Family Night

 

One of the best times during our week is when we get to have family dinner.  Tonight Maria and Eric came over with their girls. After dinner we had a nice walk to the river. We walk a loop around an undeveloped park. The girls love the space to run.

Mike is a weird, I mean fun, grandpa.  Here he is hiding, although not very well.

Next, we went down by the river because there were rocks there that needed to be thrown in. That is always what happens when the three necessary ingredients are present, kids, water and rocks. Right? 

Then along comes Grandpa Mike. He picked up Elise and teased her that he was going tho this her into the river, which of course she loved.

Just so you know, the water was only about a foot deep at the spot where we were standing.

Cordelia then said, "You can't do that to me! " Then she moved closer to him to be sure she got her turn.

Seriously, every kid should have such a grandpa, don't you think? 

I do worry a bit about what our neighbors think, though, when they see him loading up leaves on their car as they leave. But it is kind of fun to see the leaves flying off as they drive away, ending another fun night together.

I Love That Old Tree

Do you remember me telling you about my tree? It is a sweet story of a grandfather who went above and beyond to make his grandchildren happy  I love the story of my tree.

Today Mike and I were in that town to take my Mom out for lunch.  Mike had not driven by my grandparent's house in a long time so we made a swing by. It no longer belongs to my grandparents as they've moved on to a more beautiful home in heaven. Still, it breaks our heart to see the house now, especially the yard. My grandparents took a lot of pride in their yard but it has now seen more than 3 years of neglect.

On this trip, I didn't look long at the house, but I did look across the alley to my tree. It, too, has seen better days. It was hit by lightening years ago. It has lived through a lot of harsh winters and hot summers. I could see new damage from the big storm that hit there last Fall. It is over 50 years old!

My tree carries the wounds of a lot of history. Yet, not many trees have been featured in so many photos over the years. Not many trees carry such a tale of love. My tree is not ugly now. My tree just has a lot of character. I still love that old tree!

Tiny Indoor Snowmen

OK, all you grandpas out there, pay attention. The following photos will show you how a cool grandpa, who doesn't want to go outside, handles that question, "Grandpa, can we make a snowman?" He's pretty creative! Instead of a corncob pipe and a button nose, these snowmen had facial features made out of candy sprinkles. That made this event not only a fun activity but it also served as a little snack.

Recipe for Fun

Take one leftover Christmas box.

Add one young artist equipped with washable markers.

Add one little sister.

Throw in a dog leash and a dice game because you 

never know when you might need them.

Find a grandpa willing to push and drag the box.

Then relax and enjoy the ride.

These Are The Days - Racing Grandpa

When our children were young, we were leading very busy lives, much like most young families. Every now and then, though, I'd stop and savor the moment. I'd think to myself, "These are the days I'll be looking back on."

I do look back on those days with fondness. I loved raising our daughter and our two sons! From the time Maria (1st) was born until the time Sam (last) turned 18 consisted of 30 years of full-time parenting. 30 years is a lot of parenting years! Somehow, though, it seems as though it went by so quickly.

However, as we were playing with our two granddaughters this week-end, I thought to myself, "These are the days... bonus days! I want to remember them. I want to remember the things these girls say and do. For instance, Cordelia said to Mike this past week-end, "Everyone loves your silliness, Grandpa! Even I love your silliness!"

So, I decided I would start a new little series for my blog. In the future, when I do a These Are The Days post I may or may not use words. Sometimes photos tell the story just as well. I'm going to kick it off with a few posts in a row. I hope you enjoy them. I hope you feel the joy. Feel free to do a These Are The Days post of your own; link back to mine if you'd like!

"Grandpa, You're My Friend Boy!"

Maria and Eric and our beautiful granddaughters, Elise and Cordelia, came over last night.  We love that we have the opportunity to be around our granddaughters as much as we do!

Not long ago, while visiting at my Mom's a few hours away, Cordelia got two of her teenage cousins to play with her, directing them on a dinosaur hunt.  Not long after that I found a bag of little dinosaurs and sparked an idea.  I bought the dinosaurs so that we could start a new tradition at our house.  You guessed it, Cordelia goes dinosaur hunting.  Now, Cordy is a vegan so I want to make it very clear that when she hunts dinosaurs, it is not with a bow and arrow or a gun.  It is just about the hunt... just finding them.

So, this is how it works.  We all take turns, as directed by Cordy, either hiding the little dinosaurs or hunting for them later.  This is repeated over and over.... and over some more.  She really, really enjoys this game!  Mike got a little creative with his hiding...

Maria held Elise, who I think is anxiously awaiting the day she can join in.

A few members of the family were more interested in the football game than the dinosaur hunt.

  

I won't be naming any names, though.     

Mike is such a patient and fun grandpa.

