Of our two girls, Adelaine is the one most interested in babies and dolls. I think we would need to tie a truck around Ethan's neck to get Ellie to notice him. I think it will take a bit more work to get photos of Ellie with her baby brother.
Labels: Adelaine, Ellie, Ethan
Great portraits tell a story about the subject. [not suggesting these are great portraits..]
This photo could suggest "civil unrest" as two rough and ready rioters prepare to throw stones at an authority figure (me!), or maybe just "out for a walk".
This may invoke the idea of "innocence". But anyone who really knows a three year old knows better.
The story here could be, "sisterhood is great", "good friends", or "perfect kids". Yeah, that's nice.
The story here could be... "the truth".
More pics of the munchkins: www.flickr.com/photos/johnstonekids/_____________________________________________
This photo could suggest "civil unrest" as two rough and ready rioters prepare to throw stones at an authority figure (me!), or maybe just "out for a walk".
This may invoke the idea of "innocence". But anyone who really knows a three year old knows better.
The story here could be, "sisterhood is great", "good friends", or "perfect kids". Yeah, that's nice.
The story here could be... "the truth".
More pics of the munchkins: www.flickr.com/photos/johnstonekids/
Labels: Adelaine, Ellie, Photography
After starring in many movies, Ellie has now moved into a new position behind the camera. In her directorial debut, Ellie works on her cinematography style with hyper-realistic camera shake, fast panning, and unique, random camera angles.
In describing the movie, producer Troy Johnstone said "It is truly amazing.. its almost as if there was a three year old working the camera!"
_____________________________________________
In describing the movie, producer Troy Johnstone said "It is truly amazing.. its almost as if there was a three year old working the camera!"
Labels: Ellie
Awhile ago we took the family up to Wetaskiwin to pick strawberries at Stevens Strawberries.
It is a family owned strawberry u-pick.. and Naomi happens to be part of that extended family. So it was a berry picking family reunion kind of day. The kids were there helping pick berries (more like, helping themselves to berries..), along with uncles, aunts, and grandparents. Afterward we had a big BBQ and some good times visiting with family we don't see very often.
Ellie "helping" grandma
Adelaine "helping" mommy.
Ellie performs The Strawberry Dance of Happiness.
Ellie and her red prize.
Anticipation
Enjoying the fruit of our labour.
______
So, after all the fun of picking and the BBQ was over, it was time for work....
_____________________________________________
It is a family owned strawberry u-pick.. and Naomi happens to be part of that extended family. So it was a berry picking family reunion kind of day. The kids were there helping pick berries (more like, helping themselves to berries..), along with uncles, aunts, and grandparents. Afterward we had a big BBQ and some good times visiting with family we don't see very often.
Ellie "helping" grandma
Adelaine "helping" mommy.
Ellie performs The Strawberry Dance of Happiness.
Ellie and her red prize.
Anticipation
Enjoying the fruit of our labour.
______
So, after all the fun of picking and the BBQ was over, it was time for work....
Since moving out to the country a few weeks ago we have been been trying to spend lots of time outside with the kids. A few times it has been hot enough to break out the hose to cool off.
Ellie really enjoys water and likes getting soaked. Adelaine is more interested in playing with the hose itself. Every once in awhile Ellie would pick up the hose, and then watch out! She doesn't really intend to get you wet, but she turns around quickly to tell you about what she is doing and sprays you. Gotta watch the camera..
Adelaine in their little play house.
We have also tried to get to the parks regularly. Adelaine loves the slides (slide is one of the growing number of words she has) while Ellie likes to get to the top and then chickens out. They both enjoy the swings quite a bit too.
In fact, all of us enjoy the park.
They do also spend quite a bit of time inside too. Adelaine has discovered the phone and likes reciting animal noises that she knows to anybody who will listen.
And Ellie, well, she's Ellie.
More photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnstonekids/
Ellie is facinated with my beard (this is Troy, by the way). She likes rubbing it and pulling on it. However, she does not like it when I rub her neck with it. Someone mentioned to her that she once had a milk mustache, which she quickly extrapolated into a whole beard. This is easier to create if you are intentionally messy to leave as much milk as possible on your face to create a beard (or "beart" as she calls it.) like daddy. So.. after every cup of milk she excitedly exclaims "I have a milk beart!" then giggles like a little nut.
