Create

Create

gathering together

All the kids had a great time at the bday party for Brenden - thanks to Marc and Kathryn for hosting us for the day - for fun and visiting with each other. Karyna liked playing in the little house outside.



yummy macaroni and cheese, chips and sloppy joes - and a special place to eat together


choices, choices. what do i play with now?


reagan tickling kalli as they played together.


nayeli still enjoying the playhouse - after making sure the squirrels were gone.


austin playing hide and seek - surprise!


brockden and dad chilling and ignoring all the other confusion created by the older kids.


karyna decided to stay in the playhouse for a while - as long as she could keep her flowers with her


kennedy relaxing with her daddy


exercise anyone?


still pals no matter how much time passes


brenden and grandpa watching the set up of the bouncing house


the birthday boy and his daddy getting ready to go into the bouncer house


kalli checking out the house


katie deciding to PUSH her children into the house - gently of course


brenden getting bounced about a bit


adults gathering in the basement


stopping by to see baby darby on the way home


is molly saying cheese?

beautiful baby darby

passing of time continues

It has been quite some time since i had a chance to post to the blog and again, time is limited. why is that? what has happened to our lives that we are reduced to sound or word bytes? Anyway, we managed to get to St. Louis two times in two months to visit our family there. Here are just a couple pics from that trip.


Brockden smiled ALL the time - he is the happiest of boys. Here he giggles at his dad.

Both girls demonstrated their natural ability to dance and enjoy the music.

Karyna danced in and out of the sunshine, hence the shadowed picture.

Can you tell how mesmerized Nayeli sometimes gets while listening to lyrics?

Brockden - serious for the moment.

only a child

after frantically searching for my car keys for what seemed like forever (in reality about 8-10 minutes) - knowing that I had seen Kalli pick them up once - and this search included dumping out my overloaded purse twice, checking outside, looking in the locked van, looking in computer case, in couch cushions, bathroom, counters, etc., Austin saved the day. He looked INSIDE a toy mailbox and that is apparently where Kalli thought they belonged.

summer begins today

and again - i am already behind. spring cleaning is not done, no spring planting or yard work - is this just going to be the way it goes?

idyllic spring day

This winter has been so long - so cold - so full of snow and gray days. Even the most optimistic attitudes had work trying to find good things to say about the season - and I am not a super fan of winter in the best of times. Which is why the recent respite was so welcome. I felt an uplift to my whole mental status just by experiencing a day out of doors. Having a chance to share it with kids made it just that much better.

Reagan and Kalli started by climbing the playset together.

Kennedy was not about to be left behind either. She crawled up the steps too.

They got a chance to run around some - although the ground is still awfully wet.


Is there anything better than the smiles we get when the weather is good enough for playtime?



I can't wait until this is the norm for our activities, although I will take it any way we get it.

feeling idiotic (pronounce eye-dot-ic for katie)

I used to tease my sister that she had accidents all the time. She broke her finger while swimming and got a head laceration while trying to catch a ball in softball. She shut a window on her toe. and locked her jaw when yawning. But even though I tease her, she has been a good sport about it - especially as, it seems, I actually have some pretty good 'accidents' of my own.

There was the time when our family and friends all went to a concert at the fair. There had been rain and a lot of mud. Do you see where I am heading? I lectured all the kids to be careful and not slip, and then totally lost my own footing, wiping out thoroughly - yes, covered in mud.

Another incident involved the breaking of my little finger (picture a break that includes a right angle) when I tried to catch a basketball thrown by one of my children. It was bouncing low to the ground and I hit my finger on the gym floor.

But the newest episode was just as silly. This past week I went to the park with my two daughters and grandchildren. I was pushing a stroller (an empty one I believe) towards a bench. My head was down looking at the stroller and it must be admitted that my hair was in my face too, but I basically ran full face into an iron rod. Right at eye level - one I should have seen - but instead I bounced off it like a rubber ball. It was slapstick at its best. I now sport a small black eye and a little more understanding of the word 'accident' - at least as it relates to my sister - or myself.