New Benjamin!!

I have taken lots of pictures in the past few weeks and thought a few new of Ben for those of you who haven't seen him for a long time would be in order. We have been in Calgary for a few days for a funeral and then back to Coaldale for another funeral just in the past week. We did have the opportunity to spend time with family and that was a special treat. This first picture is of Benjamin and his cousin Julie playing in Grandpa's shop. They are having lots of fun together already. They were bouncing on this grate and it was making lots of noise. Julie is only a year and a half older than Ben and they are having fun together.
This is Ben and his cousin Nathan. They again are only 6 months apart but already are little stinkers. They are actually having a bath with Julie but for her sake I cut her out of the pic. This was actually very funny. The boys were splashing like crazy and Julie was trying to get away and telling them to stop. They will be two interesting young boys as they get older.
This picture was just too cute not to put on. He is such a pleasure to be dad to. He smiles and laughs and goofs off all the time. Ben is a very pleasant little guy and is only getting to be more fun.
Well, have a great week and enjoy the pictures.

md

My Brothers!!

So I am not sure if any of you know these two boys or find them at all familiar but they are two boys that I consider brothers. The only reason it would be difficult to call us brothers is because we don't have the same parents but thats a mere formality. I just thought these two pics would be kinda of funny since these guys are always considered to be soooo smart, don't get me wrong these two guys know a tonne of stuff. I just happen to catch them with their guards down and not being as serious as they usually are. They aren't maybe the nerds we think they are. Just because Ryan is in Masters studies at Regent and Gil just started a library doesn't mean anything. HAHA!!
Anyway, I love these guys and they really are like brothers to me. I appreciate you both and look forward to lots more good times together.

md

Bonnie's Flowers!!

Hello again. I thought I would post a few pics of Bonnie's flowers. She is so proud of her garden and her pots and all that good stuff. Just yesterday she finished planting all of her pots so there shall be updates and pics on the progress of the plants soon. This is Ben posing with Bonnies tulips. They really are beautiful and have added some cool colors to the garden. Ben generally is good with not going into the garden but who can resist all those picking opportunities.
The last picture is Ben and I wrestling on the lawn. I was just sitting around and he thought it time to"Take a Shot at the Title!" He doesn't put up much of a fight yet. I taught him the figure four leg lock and a round house kick the other day so he can fight off the neighbor kids.
Well, thats it for now. We are off to see the in-laws and all the family for a funeral this weekend. Gil and Shelley and the girls as well as Stacy and Jerry and Craig and Jannelle and their kids will be around. Will be good to see everyone. Have a great weekend all.

md

Fence Building Family!!

So this past weekend Grandpa came down and enjoyed some time with his daughter and grandson building a fence for us. Bonnie and Benjamin and the father in law built a piece of our fence to keep the little man in. He loved the saw and the screws laying around all over the place.

As you notice I am not in any of the pics and that is because I never helped and have been made aware of that a few times by Bonnie. This was something her and her dad did and not me. Oh well I assume I will have my time to build fence. For those of you that are worrying and questioning our parenthood with our son crawling on the chop saw, we gave him a lesson on how to use it and some safety tips. He didn't listen at the "Don't put your feet under the blade" part but, whatever, he lived. We actually unplugged the saw so safety was taken care of.
The next pic is Ben carring a level. He takes after his Opa Dyck's heart. Maybe one day he can go into buisness with you!! This was a very warm day here and the little turkey ran around all afternoon and never got burned. He just has little tan lines on his arms now. Lucky for him he has his daddy's skin. That's it about the building, after a few days of testing he hasn't been able to get passsed the barrier yet so it's working. Thanks again Grandpa!

md

Friends, Oh Friends!!

So yesterday night, Saturday, we had the pleasure of joining some of our great friends for a special sip[per, it was Char's birtday!! It was a great time. we have some really cool friends but we are not all together very often so when we do it is a special occasion.
This first picture is of all the ladies that were present. I say that because Shelley was missing so we weren't all together. These are some amazing women. They are very loved!!

This second picture is of all the boys. They are some special guys. We have much in common yet we are all very different. I love them as well!!

This was the last time for a feq years that we will all be together. Some are off to BC, some to Europe and others back to Sask. I spent some time thinking about a comment made last night about where we might be in 20 years from now. Brought some exciting thoughts to mind. My prayer is that we will one day spend time togther to enjoy each others company again. Thanks for being such a caring and loving group of friends. You are all very appreciated and loved. May God Bless you and keep you as we all go our seperate directions.

Peace Out
md

More Oma and Opa

"Do you enjoy eating as much as I do?"
Benjamin in his summer attire, conquering the rock pile in the back yard.

The morning ritual - mate with Opa and Oma (Niko is also somewhere close by)

Werner and Barb Visited!!

So here are some pics of Benjamin and his grand parents, my parents, Werner and Barb aka Opa amd Oma. They spent about four days here and it was great. They hadn't seen Ben since January and so needless to say he had changed a little since they saw him last. It was lots of fun for all. Ben was very excited to be held and played with all the time. He really loves his Oma and Opa lots. This picture was of us at Streetside Eatery a restauraunt in Lethbridge. They treated and so Ben was happy to pose with them. It is a treat to get them all looking at the camera and smiling at once. This picture is on Oma and Ben playing in the backyard. It was 27 degrees on Saturday and so we had a bar-b-que outside. It was great fun and Ben loved chasing around with his Oma. She usually catches him now but Ben is getting faster and Oma isn't so I think he will out run her soon. This picture was just before he tripped while being chased and he skinned his knee, thanks to Oma. He didn't seem to mind, any attention is good attention!!
Every morning Oma and Opa sat on the couch and drank Mate, a tea type thing, and Ben visited and sat and ate with them. Opa spent lots of time holding and snuggling Ben. They both have a love for food that keeps them connected.
Thanks again for coming!! We loved our time together. See you this summer sometime.

md