The Grandchildren

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-24T13:00:00.001-08:00

It's a romantic full moon, when Pedro said, "Hey, mamacita, let's do Weeweechu."

Oh no, not now, let's look at the moon!" said Rosita.

Oh, c'mon baby, let's you and I do Weeweechu. I love you and it's the perfect time," Pedro begged.

"But I wanna just hold your hand and watch the moon." replied Rosita.

Please, corazoncito, just once, do Weeweechu with me."

Rosita looked at Pedro and said, "OK, one time, we'll do Weeweechu."

Pedro grabbed his guitar and they both sang.....

"Weeweechu a Merry Christmas,

Weeweechu a Merry Christmas,

and a Happy New Year."
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-11T16:47:00.001-08:00

We had such a wonderful time!

Thanksgiving 2011 on PhotoPeach

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

Again, our daughter and son, their spouses and children gathered here for Thanksgiving.

I do hope this will be an annual tradition! :-)

We started by creating an apple pie.

Roll that crust!

Everyone gets a turn! :-)

Crimping practice.

Puzzling puzzles...

Treats!
Original recipe - nutella on apple slices with raisins.

Painting ornaments . . .

How does the time fly so quickly?
Grandma's treasured memories!

A Visit from Two Grandchildren

2010-06-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

While Daddy and Mommy were on vacation . . .

. . . so were we!

Tuesday, June 22

Wednesday, June 23

Thursday, June 24

A local playground

Friday
June 25, 2010

Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge and
Prairie Learning Center
Prairie City, IA
Saturday, June 26, 2010

Met Mommy and Daddy at Great Grandma T's and left for home.
We had a great time!! :-)

Thanksgiving 2009 - a Brief Glimpse

2010-01-17T20:25:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed three whole days with my parents, our family and their families! Here's a quick look at some of our activities. :-)

We had some help in the kitchen right away Monday morning, Nov. 23, 2009!

Pancakes, anyone?? :-)

And apple slices?

Bathtime before bedtime.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Daughter C with her own daughter A and nephew H.

Mr. Shady with a couple of granddaughters and Sidney(with his new haircut)!

Grandson L and an old transformer

Thanksgiving Dinner

And playtime afterwards...

Hugging cousins brother sister

Thursday lunch

Synchronized Sandwich-eaters!

And a great time was had by all!

Booooo! Halloween Visit to Omaha!

2009-11-26T16:47:00.000-08:00

"New" bike!

Getting ready for trick and/or treat!

At the neighbor's house.

Pumpkins turn into jack-o-lanterns.

At the Joslyn Art Museum... a variety of interactive activities!

There were so many things to see and do!

Sculpture in front of the building.

and a Dale Chihuly blown glass sculpture indoors.

Baking cookies at home.

Reading!

What a fun time we had!
We DO love to read. :-)

Kiwanis Kid's Day Parade

2009-10-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

I believe this annual parade began 40 years ago, or so. Our two children first participated at ages 9 months and 3 years, after we first moved to this town. I pushed our son in his stroller and we decorated our daughter's tricycle. This event always occurs on or near her birthday. :-)

Our daughter's goal of the last 6 years was to bring her family here for this fun day. And it finally happened! They drove over from Omaha on Friday, September 18. The parade began at 10:00 A.M. Saturday morning. We added a pirate, Snow White, a mommy, a daddy, and a grandma to this year's parade!

Brave Handsome Daddy carries Snow White.

Brave, Beautiful Mommy marches with Pirate.

Happy Grandma with her Protector Pirate!

The parade was exceptional this year. It seemed as though it's really grown - the number of floats, the two bands (Jr. High and Sr. High), etc. But the weather was very cooperative: Sunny and cool!

Grandpa was downtown at 5:00 A.M. because the Kiwanis Club members also serve pancakes from 6:00 A.M. through 1:00 P.M. (although that generally stretches by an hour or so). The pancakes were yummy, and we ate more than we should. :-)

There was also a petting zoo, a tractor pull, a clown, etc. for entertainment.