Adelaine is our little cuddler. She is the expert hugger of the family, giving them frequently and for long periods with her head on your shoulder.
Unca Dew (Uncle Andrew) recently had a birthday and the nieces were on hand to help make it a memorable event.
This one is titled "Mischief Incarnate". I think it is a self-explanatory title.
Adelaine has figured out where her nose and mouth are. So if you ask, she will show you by squeezing her nose or usually opening her mouth wide. This time she covered it.
Ellie, our little tomboy, will bravely get up to the top of a slide then chicken out and not go down it.
Adelaine, our little girly girl, will push by her, and almost dive down any slide, regardless of size.
I guess having your tongue out increases the sensation of speed. After watching Adelaine go down about five times, Ellie figures it is safe and will give it a try.
A sign of things to come.. Ellie, part of the ipod generation. She asked to listen to her "train music" and "Larry Songs" (Silly Songs with Larry).
Back at home with the family means its time to put up some new pictures.
Rain rain, go away...
Adelaine and Ellie looking out at the sandbox in the rain.
Bunny and Bear are Adelaine's constant companions. She picks them up whenever you take her from her crib and she can often be seen walking around chewing on their noses or happily hugging them.
Our new dishwasher:
Ellie 'helped' mommy make cookies and then licked the beater 'clean'.
Adelaine with the sunhat_____________________________________________
Rain rain, go away...
Adelaine and Ellie looking out at the sandbox in the rain.
Bunny and Bear are Adelaine's constant companions. She picks them up whenever you take her from her crib and she can often be seen walking around chewing on their noses or happily hugging them.
Our new dishwasher:
Ellie 'helped' mommy make cookies and then licked the beater 'clean'.
Adelaine with the sunhat
Troy left for 2 1/2 weeks on a trip to the UK with GoodSeed yesterday - our sixth anniversary. I find myself at home with Ellie and Adelaine and a large void named Troy.
Ellie said something so sweet a couple weeks ago that I thought would be appropriate to share with you now. Troy had just left for work and Ellie looked over at me and very seriously said, "Daddy is a good man. He takes good care of his girls." I don't know what brought that on, but she couldn't have said truer words. I want to share with you a few ways that I've seen Troy "take care of his girls" as he prepared for this trip.
In the all the rush and busyness of preparing for this trip, not to mention that the two weeks leading up to his departure were extremely hectic in and of themselves, Troy did his best to try to spend quality time with us. I have always appreciated so much how he loves to get down on the floor and play with the girls and their trains or dolls or to wrestle and tickle them. The girls thrive on his attention and are both adoring "daddy's girls."
Troy stayed up late one night to make some audio recordings of him reading Ellie's favourite story books, so that she can listen to him read them while he's away. Mommy can't read "The Cat in the Hat" or "The Shaggy Dog and the Terrible Itch" quite the same way that daddy can.
If you haven't noticed, I don't write on this blog very often - actually, pretty much never. But with Troy leaving for a while and desiring to be able to share pictures and special incidences with him, I asked him to show me how to do it. With all his geek knowledge, of course he has to go about it in such a complicated way to get it just right. So he typed up 5 pages of instructions for me, complete with screen captures, and saved it where I can access it easily. He is thoughtful that way.
He also researched before he went what internet connections he'll have, set up Skype so we can talk while we're apart, written up a detailed itinerary with phone numbers, addresses and contacts "just in case."
He has been so excited to go on this trip, and I am excited for him, but we sure do miss him while he's away!
Your girls love you, Troy! Be safe and hurry home!_____________________________________________
Ellie said something so sweet a couple weeks ago that I thought would be appropriate to share with you now. Troy had just left for work and Ellie looked over at me and very seriously said, "Daddy is a good man. He takes good care of his girls." I don't know what brought that on, but she couldn't have said truer words. I want to share with you a few ways that I've seen Troy "take care of his girls" as he prepared for this trip.
