Family Photo Day!!!

August 2, 2010. Natal Day. Also known as family picture day, dun dun dunnnnn.

We all wanted to have a great ocean view in the background, which meant a bit of a hike to a good location.

It takes a few minutes to get a crowd this big under control.

I won't lie, there were tears, there were meltdowns. There were sunglasses. We were all staring directly into the sun so there was serious squinting. But we all said "cheeeeeese" when we were supposed to, and that's all that matters.

Doug Jr. branch of the clan MacIntyre.

Grandma, Grandpa and the grandchildren.

Scott's motley crew.

Doug and Judy, looking gorgeous!

Doug and Judy and their wonderful children.

Another great shot of Doug and Judy and children.

I know, I know, you'd think a woman my age would be more mature.

The Girlz.

The Boyz. (Except Jared, who had to leave early to go to work.)

Kerri, Josh, Ava and Riley. You have no idea the work that went into getting this shot. Gold stars for everyone!!

Another great shot of Doug and Judy. These two can't take a bad picture!

Our Shannon, looking beautiful. (She was wearing a fabulous pair of sandals that day, too.)

Josh trying really hard to be good.

Jeff waiting patiently for the mayhem to be over.

Jason also waiting patiently.

Justin, 2 legit 2 quit.

Sarah lost in thought.

Sarah and Ava.

Justin and Riley, the fast and the furious. You guess which is which.

Sunday afternoon at the Look-Off and the Dingle Tower

Sunday afternoon after church (the day after the big party) we went for a hike at the Look-off and a walk at the Dingle. I ate a lot of cake the night before, and two walks were necessary. Jason and I are reminiscing about how I used to bring him to the Look-off to run off some steam. Nothing like jumping from rock to rock to help a four year old regain his equilibrium. It really was a beautiful day. Jeff really was enjoying the whole jumping from rock to rock thing.

Josh has no idea how cute he is. That is a good thing.

We actually climbed all the way up to the monument. It was really humid that day, and everyone was hot and sticky by the time we got to the top. The view was amazing!

Here's Scott with his two girls. At least Sarah is looking cute. I just look hot, and not the good kind of hot!

Doug and Judy, enjoying the sea breezes.

Josh found a really great rock, which is now sitting on his dresser. He thinks there may be a fossil in it.

Now we're at the Dingle park, which is not the real name of the Dingle park. It's the Sir Sanford Fleming park, or something like that. But everyone just calls it the Dingle. Justin is lurking in a tree.

The Dingle is a great place for a nice long ramble.

Nice shot of where the rich people live. That one big monstrosity of glass and chrome actually looks like a shopping mall to me.

Justin and Josh enjoying a little stream.

Justin and Josh perched on one of the lions. Who hasn't sat on these guys?

A great shot of the provincial flag from the top of the Dingle Tower. It was a really great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Halifax is a great old town.

The Big Party!!!!

I don't know why, but I don't have a lot of pictures from the actual party. (Actually, I do know why, Kerri, Donna and I were crazy busy!) I digress. Here's a picture of the fabulous {FA-BU-LOUS} cake that Doug and Donna got for the big party. Did I mention the cake was fabulous?? It was. It was fabulous. Sometimes I wake up at night and think about the cake. Sigh. This explains my weigh issues. Doug and Donna actually spent a Saturday morning taste testing cakes for the party. Now that's dedication to the cause. Thanks guys! It was delicious! (I didn't feel right about saying fabulous again.) We took a lot of pictures of Doug and Judy with the cake before we actually let them cut it. In this one we had been trying to get them to share a kiss over the cake, but there was too much background noise and Doug hadn't heard us. Judy had. Right now she is trying to get his attention. She's thinking those things we all think about our dear sweet husbands. Can't you tell? "Dang it, kiss me already, Doug!"

He finally got the message. ("Wuv, twue wuv, that dweam wifin a dweam!" Bonus points for naming the movie.)

Fifty Years for Doug and Judy

As I mentioned in a previous post, the big occasion we planned our NS summer vacation around was the fiftieth wedding anniversary of Scott's parents, Doug and Judy. We love them so much! This is Judy's engagement photo. And this is Doug's engagement photo!

Judy on her wedding day, can't you feel how happy she is?

The happy couple.

Coming down the steps of the church in Herring Cove. I just love this shot!

Ready for their honeymoon!

Here's their family almost fifty years later. We took this picture shortly before we moved back to Alberta about four years ago. Doug and Judy are an inspiration to their children and their families, and we are so grateful to them for all they have sacrificed for us over the years. Congratulations!!

Crystal Crescent Beach - the coldest water in NS

We spent a great afternoon with Grandma, Grandpa and cousin Ava at Crystal Crescent Beach, NS, which is a very beautiful beach with absolutely frigid water. Seriously. We love it, though, it's our beach. Here's Justin being buried by Ava, Sarah and Joshua.

Jeffrey, contemplating the mysteries of the ocean.

Ava sitting pretty. Such a little cutie pie!

Joshua, buried up to his neck.

Should I leave him here? Nah, he's a pretty good kid.