Midweek Update...

It's been another really busy week with the kids starting out on Monday evening when Stacey got tickets for all of us to go to Magic Waters. Everyone totally enjoyed the beautiful evening, especially Lydia, who didn't want to leave! Then on Tuesday morning, I got to meet with my teacher's Bible study that I used to be in...it was wonderful, because they were studing a book that I had just recently finished and it was fun to discuss it.

But the best time I've had so far was today...I got to spend the whole morning alone with Lydia! I decided to take her to downtown Rockton and revisit some of my favorite "child spots". When we got in the car, I had small gifts for her to unwrap to use at each destination. We started at Rockton Park, where she used her first two gifts..."bug" sunglasses and a playdough sand set. Then we went downtown where she unwrapped a toy camera and we window shopped while she "took pictures"! Next, we went to lunch at The Rockton Inn and finished at The Dairy Haus...mmm! I think I enjoyed it as much as Lydia!

Weekend Fun...

Friday night we went to a concert at Anderson Gardens. I had almost forgotten how beautiful the gardens are, and now they have added a fabulous restaurant in the main building. We were served an excellent meal before heading out to the gardens for the concert. Just before we moved, my good friend Brenda, took the position of director of Anderson Gardens and among many other things, she has worked to bring some wonderful Christian artists to perform.

Sunday morning, Shannon took baby Joshua to church for the first time. He's so little, she was hesitant to take him out too soon. He did get a little squirmy just as the service started, but once she fed him, he slept for the rest of the time. It was fun to watch people as they stopped to admire my darling grandson..(spoken like a true grandma, huh?)
After church, Stacey, my mom and I headed up to Madison to wander through the shops near the UW campus. We also took time out to sit by the water and do some "people watching"!

Visit to Discovery Center!

This morning, Stacey and I took Lydia to the Discovery Center. We really weren't sure if she would be old enough to enjoy it, but it was even better than we had expected. She got really excited when she saw where we were going and even though many of the exhibits downstairs were geared for older children, she loved pushing all the buttons and watching other kids.

One of her favorite parts was the outside area where they had a wooden fortlike structure for climbing and an area designed for water play.

Stacey and Lydia really had fun sending objects through the air tunnel, although Lydia did send a heavier ball from another exhibit. Fortunately, Stacey was able to force it on through with some bigger balls.

My favorite part was the art exhibit, where we were given rocks to decorate with crayons and then they were heated to melt the colors. Lydia and I each made one and even though I was very proud of mine, I gave it to Lydia to take home...shows how much I love her, huh?

More Birthday!

On Wednesday, I had planned to meet my good friends, Laurie and Vicki for a "Shopping and Sleepover Extravaganza". We stopped at my favorite country store in Rockton and then planned on going to lunch. What I didn't know was that they had other friends already waiting at the restaurant.
Carolyn, who makes the most delicious cakes, had decorated a cake for me and my friend, Terri, who I taught with, were both there as a surprise!

After a fun afternoon sharing delicious food and catching up, we headed out to Crimson Ridge, where I got to spend the gift certificate they had given me for my birthday. I'm so blessed to have these friends in my life!

Birthday Celebration!

I enjoyed my birthday this year, if for no other reason, than because I got to be with my kids! It was especially fun because Lydia gets so excited about celebrations. After a long walk together, Lydia helped me blow out my candles and then "assisted" with unwrapping gifts.

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Lydia loved both of the gifts that Stacey gave me...the first was a Jim Shore collectable that was Cinderella's castle...because Cinderella is her favorite movie right now, she was totally enamored with every detail. The other gift was a a book I've wanted for a long time...stories I read in first grade called Dick and Jane. I originally wanted it just for a keepsake, but Lydia liked it so much, that I read it to her for her bedtime story!

Birthday Blessings...friends and fun!

Sunday evening, Jim and Laurie Yost invited us all over for a barbeque and a fun evening at their home. It was Shannon's first outing since the baby had been born and we all had so much fun! Jim barbequed the most delicious hamburgers and brats and Laurie made a yummy apple crisp among other things.

After dinner, we all went down into their basement and played with their racetrack and Guitar Hero game...it was a little like being at an amusement park!

Today's my birthday and I've had a really relaxing time. My mom and I went and got manicures and pedicures (my first) and then today we went to Lake Geneva. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed walking through shops as well as having lunch down by the lake.

Big Day for Lydia!

Friday afternoon, Lydia took her nap at Stacey's apartment and she looked so cute while she was sleeping, I couldn't resist taking her picture!

That evening, we took her to the VBS carnival at Hope. When we got there, she was a bit overwhelmed by all the decorations in the church parking lot, but it didn't take her long to warm up...she loved the clown (aka Roger Glenn)!

Another fun attraction for her was the dunking tank...she got so excited when someone hit the target and the person in the seat fell into the water.

But her favorite thing by far was the princess from the opening ceremonies during VBS. She wouldn't let her out of her sight and kept calling her "my princess!" This was a picture of the princess trying to explain that she was too big for Lydia to take her into the inflatable jumper...Lydia wanted to take her EVERYWHERE!

Lydia at VBS

All this week I have been substituting for different classes at VBS, and today I got to be with the preschoolers. Since Lydia is just a bit too young to be in the regular preschool class, I let her join us for some of the activities, which she loved!

Her best friend Lainy joined us for many of the activities and they were so cute together. They really got into the closing ceremony, clapping and singing with all the big kids!