I heard Cordelia say, "Grandpa, you're my friend boy!"

The Story Behind the Photo

So, what do you think of the new look?  I'm liking the water.  I really, really love water so I think we'll go with that for awhile.  I hope you like it, too.  At the top, you'll find where to share my posts on Google+ if you have one of their accounts.  Under the more "more" you will find easy ways to share my posts on Facebook, e-mails, etc.  If you are new to my blog and want to check out some of my older posts, explore the Blog Archives by clicking for the drop down menu.  Or, if you scroll down and look to that right sidebar you'll see some of the recent popular posts.  I hope you'll take the time to look around a bit, leave comments or even suggestions.  The interaction makes me happy so, thanks!

Also on the right sidebar you will find a few samples of the work Maria and I do for our shop, Wyoming Rose Boutique.  If you'd like to learn more about our shop, just click on any of those pictures and you'll be able to explore it more.  If you find something you like, I want to let you know that we have a discount code for blog-reading friends.  When you are checking out, type in the word, FRIENDS, in all caps.  It should make the shipping charges disappear!

Anyway...

Last night our daughter, Maria, and her husband, Eric, came by for supper. They bring the entertainment, our granddaughters Cordelia and Elise. I never take for granted how blessed we are to have them living nearby!

Last night, near the end of our evening together, I remembered that I write a daily blog (duh) and that I should take some photos.  Maria was out of the room feeding Elise, so I turned my attention to Cordelia.  She was having fun with Grandpa, drawing on the toy shown in this photograph.  I think Cordy became bored with it before Grandpa Mike did.

I took this photo of Cordelia.  She was just lively and silly so I snapped the picture.  It wasn't until I uploaded it to my computer that I noticed the story going on in the background.  Apparently, Grandpa Mike was pretty proud of something he drew, making sure Eric admired his work. 

Cordelia then started playing with a doll house she received from her Great Aunt Karen.  Camera still in hand, I started clicking.  Again, when I uploaded it later I was tickled.  Can you see that it is Buzz Lightyear she is putting to bed in the upstairs room?

Cordelia was getting tired.  It was apparent she had missed her nap.  She didn't want to stop playing, though!

But even perfect evenings have to come to an end.

Did you have a good week-end?  I really enjoy reading comments on my blog so let me know if you did something exciting.

Aaaaah...

  One of my favorite things is to see

Mike with one or both of our granddaughters.

Elise is already quite comfortable with 

him, but she likely doesn't yet

realize he will be 

one of her 

very

favorite

people!

Get ready for good time fun, baby girl!

Sunday Evening in Snapshots

Looking For a Title

Mike will go to great lengths to entertain Cordelia.  Does anyone have a good title for this photo?

Mall Lunch

Recently our son, Ben, called to chat.  I love it when he calls as he lives far away and I get lonely for him.  When he asked what I'd been up to I told him I'd just returned from Mall Lunch.  He claims that I've always just returned from Mall Lunch.  That's not true but we do, as a family, attempt to meet at the mall for lunch about once a week.  Is that weird?

Wyoming has long winters.  This hasn't been a bad winter at all, but it just isn't good picnic weather.  In fact, even when it is warm here it is sometimes difficult to find a good picnic day because it is often windy.  Anyway, somewhere along the way we started going to the mall.  None of us are really big shopping kind of people.  It's funny, though, to take Cordelia somewhere makes everything more fun!

Usually Maria, Cordy and I are the first to arrive.  Sometimes we let Cordelia play at the indoor playground (AKA germ pit).  Sometimes we wander through Bath and Body Works to "smell stuff".  We also frequently find ourselves at Target looking at pretty little dresses for Cordelia.  She prefers the twirly kind.  If you are female, you know what I mean by that!

Eventually, we head toward the Food Court and watch for the arrival of Mike and Sam.  We all get our lunches from the fast food of choice and meet around a table for lively conversation as we fill our bellies.

We've also carried our people-watching skills to a new level.  Maria and I started noticing one lady who is almost ALWAYS there. She is always alone and very quiet.  Even when I attempt to say hello to her it seems to make her uncomfortable.  That's OK.  We still look for her each week.  We've even given her a name.  I suppose you think that is weird, too?

After lunch we wander around a bit and look for little adventures for Cordelia.  Grandpa often leads the parade for this part of the day.  Often they head toward the pet store.  I forbid myself from visiting the puppies with them.  I have a good reason for that but I covered that in another post.  Sometimes we wander through campers that are on display or visit the little arcade room.  Our mall is not too big but we always manage to have a good time.  Do you suppose it is just because we enjoy being together?

                     

I'm really grateful and pleased when someone wants to share my posts or photos. Please just remember to link them back to my blog. It's the right thing to do; you know it is.