.

Today it's drizzling.

Haven't heard or seen much from home.

Welcome August

I think August is just about my favorite month ...

mostly assured of sunshine 

and drawn out days of freedom before schedules begin once again.

Sunday afternoon found us taking the stroller with Jack, a picnic basket

and three sisters on scooters down to the park where I walk.

I had a final photo shoot to repeat before the leaves turn color.

So, if you think you have seen this scene before,

you are partly right ...

Looking back on my blog I found this in  2016

And this in 2014

I'm thinking that you may find this collage on my wall someday ...

memories of a special season.

♡♡♡

Home Sweet Home

One doesn't usually take a photo of the back of the house,

but on this particular morning, the way the sun played with the shadows,

I wanted to remember this setting that has evolved over the past three decades.

It was 32 years ago that we moved into this house ...

I was not yet 30 years old 

and this big tree was as skinny as my arm.

Once you begin to think back ...

memories tumble out ...

the best of which include friends or family.

 I never would have dreamed I'd grow this old here

but I wouldn't have chosen any other way.

♡♡♡

An Updated Season

 It's been so much fun to relive some long ago memories 

in this rumbling vintage car.

Although ...

I can't  even imagine what I would have thought about this when we were 16 and 21 ...

when dreams began to blossom and

the road of life ahead was full of possibilities!

Seattle Tourists

 We had this weekend planned before we knew 

that our Indonesia family would be coming this summer. 

If we had known, we'd have planned differently,

but it was a great one-nighter that felt like a holiday.

It has become tradition, when we drive somewhere caravan style,

we meet for coffee and feel the excitement of getting going. 

 The little ones could not quite decide if this elevator ride to the 13th floor 

was terrific or terrifying. 

 But for sure the pool was wonderful! 

 Jack is learning to swim.

 The babies in their respective families

have a special connection too. 

The second day we headed to the T-Mobile Park 

where we also met up with our office staff and families.

 For some reason it was "sit on Papa and Mimi's laps" day! 

I did not get pictures of how the cotton candy, ice cream, hot dogs, nachos and drinks

were the most important thing ...

I guess I did not even get pictures of the game

or the guy that decided to jump the fence and cause a big commotion.

But it was all good, except that "our team" (as the kids called it) lost. 

At the end of the game, all the kids were given a chance to run the bases.

And that was a win!