My kind of Super Hero!

This handsome Grandson of ours Kai, just turned 4 years old! We love him so much! He is quite taken with Superman, and so for his birthday...his Mom and Dad made him the coolest Super Hero Party ever!






It is so hard to believe that he is already 4, I love that boy so much! I love being able to create for him and create with him.

He loves to do anything with me, even my back exercises! :)

He loves to do anything with color!

He even wanted to try sewing and quilting with me! He was great!

 He like both of his Grandfathers... is even good with wood creations! Look at this Reindeer he and his Dad created!

He is the best Big Brother ever! Oakley is a very blessed little girl to have such a wonderful big Brother!

We got to FaceTime with him tonight and watch him open his Birthday present from us. He has had so much company since his Birthday...we decided to wait till things settled down. 

 This is what I made for Kai's Birthday. Thought it was  appropriate since his Grandpa works at Boeing! I thought he might need a place to tuck his animals to bed at night!

I look at this picture of Bradley as a Father, and I can hardly believe that he himself grew up this fast. There is something about a Moms and their boys... that is so Special! Then there is a part of your heart that a Grandson has... that is pretty Special too!

Oh how we love you Hezekiah, you are good boy and I think you are the only Super Hero ...that your Nana and Poppa would ever need! Happy Birthday!

Jenny turned 6 years old!

Yesterday our granddaughter Jenny turned 6 years old, I still can't believe it! She has been such a fun part of our family, she has had red hair from the start and still has it. She is just too cute, funny, crazy and we still think she is just a Little Lauren but with red hair! That explains what her personality is like :) She has always loved dogs, stuffed animals, dinosaurs, dragons and wants a Pirate Party for her birthday party ( that will be next week with her little friends )! She loves to color, and cut...that girl has been cutting things ever since she was little ( usually things she wasn't suppose to be cutting ).

Last night we went out to eat just as a family to celebrate her Birthday!

We gave her a Pirate book/game and I painted the wooden people to match so she could use them as her game pieces, she really liked it. Can I just say... that it took me forever to paint those? Years ago in my painting days... I could have cranked out a 3 or 4 pair in the 2 hours that it took me to paint these two. My hands are not near as steady as they used to be, but some how I was able to complete Peg leg Pete and Captain Fuzzlebeard before the party!

Made me appreciate the talent that I had years ago, and it made me grateful that those days are over, my back was killing me! I am getting so old! However it was all worth it, when I saw how much she liked it!

Amy has always been the type of kid and Mother, to make everyone ( including friends ) feel really special on their Birthday! That is just something she does, and it is a great blessing to many of us. She starts out celebrating with her kids as soon as they wake up! How fun! You can see that Jenny was in heaven for breakfast because she got to chocolate milk and sugared cereal and got to have her Dragons all hang out at breakfast with her! Funny girl! We sure love you Jenny!

Hey I gave my kids carrot juice, homemade fruit roll ups and Bran muffins...that means I am a good Mom too,..right? Don't ask my kids, they have all kinds of stories that will tell you about me! :)
Night dear friends!

Where has the time gone?

3 years ago today our little Grandson Kai ( and cowboy at heart ) was born. He is our first Grandson and 3rd Grandchild. His full name is Hezekiah Williams and we have been in love with him from the start. We just got to spend almost 2 weeks with them, how grateful we are that we get to spend some time with him each year. Of course it never feels like enough but through the phone and the computer, we try to stay connected!


So here are a few photos of him NOW and the past few years!
He is growing up so fast, his eyes are getting darker and he is all boy! A very handsome 3 year old that is for sure!


Lucky for him, he has an incredibly talented Mom and Dad who absolutely gave him the coolest Dinosaur party ever! My kids are so talented in the parties that they do for our Grand kids, that they make the parties I did for them (when they were little), look pretty lame! :)


It has been so fun sewing for this little guy. He always looks like a little man going to Church on Sundays!

He is the love of his Mommy's heart...that's the way boys are you know with their Moms!

 He like Uncle Lee, loves wearing a hat!

For church I made him ties and bow ties. Then a quiet book to help him be more reverent when he gets to church!

He hardly ever leaves  his Daddy's side, and always wants to eat ...or wear ...or do whatever his Dad is doing! He is their little man!

He is an all around American Boy and by this last photo...you can tell that he is Well Loved!

Happy Birthday dear Kai! We love you more than words can say!

Let's have a Party!

Sunday was the day our little children at church had a program. It is what they share with their parents and the rest of the congregation about what they learn for the year. They did such a great job and it is was fun to see the proud faces of the families in the audience.
We had a treasure box that I had about 20 ribbons tied on. So we told the kids that we had a special surprise for them. We let them know that each time they practiced hard on their songs, that the music director would cut one of the ribbons. The goal was to have them all cut off before the day of the program, so they could see what their surprise was. They were sooo excited.
We decided to use the Rainbow theme since the Treasure Chest was the an important thing for them. Here is what the room looked like ( thanks to my family, and friends for all their help ). The kids were soooooo excited... and I think they felt well rewarded for all of their hard work!
 I was so proud of them!
I love those little guys, they seem to teach us as much as we teach them!
Good night dear friends!

Pink, Penguin, Popcorn Party?

Last week was Jenny's 5th Birthday. Wow, we sure love this cute red head of ours!
Since Lauren has been home, we have been head down and going non stop on the Wedding stuff, but I didn't want to forget to write about our little Jenny!