Caveys (relatives of guinea pigs)

As always, time is fleeting. And flee it did.
The weekend was over before it seemed to have begun! But we had a lot of fun.
Maybe again next year? :-)

To My Daughter

2009-09-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

Found this on her Facebook page. Had to put it here! I'll be posting about her birthday weekend soon - when she was here! ;-)

Visiting our Michigan Family in Iowa

2009-09-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

Our best-ever daughter-in-law visited her parents' home in Iowa
because her brother had ventured home from Florida.

They were there long enough that we could make a trip up last week for a short visit.

Short but very rewarding - lots of smiles, hugs and happiness.

Our soon-to-be 4-year-old granddaughter enjoyed an early birthday celebration
amongst all the other excitement.

Here are a couple of photos.

Thanks, Brenda and Dan, for opening your home to us, too. :-)

Dinner-time!

The Genes get mixed nicely together when you combine families.
I just thought I'd put in a couple of photos of our own kids around these ages.

Our daughter is 2 years and 4 months older than our son.

This photo was taken August 23, 1981.
Keith would have been 2 years, 7 months
(Cheryl bumped a front tooth at 2 1/2 years and had to have it pulled at 4 years)

Keith - 2 years, 7 mos

Photo taken Nov. 1, 1981
Keith - 2 years, 9 months

April 1982
Keith - 3 years, 2 months

Just for fun. :-) What wonderful memories!

Camping at Platte River State Park, NE

2009-08-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 31, 2009
Click on any of the photos... most will enlarge.

We met our D family in Omaha
and drove to the Platte River State Park southwest
of the city.

The weather was perfect. The cabins were as cute
as could be. We had a wonderful time... and here's an
account of some of our activities.

These are our cabins. Whitetail 2 is theirs and
Whitetail 3 is ours. Sheets, pillows, towels, washcloths,
etc. were all furnished. These one-room cabins had
refrigerators and fans. There were two outdoor grills
behind each cabin.

Grandpa Shady cooks dinner.

Yea! Dinner! And sweet corn - our favorite!

After dinner, we're going to climb The Tower!

Ground floor and climbing. After climbing many, many
flights - we made it!

We are Very High... way above the treetops. Click on the
photo on the right to see Mommy way down on the ground!

We're right here... and there's the Platte River.

What do you see, way down there?

A teepee! Yea!

Looks like this tree drank some sour lemonaid.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Good morning D boys! Ready for a big day??

While Mommy made breakfast, the other 3 Ds again
climbed the tower!

After breakfast, we got the bikes ready and headed out.
(Daddy got the work-out!) We rode around until we found...

a little Paddleboat Action!

Lunch is over - let's head for the Wildlife Safari!

At the very beginning of the Safari, we found Elk (EEK!) right next to the road.
Shortly thereafter we drove by a small herd of White-tail Deer.

After leaving the elk and deer, we drove by a creek.
We saw Pelicans and resting turtles.

A walking tour took us past a Long-eared Owl,
a Screech Owl,

and a Barn Owl

We were able to see a Black Bear and a Gray Wolf.

We found a pond and wildlife... a leopard frog (I assume)
with its frog spawn,

and a little painted turtle.
(click on the photos)

L had a Pearl Crescent climb aboard.

It was hard to let him go.

Pronghorn Antelope

Bison in the wild.

After the Safari Driving tour, we stopped at the visitor center.
This fellow, with some companions, were resting outdoors.

I'm just a bit nervous, but I guess
as long as he is content, I'll be okay! :-)

Mr. Shady and daughter seem quite at home on the range.

Ride 'em cowhands! ;-)

But do be careful!!

Soft-hearted girl gets a nice gentle ride.

At the visitor center, there was a building with pens and small animals.
A Bobcat and a Swift Fox.

A Bald Eagle and a couple of colorful Chuckers.

By the time we left, someone was tuckered out!

Saturday night dinner preparations included preparing fresh green beans.
Dessert by Chef Mr. Shady -
cherry pies baked over the grill. :-)

Sunday Morning, August 2, 2009

We are so efficient. Sunday morning we woke up, had breakfast (yum!) and headed out to visit the horse stable and then the craft house.

