Happy Birthday Brent!

My "baby" turned 38 on February 28th. How can this be? Just yesterday he looked like this:

....and then, I blinked and he looked like this:

...but when in the world did this happen???:

It looks like Brent holding mini-Brent!

 

Brently is definitely my favorite son. Raising a son with a great sense of humor, a love of drumming, biking, running with his many friends and love of life, was challenging wonderful!  He was kind, thoughtful, (what are those other boy scout terms?) and an all round good kid. He still is....just an older kid with 4 kids!  I loved watching him interact with Layla and Marley for several years and, with the addition of Ava and Rhys, we begin again. What a gift!

 

        Happy birthday Brent! You have made us very proud.

               (Sorry this is late being written as we were traveling home from Naples, FL, but the sentiments expressed are just as strong.)

 

 

Happy Birthday Kendra!

I know that everyone thinks that they have the best kids in the world but I know that mine REALLY are! Tomorrow is Kendra's 42nd birthday. She was born on a Tuesday back in 1973 but, even though tomorrow is Friday the 13th, it is a very lucky day for TK and me. I'm sure that there were days when I would have liked to have traded her in but I don't remember them. I'm sure that there were days when she was naughty but I don't remember them. I'm sure that there were days when she wanted different parents but I REALLY don't remember them (and I doubt that that's even true!). I think that Kendra was darn-near perfect!

I love this bright shiny face! Kendra was about 3 years old and is wearing a Kelly Hiatt hand-me-down that was made by

Marilyn Moore.

I took this picture while our family lived in Burgh Castle, Norfolk, England during the 1977-78 school year. At 4 years old, Kendra attended Hillside First School and continues to be facebook friends with her England friend, Lucy Beales.

 

It is difficult for any mother to think that they are old enough to have a daughter who is 42. The old saying certainly applies here:  where has the time gone???

Kendra has gone from being a precious little girl to a woman who has accomplished wonderful things and continues to be precious and (nearly) perfect in the eyes of her parents.

 

Kendra (right) and her dear friend, Beth, excited for the Grand Opening of GiGi's Playhouse, Indianapolis which took place on January 24, 2015.

 

Happy birthday Kendra!

February 13 will always be a very lucky day

 for your dad and me.

Love Bugs!!!

I had a surprise visit from Ava and Rhys (and their parents) on Saturday night. Tom was in Noblesville for the weekend so he got to hug on the other 3 grandkidlets. The twins are 4 1/2 months old and were so cute that I had to blog. Ava's smiles are so easy to catch since she smiles all the time. Rhys is more selective as to when he smiles so he is more difficult to catch in the act but he is adorable even if he doesn't smile as often as Ava.

Ava and Rhys

 

Wanda is a wonderful nanny for the twins. She is a retired nurse who comes to the house 4 days a week while Brent and Jen work. We are all very thankful for her.

 

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

It has been way too long since I last blogged.  Everyday is an adventure when one is a grandparent.

We have the adventures of Layla and the Science Experiment Cookies:

 

Marley getting an award at school for the Life Skill of Caring:

 

Nicholas turning 11 years old:

 

Blake performing in the 4th grade Native American program:

 

Alexis having fun at GiGi's Playhouse:

 

and

Ava and Rhys getting bigger by the day:

 

Of course, there are many pictures and stories that would take hours to write about. Instead, I'll just choose photos at random to put here:

 

 

 

 

 

Life has been wonderfully busy. I was overwhelmed when I sat down to blog, realizing how long it had been since I last wrote. I decided that it was better to get started and not let more time go by. Otherwise, my blog would have been never-ending.

As most of you know, Tom and I are thrilled with the Grand Opening of GiGi's Playhouse, Indianapolis which took place last Saturday. Kendra was an original Board member and has worked tirelessly to make this dream come true.

 

I need to get busy because this merits a posting of its own.