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.

 

 

Pure Joy!

The house was full of toys, noise and little boys (and a couple of girls) this weekend. I wouldn't trade it for anything. The Noblesville grandkidlets arrived Friday early afternoon and headed home this afternoon. Their school system is on a balanced calendar so they had last week and this week off.

Ava and Rhys were thrilled that Nicholas, Blake and Alexis were coming. (They told me so.) The twins turned 1 month old last Wednesday and were ready to be held by their cousins. A month??? How did that happen so quickly?

Ava and Rhys

 

1 month old Rhys

1 month old Ava

 

Nicholas holding Ava

While holding Ava, Nicholas said:

"This feels awesome. I could do this all day."

Nicholas and Blake loving on their cousin.

Kendra was 'allowed' to hold Ava once in a while.

Blake has decided that the new cousins are almost as precious as his Legos!

"Aren't these babies wonderful!!!"

 

It doesn't get more wonderful than this!

Alexis the Angel

Love this little girl!!!

 

Kendra and Alexis

"Mommy, I kiss your head."

"I love you, Mommy."

 

 

"I think Rhys is soooo cute!"

 

This afternoon, Jen, the twins and I were invited to visit Layla's classroom. Mrs. Chapman LOVES babies and was very excited for the visit.

 

 

There was quite a squeal from Mrs. Chapman when we arrived.

She couldn't wait to get her hands on the babies.

Layla was so proud to show off her brother and sister.

It was so wonderful watching her be the center of attention.

The girls couldn't get enough of the twins.

Jen and Mrs. Chapman had fun visiting. Jen's mother, Barb Snell, just retired from teaching at this school. She would have been with us at Concord Intermediate School had she not just made a return trip to help her mother in Salem, Indiana.

I handed my phone camera to Layla and told her to take any pictures she wanted to.

This is the Fantastic Five (I can't remember what Layla said these 5 called each other but this sounds good) that eat lunch together every day.

There can never be too many silly pictures.

 

After leaving CIS, Jen suggested that we head to Hubbard Hill to see Mother. This was the twins 4th visit there. It takes a while to get down the halls and to Mother's room. We tend to get stopped along the way.

 

I had an incredible long weekend.

Life is soooo good!