Spring in Full Swing!

On Saturday, a week ago, I got a little extra Claire, Chloe, and Chris time. In order to keep them occupied and busy we decided to bake cupcakes. I'm not sure who these two little cooks think they are, but they may believe that are on the cooking channel by the looks and poses.

They all three did a nice job of decorating the cupcakes with dyed coconut, jelly beans, frosting, and some sprinkles.

They never tire of coloring and here you see Chloe and Chris working on some very special pictures given to them by a very special friend. 

On Thursday when I arrived Chris was so very excited to show me his new car. He absolutely loves it and actually the girls do too.

Papa came a little later and we proceeded to do some egg coloring. We had such a good time and the three C's worked really hard to make some very special eggs.

Below you see Chloe telling her Papa the Easter story from the triumphal entry of Jesus through His death and resurrection. The story is created with a dozen plastic eggs that each have something in them to remind the story teller of what took place. (piece of palm frond, small stone, a small cross, etc.) Claire and Chloe brought the Resurrection Eggs home after working on them at their pre-school. I can't say enough about their little school. They are learning so much and enjoy every minute of being there. I loved hearing them tell the Easter story as did Papa.

Today, Easter Sunday, we spent a lovely afternoon at Uncle Jon's very special friend Lisa's house. She recently moved into her home and was so anxious to host the family. She has done such a great job of painting, decorating, and fixing up her new home. The food prepared by Jon and Lisa was delicious. The weather didn't cooperate too well for an Easter egg hunt outside, but as it turned out Chloe was not feeling well at all. Daddy took her home shortly after dinner to get some extra rest. Although we were sad for Chloe, we did enjoy our time together!

Chloe manages a very weak smile.....

I am praying for a speedy recover for our sweet Chloe. I am so thankful for the Easter celebrations that bring joy, hope, and a promise of eternal life! Thank you Jesus for dying for me!



An Exciting Week!

On Monday, Chris and Papa had a great phone conversation. Of course Papa couldn't see Chris nodding and shaking his head yes or no, along with his audible responses, but I sure could. He has picked up Chloe's habit of walking around the room or house while 'talking' on the phone.

When the girls came home from school, they quickly changed into ballet clothes and spent the next couple of hours doing their own versions of a ballet. They would take turns announcing their dances and then perform freestyle. :)

Tuesday was a very exciting day for Paula and the whole family. Paula and her brother John met for the first time, a sister, Carol, that they didn't even know existed until a few months ago. Carol and her wonderful family visited the area for a few days as the families got acquainted. On Thursday, Papa and I also got to meet Carol, her husband Mark, and two of the their three daughters, Briana and Cierra. What a treat for us! Their oldest daughter, Ashley, had returned home early Thursday morning. The three C's were clearly in love with their newly found cousins. I am told that the older girls spent lots of time playing with and entertaining Claire, Chloe, and Chris. What an incredible blessing for all of them!

The sisters and their daughters......

Carol and Mark, Briana (middle), Cierra holding Claire.... Beautiful famly!

On Saturday, Papa and I took the three C's to their local, and favorite park. Several of the play structures have just been redone and it is a wonderful place to visit and play.

Chris contemplating his next move.....

Go Claire.....

All three C's on the twirling pole........

Chris, very pleased with himself after coming down the slide quite fast....clapping and cheering...

Papa helps with the twirling pole....



Upside down Chloe.........

After a great play time we all went to Taco Bell for lunch and then on for yogurt.

A very busy week and a week that will be remembered for a long time!

Take My Picture, Please, Grandma!

There are times when grandchildren do not want to take pictures. This week, however, was not one of those times. Chloe actually asked multiple times for me to take her picture. Pretty fun! Claire is usually more eager for a pose or two than Chloe, and Chris usually loves to have his picture taken.

On Monday while the girls were at school, Chris and I took a long walk. One of the neighbors has decorated for Easter. Chris was pretty impressed.

He also was happy to stop and smell the flowers.....

