Wednesday, October 24, 2012

A Great Evening



Last week, we were invited to spend an evening with a couple of Jim's cousins. R&D hosted us in their new home. After a tour and some great appetizers, we sat down to a delicious meal and a wonderful time of visiting. 
R's brother and wife were visiting from Ohio, and we loved seeing them again. (When we were newlyweds living in Mlps, MN we would often visit P&F in their home and enjoy times with their twin sons. That's a LONG time ago! But such great memories of the times we spent together.)
Another couple that came to supper that night also had ties from Jim's high school days. And as the evening went on, we discovered that those ties have also reached into the next generation! It is indeed a small world.
It was great fun seeing Phil and Dave, high school classmates, having such a fun time together. 
Thanks R&D for such an enjoyable evening together!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Times and Travels

A couple of weeks ago, we were able to babysit our grandsons for a whole day! We had a great time.
We had so much fun playing together- cars, trucks, trains and planes! It brought back so many good memories of years gone by with our sons.
All smiles!
This little boy loves to dress up in different outfits! At one point, he was wearing parts from three different costumes--it was rather cute!
Later in the afternoon, J had his first soccer game, so we headed out to the park where the teams would be playing. When we arrived, there were some emergency vehicles parked in the driveway. This guy loves fire trucks, so grandma sat down on the lawn and waited with him so that he could watch his beloved truck until it finally  drove out of sight. It was his highlight of the "game!" 
It was quite interesting to watch 3-4 yr-olds playing soccer...lots of running around (in circles?) and other strange activities on the field! Some of the kids had alot of fun, others not so much! By the end of the "game" there were only a handful of players on the field, the majority of the kids were on the sidelines. Yes, it was interesting...but also wonderful to see our grandson out there on the field and to cheer him on! Unbelievable to think that just five years ago at this time we were awaiting the birth of our first grandchild!
After the game, we went to the adjacent park to play with the boys. J loved showing us how good he was at climbing.
Daddy and his boys on the bucking dinosaur!  We had such a great day with our boys!
Last week, Jim traveled to MN for church board meetings. He enjoyed staying with his sister and also seeing her daughter and grandson. Great family memories!
Most of the trees had lost their leaves, but a few shades of autumn still remained. 
Driving north, Jim was able to spend some time with our youngest son and see the shop where he is working and going to school.  (He also got to admire all his fantastic tools!)
So fun to visit J&H in their home again. 
Jim also visited another niece and husband the next day. He had a wonderful time reconnecting with both family and friends.
While Jim was in MN, our son M came with his girls to spend the weekend with Marilyn. On Friday, after work, we headed to Downtown Disney. There were so many things for the little girls to see and touch...
...like the new Lego displays at their store. They were thrilled to see the Beauty and the Beast--in Legos!
This was an awesome creation...all made from Legos!
On Saturday morning, we headed out to the Science Discovery Museum. We started with the dinosaur park...
K matched the puzzle pieces...
...then we went inside to check out the "Bob the Builder" display, first we planted flowers..
pushed some buttons, and just enjoyed everything there was to see and touch!
Photo-op (always climbing to the highest point, just like her father when he was a child)
Building houses with daddy
Two little girls and a big machine!
The last event was a 3-D movie about a little sea turtle. E didn't wear the glasses, but K kept them on for the whole movie. It was amazing to "see" the creatures swimming right up close to our face!
 I had such a fun time with my "daddy-son" and his little girls (mom was also on a trip to MN, so it was an ideal time to spend together). Thanks for a wonderful weekend, kids!