Suntan Lotion

"trucks and dirt and shades of blue, but little boys are angels too"


My precious little JBird is so darn cute.  He tries to do everything that the older kids do.  He did such a good job on putting on the lotion.

Now he's done and ready to chase after the big kids!

California Vacation

"You can fall in love at first sight with a place as with a person."


We had a wonderful time with our family in California.  They finally found a house, so we went to help them move.  Well really, we  played with the kids for the most part.   I was so tired at the end of the day, but it was a "nice" tired.


Their house is so beautiful and has a gorgeous backyard!  All of the flowers and trees were blooming so the smell was incredible.  The kids just have a ball playing outside.  The yard is fenced in so we know they are very safe. 


Everywhere we went was beautiful.  Roses and flowers everywhere!  I'm looking forward to going back.

 Even though they love their own backyard, we went to a neighborhood park.  Water is always an attraction for kids.

My little JBird loves water so much and was trying to crawl into their water table.

It was so sunny that we needed to be careful not to keep the baby in the sun too much.

Playing ball and running through the sprinkler was really fun.

Add to the fun list, watering newly planted flowers and going for picnics in the park.


We had too much fun for just one post.  I'll be showing you more of our fun later.

Cousins At The Park

"What greater blessing to give thanks for at a family gathering than the family and the gathering."
Today, with the temperature being in the high 80's, we had a good time playing in the park. Our "Far Away Family" is leaving to go home to California tomorrow and everyone wanted to be together just one more time.   My day started out with having a flat tire on the way.  Luckily, Carl wasn't too far behind Cali and I and gave us a ride.  We were a little late picking up the other kids, but Camryn and Bethany were there waiting.

  When the whole gang got there, they didn't know what to do first.  There were 5 little ones and they all went different directions.

It wasn't long until all the kids were hungry and thirsty.  We sent PopPop to McDonalds for some chicken nuggets and fries.  We sat under a big tree in the shade and had our lunch.  We took yogurt along for dessert and they all chose a different flavor.  These cousin just adore each other and love playing together.  They are all so different is so many ways, but get along so well.

We've had a few hard months.  My mom has Alzheimers that has been getting worse.  We had in-home care for her, but she was getting too hard to handle, so we had to put her in a nursing home.  It was such a hard decision, but the best decision for her safety and the over all health of my dad.  We visit her often, sometimes she knows us, sometimes not.  She tells everyone that my dad never comes to see her.  He hasn't missed a day since she's been there, but she just doesn't remember.  Some days are good and others are just plain terrible.  It's draining and so emotional  - SO a great day with the kids was really needed.   What a GREAT day it was.

Looking forward to another day like today ANYTIME!!

"Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life."

We were so happy to receive a new picture of our "Dumpling".  She made an Easter bonnet at pre-school this week.  It's almost as big as she is, but then she IS a peanut! 
 

A Belated St. Pat's Day

"St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic."

Cali, Camryn, PopPop and I celebrated St. Pat's Day on Friday.  It was a good day for Camryn to come for a playdate.  Both of the girls were so excited to be together for the day.  We did a few crafts, but since it was so nice outside, the girls wanted to go for a walk.  The girls wanted to push their babies in the buggies.  They were both so fussy with their babies.  The babies had to be sitting perfectly straight.  If they weren't , we had to stop so they could take care of them.  They were so funny.


Both of the girls love sausage, so we had sausage and mac/cheese for lunch.  For dessert, St. Patrick's Day cupcakes.  That was the hit of the day!

Cali had to go shopping for all the party goods.  She kept coming to the cart with more and more.  Finally, I said we had enough.  She loved wearing all the crazy things, but Camryn wasn't too sure about all of it.

We kept telling the girls to stay at the side of the road.  They were so busy talking and fussing with their babies to pay attention as to where they were.  All the cars that drove by just smiled and waved.  They did look cute walking down the street.

This picture is from last year when I was in the UAE visiting my "Far Away Family".  We were visiting an animal refuge that day.  It was so!  The funny thing about it was, we were sweating buckets and the animals were in their air-conditioned houses. I'm really missing these kids and need to see them soon!!

Always Raise Your Pinkie

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony know as Afternoon Tea."
Tuesday is our day with Camryn.  They have Bible Study in the morning, so we usually get to their house late morning.  She always comes in yelling "hello" and so full of energy.

She had a new tea set ready and waiting for us.  Actually, it was Bethany's when she was a little girl.  It's actually china, but Camryn was very careful with it and warned us to be careful also.

She served both of us tea, told us to be careful, it was hot!  I took a sip of my tea BUT, I didn't do it correctly.  She said "No mam, do it this way!", and held up her pinky finger.  Sorry, being the mother of 3 boys, I totally forgot how ladies should drink a cup of tea!  Believe me, this Tuesday I WILL remember.

                                        Good job PopPop!

New Pics From CA

"Trip over love, you can get up.  Fall in love and you fall forever.

I have 2 new pictures of my babies in CA.  We love getting them, but it makes me miss them even more.   Here, they are trying on the things their daddy brought back from a recent trip.

 This little guy has grown so much and is really developing a personality.  They say he is such a good baby.  When they moved, we rarely saw his eyes.  Now, he is smiling and I'm missing all of these milestones.  I just need to hold and give these kids some Mammam attention!