In the all the rush and busyness of preparing for this trip, not to mention that the two weeks leading up to his departure were extremely hectic in and of themselves, Troy did his best to try to spend quality time with us. I have always appreciated so much how he loves to get down on the floor and play with the girls and their trains or dolls or to wrestle and tickle them. The girls thrive on his attention and are both adoring "daddy's girls."
Troy stayed up late one night to make some audio recordings of him reading Ellie's favourite story books, so that she can listen to him read them while he's away. Mommy can't read "The Cat in the Hat" or "The Shaggy Dog and the Terrible Itch" quite the same way that daddy can.
If you haven't noticed, I don't write on this blog very often - actually, pretty much never. But with Troy leaving for a while and desiring to be able to share pictures and special incidences with him, I asked him to show me how to do it. With all his geek knowledge, of course he has to go about it in such a complicated way to get it just right. So he typed up 5 pages of instructions for me, complete with screen captures, and saved it where I can access it easily. He is thoughtful that way.
He also researched before he went what internet connections he'll have, set up Skype so we can talk while we're apart, written up a detailed itinerary with phone numbers, addresses and contacts "just in case."
He has been so excited to go on this trip, and I am excited for him, but we sure do miss him while he's away!
Your girls love you, Troy! Be safe and hurry home!
Ellie offers helpful advice to the neighbourhood.
Recorded March 5.. back when it was a whole lot warmer than now._____________________________________________
Recorded March 5.. back when it was a whole lot warmer than now.
Labels: Ellie
Miss Mischief strikes again. Ellie sometimes doesn't doesn't stay in her bed when she is put down for her naps. The other day she decided to reorganize (or de-organize) her room. Somehow she had gotten the step stool from the kitchen which allows her to get into things that are normally out of reach. She emptied a couple drawers in her room..
..into her fishtank!
I had never actually seen how much water two diapers can absorb. Trust me, it is a lot. Other things in the tank were:
So, maybe it wasn't a good idea to have a tank in her room. I figured something like this would happen sometime, I just didn't think she would get that much in there! We made her sit on a chair and watch while the tank was cleaned and some of her books and toys were thrown out. She then had to help pick up everything else that she had gotten out.
Somehow, the single guppy in the tank survived all this.
The clean up is still going on.. the next morning the fish food still in the gravel had made the tank very cloudy, so much so that it was hard to see if the fish was alive.
So, hopefully she has learned her lesson about messing with the fish tank. And I have learned to keep my big tank safely out of reach._____________________________________________
..into her fishtank!
I had never actually seen how much water two diapers can absorb. Trust me, it is a lot. Other things in the tank were:
- baby wipes
- lego blocks
- three socks
- stockings
- a car from the train set
- brush and comb
- two teething toys
- three small stuffed animals
- two books
- plastic shovel
- a bottle of Vicks oil for a humidifier
- the rest of the fish food
So, maybe it wasn't a good idea to have a tank in her room. I figured something like this would happen sometime, I just didn't think she would get that much in there! We made her sit on a chair and watch while the tank was cleaned and some of her books and toys were thrown out. She then had to help pick up everything else that she had gotten out.
Somehow, the single guppy in the tank survived all this.
The clean up is still going on.. the next morning the fish food still in the gravel had made the tank very cloudy, so much so that it was hard to see if the fish was alive.
So, hopefully she has learned her lesson about messing with the fish tank. And I have learned to keep my big tank safely out of reach.
Labels: Ellie
Naomi left me home with the girls one Saturday.. so I was at Ellie's mercy when she asked to put on her "pretty dress". So she pranced about the house all morning, including the potty training sessions. It was too much for this photography junkie to resist.
She will never forgive me when she is older..
One of the big bribes was that if she did a poopie (sorry for the cutsie parent code words) she would get to have one of her favorite things.. french fries at McD's. Soo... A few days later..
Big Moments in Life is brought to you by Parents of Young Kids Inc. and the letter B._____________________________________________
She will never forgive me when she is older..
One of the big bribes was that if she did a poopie (sorry for the cutsie parent code words) she would get to have one of her favorite things.. french fries at McD's. Soo... A few days later..
Big Moments in Life is brought to you by Parents of Young Kids Inc. and the letter B.
