Grandchildren on the Go!

Early Monday evening the phone rang and a little voice said, "May I please speak to Papa?" I responded, "Hi Chloe, how are you?" She responded, "Grandma, I NEED to talk to Papa," so I handed the phone to him and picked up an extension.(No time for Grandma at this point. :) ) She had called to tell him all the details of an owl she had just spotted. It was an interesting conversation....if you are really into birds, like Papa is. The next subject was about the feast that their pre-school was having the following day and by now Claire was on the phone extension at their house. They were bursting with information about all the things they had done to prepare the feast including cutting vegetables for the 'Pilgrim stew' and making decorations. Claire in her precious dramatic way said, "There is so much to do tomorrow that I will be exhausted when it is over". We had been invited to come and told them we were very excited too. It was a real treat for us. The class sang several songs and entertained us very well. The class name is the Busy Beavers and apparently this is their mascot.

The children filed into the room in their costumes including headbands and name necklaces. Chloe's Indian name was Skipping Skunk and Claire's Indian name was Sleepy Buffalo.

Chris came along with his Mommy and Daddy and got to taste the yummy Pilgrim stew.

Following the feast, Claire and Chloe got to come home with us for a couple of nights to give Mike and Paula a little less action at their house while they prepared to host Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. On Wednesday, the girls and I did some baking. They were really excited and after watching a video of their favorite cook, Paula Deen, giving instructions, we made one of her recipes called Carmel Apple Cheesecake Bars. It had so much butter in it, along with cream cheese and sugar, that I felt like I had gained five pounds just being in the room. It was pretty tasty, but you could only eat a tiny, tiny, piece, it was so rich. In the afternoon we made a Better Homes and Gardens award winning recipe of a Banana Pound cake. I'm not sure how it won an award, because neither the girls nor I liked it at all, and Papa ate a small piece, and then cut it in half and put it in the freezer. You know the story, freeze it for a few months and then throw it away, at least that's how it usually works for us.

 

We got up early Thanksgiving morning, did just a little more cooking, and got dressed to head to Claire and Chloe's house. They were so thrilled to find both Uncle John (Paula's brother) and Richard, their cousin, and Uncle Jon already at their house. Uncle John, Claire, and Richard took some time to read a book or two.

The sad news when we arrived was that Christopher had gotten suddenly ill. Poor little guy, he spent much of the day either on Papa's lap or sleeping. Can't say that Papa minded at all, he was very content to hold and comfort his sweet little grandson.

Meanwhile, Claire and Chloe found plenty of time to dance in the driveway prior to the rest of the cousins, aunts and uncles arriving.

We all had a wonderful time, ate way too much of the delicious dinner, and enjoyed the company of family. Thank you to Mike and Paula for hosting such a great day. Some of the group took a walk at dusk, prior to trying the desserts. As I say so often, we are blessed beyond measure, and our Thanksgiving holiday, once again, proved that clearly.

Keeping Busy!!

Quite often when we visit Claire, Chloe, and Chris at their home, as we come through the front door, we are met by little faces popping up from the end of the couch and little voices shouting, "surprise!" We always act very shocked and amazed that they fooled us, but truthfully, it doesn't take much to entertain them, or us, for that matter.

Last Sunday our family traveled to Aunt Jen (Papa Norm's youngest sister) and Uncle Mark's house to celebrate the 16th birthday of Cousin Jesse, one of the twins' all time favorite people. (Shown below in a picture from when he visited our house in September.) What a fun party we had! The food was delicious and the laughter was continual.

 Below Uncle Jon and Claire share a moment.

Uncle Mark and Claire share some chatter as Uncle Mark finishes up the yummy Caesar salad.

Uncle Mark and Chris share a little fun as Chris tries to scare him with a mask.

Chloe enjoys her dinner and demonstrates what a good eater she is, particularly loving the meat that was served.

After an excellent dinner of tri-tip and baked potato bar, Uncle Jon supervises and Chloe, Claire and their cousin Haley sample the homemade ice cream paddle.

Uncle Larry entertains us with one of his wonderful stories below, it was a great Sunday afternoon!

This past week we spent a morning with the three C's and ventured out to a Taco Bell lunch and then to the local apple orchard. One of our laughs for the day was as we got into the car and were planning our route, (ATM, lunch and the orchard), Chloe pipes up from the back with a firm plan for the time. She insisted that we needed to go to the ATM first (she was right about that) and then to lunch and THEN to the orchard. We are finding her to be quite the planner and organizer. The kids did very well at Taco Bell, using their best manners and making friends around us. The first picture is Chris showing us his gold fish crackers when we arrived and the following pictures are at lunch.

At the apple orchard each of the children picked out a few apples and also their favorite fresh apple juice. Chloe held the juice part of the way home and Claire part of the way home but somehow Claire got to carry it into the house...I think Chloe decided to go find some pretty leaves.

