Celebrations...

Cooper, one excited birthday boy!

This Memorial day weekend was one of family celebrations...Cooper's 4th birthday and my in-laws 70th anniversary!  It's always a pleasure to see family and so wonderful to get them (or most) all in the same place at the same time.  My favorite thing to do is just sit and watch them.  Cooper's birthday was an outdoor party that he had been excited about for a long time.  He loves superheros, so his parents made this a "superhero academy".  Mom, Joni thought of everything down to baby wipes on all the tables...great!

The park where the birthday celebration was held.

Uncle Mike, Bryden and Grandpa Larry

Bailey

Emma

All the heros listening to mom Joni giving details of the "kryptonite hunt"!

 The weather was great...very warm but all the kids had a ball!


Cooper and  Joni



Superhero pin the batman logo on Batman!

Bailey listening to all the details....

Cooper's Uncle Mike, Aunt Lori and cousin Emma



MIke and Emma watching...




Follow the masked marauder ...dad Tim!

 

Grandpa Larry, Tim, Bryden and Cooper's uncle Jason

The birthday boy with his Grandma Cinda and delicious food...yum!

Mike, Emma and Bryden...the youngest cousins

Cousin Jack and Cooper

Uncle Jason and Coop

I'm never happier than with an armload of grands!!

Memories that last

Bailey amd Emma avoiding the sun

Our southern belle!

Celebrating Joe & Irene's 70th anniversary!

While remembering what our great country was founded on, and all who served that we are grateful for, we also enjoy family and those around us every day.  Happy Memorial Day weekend!!!





Play Date...

What's a guy to do on a boring day??

Look around for any little diversion...

Find something that looks interesting but it's NOT a toy...

Try to escape...but find the door locked!

Read...but it's upside down!

So when a beautiful blonde invites you to come over....I'm Johnnie on the Spot!
She shows you the place...and her pets, hmmm!

Like I said, "Hmmmm!"

She's not only beautiful, but has good toys too!!!

We fell right into sinc!!

THANKS for a great time, Em!  It was fun!!!

Little Guy growing up....

I took these pics Sunday babysitting while Chelsea was at work.  Bryden was getting tired but I was reflecting on how he's grown and what changes we've seen in him lately.  He's starting to say many little words and if you ask him to repeat a word, he most likely will.  I love to hear his little voice say "Ank-u" for thankyou and "ork" for more.  In church he sat still for more than half the service and folded his hands and closed his eyes when we prayed.  OK, my eyes should have been shut too but it was so sweet to see that!! It reminds me so much of seeing my own children at that age but I've forgotten so much till I see it all again. It's so much fun to watch.

Not sure what his face was about here but he plays hard and goes until he drops.

He dropped....lol!

P.lus S.ome more.....

On the last post, I mentioned how fast the rain had come and how our little foot bridge was damaged.

 Last night's rain took our little bridge completely and left this trail of how high the water level came.  Our neighbor's bridges are gone too!  One neighbor was out early and said that he watched the water level all night in our creek and driving around town at the wee hours to find main 4 lane roads in town down to one passable. In the 22 years we have lived here, it's never been like this. My husband's business was flooded out too and he's up early with his employees to clean carpet.  I'll head out to help in a bit. 

Mother Nature can be fearsome sometimes and watching our nation and the tornado and flood conditions elsewhere,  I'm extremely grateful that our house is intact and it wasn't worse.  The week's forecast?  Rain.

Spring Brings...?

 Yesterday at 5 am, Scoobie woke me when thunder started.  I thought, "Ohhh, I'd better put him out quick before it starts raining or he won't go!"  So I rushed him out successfully before a deluge.  This town creek runs through our yard and it usually just has a trickle of water running at all times.   It's fun to watch in a rain because it can overflow it's banks when it rains hard.  You wouldn't want children or animals near it because it runs fast when it's like this!

Here it is hitting our small foot bridge that now needs to be repaired following this rain.  Then about 4pm, I had a doctor's appointment and it started raining again.  Then it turned to hail, first small pea sized, graduating to golf ball sized!  I called my husband to ask if I should go back home afraid the car would be dented!  I couldn't even hear him!  Yaya at Whispering Pines said she was at WalMart at the same time and that the sound there was deafening.  She said it appeared the weather may have caused some mishap on 71 (superhighway) because the traffic in both directions was as far back for miles as the eye could see and that law enforcement was not allowing traffic on. 

I went to the doctors anyway and got hit by stinging ice balls...yuck!  Most dismal of all is that it's supposed to rain for the next 5 days!

At least it's very green out!

So dispite the crummy weather, the mailman came anyway!  He brought this wonderful package!  I won from Seventh Smith's Fabulous Friday Freebies these cute outfits for our grand daughters! (actually I won one and purchased the other).  They are pillow case tops with pants. Each Friday, Mandy at Seventh Smith features one or two websites that have the cutest items for giveaways.  I've won tutus here for the girls too.  You might want to pop over and look.  Mandy's blog  is fun to follow because she is soon due with her sixth baby!  All her children are beautiful!!
Her children are often models for fashions like the ones I won.  Good luck Mandy with the new baby!! I can't wait for Bailey and Emma to try these on!!

Mother's Day weekend 2011

Emma now walking....here crawling up the patio steps.

I thought of my mother all weekend.  I thought of how much has changed since she went to heaven 6 years ago.  It seems so short and yet so very long.  We've had four grandchildren that she would have adored almost as much as me.  She would be pleased to see what great parents my children have turned out to be.  She would be pleased to know that many things I do are patterned after things she did and I now see those things being repeated in the way my children parent. She would be most glad to know that all the great grandchildren say good night prayers and are on their way to a strong religious faith.

Happy Mother's day in Heaven, Mom...and to everyone else who is a mother!

Bailey, so compassionate with Scoobie!

Me with Emma

Bailey and Scoobie

Taking Bryden out to Mother's day dinner in his best hat...

Chelsea looking at her Mother's Day gift...photos of her son!





<><><><><><>Our favorite bunch!  Bailey, Emma, Bryden and Cooper!

All the work we have to do this week!!!