Labels: Ellie
Last week our little Ellie turned three years old. As with most parents, we are amazed at how quickly her third birthday has come and how much our little baby is growing up. Three years of giving us something to laugh about, to wonder about as she learns more each day, to be amazed as she puts ideas together, to take joy in this little gift from God.
Unfortunately our family was still recovering from the flu on Ellie's birthday, so the party was a rather quiet event. That doesn't mean that Ellie wasn't spoiled by many toys however.. She fully understands what birthdays are about. For days we were asking her about the special day coming up. She would answer that it was going to be her birthday. When asked about what happens on birthdays she would respond with an enthusiastic "Presents!"
We let Ellie open one present earlier in the day to keep her occupied as she was still feeling a bit sick. She got to open a Thomas the Train set, which has been her constant companion ever since.. Yes, my daughter still loves trains and tractors. Thomas is currently the favorite show to watch and now the favorite toy. Thankfully she received two trains, so when I get her up in the morning or come home from work she tells me I can come play with Duck the train while she plays with Thomas. If it wasn't for Duck, I would have to sit idly by and watch her play.
After supper we had some birthday cupcakes and opened the rest of the presents.
Despite some of us still feeling the ill effects of the flu, we had a good day with Ellie. We are so thankful to God for the past three years with her and look forward to getting to know this little girl more in the years to come.
We have a few more photos of the big day up at: www.flickr.com/photos/johnstonekids/_____________________________________________
Unfortunately our family was still recovering from the flu on Ellie's birthday, so the party was a rather quiet event. That doesn't mean that Ellie wasn't spoiled by many toys however.. She fully understands what birthdays are about. For days we were asking her about the special day coming up. She would answer that it was going to be her birthday. When asked about what happens on birthdays she would respond with an enthusiastic "Presents!"
We let Ellie open one present earlier in the day to keep her occupied as she was still feeling a bit sick. She got to open a Thomas the Train set, which has been her constant companion ever since.. Yes, my daughter still loves trains and tractors. Thomas is currently the favorite show to watch and now the favorite toy. Thankfully she received two trains, so when I get her up in the morning or come home from work she tells me I can come play with Duck the train while she plays with Thomas. If it wasn't for Duck, I would have to sit idly by and watch her play.
After supper we had some birthday cupcakes and opened the rest of the presents.
Despite some of us still feeling the ill effects of the flu, we had a good day with Ellie. We are so thankful to God for the past three years with her and look forward to getting to know this little girl more in the years to come.
We have a few more photos of the big day up at: www.flickr.com/photos/johnstonekids/
Labels: Ellie
The current toy of the day is a carboard box. It is used to transport previous toys-of-the-day, hide in, drive like a car or airplane, be a mini Noah's Ark, or even a slightly over-sized helmet.
I should maybe cut eye holes as Ellie often bumps into thing as she parades around giggling with the box over her head.
Anyway, more pics up on our kids flickr
We had submitted another photo of Ellie to a magazine photo contest. Once again, we received a runner up prize!
We have also uploaded a ton of new photos of the kids. Check them out at www.flickr.com/photos/johnstonekids
_____________________________________________
We have also uploaded a ton of new photos of the kids. Check them out at www.flickr.com/photos/johnstonekids
"I think the mountains are pretty, not you." - Ellie talking to mommy while looking at dad's pictures of mountains. Ellie said that the mountains are pretty and mommy asked if the mountains are pretty like her.
"No, I'm not smart. I'm Ellie." - Apparently correcting her dad after he told her that she is smart.
"Thank you Jesus for something." - Ellie when asked if she would like to thank Jesus for something after evening prayers.
"The dinosaur smells good." - I really have no idea where that one came from..
"Please daddy, don't sing. Don't Sing." - Ellie showing remarkably good taste at a young age.
"No, my name is Ellie Ellie Ellie." - When asked if her full name was Ellie Johnstone.
"What is happening in the world, daddy?" - Upon seeing her dad reading the newspaper.
