happy 8th birthday

Happy Birthday, my dear!

You make everything better and more fun.

This whole family is better with you in it.

Happy Birthday and love for always, Grandma and Grandpa and Everybody

the birthday party

The dog thinks she's a person

Ahh, this neighbor kid is one of the family, for sure.

Gifts!

Cake!

 What a great party.

All the long years we could not be together for occasions like this seems kind of long ago now, but we haven't forgotten it--will never take this for granted again, long afternoon in winter sunshine in their pretty house, the meal shared, the kids and the laughing.

Love you all, Grandma

science projects

The science event was last week, so this morning since it was still set up during church, headed over to see the display.

There were a lot of projects, and they were all interesting and cool. They described their ideas, the process, the data, the conclusions on each one.

Really nice.  

The gloves were a prize winner and actually are a cool invention that could help safety patrols/ crossing guards especially during the time of year when it is dark in the morning and late afternoon, although data reveals they're just as useful in full daylight.

This project was a surprise--whether dogs have color preference when receiving treats from a bowl.

The idea starting out was that dogs do not care.

Well, turns out they prefer the yellow bowl.   Who knew??

Anyway, thanks for taking me around to see all the projects and see what you and your friends have been up to.

Nice job, you guys.

Love, Grandma
 

the horrendous blizzard

The warnings went on all week about it. Schools closed, announcing on early in the week about the dread heading for us.

Bah.

Perfectly ordinary snowfall. 

I mean, it was fine they cancelled everything and prepared.  It sure made those couple days much easier to manage overall, but hardly the storm of the century they had us anticipating.

It's fine.

The weekend is warm and melting and all is well.   Love, Val
 

monday

All the kids were off school for Presidents Day so Heidi gathered them up and they hung out here.

They were a little bored, set up a game in the kitchen where they pretended they were running a drive through, and they passed out diet coke and chow mein noodles and Pringles chips.  

Whatever passes a long, boring afternoon in February.

This guy was home sick, not looking too unwell.

Love, Grandma
 

another sleepover

 

Pictures loaded from the end to the beginning.

This is the end, first kid asleep, magic bathrobe at work.

We made beds on the couch and on the floor.

Something weird is happening with the bananas, and a lot of weird things went on with that toilet game on the kitchen table.

I heard they put milk in it.

There was diet coke and ice in it at one point.

Barbies!

Tim helped them look at old slides in the microscope.

These guys were here to drop off their little sister and then head to a hockey game nearby.  They wanted to wear letter jackets, so we found some, but John forbid it.

Anyway it was a fine, wild sleepover with pizza and meatballs, quesadillas and little weenies, and ice creams and oreos and who knows what all else.

Everyone slept in the end and it was a  great night.

Love you kids, Grandma, aka MOM