Out & About With the Three C's

Last week our time with the grandchildren was spent mostly at the park. What fun we all had. Chris LOVES the swing and Claire loved taking a turn pushing him.
Chris wants to be involved in whatever those big sisters are doing. He walked and walked and walked.

We took the soccer ball as well as the bat and softball for some fun in the big grassy area.

On Friday, Claire and Chloe came home with Papa and I for the weekend. Our first activity was taking their bikes to a big flat parking lot at one of the schools in our town. Chloe is taking a break to sit with Papa and visit. Claire continued to pedal around. Saturday afternoon we did a repeat of that activity and they "rode like the wind" for quite some time.

Later the girls did some batting practice with Coach Papa helping them learn how to hold the bat. Papa spent many years coaching and officiating baseball and softball (and football and basketball) so I know he will be a big help to them as they learn and begin sports.

The bubble machine that I got as a retirement gift still works quite well. The kids still LOVE it and it gets lots of use. It is partially taped together now so maybe I should look at replacing it. :)

Saturday night Chris (or Batman) got to join the overnight party. That was really fun, he slept with Papa and I and did really well. It is impossible to "toddler proof" this old house with the stairs and the number of rooms and doors but we did our best. For the few hours he was here it worked out very well. I'm not sure I could possibly keep up with him for multiple days and nights yet. Maybe next year!

Chris and Claire give a concert prior to going home on Sunday morning. We had such a great weekend and I hope the next visit isn't too far away.

Happy May Day....coming up!!!

Very Briefly......

The girls try very, very, hard to color within the lines now when using pre-printed coloring pages. One of them takes it very seriously.

And in fact, it is quite a bother to even look up to accommodate Grandma's camera.

Go Go Applesauce, one of the best inventions in recent years. The kids all love it and it is so handy for a snack at home or particularly when out and about. Good to the very last drop!!!

When it was time for us to go after our visit with the kids this week, Claire said as we were leaving, "Grandma, we will call you when we can get together again." Sounds like a plan to me, how about next Tuesday? :):)

Tuesday With Chloe, Claire, and Chris !

Our favorite day this past week came on Tuesday. We were able to spend a few hours with the three C's. When it warmed up enough to go outside we immediately put the jackets on for some fresh air ~~ minus the sunshine. Chris was so happy to be out and what a busy little fellow he was. He made it half way up the steep driveway before I could get him, tried to work in Mommy's soon to be herb garden, and was curious about everything in his sight. Claire and Chloe got on their bikes first thing and did some practice riding. Yes, Claire's helmet strap looks uncomfortable, but that is the way she insisted that she likes it.

Chris, with a little encouragement from Papa and me, finally decided to ride his own little ATV bike. He really thought he should be on the big bikes like his sisters.

Chloe is concentrating very hard....

And then has a "moment" over something that really disturbed her....

But, as usual, it sure didn't last long, and our happy little girl was back!

We sure enjoyed our day, and as I have said numerous times on this blog, our time with the Grandchildren is the highlight of our weeks.

Had a fun lunch after church today with the kids. Mike and Paula relayed this funny event from yesterday. Mike had taken the girls to the pet shop to look around and when they returned home Claire went directly to Paula (who was still in her pj's) and said, "Mommy you sure look beautiful, can we get a hamster?" Apparently Mike had told the girls on the way home that there wasn't anything they could say that would convince Mommy that they should have a hamster but apparently Claire thought she would give it her best shot. I applaud Paula for standing her ground, I had so many creepy little creatures in my home as Mike, Jon, and Suzie were growing up and I wouldn't wish that scene on anyone! We do have some hilarious stories from those days, but even so, I don't like creatures in the house.

Have a happy spring filled week!

Some Moments From the Week Before Easter!

Chris lights up the room with his smile. Below he stops for a moment to pose for Grandma as he cruises around taking in everything. He is rarely still and tries so hard to be a part of everything his sisters do. Snack time and Chris, the big shot, climbed right up to sit at the table with Chloe and Claire.

Claire and Chloe received a nice surprise on Saturday before Easter. What fun they had!

Chris got a lawn mower that shoots bubbles. The only problem was that it didn't work very well. He didn't care and got the hang of mowing. right away.

More bicycle time followed by an egg hunt.....

Followed by some time at the park..... Chloe and Paula....

Both girls had haircuts on Friday. Chloe's is remarkably different, cut to the shoulders. She is very happy with her new "do" and we all loved it too.

A short peek at Chris enjoying the trampoline....

Hope you had a blessed Easter with family and friends. We certainly did!

Home Again, No Worries!!

Our bucket list is shorter by one item now that we have completed our trip to Australia and New Zealand. We saw more than we ever could have imagined and experienced so many things, yet we only scratched the surface in both of these countries. We had great travel buddies and we laughed and enjoyed each other's company more than can be expressed. Below are the pals we shared this experience with during our flight from San Francisco to Auckland and then to Sydney.

Chris and Earnie...

Pat....

Pat's husband Ken....

and Connie and Wayne who are shown in pictures later in the blog.

We spent two nights in Sydney taking in a sightseeing tour on a bus like the one below, as well as exploring the city a bit on our own and visiting Taronga zoo that we reached by ferry boat.