"The house is going round and round." - Ellie after spinning around for a few minutes
"The sun is brushing it's teeth." - After watching the sun set, with the understanding that it is going to bed
(my new camera can take photos at different intervals. this series is one photo every 5 seconds during lunch. lots of silliness going on, but not much eating. click for larger view)_____________________________________________
"No, I'm not smart. I'm Ellie." - Apparently correcting her dad after he told her that she is smart.
"Thank you Jesus for something." - Ellie when asked if she would like to thank Jesus for something after evening prayers.
"The dinosaur smells good." - I really have no idea where that one came from..
"Please daddy, don't sing. Don't Sing." - Ellie showing remarkably good taste at a young age.
"No, my name is Ellie Ellie Ellie." - When asked if her full name was Ellie Johnstone.
"What is happening in the world, daddy?" - Upon seeing her dad reading the newspaper.
"The house is going round and round." - Ellie after spinning around for a few minutes
"The sun is brushing it's teeth." - After watching the sun set, with the understanding that it is going to bed
(my new camera can take photos at different intervals. this series is one photo every 5 seconds during lunch. lots of silliness going on, but not much eating. click for larger view)
Labels: Ellie
Sunrise Christmas morning and the girls were up and getting ready for the busy day!
Ellie was very excited for Christmas. For a few days beforehand we would ask her what day was coming up and she would answer "presents!" We told her that that wasn't what the day was called, and then would ask what Christmas was all about and she would then answer "Jesus is born."
Ellie hugging presents on Christmas Eve.. materialism starts early
After the men cooked a mean breakfast, the kids opened their stockings to keep them out of trouble while we prepared for the rest of the day.
We then read the Christmas story and Ellie helped place the pieces for the Nativity set.
She made her own addition with her My Little Pony that she got in her stocking.
Adelaine helped Uncle "Dew" play some Christmas songs on his guitar. Her fingering needs help.
After this we got into the business of tearing paper. Ellie was only too happy to rip stuff open..
while Adelaine needed a bit more help. She was more interested in tasting the paper strewn about the floor than opening up presents.
This was definitely a girlie Christmas for Ellie. No trucks, tractors or toy snakes.. instead she got dolls, a doll house, a toy kitchen, frilly dress shoes, and so on. Both girls got lots of books and other things to keep them busy!
I received a GPS unit from my wife and family.
Now I can keep track of where important things are.. like where we parked the van and exactly where the chip isle is in the local grocery store. Never get lost again!
After a few hours more family started to arrive. We were able to get some wonderful photos of the girls happily sitting with Great Grandma.
After a huge meal we all relaxed with family and reflected on the blessings God has sent our way, the most important one being the birth of Jesus Christ, our whole reason for celebrating this time of year. I hope you had a great Christmas too.
During supper the other night Ellie wanted to know what the little red bottle was. I told her that it is tabasco sauce and Ellie immediately wanted some.
I put one little drop on the edge of my plate and told Ellie to put her finger in it, which she did. She liked it and three times came back for more..
..and then it hit her.
_____________________________________________
I put one little drop on the edge of my plate and told Ellie to put her finger in it, which she did. She liked it and three times came back for more..
..and then it hit her.
Labels: Ellie
This weekend we took the girls to see the Christmas parade in town. It was a nice, small town parade with lots of local people involved in the rides and contributing to the festive spirit. It was also the night for the lighting of the trees in the park downtown.
Santa made his customary appearance at the end of the parade, after which everyone was encouraged to head over to the Cow Palace for some free hotdogs, popcorn and entertainment.
While the Cow Palace is a great indoor venue located close to the route taken by the parade, the bovine odor inside was not conducive to making me hungry for the supplied hot dogs.. but I digress. Inside there was face painting, balloon animals and crafts for the kids. There was also some entertainment by a clown and some singing of children's Christmas songs..
..none of which enthused Ellie with the Christmas spirit. That's my girl! Bah humbug to the core.
Ellie's friend Evan was there too and they had a great time with our glow sticks, which Joe and I were kind enough to share with the kids.
There was a very nice choral piece of Christmas music. Following that was a solo by a young fellow singing Felice Navidad.
Also for our entertainment, the Divine Dancers stopped by for a performance at the Cow Palace.
Joe didn't know what to think of the Town Crier as he announced the grand finale..