VBS and Good Friends!

I've been really busy with VBS this week and last night I spent the night with my good friend Laurie Yost, who I was working with today. We spent yesterday afternoon catching up as she prepared the most delicious dinner, including her famous homemade sticky buns.

Stacey joined us for dinner and then we all went downstairs to play with Jim's pride and joy in their basement...a Hot Wheels race track! Laurie's husband Jim is a Hot Wheels collector and has literally hundreds of new cars still in their packages stored in big bins as well as displayed on the walls. I couldn't believe it when I saw it! It was really fun although Stacey was much better at it than I was.

Memories...

This last week has brought back so many memories. When I lived in the midwest, I never really thought much about the beautiful country here, but now that I live in Texas, I've come to appreciate the lush farmland and all of the beautiful trees. This first shot is of the Freedland farm that we used to pass by daily. It reminds me of pictures they put on jigsaw puzzles.

This next picture is the first house we owned when we moved to Rockton over 14 years ago. My parents later moved in across the street.

Next, is the house we bought when my folks moved in with us...it was an answer to prayer for many reasons and is still one of my favorite houses we've lived in.



This last picture is of the house we built right before we moved to San Antonio. It was finished only a few months before Larry got the job with HEB, so we never even got to put in the yard. The picture doesn't show it, but they've done a great job with both the front and back yards.

Time with Grandkids!

Tuesday, after VBS, I went over to Shannon's to spend the afternoon. It was fun to see how excited Lydia was to see me. After lunch, I put Lydia down for a nap and spent some time with baby Joshua...what a doll! He happened to be awake for a while and he is the most contented infant I've ever seen!

When Lydia woke up from her nap, she couldn't wait to play with Grandma...we did everything from games and toys to neighborhood walks, but the funniest thing was when she got the tire pump from the garage and tried to take my heartbeat on my tummy (I'm sure she was imitating the doctor when Shannon was pregnant). Anyway, she would pump the handle and it was like blowing rasberries...I giggled and then she started laughing...it was hysterical!

That evening, we went to an old fashioned ice cream social at the place where my mom lives. It was beautifully done and my mom enjoyed introducing her friends to Stacey and I. Stacey took this picture of both my mom and I in the gazebo at Wesley Willows.

Busy Weekend...

Saturday morning, Shannon and Josh had a doctors appointment to get Baby Joshua's weight checked and so I went over to their house to watch Lydia while they were gone. Joshua looked so tiny as they strapped him into his carseat! Lydia is overjoyed to have all my attention while her mommy and daddy are gone, but I'm afraid it's made her more difficult when she's alone when her parents are with her...she tends to be very demanding (hopefully it's just the adjustment period). I love taking her for walks and noticing how she looks at the world...everything seems so new. When they got home, Josh took this picture of all of us...four generations!

That afternoon was the Hopefulls (our old Sunday School class) social...it was a swim party at Dick and Barbie Posely's house. It was good to see friends I haven't seen in a while and just have a chance to visit.

This morning, after church, I went out to lunch with my good friends, Bernie and Lee Reese. They took me to The Butterfly Club, where we had a wonderful meal and more importantly, a chance to just spend time together. Then I headed back to the church to decorate for VBS. Everything looked great when I left...I'm really excited for tomorrow!

Keeping up on my blog as well as my email has been difficult without a computer. The only access I have is at Stacey's apartment...right now, we're watching a movie and getting ready to have French Toast for dinner...yummm!

Time With Grandkids...

Today was sooo much fun...spending time with my favorite babies in the world! Early this morning I dropped off some preemie clothes I had bought for little Joshua and while I was there, he woke up enough to take some good pictures...isn't he handsome?



Then I met my good friend Laurie at church where we worked on decorations for VBS next week. Since Joshua came early, I'm going to be available to help at Hope's VBS...it's going to be so much fun to see kids I haven't seen in a year! After working at the church for a couple hours, Laurie and I went to lunch and did some shopping (just like old times).



Then tonight Stacey, Shelley and I got to be the official photograghers for Joshua's first bath. It was fun to watch as even Lydia helped and made it an entire family event!
After that, Stacey and I took Lydia for a walk in their neighborhood...she was so interested in every little thing she saw, that it made it difficult to make much progress...here she is watching a bunny as it crossed our paths.

Baby's Homecoming

Wednesday was an exciting and somewhat stressful day as we waited to find out if baby Joshua would be able to be released from the hospital with his mommy. On Tuesday, he had been quite jaundiced and spent most of his time in the incubator with the biliruben lights, but by noon on Thursday, the doctor said his color was good and he could go home...yea!

I had some supplies left from Championship Village I had brought from home, so when Lydia got up that morning, she made some "gifts" for her mommy and new baby brother...they probably don't look like much, but she sure enjoyed making them!

In order to keep Lydia occcupied, we have taken LOTS of walks...she loves to take (aka "pull") Bella on her leash. The neighborhood around my mom's condo is mostly older couples and they really enjoy seeing Lydia's smiling face!

Finally, around 4:00, Shannon called to say that they were on their way home from the hospital. I was just finishing up decorating the outside of their house when she called (Lydia had fun helping with the banner), so I headed home to get Lydia and her stuff. By the time we got there, Baby Joshua was asleep and her parents had time to devote to her. When I left soon after that, Lydia was happily eating berries off the vine in the backyard. I'm sure she's happy to have things return to normal...although there will be lots of adjustments as time goes on.