Jenny has a ton of faces and moods! She is a bundle of energy and there is no way that you can guess from one minute to the next what you will get with her. .You never have to worry about being bored around her. She is always making us laugh. We sure love this girl!

She is crazy about her little sister, and no matter what she ever she is doing, she is never too busy to go get Audrey's blanket or share some food with her. She is a great Big Sister!

She gets excited about the littlest things and is always always discovering something new!

So for her Birthday party ..she wanted to have a Pink Penguin Popcorn Party, and so her talented Mom really made her dreams come true!

What a party, with a ton of kids dressed as Penguins...playing games and eating popcorn!

Thanks to Lauren( our Photographer), we have cute photos of her on her real Birthday!
Life is crazy and a bit wild with Miss Jenny, but we wouldn't have it any other way! We love you Jenny!

The Art of Giving!

I love this article that I read today. What a wonderful reminder for this Christmas Season!

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THE ART OF GIVING  by Lori Huff Goldade

Some people have very little but give everything.

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Whenever I reflect upon this joyous time of year, I remember a Christmas from long ago when I learned the art of giving.

I was in the fourth grade, and my friends and I were filled with holiday excitement. As was customary in our class, we drew names for the Christmas gift exchange. I hoped that the cute boy across the room had drawn my name. Another boy named Paul sat behind me. He often came to school with unclean clothes and dirty hands. My friends and I had made no effort to befriend him.

When the day of the big party arrived, the teacher distributed our gifts. The package I received was large and appeared to be hastily wrapped. Anxiously I tore off the wrapping paper. Inside was the book Lassie Come-Home. It wasn’t a clean, new copy as I might have hoped but had worn, frayed pages and a stain on the cover. Dismayed, I quickly hid it in my desk. Then I noticed something else hidden in the wrapping paper—a rattlesnake rattler in a pill bottle. On a name card was carefully written “From Paul.” In tears, I ran to the girls’ restroom.

Embarrassed, I remained in the restroom until the party was over and then hurried home. My mother, seeing my tear-stained face, asked about the Christmas party. I expressed to her my disappointment about the gifts. My mother lovingly put her arms around me, looked sadly into my eyes, and then taught me a great lesson. She told me that Paul, most likely too poor to buy a gift, had probably searched through everything he had at home for a meaningful present and, after much thought, had probably chosen some of his most prized possessions to give to me.

Again tears came to my eyes, but not because I hadn’t received something I wanted. This time they came because I had been so selfish and had not accepted the best gift given that Christmas. I had rejected a gift of love and sacrifice.

Some people have much and give very little. Others have little and give everything. Whenever I am tempted to be critical of another’s offering—whether it is of time, resources, or effort—I try to remember that some give all they can, just as in the account of the widow who “did cast in all that she had, even all her living” (Mark 12:44). The art of giving is to give all that you can, even if it is only two mites.

I didn’t express it as a fourth grader, but I am grateful for Paul’s Christmas gift of sacrifice and love.

Merry Christmas dear friends!

 

Watching her grow!

 Today we celebrated  Angie's 7th Birthday! How did she grow up so fast? Just seems like yesterday we were at the hospital welcoming her into the world and now she is already 7 years old and has two sisters. One of which was just born 2 weeks ago...Miss Audrey Jane. And yes, she is another red head too!

 Angie is an artist, she is kind, very compassionate and really wants to do the right things. She loves dolphins and so that is what the theme is for her friend birthday party. Lucky for Angie that she has such an artistic Aunt Lauren, who could draw her invites. How cool would that be to have your own cartoon drawing of you doing something that you love or would love to do...swim with dolphins!  She actually loves dinosaurs, any type of bugs and sea or water creatures. You could tell her love for animals if you could see how many stuffed animals she has! She has a great imagination and she is really starting to read a lot, that has been fun to see her actually read her Birthday cards this year!

 What a joy to watch her grow up, for now she still loves coming to Nana's for Sleep Overs and I hope she still will for many years to come. I feel so blessed this Mother's Day to have not only 4 amazing kids but also 4 amazing Grandchildren!

Well good night dear friends!

" Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart!"

  "Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood."  ~ Fred Rogers

The Polar Express Cousin Party

The reason that I didn't write last night was because we were working all day and nearly all night to get everything ready for the Polar Express Cousin Party at Shirley's house, with her kids and grandkids. I don't know who had more fun, the kids or Shirley and I preparing it. We all got new and matching Christmas PJ's. So when the kids arrived they got to get one package  under the tree and open it...you guessed ...new PJ's.

Then after everyone got on their PJ's, then it was off to the kitchen for a Christmas Brunch. Which was mini pancakes, fruit and juice... on Christmas plates of course.

Then we had the girls line up and we gave them a ticket for the Polar Express, then I put on the conductor hat, they came down the stairs and I punched their tickets and lead them down the path to the movie theater room. There they sat and ate their little cheerios necklace that we made them. Then new the end of the movie when Santa gives the little boy a jingle bell...we gave each of them a jingle bell of their own.

This was the best little party ever. I love my nieces and nephews... now to be a part of their children's lives is a great blessing. What a wonderful Christmas to me this trip was.

Here are all those sweet cousins...how I hope that some day I can do the same for all of my grandkids. Cousins can be a great help in life. Yes, what a great Christmas season this already is!

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."  ~ Burton Hillis