Thanksgiving Day

Before breakfast, Gabe was playing with the Matchbox cars and made "garages" for them between the stair spindles! Clever kid!

We had pancakes with real maple syrup, sausage, and all the trimmings for our Thanksgiving Day breakfast.

It took a couple of hours to pack up everything and get it all in the van again. They brought an amazing amount of stuff and managed to fit is all very well into the van with extra hamburger box on top.

Kien asked me three times during their stay why Karin died! He also asked me why some people are bigger than others, so we talked about God making people in all sizes, shapes, and colors. Cathi said he is being ridiculed by kids his age for being so tiny. Today he asked me why Karin is "Mama Karin." I explained that he was just a baby when he lived with her, and babies learn to say mama before saying mommy. What a memory he has! The last time I saw him in May, he noted my aging, sagging skin on my elbows and asked what was wrong with my elbow. I told him it is "old skin." This time, he told me, "I have old skin on my elbows"!!!! LOL Not quite!


Brandy made an interesting observation today. She said that grandmothers with dogs, grandmothers with cats, and grandmothers with no pets have different characteristics. Grandmothers with dogs are lively and energetic. Grandmothers with cats are laid back. And grandmothers with no pets are just grandmothers. I am glad I am in the lively and energetic category!

Jeremy continues to be a bit of a daredevil. He was jumping around our stone walls and over the stairs. Then he threatened to do a backflip off the boulders behind our driveway. Thankfully, it was only talk and not action!

The boys were ready to go with their paper trucks from Montana's yesterday.


On their way. . .

The house was VERY quiet and lonely after they left at 1pm.

CN Tower

Kien having breakfast.

Grampa arrived this morning to ride with us downtown to see the CN Tower. We parked under the Canada Lands offices.


It is such a treat to have VIP service and not wait in line or even pay the enormous charges for a trip of the Tower.

We rode to the restaurant level, then up to the observation deck looking down on the new EdgeWalk platform on top of the restaurant.



We stood on the glass floor and had our picture taken! Greg is afraid of heights, so walking on the glass floor was NOT something he wanted to do. We told him to only look up. The photographer encouraged him and offered to hold his hand. Greg said, "I am not touching you!"
Mid-afternoon, we stopped at Montana's in Mississauga on our way home. We had a fabulous lunch with a super attentive waiter who gave us extra things including paper cars for the little boys.

Greg's family arrives

Greg, Cathi, and four kids left Texas on Friday night, drove to Omaha, then Chicago, then to my house in Canada, arriving very late Monday night.

Tuesday morning, everyone liked Grandma's homemade banana oatmeal chocolate chip muffins. Kien and Gabe especially liked picking the chocolate chips out!

Jeremy had to keep Guinness from eating his!

Guinness demanding Brandy's attention.


Grandma had toys and books out of the little ones.

Karin & Greg's old FP farm was a hit!

Gabe did a clever thing! Something I have not seen any child do! He placed a FP person ON each of his fingers as if they were puppets!!!


The boys liked Grandma's piano too!


Plus Grandma bought a Lightening McQueen ride-on car for them.

Gabe is transfixed with Lightening McQueen and Mader. He has multiples of them in different sizes and needs to be carrying at all times!

Greg wanted to show Niagara Falls to the kids, as who knows when, if ever, they will be back here to see it! We left late afternoon in the rain.

Note the Lightening McQueen in Gabe's hand!


It was nightfall by the time we arrived in the drizzling rain. They saw the falls with colored lights on them. I'm not sure the little ones realized the majesty of the falls in the lights, as, to me, the falls looked like a movie!

We had dinner at Swiss Chalet at Greg's request. Gabe is eating his ice cream.