I blame myself entirely -- I let him out to fly a bit while I was reading to the girls one evening -- forgetting in the excitement of the book that Jessie was at our feet. (Meet Jessie, a super friendly Golden Retriever belonging to Maurice & Christine, 
Jewel, being his usual friendly self, flew onto Jessie's head, & you can guess what happened. Very sad. At least Jessie spat him right out but she hadn't "retrieved" Jewel quite gently enough, & the poor bird died the next morning. It was a lesson for me, to just be more careful in general & think a bit more before I do things. Life is very fragile, really. how often do I not do things in a hurry, or drive in a bit of a rush to get somewhere... accidents happen so easily & I have to be more careful -- "full of care." 
We did enjoy having Jessie around, though. The daily walks, the doggie love... :) Daniel used to scream when she tried to befriend him at his cousins' house, but now he loves her, pets her, & brushes her, etc. Jessie is a very good dog, doesn't jump or bark (much) -- but I am glad I don't have to clean up the yard anymore. :) 
And how do you like our new bird? :) That was fast, hey? 
Wow! Am I ever thankful for this gorgeous kitchen! Now Ralph "just" has to install the sink, dishwasher, microwave/range hood, & floor. (the floor won't be till next month) As you can see, there are a few doors missing -- they should come in a month or so. Even a brand new kitchen isn't perfect! :)
My hard-workin' hubby moved the drain, plus other jobs.
cheerful servers!
...it was hard to believe it was a gym! beautiful!
Tim & Charlene were great MCs!
Everyone enjoyed getting to know Dan & Joyce better
Finally, the getaway...
Congratulations again, Dan & Joyce, and the Lord's richest blessings upon you as you establish a Christian home together!
A beach scene might seem an odd way to start up a renovations update, but it was just one of the many ways Mom helped us out this summer -- taking the kids to the beach on three separate days! My dear Mom is ever cooking up new ways to be helpful! :) 
...and this bouquet of flowers, picked & arranged by Mom B., is placed here as a big thank you to Dad & Mom & Marguerite (since I lack recent pictures of them) who have all helped so much this summer, especially with babysitting our kids... THANKS!
Going back a couple weeks... Tim & Charlene came to help for a day during Ralph's holidays ! It was great fun having these lovebirds around. :) They got a lot of painting done... thanks so much, guys!
little Tim & big Tim :)
Hey, don't these three look alike? :)
Bethany helps by generally being a good baby!
The picture below is a reminder of all the work Ralph has done that is truly behind the scenes, or in this case, behind & under the wall -- moving the cold air return, the central vac pipe, the thermostat, a few outlets, light switches -- all because we took out that one little wall! But it was totally worth it!
removing the living room carpet
How do you like the new look? great colour hey?
patching the ceiling... didn't turn out perfect, 
Matt came for a day as well, & helped pull out the kitchen floor, besides other things -- Thanks again, Matt!
and thanks to Mr. V. as well, who helped Ralph with some of the electrical work that day.
Our girls have helped too in so many ways too, taking care of Bethany, peeling wallpaper, scrubbing walls, etc.
The boys have, shall we say, tried to help... well, Timmy was able to help Ralph quite a bit in a variety of ways, but I'm not so sure about our youngest son!
Damian & Margarita were a big help last Friday (here Damian is cutting the laminate), & so was Louise on Thursday, though I have no picture of her that day. I will, next post!
What a difference it makes to have the floor pretty much done & the walls all painted! But before the new kitchen is installed on Monday, Ralph & Steve (yes, he'll be around this weekend -- fun!) will remove the base cabinets & move the drain this Saturday. Always lots to do! :)
(Doesn't Bethany look like Andrew, too!)