This cicada was walking across the sidewalk when we got up. I've never seen one inside its skin... usually you find the discarded shells at the base of trees.

While this toad (variety?) was hanging around the craft house Sunday morning.

Hiking to do our crafts. Once L & A donned the paint shirts, we were set!

Busy at work on a pirate ship and a ceramic fish.

And a great time was had by all! We really liked this park!
We'll need to return!

Visiting Michigan Family, June 2009

2009-06-25T10:04:00.001-07:00

Didn't we have a Great Time?

We visited the Farmers' Market Wednesday morning.
While I didn't get photos of the market,
I took plenty during our visit to the playground. :-)

Note the variety of slides!

This was one of the smaller slides.

Every rung goes higher, higher...

On Wednesday afternoon, Grandpa and I walked to the neighborhood school playground for a little fun. Here's our entourage.

Note the handle-lengthening device. :-)

Grandma's "On a Roll" with Alphabet Garden Markers
this Summer! :-)

Now that the backs are painted, we must let them dry.
(Each child painted two.)

Now we can work on the fronts.

Are you sure we painted the markers?? ;-)

Have you ever seen such a nice collection?

Mommy found a croquet set, at a great price, at an antique store.

So, here we are... trying it out!

A little friend joined us for awhile. You can see her looking over her mallet.

On Friday, some of us spent a lot of time at the motel. That morning Mommy and I took the youngsters swimming in the motel pool while Daddy and Grandpa worked around the house. After lunch, we returned to the motel for naps. That evening we had "Girls' Night Out" while the three fellows stayed home. :-)

After bath-time and hair-shampooing, the toenails were painted,

the fingernails were painted,

and a great time was had by all!

The following photo proves the fellows worked very hard.
Our son shows the remnants of dirt!
:-)

We also enjoyed the variety of the continental breakfast before returning home on Saturday.

Boots? Check. Bubble Wand? Check. Everyone is ready? Check. Oops - Where's Grandpa?

There he is! :-)

This invention made Great Bubbles!
:-)

Well, we missed photos of a few activities such as our Swimming Session in the motel, Church and Children's Church on Saturday afternoon, our picnic afterwards and the visit to the hand-packed ice cream place (!) but this is a pretty good representation of our time together.

And yes, I was there the whole time. You can tell who the photographer was! ;-)

We miss them already, and it goes without saying that we look forward to our next time together! :-)

Mother's Day Weekend

2009-06-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

Our Omaha Family visited from May 7 through May 10!
Here are a few photos.

We painted piggy banks
(Which they forgot to take home.
We'll see them at the end of the month, so we'll take them with us!)

And we painted Garden Markers for the
Alphabet Garden!

A (Grand)Mother's Day present! :-)

Bedtime Books

We went Morel Mushroom hunting on Saturday morning.
This was what caused me to "Whoop!"

This was the first mushroom of the day!

Now we're getting serious!

Click on this photo. How many mushrooms can YOU find? :-)

They're getting larger!

And we're guess-ti-mating 4 1/2 - 5 lbs. of mushrooms.
NOT BAD!

That calls for a tea party.

And engineering a train.

We enjoyed warm sunny weather and a great visit. :-)

Christmas Celebration #2

2009-01-05T12:03:00.000-08:00

Our daughter, son-in-law and their family were here this weekend!
We celebrated "Christmas" a little late.

Crazy little tree this year!
(My bird tree!) ;-)

After opening our gifts (except for the puppet theater), we had a little dinner and headed downtown for the "First Friday Art Walk." The organizers are so inventive! This is a chainsaw, ice artist from Minnesota, hard at work. He's using flat blocks of ice to create a city-scape.

We think we live in Christmas City!
(this is the town square)

The carousel

Puppet Theater

Presenting....

Making angel ornaments...
Everyone gets involved!
"You Must pay the rent,
I Can't pay the rent,
You Must pay the rent,
I Can't pay the rent,
... I'LL pay the rent!
My Hero!"
;-)
A great time was had by all!
There was a day of ice-fishing with grandpa and dad
(with a ride the sled on the pond pulled by a friend).

