A Fair to Remember!

Papa and I were invited to meet the C's and their Mommy and Daddy at a nearby county fair on Friday. It was such an enjoyable outing and fun to see the kids in a little different setting. Chris was as happy as a clam riding in Daddy's backpack seat. He didn't miss much of what was going on and watched the girls with great interest as they rode a couple of rides as well as the ponies...one of their favorite things to do.

The Merry-Go-Round was the first stop and was enjoyed a second time later on before our time at the fair ended.

Claire and Chloe love, love, love the ponies.

Chloe pets a lamb through the fence before moving on to see calves, goats, bunnies, pigs, and more sheep.

A little time on the tea-cups with another little girl that didn't have anyone to ride with. They were happy to have her in their "cup".

Driving the motor course......

Mommy took a turn with the backpack. Don't know how they manage, but it sure is better than chasing him. Chris was done with his hat...so we tried some sunglasses. Those didn't last very long at all.

Daddy takes the girls for a little indulging........one of my least favorite things in the world....cotton candy. It is clearly not Chloe or Claire's least favorite thing. I think they would have eaten their whole bag had Mommy not helped them decide to save some of it. :)

The girls tried their skills at a carnival game...squirting water at a target.

Chloe won the first round, and got herself a hat.....

Claire won the second round and also got a hat.....

One last turn on the Merry-go-round...

And then a final ride on a neat little train that goes around the perimeter of the fairgrounds (even through a little tunnel). Grandma wanted Chris to go and after his train ride there was no more backpack for him!

He always wants Papa's cane and off he goes with it again.

It was definitely a highlight of our week to see the grandchildren and enjoy their outing. We were so impressed at how the kids conducted themselves. Not one meltdown and lots of "pleases" and "thank yous" were heard. Life is good....

It Was A Happy Mother's Day!

We spent one day with the three C's this past week. As I believe I have mentioned before, picture taking is way harder now with the littlest "C" in the mix. He is way too busy to be bothered most of the time, and I am way too busy watching what he will do next...this was a rare moment. Mike and Paula hosted a great Mother's Day party today. Here are some of the delicious goodies that we had in addition to some home made ice cream following the BBQ lunch. Everything was yummy and Paula, though she made it look easy, had to have put in many hours of work to prepare. The strawberries dipped in chocolate were some of the best I have ever had, just the right combination of chocolate and berry.

Chris is helping Papa and Uncle Paul get the ice cream going.

And posed for Grandma for a split second.



Our beautiful daughter-in-law and her Mom.

Chloe loves babies and here she interacts with cousin Emma being held by Emma's Grandma, Aunt Patty.

Papa and Grandma with the C's. Claire wasn't unhappy but she had just gotten poked in the eye with her toy and was having a hard time shaking it off. Ouch that hurts!

I am once again reminded of how blessed we are to have healthy grandchildren as well as family living near that we can celebrate with.

Happy Mother's Day to you as well!

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!