.. which included a confetti cannon! Cannons are always good.
With that we headed home for more fun with the glow sticks..
which eventually made it into the bathtub! Glow sticks are cool.
All in all it was a fun night out with the family in the (mostly) fresh air._____________________________________________
Santa made his customary appearance at the end of the parade, after which everyone was encouraged to head over to the Cow Palace for some free hotdogs, popcorn and entertainment.
While the Cow Palace is a great indoor venue located close to the route taken by the parade, the bovine odor inside was not conducive to making me hungry for the supplied hot dogs.. but I digress. Inside there was face painting, balloon animals and crafts for the kids. There was also some entertainment by a clown and some singing of children's Christmas songs..
..none of which enthused Ellie with the Christmas spirit. That's my girl! Bah humbug to the core.
Ellie's friend Evan was there too and they had a great time with our glow sticks, which Joe and I were kind enough to share with the kids.
There was a very nice choral piece of Christmas music. Following that was a solo by a young fellow singing Felice Navidad.
Also for our entertainment, the Divine Dancers stopped by for a performance at the Cow Palace.
Joe didn't know what to think of the Town Crier as he announced the grand finale..
.. which included a confetti cannon! Cannons are always good.
With that we headed home for more fun with the glow sticks..
which eventually made it into the bathtub! Glow sticks are cool.
All in all it was a fun night out with the family in the (mostly) fresh air.
Labels: Adelaine, Ellie, ramblings
Awhile ago we mentioned that we had won a camera for a childrens photo contest. Well, it finally arrived and we are enjoying our new Lumix FX10 camera.
It is a nice little camera that will be good to have around the house for snapshots and short videos of the kids. As a point-and-shoot it has the inherent problems of red-eye, shutter lag and some other quirks, but it's small size and ease of use will be nice. It is hard to stick an SLR camera in your pocket for a family outing..
So here are some samples from the new camera:
Chocolate Face
"Its cold, daddy, its cold!"
Awkward sleeping position.. Adelaine is folded in half and sucking her thumb.
See more new photos at www.flickr.com/photos/johnstonekids_____________________________________________
It is a nice little camera that will be good to have around the house for snapshots and short videos of the kids. As a point-and-shoot it has the inherent problems of red-eye, shutter lag and some other quirks, but it's small size and ease of use will be nice. It is hard to stick an SLR camera in your pocket for a family outing..
So here are some samples from the new camera:
Chocolate Face
"Its cold, daddy, its cold!"
Awkward sleeping position.. Adelaine is folded in half and sucking her thumb.
See more new photos at www.flickr.com/photos/johnstonekids
Ellie likes to look at the Moon and if we are outside while the Moon is visible she gets very excited and points it out to us. She recently got her first look through one of daddy's telescopes at an almost full moon.
This is what we saw. I took this by holding my Nikon D-70 up to the eyepiece of the telescope. Not an ideal way for sure.. but for a very bright object like the moon it can work.
A couple months ago Naomi entered a photo into a magazine's photo contest. She was told the photo had been selected for the short list but we never heard anything else until yesterday. We won the second runner up! A new Lumix digital camera is supposedly on our way.
So here it is.. our award winning photo: The Bubble Bearded Lady
The contest was for bath time photos, and the picture of Ellie trying to lick the soap off her face was one of the winners. Silly girl.
www.ohbabymagazine.com/runnersup.htm
(our picture will probably only be on this page a few weeks until the next contest is over)_____________________________________________
So here it is.. our award winning photo: The Bubble Bearded Lady
The contest was for bath time photos, and the picture of Ellie trying to lick the soap off her face was one of the winners. Silly girl.
www.ohbabymagazine.com/runnersup.htm
(our picture will probably only be on this page a few weeks until the next contest is over)
Labels: Ellie
I uploaded some new pictures of my silly girls to http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnstonekids/
I also uploaded some new photos of a praying mantis I found the other night to my other flickr account.
_____________________________________________
I also uploaded some new photos of a praying mantis I found the other night to my other flickr account.