Grandpa and dad put together two bluebird houses
with the grandchildren while
Grandma and mom ran to the grocery store.

You never know what might happen around here!

:-)

Incredible Inflection

2009-01-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

Our 19 month old grandson "reads!"

;-)

Christmas (and birthday) in Michigan

2008-12-30T19:22:00.001-08:00

Our artistic M created a nativity.
:-)

Who is doing the imitating? ha.

A Grandpa is for climbing!

Birthday party Dec. 21
5 years old! :-)

She can read this card!

Sisters, sisters! :-)

Making angel ornaments
with Grandma.

Helping Mommy after Christmas Eve
Church services.

Grandma's Puppet Theater with
Jan Brett's Town Mouse and Country Mouse
laminated puppets.

Opening some Christmas presents.

Family Photo

And we and some friends got in the photo, too.

Something for Grandma!

:-)

What a wonderful time we had!

2008-12-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

I drove to Omaha, NE last Thursday to visit our daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren for the weekend. It's a good 4 1/2 + trip (depending upon the number of stops I make). ;-)

Here's what the roadside looked like as I left town...

But as I neared Omaha, there was very little snow. (I'm not complaining.)

My daughter and I went out to eat and shop one evening!
Doesn't she look so glamorous?)
L sneaked into the photo! ;-)

I love this photo.

And here's Mom with "little lambie" A! :-)

As always, visits go way too quickly.

A Visit to Omaha

2008-11-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

Finally, a visit with my daughter and her family!
These photos were taken October 13, 2008.

Monday morning L went to pre-school.
On the way out, A announced she wanted to walk
with her brother.
Great! :-)

Big brothers are great, aren't they?

After lunch, it was time to say "Goodbye."
But first, a few photos...
(Daddy was at work.)
#1

Now it's Grandma's turn (me!)...
Oh, for heaven's sakes,
it's those braces!
#1

#4
(Isn't this enough? I think so!) ha!

We really did have a great time... wonder what Mommy said, or did? ;-)

Just a Few More Michigan Zoo Tidbits

2008-08-24T15:55:00.001-07:00

After the carousel ride, we saw this fellow! A colorful iguana?

And after the monkeys, the Mommy and the girls negotiated this trail through the water. :-)

Then we visited the Butterfly House.

One of Grandma's favorite spots! :-)

You must see them in action... click here!

More dinosaur digging...
Hayden digs, too.

Click to see Hayden in action. :-)

Peacocks that eventually had to leave this site...
the alligator was creeping towards them.

Mr. Llama

The entrance to the Australian Site:

We were able to get pretty close to a couple of kangaroos.
You might like to click on this little video, too. :-)

We had a great day at the zoo. "Shady" was there, but only as Grandma. :-)

Grandma's Trip to Michigan

2008-08-18T11:38:00.001-07:00

I left for Michigan early Friday morning, August 1, 2008. It was my second round-trip by myself. It's a ten-hour drive, no matter what, and the part that has caused me trepidation is driving around Chicago via I-80.

The first few years we drove there, I-80 was under construction, which often meaning a slow crawl (at best) to the tune of adding 2 - 3 hours to the trip. I didn't want to have that happen while driving by myself.

However, I-80 has been trouble free for some time. Thus, my renewed encouragement to travel by myself.

The Burlington, IA bridge across the Mississippi
Friday, August 1, 2008 around 7:00 a.m.

I made it!!! :-)
This is looking towards the street from the front door.
Notice what once was a huge yucca blossom!
On Saturday morning, the girls and I visited Home Depot.
We found out that they have free workshops for children
on the 1st Saturday of each month.
Making Flag Holders

Saturday's produce from the garden!

Sunday, August 3, 2008
Ready for Church

Look what Maya made!

Let's all go swimming, shall we?

Splashing party!

On Monday, we decided to make a birdbath!

We got the sand ready...

Found a great squash leaf in the garden...

Covered it with concrete and left it to cure.

On Tuesday morning, the girls and I went to a park.

Izzy slides

Maya swings

On Wednesday morning, we took off for the public library.