But the happiest of all was when he saw Papa come down the street in his pickup. Chris couldn't wait to finish our walk and get home to see him.



When the girls arrived home from school, Chloe rushed to her bedroom to take off her school clothes (pants and a t-shirt) and get into her flowery dress. That is when she wanted me to be sure and take her picture, which I did, along with a few additional ones.

On Saturday we got an extra treat. Mike had lots of outside work to do so we spent just a few hours with the kids. Claire and Chloe were so excited to show us their newly painted room and their new bunk beds.

Since the girls are now finished with their "toddler beds" Chris got promoted to one of the hand me down beds. He was not willing to pose in his new bed but Claire gladly showed me exactly how he would sleep in it. :) Paula reports that he spent one-half of the first night in it. That's a start! Their rooms are a work in progress but with Paula's creative touch they will soon be finished.



Mike was doing some burning in their backyard and the fire was very interesting to all three of the children. Eventually Chris moved a chair to the window and sat there for a very long time taking it all in.

An exciting week is ahead for Paula, Mike, and the kids with some very special house guests coming to visit. 

Life is full of surprises and this surprise has been a big one!

Marvelous Monday!

While I can't say that I have always looked forward to Mondays, during this particular time in my life I can say that I do look forward to Mondays! The work schedules of Paula and Mike are such now that the day we normally help out with the children is Monday. I usually arrive very early before the three C's are up. This past week, however, it wasn't long before Chloe popped her head around the corner. I think that she had been sleeping with one eye open because she had lost her second tooth and anticipated that the tooth fairy just might be dropping by, and she was correct. She was very excited about her money and little gifts and told me that she was very sure the tooth fairy would leave something for Claire as well. That didn't happen and Claire was somewhat disappointed. After a couple of conversations about how this tooth fairy deal works, Claire seemed happy and satisfied.

Below Claire still looks a bit sleepy.....

It was a pre-school day for the girls and after they were off to school, Chris and I got to hang out with some painters that had come to do some work for Paula and Mike. I had told Chris he couldn't go down the hall and he was very good. He did take a few peeks around the corner to see what was happening at different times and served as the greeter each time one of the painters went outside for something. Chris would meet them at the door and say Hi, over and over. Chris and I also took a long walk to pass some of the time.



Eventually Papa showed up and the ball playing began. No one delights Chris like his Papa.

The girls came home from school and changed into their flowery dresses that they insist on wearing almost every day now. Somehow they have the idea that princesses always wear dresses. When we were in Hawaii, Paula had packed all these cute shorts and tops and all they wanted to wear were dresses.....which had to be laundered over and over. :) They had some book time with Papa and then moved on to their stamps and coloring while Chris took a nap.

Claire and Chloe never seem to tire of art projects. They really enjoy creating and discussing what they are making. Chloe, in particular, seems to really have some artistic genes. Back in January, when she was still four years old, one day out of the blue, she made a picture of me and my sister. She hasn't seen my sister, Jean, for some time but does occasionally talk to her on the phone. My sister is definitely thinner than I am, taller than I am, and rarely wears sunglasses. This is the picture Chloe drew and told me when she gave it to me that it was when we were younger and still had red hair. Yep, I'd say it is red!



The next picture she drew on that same day is shown below. She told me it was someone named RosaLinda. I'm not clear if that is someone she knows or if she just made up the name. It, too, is quite a good drawing with excellent detail for a four year old.

Claire's drawings are not quite as detailed but she does love color and has other talents (like singing, for instance). Lest you forget her storytelling, I am including a story that I posted a couple of years ago that just came one morning when I happen to have the video on. She is still a great conversationalist and can always carry on an interesting conversation about nature, including plants and animals. Both girls have learned so much about the outdoors, plants, birds, rocks, bugs, reptiles and more from their Dad. It will be interesting to see how, being twins, their interests develop, change, and differ as they get older.  

It will also be fun to see how Christopher develops interests, for now he seems to be interested in anything that the girls are doing. 

Looking forward to tomorrow, another Monday!