Labels: Adelaine, Ellie, Photography
Ellie still loves air planes and continually talks about flying. She is always pointing out real or imaginary planes in the sky. I carry her and she puts out her arms like wings as we race around the house and experience engine problems, resulting in a big crash on the bed. If she climbs up and stands on top of anything (a chair, rock, book..) she invariably says "I up so high like an airpaane."
(click the images for a larger version)
This morning she got to go up in one of her beloved airplanes. Ellie and I went flying to get some aerial photos of the Word of Life campus. Debbie came along to help with Ellie, and Dennis was our pilot.
We spent about an hour flying over the campus and the city of Owen Sound. We had clear and steady skies and the sun was still low in the east.
I went flying with Dennis five years ago to do the same thing.. the campus has definitely changed in that time! New pathways, basketball court, remodeling of one of the office buildings, new beach volley-ball court, and a bunch of stuff you can't really see in the photos.
(the campus five years ago)
Ellie seemed to really enjoy the experience of being in a small airplane. She has probably flown 8 or 10 times already in her short life, but this was the first time in a small plane.
Ellie, Troy, and Dennis
Thanks for the great flight Dennis!
_____________________________________________
(click the images for a larger version)
This morning she got to go up in one of her beloved airplanes. Ellie and I went flying to get some aerial photos of the Word of Life campus. Debbie came along to help with Ellie, and Dennis was our pilot.
We spent about an hour flying over the campus and the city of Owen Sound. We had clear and steady skies and the sun was still low in the east.
I went flying with Dennis five years ago to do the same thing.. the campus has definitely changed in that time! New pathways, basketball court, remodeling of one of the office buildings, new beach volley-ball court, and a bunch of stuff you can't really see in the photos.
(the campus five years ago)
Ellie seemed to really enjoy the experience of being in a small airplane. She has probably flown 8 or 10 times already in her short life, but this was the first time in a small plane.
Ellie, Troy, and Dennis
Thanks for the great flight Dennis!
Labels: Ellie, Photography
This Water Gun Warrior is a dangerous one.
Brandishing her weapon she has no fear of being shot or who may be hit in a crossfire, and has been known to shoot indiscriminately at civilians in supposedly safe zones.. brazenly uncaring about collateral damage.
A determined adversary, she laughs at incoming fire, shooting back only if she wants to, sometimes refusing even to defend herself!
The Water Gun Warrior rarely retreats, preferring instead to stand her ground until her adversaries run out of ammunition.
She will mercilessly follow her own "wet earth" policy.. soaking anything that stands in her way.
Her unpredictability is legendary.. You must always be prepared for a sudden counter attack.
So vicious and water-thirsty is this gun totting toddler, she has even been known to turn the gun on herself.
If you see the Water Gun Warrior, consider her armed and dangerous. And get an umbrella._____________________________________________
Brandishing her weapon she has no fear of being shot or who may be hit in a crossfire, and has been known to shoot indiscriminately at civilians in supposedly safe zones.. brazenly uncaring about collateral damage.
A determined adversary, she laughs at incoming fire, shooting back only if she wants to, sometimes refusing even to defend herself!
The Water Gun Warrior rarely retreats, preferring instead to stand her ground until her adversaries run out of ammunition.
She will mercilessly follow her own "wet earth" policy.. soaking anything that stands in her way.
Her unpredictability is legendary.. You must always be prepared for a sudden counter attack.
So vicious and water-thirsty is this gun totting toddler, she has even been known to turn the gun on herself.
If you see the Water Gun Warrior, consider her armed and dangerous. And get an umbrella.
Labels: Ellie
We wanted to take Ellie to a very special park while we were back in Sackville. It is a park dedicated to a man who would have loved Ellie had they ever had a chance to meet.. Unfortunately they never did, having missed each other on this earth by about four years. Nonetheless, we took Ellie to a place named for her grandfather, the Bill Johnstone Memorial Park.
The park is a kids play area located in downtown Sackville, New Brunswick, and features many kids rides, swings, and two play sets.
The plaque reads:
The park is a kids play area located in downtown Sackville, New Brunswick, and features many kids rides, swings, and two play sets.
The plaque reads:
The Bill Johnstone Memorial Park
Bill Johnstone
January 30, 1949 - January 14, 2001