There was good pedaling to
the library! Hayden was
strolled by Mommy
and Isabel and I
walked and ran! :-)

On Thursday, August 7, we had showers and "Grandma's Beauty Shop!" ;-) Soapy hair makes funny shapes! We had fun and what beautiful girls we had afterwards!

We got to uncover the stepping stone and the birdbath.

First, we must peel away the leaf, if we can.

We needed a break from all that hard work...
a wagon ride sound like just the ticket!

On Friday, we got back at it with toothbrushes.
It's the best we could do.

Here's a scrubbing video!

You surely were curious about their garden, weren't you?

Sunday, August 10

On Monday, August 11, we went to the zoo!

Digging for dinosaurs!

Taking the train ride!

Tuesday... after breakfast.
I had to say goodbye.
Isabel hugged me at the table. That was good enough for her. ;-)

While the rest bid me farewell from the front porch.

It was hard to say goodbye.

Our Omaha Family Visits!

2008-08-18T10:43:00.000-07:00

July 21 - 24, 2008

Cheryl, Linus and Ada came to visit. Daddy was in Portland, OR for the week.

We're Here!

Ada found a frog.

Here are their seats (next to my unfinished arbor).

The next morning, we went to a special park created several years ago by a raft of community members. This part of the park displays several Fairfield landmarks.
Had to include this photo. :-)

We had a lunch picnic. Before we left, we had to search for pirates. ;-)
Ada-pirate
Linus-pirateMommy-pirate

That evening, Grandpa took Linus fishing.
Wait a minute! Who's doing the work?
And who's fishing? ;-)
Okay! We must let the girls in the boat.Hold it steady.

All aboard!

A little action shot.

It was a big day... but we had to create a few bubbles, too!
A nice visit was enjoyed by all! :-)

Even the Grandma-swinger!
(Might be in the Shade, but it's not "shady!")
:-)

A Week in Omaha, June 17-23, 2008

2008-07-31T07:01:00.000-07:00

June 17-23, 2008 found me in Omaha. Mommy and Daddy were preparing for a short trip to Seattle (sightseeing) so I went to stay with our grandchildren(!). :-) The first item of business were Scribble pads; they were a hit!

L is eager to show off his dad's handiwork in the backyard.

Big brother scoping out the backyard with the telescope.

Little sister tries it, too.

I don't know which photo I like best.
How about you?
(click on them to enlarge a bit)

After the parents leave, we head for a local home/garden/lumber store!

It's not long before we're back home again.

One day we took a walk to a neighborhood bakery.
Chocolate faces!

And explored the steps of a large church on the way home.

Bubbles in the backyard.

Eating Grandma's apple cake
while we make clothespin dolls.

L's new placemat

Grandma made one for A.

Our "Welcome Home Banner!"

And, here they are!

A couple of photos from our trip to Lauritson Gardens.

A Postscript is added here: We also made stepping stones to surprise Mommy and Daddy!
Here are some photos (thanks Cheryl!):
A very Fun Week.

We Just Got Home From Michigan...

2008-05-19T18:56:00.001-07:00

... and we would have loved to stay a little longer! After we arrived Thursday evening, we took a short walk to a neighborhood schoolyard park.

This is the "short-person's" way of enjoying a neighbor's flowers along the way.
(I'd be kneeling! At least!)
;-)

A race isn't always fair when one person's legs are shorter than the other's,
but there were plenty of swings!

Then there was a bit of climbing.
Grandpa and H

On Saturday, the girls and their dad and I painted some pottery (an early
birthday gift to me!) I didn't take my camera - THAT was a mistake... but I'll post
the outcome later.

Then there was a short run to Meijer's Garden Center... purchased a few flowers and a bag of dirt. :-)

Here's a puzzle for you! Vinca minor with different blossoms?

The weather was pretty blustery and chilly, but we did get another walk in on Sunday afternoon.

Last, but not least: Two evenings in the motel pool.
Did WE care if it wasn't so nice outdoors? Not at all!

At the last... family photos.
A great time always goes quickly!

