September Events!

Sometimes a picture says it all....

Look at that face! :-) We are very excited about the arrival in May of another little grandchild!

Jenna called me on the 2nd day of school and asked me if I was available for some babysitting in May. I told her I didn't even have a 2012 calendar yet, but, thinking they maybe had a wedding to go to, I said it shouldn't be a problem. When she said it would have to be an overnight since she would be in the hospital, it still took me a few seconds to get it. Duh!! We're thinking this one just might be a girl since she's having a little more nausea than with Charlie. Maybe??

We also celebrated Paul's 60th birthday in September. Joyce planned a surprise party for him at a golf course in Waconia, and she actually pulled it off. He was totally shocked at all of the friends and family in attendance.

He survived the "roast," too.
Happy Birthday, Paul!

Since Jenna hasn't felt much like cooking lately, she and Charlie have shown up several times for a good old home-cooked meal by mom. Following dinner, it's playtime for Charlie. A friend of mine gave me this giant dog for the kids to play with. Maddox promptly named him BoBo, and Charlie LOVES to run and dive head first on top of him.

Riding him is fun, too! I think BoBo will be around for awhile!

Charlie with Ba and Jane-Jane.

Hmmmm, this little guy is going to go into shock when he has to share the attention!

I Love Fall!

I came downstairs Saturday morning to make my morning coffee, and I immediately noticed an orange glow in the kitchen (it's usually still dark when I make my way downstairs during the week, and my eyes are still half shut).

The maple tree outside the kitchen window is in full color, and it's gorgeous!


Here's the view from the deck.
Then, I went into the family room to drink that cup of coffee, and there was a golden glow in that room.

The maple tree outside the window is also reflecting the sunlight, but it's yellow instead of orange.

Our deck has become a treetop hang-out. We might have to do a little trimming next summer!

I wish this could last for a couple of months - it's sooooo beautiful! I'm definitely NOT ready for winter!

First Day of School, 2011

The first day of school is always an exciting day, and my tradition of taking pictures to document it is continuing with our grandchildren!

Phebe, 8, is starting 3rd grade in West Palm Beach, FL - she's growing up WAY too fast! I wish she was lots closer so we could attend her school events and keep up with all of her activities! She's doing so well!

Maddox, 4, is starting his 2nd year of preschool in Cannon Falls. I love having him at my school so I can see him in "action" and check in with him a couple of times a week. He's been known to ask his teacher, "When is my grandma coming to see me today?"

Charlie, 1, is starting his 2nd year at daycare. He's a busy little guy, and always up to something (looks like he's still chewing on some breakfast here). He loves going to Miss Pam's house, and can now say the names of all of his little friends. It's fun to run up to SSP after school occasionally to pick him up from daycare when Jenna has something going on and can't get there by 4:30.

We are so blessed to have these three beautiful grandchildren!!
We are very proud of them all (and their parents)!

Kyle's Birthday

Our "baby" turned 34 on September 6th. How could that be??

Seems like just yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital. Kyle didn't really have blotches all over his face - our scanner isn't working very well. He does, however, have the same haircut now as 34 years ago! :-)

So...where did the years go? I'm convinced that time really does fly.

We celebrated on Labor Day with a fish fry at our house. Chuck, Andy, Corey, and Maddox caught dozens of fish at the lake in August, so it was a good excuse to eat some of them.


Chuck picked out this card - I'm wondering if he thought Kyle might need glasses in his old age? That print is pretty big!


Celebrating 34 years is serious business!




Kyle's request was a rainbow ice cream cake (a favorite from the past) - it was really good!

Happy Birthday, Kyle!

Summer's Last Hurrah

The last week of August is always very busy, as I try to cram as many fun activities as possible into my last week of summer vacation. This year was no exception! First, I headed up to Lower Hay Lake on the Whitefish Chain for a few days of relaxation with Diane.

We had great weather for golfing and kayaking, and of course, chatting!

Then, on my way home, I stopped at Pelican Lake near Breezy Point to visit Kathy. I'm so lucky to have friends who are willing to share their beautiful cabins! :-)


I made it home just in time to celebrate our 38th anniversary with dinner out at Mill St. Tavern in Cannon Falls. Happy Anniversary, Chuck!

On Saturday morning, we took off early in the morning for the State Fair. We picked up Kyle and made it there by 8:00 am. It's great wandering around before all the crowds of people arrive!




Jenna and Charlie joined us later in the morning. Charlie loved the corn on the cob!

He also loved the Rainbow playsets. If we had a few extra thousand dollars (yeah, right) there would be one in our backyard right now! Come on, Charlie, get up there!

Hey, Charlie! Where are you going?

Ahhhh, down the slide!

Charlie also liked the Early Literacy area, where he met an author of children's books, read some new books, and made an ABC crown.

He definitely got the idea of trying out lots of Fair Food!

That milkshake was really good!

Can't beat the Sweet Martha chocolate chip cookies, though, even when you're almost asleep!

Didn't take him long to crash when he finally got in the car.

That night, we had tickets to the first Vikings home game since the Metrodome roof collapsed last winter. We hung out at Jenna and Andy's for awhile after the Fair, and then drove to MOA where we parked our car and took the train downtown.

The new roof looked great, but the Vikings? Not so much - they lost 23-17, which seems to be the way their whole season is going.

Hmmmmm, I wonder what Chuck was looking at?
I'll bet it wasn't the players. ;-)

We were pretty tired by the end of the game!

What a day!