They do have beautiful trees and leaves in their neighborhood as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. The trees at the top of their driveway do not seem as colorful as last year, but are still quite stunning.

Looking forward to seeing the girls' in a Thanksgiving program at their pre-school on Tuesday and then Claire and Chloe will come home with us for a couple of nights while Mom and Dad prepare to host Thanksgiving on Thursday. Should be a great week as we pause to give thanks for the blessings we have. Too many to count, that's for sure! Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Fall in Action!

The Fall foliage is starting in a big way in Claire, Chloe, and Chris' yard. This beautiful tree is at the bottom of their driveway and two additional ones at the top are starting to burst with color as well.

Last week on our morning with the grandkids Chris explored a bit while the girls did some of their "worksheets". Chris didn't like it when I told him that he was tearing the edge of the clothes hamper that he had found in Chloe and Claire's room. If looks could kill......

Next we moved to the kitchen where the three made some corn bread muffins that we had with our chili for lunch. They cooperated so nicely with each other and the girls were very generous in letting Chris have his turn to stir. The muffins were actually quite tasty and they really enjoyed the activity.  

Of course this past week included Halloween. It is clearly NOT my favorite holiday but I know the kids love it. Claire and I had a lengthy conversation about Halloween and I told her how I felt. She could not understand why I didn't love it as well. Several times she reminded me that everything about Halloween is "just pretend" and emphasized it each time. We did have a great evening at Aunt Suzie and Uncle Eric's house. They had decorated things up, fixed pizza, and made it a really fun evening. Aunt Suzie carved some really nice looking pumpkins that greeted us at the door. The girls dressed as mermaids and Chris was a Dracula type guy. It was a very rainy evening but that did not put a damper on the party. Paula, Suzie, and I walked the kids (including umbrellas) to a very few houses to trick-or-treat and they were completely satisfied.

With the Halloween festivities behind us, we now move towards one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving. I am continually reminded how blessed my life is. Thank you God!

October Celebrations!

Last weekend I traveled to the Seattle/Gig Harbor area where I met up with my sister from Iowa and attended a baby shower for her daughter-in-law who is expecting her first baby. The shower was a great party, one of the most fun showers I have ever attended. The food was excellent and the caterer made this darling fresh fruit salad decoration as part of the food presentation. What a hit it made!

My sis and I spent some great time with her son, daughter-in-law, and her daughter-in-law's sister and mother from Florida. We shopped, went sightseeing, and enjoyed time together which happens so infrequently. It was refreshing and a wonderful change of pace for me.

This weekend we celebrated Suzie's birthday. The family came for a taco dinner and following the party, Chloe and Claire extended their stay by sleeping over at Papa and Grandma's.

Chris was the life of the party, he kept us all smiling.

Claire went right to work in the "art corner" of our diningroom. She actually spent quite a bit of time coloring and drawing the entire evening as well as the next day.

Aunt Suzie got some help with blowing out her candles...

And the birthday cheesecake was enjoyed by all....

After the other family members left, Claire and Chloe modeled their colorful fall dresses and the following morning,  their new dresses sent to them by Aunt Jeannie.

Life is good, no doubt about that. We are looking forward to some play time with the grandchildren on Tuesday of this next week, come rain (which is predicted) or shine!

October Arrives!!

Paula, Mike, and the children often spend time in the foothills and mountains hiking. It is excellent exercise for everyone, and the children often tell us the exciting things they see and do. A few days ago, Mike sent me this picture of the girls crossing a flume. (Yikes, is what I thought!!!) Claire is in the lead and Chloe following close behind. From what Mike says, Chloe wasn't too keen on that little section but Claire led with confidence. They have completed up to 5 mile hikes which I find quite amazing for 4 year olds.

Chloe, on the other hand had no problem "leading the way" to climbing trees. Mike found Chloe up in a tree a few days ago. Claire was a bit hesitant to try it but when Chloe insisted that Papa and I see her climb on Tuesday when we visited, Claire soon decided it was the thing to do. Papa gave her some hints to get started and up she went too. 

Papa and Chris watch as the girls do their tree climbing.

Our sweet friend Miss Chris sent a little surprise for the kids that will be great for those hiking days. The canteens are so cute and the kids loved them.

They "wrote" thank you notes to Miss Chris. Below you see Christopher working on his with his color crayons.  

Halloween will be here before we know it. The three C's are totally prepared. Chris doesn't model his costume in these photos but I am told his is ready as well.

Chloe and Claire pose with some new dresses that are certainly bright and cheerful! :) When I ordered them I didn't realize they were quite that bright, but they are definitely fall colors and can also be used in Hawaii when we go in a couple of months. Wow, is all I can say! :)

Our visit for this week was so enjoyable and we look forward to a few hours with our grandchildren again on Tuesday. Enjoy your week!