Mother's Day Weekend Visit

2008-05-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening, L helped me make the batter for "Platz." Recipe follows at the end of this post. He used his strong muscles and shaved the butter. (That's how I do it... with a fork.) We enjoyed this with breakfast Saturday morning.

And here's a little video showing the process in action! We also use a great apple peeler that peels, cuts, and cores!

C & K and L & A were here for the weekend! Were we ever busy! Here's a photo of Friday night's Bedtime Book with Grandpa.

After Saturday's breakfast, we headed out to "the farm" to search for morel mushrooms.

Here's a little video of our foraging party. :-)

Sometimes Ada led the way,

and sometimes it was more fun to watch ladybugs!Here's a photo of some Great Cup Fungus!We did a lot of walking and searching.
Sometimes a fellow just needs to rest!
Somebody's Dad found a great morel mushroom!
This is one of three bags that was bulging
by the time we finished!After naps, we girls went across country to a Mennonite greenhouse.
The rest of the family went fishing.And had a great time!I don't know that we could do MORE in one weekend, but we sure had a great time...
and made some great memories!

Platz (Mennonite Apple Cake)

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all batter ingredients and spread in a well-greased 17" x 11 1/2" x 1" jelly roll pan.

Cover liberally with fruit of choice (sliced apple, cherries, berries, plums, peaches, etc.).

Sprinkle topping over fruit: 1/4 cup melted butter, 3/4 cup sugar, and 3/4 cup flour.

Bake at 375 degrees for around 30 minutes or so... until lightly but not over-browned.

Last Week Was Really Fun!

2008-04-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, Cheryl drove here with L & A! They all spent the night. Tuesday, after lunch, Cheryl & L left to visit friends in Illinois. They left A and me ("Grandma!") together for two whole days and nights. "Grandpa" came home from a meeting on Wednesday and enjoyed the rest of the visit.

Our A is now 2 years and 3 months old. What fun we had! Tuesday afternoon we drove to a local farm store that had baby chicks and baby ducks for sale. We didn't buy any (probably a wise decision), but we surely enjoyed those "cheep-cheeps!" ;-)

Here we are, "hiding" in the pillows!

Wish I'd taken more photos.

You have to know that Sidney is pretty tolerant when we have company... and that means exactly what the word says. No acceptance here... merely tolerant!

On Wednesday we went to the local nature center.
A loved watching the baby painted turtles and the fish.
She also had a great time listening to animal sounds (she also loved pushing the buttons!).

A's a great singer! You might enjoy this little clip. :-)

Mommy and L returned early Thursday afternoon. L is now a whopping 4 1/2 years old!
We had such a nice time together.
They stayed one more night before leaving Friday after lunch.

Here is a parting photograph.We missed them right away.

Next time, Daddy (Kyle) will come, too!

The best he could do, this time, was to tape small photos of his face on the car seats, etc.
No chance that his family would forget him! ;-)

Sunday, March 2

2008-03-04T20:10:00.000-08:00

Time for Breakfast!
Our good helper! (Mom made the apron.)

Remember those little dresses I sewed after Christmas?
Here's a view of the "big-girl" and the "dolly" dresses.

Mommy and daughter enjoy a book.

Time for family photos!
Grandma and Grandpa with
the cutest children in Omaha. :-)
(Yes, I have braces.)

And now, for the family portrait! :-)

We're almost going to get one of Daddy and Mommy.

And, here we are!Couldn't ask for a better son-in-law.
Couldn't ask for a better daughter.
Could have asked for a longer visit! ;-)

A Trip to Omaha

2008-03-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

We couldn't hold out any longer (as though we would ever want to!). We traveled to Omaha this past weekend for some children hugging and grandchildren hugging. Somehow, I'm not sure I got enough of it before we had to leave... but here are some excerpts of great times!

On Friday night, we were entertained.
Here is L's "Deputy Song." :-)

Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day. We donned light coats and jackets and visited the Henry Doorly Zoo. Here are some highlights.

The Peacock was looking for admiration after a long, cold Winter season. (He received ours!)

Our next stop was the Jungle!