Norm and I had an up close and personal visit with a koala bear (as we had promised Claire and Chloe we would do) but that sweet little creature decided to sleep through our visit. I had envisioned holding it for a picture, but they absolutely do not let you disturb them if they are sleeping, which they tend to do most of the day.

After our time in Sydney we flew to Cairns in order to experience the Great Barrier Reef area and take a train ride to Kuranda. Norm and Wayne wait patiently for their dinner at the waterfront Barnacle Bill's in Cairns.

Our trip out to the reef was pre-scheduled so even though it was raining and storming we still got on the boat to travel 40-50 minutes out to the reef. Below is the pontoon platform where we spent most of the day and then did little mini trips to see and experience particular things.

The guides apologized for the murky water caused by the rain and winds, but we were still amazed by what we saw. Ken, the most adventuresome that day, went scuba diving. I took the easy route and used the glass bottom boat and the small semi-submersible submarine for my view of the reef. We all did our own thing that day, and some of the group experienced some discomfort from the rough waters and just enjoyed the lounges and fresh air. I can tell you it POURED while we were there but it was a great day anyway.

The following day we took a train ride to Kuranda. It was great fun. Here Connie and Pat wait in the station for our train. It was a beautiful tropical area.

After the train ride we toured a rain forest in an Army Duck vehicle and took the skyrail for a 40-50 minute trip back to meet our shuttle that would take us back to the hotel. The tram was a great experience, high over the rain forest and once I relaxed, I really enjoyed it.

The following day we met our bus at 3:30 AM in order to catch a 5:00 AM flight back to Sydney. We boarded our cruise ship around noon and sailed away in the early evening. Goodbye Sydney !!

After a day at sea, we visited Melbourne, took another train ride and a short sightseeing trip around the city. We truly didn't experience as much of Melbourne as we would have liked.

The next day we stopped in Burnie, Tasmania. Norm and I took a bus through the countryside and then browsed around the little town for a short time.

After three days cruising the beautiful Milford Sound and the Fiordland National Park, we were very happy to disembark in Port Chalmers. Port Chalmers was a very small port area and the nearest town of any size was Dunedin, a town that we fell in love with. It was a University town and we walked extensively to see as much as we could.

A view of Akaroa, pretty hillside town where we had to be tendered in because the waters were too shallow for the ship.

Each port town had something special and unique. At one port the mayor was at the gangway to have his picture taken with anyone who wanted one. In Picton, we were greeted at the gangway by citizens with small corsages for each of us. Picton also had beautiful gardens in the center of town as well as a wonderful play area for children.

Some evenings our group preferred to not dress for dinner but just use the casual dining room where a buffet was available and you partially wait on yourselves. This was one of those evenings.

Next stop was Wellington, the largest town we had visited to that point in New Zealand. Upon the recommendation of a friend who lives in the area, we visited an incredible museum called Te Papa and then took a cable car ride to the top of a hill overlooking the city.

The port of Napier was a busy little town. We were there on a Saturday and they were having an antique car show as well as various street musicians in the area. It was referred to as the "art deco" town and prior to our afternoon departure, many of the cars and a band were driven out to the port to entertain the passengers. We certainly felt a warm welcome from them.

Our last port, Tauranga, before our cruise ended in Auckland, was really a great area. A few from our group hired a private driver who took us to some of the highlights in the area. One of the places we visited was a large Kiwi fruit orchard and plant. Our group was familiar with the growing process of Kiwi so we spent more time in the gift shop than anywhere else. I assume most visitors to the area would not know much about Kiwi. They had great Kiwi wine and fruit samples for tasting. A new Kiwi berry that has not been marketed out of NZ as yet, was available for tasting. It is about the size of a large grape and very sweet. You eat the skin as well as the fruit part. I say, bring it on...I think Americans will love it. New Zealand is known as the Land of the Long White Cloud, and day after day we did see long white clouds. This one I found particularly pretty.

More of the Tauranga area.....

On our final day of cruising, we spent 2-3 hours cruising around this volcano. It was so lovely, rising right up out of the waters in the Bay of Plenty. I believe the last eruption was in 2000, we all found it quite fascinating.

Our cruise ended in Auckland, NZ. New Zealand is very supportive of anyone who has served in the military. Our guide, bus driver, was quick to point out that New Zealand does not have any enemies. The country has only engaged in military activity to assist their "friends". Below is a huge military museum that also houses several floors of collections about the Maori people. What a thrill it was to visit that museum as well.

A view of Auckland's skyline.....

We met great people both in the countries visited, and on the cruise ship that was our 'home' for 14 days. We regularly, daily, maybe even hourly, heard the expression, "no worries" as we interacted with the Aussies and Kiwi people (as the NZ folks call themselves). What a great outlook and attitude to have as you go through your days...."no worries". I am hopefully going to tuck that away and use it frequently.

Our travels were unforgettable but we were happy to come home, see our family again, and settle in until the next adventure. It may be a while, but we always need something to look forward to. I am so thankful to God for safe travels and good health while we were out of the country. Norm's limited mobility made some days more difficult than others, but overall he did incredibly well. What memories we made !

Hopefully next week I can get back to some tales of the grandchildren. May your week be full of "no worries".