As explorers, there were many nooks and crannies...

as well as narrow, slippery passageways...

... and narrow, winding rivers below.

Whoa! Do YOU see our somewhat
large discovery?

We had a great time in the jungle, but we were ready for new adventures.

Have you ever given thought to riding a giraffe,

or cozying up to a gorilla?

Yipes! Is it time to deploy the rescue squad?

These are just a couple more examples of the wonderful sculpture garden.

We can imagine the lovely Summer roses.

Would you call this the River Koi?

We did get a chance to feed the koi, while one lone swan made its appearance.

Before leaving the zoo, we visited the "monkeys."
A lone gorilla seemed as interested in the crowd as the
crowd was interested in him.

But it was time to go home. Someone was "fading."

My, we had had a great time!

to be continued...

Little Projects Finished After Christmas

2008-01-20T12:29:00.001-08:00

I guess I'll be known as the Grandma who sends another box AFTER Christmas! ;-) Just didn't get all the projects done in time!

Here are little doll jumpers to match those I made for the granddaughters (2 yrs & 4 yrs).

I made each girl a purse and a fleece doll blanket. (The dress and blanket were packed inside the purse and the magnet was in the front pocket.)

Perhaps you can tell the purse is reversible?

A close-up of the magnets.

With love from Grandma!

ps My grandniece received a purse, too. She's getting other treasures inside. :-)

Christmas With Our Family

2007-12-31T14:21:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning!
And we are excited...

Is there something there for me?

Books!

Will you read it, Grandpa?

Will you read it, Grandma?

Big eyes!Lots of fun!Wait until next year!

Watching a Veggie-tale. I smooched A!Yummy peanut butter toast!
Great Grandma with K & K
Aunt Pat & Uncle Don
Time for pie!
And this little fellow has something to say!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T17:43:00.000-08:00

We Were Thankful for...

1) safe travel for our daughter, son-in-law, and their two children (our grandchildren!),
2) a warm home,
3) plenty of good food,
4) good conversation and entertainment by the children(!)
5) and a quiet dog. ;-)

Sidney didn't bark when they came. That made our 4-year-old grandson very relieved and happy. Our nearly two-year-old granddaughter squealed and giggled with delight because she'd forgotten that there Was a Sidney.

Sidney... being quiet.

Ready to leave to see the lighting of the town square.
(The Friday night following Thanksgiving, the town square's Christmas lights are lit,
Santa comes to town, pony rides are given, and carolers sing.)
And "binkie" goes nearly everywhere... just in case.

Just Being Silly!

Our Entertainment!

Time passed too quickly!
Two days weren't quite long enough for this Grandma,
but maybe it was long enough for everyone else. (They had to travel
to another Grandma and Grandpa's house on Saturday.)

Quick Trip to Omaha to "Hug Up" Family!

2007-11-14T15:20:00.000-08:00

November 8 - 12, 2007

My goodness! I hadn't been in Omaha to visit C & K and L & A since August. For Shame!

I left around noon on Thursday the 8th and arrived 4 hours and 15 minutes later. Three fourths of my family was on the curb when I arrived. Talk about a warm welcome!Great Grass!
And who's that fellow hiding behind it? ;-)

Brother and Sister "chillin'!"

Great Grandma's baby blanket ("binkie") goes everywhere!

Perhaps she's singing for her supper?
Or for a knight from the Playmobile catalog? (!)

Now, how can you resist that smile?
Saturday morning
We went for a walk (and a bit of a run) on a nearby campus.

Here's our stroller-rider. Notice what she's "reading?"

And, I just kept buzzing around everyone with my camera,
hoping to get good photos!

Saturday evening.
Daughter C and a few of her friends held an art/craft sale (in C & K's home).
It was a lot of fun. There was a great turn-out.Just a few photos of some of the items to be sold.

Each contributor to the sale brought finger food and/or
a bottle of wine.
On Sunday, after Church services, we took a trip to the grocery store.
This is a great place. Free samples, too!Is that another "Playmo" book? :-)

L Loves Preschool!

While he was in preschool, we 3 generation girls went shopping!
First, a stop at the mall playground.(I have a beautiful daughter and granddaughter!)The 4 days went WAY too quickly.
It was hard to leave for home after lunch on Monday.

But, They will be Here for Thanksgiving!

"Grandma Camp! September 13 - 27, 2007

2007-10-01T17:11:00.001-07:00

Actually, I drove to Michigan on Tuesday, September 11. I wanted to be there before our "grown- up kids" and their 4 month old son (my grandson, don't-cha-know?) left on a two-week trip out of the country.

The Family

Grandma Camp began Thursday, September 13. The first thing M (now 3 3/4 yrs), I (turned 2 years Sept. 11), and I (me) did was to head to Home Depot! We needed a bag of sandbox sand, a bag of sand-mix concrete, and two strong helpers to assist in the loading, purchasing, and unloading! Not only did we find everything we needed, but our two capable helpers were very good-natured and smiled the entire while.

Then we headed for the garden department... can't go to a place like Home Depot without perusing the plants! We found a couple of little "crawl on the ground" sedum for the girls to plant at some point, a medium-sized shepherd's hook and a nice, big bag of enriched dirt! Eureka! We had it made. But, again we needed (and found) able assistance.

Now we had the makings for several projects and activities: 1) sand in their sand table...2) mixing concrete and making stepping stones (with pretty purple rocks), and garden markers - each with a name (their own as well as "Mommy," "Daddy," and "H" - baby brother)...
Before going home, we went to a huge, local shopping center... groceries, clothing, electronics, "you name it, they had it" type stores. We needed a few grocery items. And that's where Grandma discovered two (most likely "antique" if not old) "horses" for children to ride after check-out... approximately 2 minutes' ride for 1 (one) cent! An attraction and a bargain. We made quite a few trips to this store - it was quite nearby - and had many "horsie" rides. :-)Over the next couple of days we drove to a couple of other department stores for such things as playdough tools, bubble-stuff, a sewing center for vinyl fabric to make a cover for the sand table, etc. One of the stores had a small musical carousel... another "hit."Other yard activities included swinging, planting and watering flowers, raking, blowing bubbles...
Additional outdoor activities included playing at a couple of other playground/parks, Grandma pushing the stroller downtown (and running through sprinklers!), going to the airport to watch airplanes and skydivers and sitting in a small airplane!Indoor activities included measuring and making several dishes: pancakes, waffles, Dutch Oven Pancake, corn fritters, 3 kinds of muffins, sugar cookies, apple pie...

having tea...Grandma's Beauty Shop...

and

The Very Glad Reunion and Group Hug!
(and the end of "Grandma Camp")

Grandma and her girls!I waited until Saturday, Sept. 29 to return home.
I miss everyone already!
But, I also need to make a trip to visit my other family soon...

Here Are Three More Grandchildren!

2007-08-26T15:53:00.001-07:00

This is our newest grandchild "H"!
He was born on Mother's Day (May 13, 2007)!
We visited this family at the end of June/first of July.
I'll head back up there for a couple of weeks in mid-September.

These are his two "big sisters!" "M" will be 4, December 21. And "I" will be 2 September 11. I'll be driving to their house on her birthday. :-) I didn't take this photo, either.

But... rest assured, I'll be taking plenty of them while I'm there!

Sunday's Visit with Relatives

2007-08-20T07:26:00.001-07:00

L driving Uncle Don's big truck with cousin L!

A found a puddle!

Big discussion about machinery and "life on the farm"

Driving the big tractor

So, what's "up?"

A found a four-wheeler!

One last photo before we get out of the tractor cabA found an apple (A is for apple!) ;-)Making homemade ice cream!And "cleaning up!""Yum!" sums it up... a great day, all-in-all!

A Visit to Grandpa and Grandma's House

2007-08-19T19:28:00.001-07:00

Time at a local park includes "life at sea..."

...a peek at far-off lands...

... and exploring current "landforms."

2007-08-17T12:55:00.001-07:00

Book Readers:

Reading at home and the library, with friends...

...and family.
Hot days mean swimming days:
watering, sliding, and playing ball!