happy birthday

My beautiful boy, you have brought us so much happiness, so  much laughter, and fun.

We are excited to see what the year ahead holds: You, our new Grand-ADULT!

It's going to be great.

Happy Birthday, Darling.

We could not love you more, Grandma and Grandpa and Everybody

 

the magic bathrobe

That's my bathrobe hanging on the door.  It's the magic bathrobe.  It got this name because if anyone can't sleep, you just put the magic bathrobe over them and they go straight to sleep.  It's very reliable.

I told the child about this and while we three were resting on the bed watching TV, I covered Grandpa up to demonstrate.

He fell right to sleep.  She noticed he'd dozed off and was giggling behind her hand. He'd been hit by the magic.

I told her I'd wash the robe and then she could take it home.  Maybe it would help her sleep.

So after it came out of the dryer, she wanted to try it out.

I explained again that you have to be very still.  No kicking or talking or wiggling.  Your eyes have to be closed and then you wait for the magic to come onto you.

In about five minutes she was asleep.  I texted Heidi this picture and she said, "Don't let her sleep!  She'll be up all night!"

In a couple minutes I said her name and she woke right up (she's a light sleeper) and looked startled that she'd fallen asleep! She said she'd been dreaming about Shrek.

Random!

Anyway, good luck with the magic bathrobe.   Hope you get lots of great sleep.

Love, Grandma
 

happy birthday!

It was a great birthday weekend!   First the party yesterday and then the one today--so many friends and so much fun.

That puppy was funny.  In the basement she grabbed something we thought was a TV remote, but then we heard the people upstairs say, "June! Where did you get a harmonica?"

The meal was delicious.

Cake time with a rainbow cake baked by dad:

I hope seven is a great year full of fun and adventures.

Wishing you a year as wonderful, sweet, and fun as you are.

Happy Birthday, Darling

Love always and forever, Grandma and Grandpa

sleepover!

We're on the brink of a major snowfall tomorrow. Today we nicked by, nothing. But everyone is braced for tomorrow.  Some parts north are predicted fourteen inches.  In Minneapolis they're talking seven inches.

This is going to snarl  traffic like nothing else can.

Last night, since today was Presidents Day and there was no school, we had a sleepover, and haven't had one in a very long time.  But with everyone vaccinated and cases down, we are making our way.

They ran wild.

Truth.

They ate anything they wanted and played tablets, video games, hide and seek in every corner and every floor of the house. 

They were asked over and over not to scream and run in the house--I don't personally care all that much, but the dog gets overly interested and she's 125 pounds, not a small canine.  I don't want her to knock anyone over.

At one point she chased after them, but when she caught them wasn't sure what to even do, just sniffed them in the eyes and faces.

Okay.

She also broke her fancy harness, catching it on a chair  while racing around.  A trip to the fabric store had it repaired for three dollars.

This video game involves much screaming and laughing, even though sitting one foot away from each other.  But they love this SO MUCH.  This is like their favorite thing.

The sweetest aunts did nails for their young squirrely nieces.  Gorgeous nails, embellishments and all.

This is the bedtime spot, air mattresses all blown up with that little D battery pump,  and blankets and pillows rounded up. They all decided to sleep here together and this is a heated floor so that's good.  The two brothers were the ones on the bed, and they are used to sleeping alone, and they're not small at this point anymore, so they had many complaints, but it was fine. Funny to hear who kicks and who pulls covers. 

(Pam. My sister. I always blamed her too.)

Barbies, even in a crowded Barbieland corner

Okay.   

I do have a couple rules.

#1.  No eating on upholstered furniture. Eat at the table.

#2.  No getting up in the morning if it is not yet light. If it is dark, night is not over.

You can see how Rule #1 was going.

Rule #2 this morning at 5:15 am, Lydia in the doorway of our room with two nieces, "Take them. Good night."

We went to Tim's old room where there is a bed and I got into it with them and mentioned Rule #2.  It's still dark and that's final.  Closed eyes and no wiggling.

We slept again for an hour or so.

It was a fun day, really.  So much fun to be together again, has them pining for weekends at the cabin, all those cousin days and nights.

Love you kids, Grandma

 

february

 

February arrived bright and blustery, wind rattling the windows of this old, drafty house.  Yesterday was warm enough to have the family room windows open while the varnishing was finished.  Today that would be impossible, but here they are all done and out of the way, fumes and all.

Today I started working days, after eleven years of pm shift.  Eleven YEARS.   Late in the afternoon I went over to Heidi's to see them, and Joe asked, "So how was that, day hours?"

"Pretty damned divine."

I was missing him too--saw him every day for years, but now it has been a while.

The kids were surprised, showed me their tablet games, and we colored pictures, sat together at supper, made a trip to the  cold office so they could do stunts, but were not out there long enough to bother turning the heat up.  Heidi and Joe like it cool anyway for use of the exercise bike and treadmill.

This little buddy kept saying how much she misses me, which is a bit heart wrenching to hear. Things are going well. She has a preschool she enjoys. But change is hard, and we did used to have fun, arguing and playing, watching movies and drinking "Cherry Limenade."

This little girl looked so TALL today!  What are they feeding her at daycare? Wheaties??

I helped her with her supper and it was so nice to be there hearing her opinions.  She doesn't throw the strawberries anymore, just puts them back on the plate if she doesn't want them.

February? Days of longer sun and hope?  You do seem like a friend this year. Thanks for showing up.

Love, Val

pumpkin patch

While the guys were taking out docks and pontoon boats and winterizing a couple cabins, we took the kids to the Burch Barn and had a good time.

It was warm in the sun and cold in the shade, a nearly perfect day for this.

They wanted to do this, but they're too little to reach the faces.  That's ok.

This corn pit was a huge hit with the littlest one.  She was in here a long time, tossing corn around, joining in with all the kids.

This thing is a slide on the back side, and one kid was a tiny bit too small to climb up there, so I sat on the bottom bale and boosted her up the levels.  She ran around and around so many times.

The trees and the sky, just gorgeous that day.

Here's the giant slide:

We didn't lose anyone in the corn maze, so that's good, and wandering in corn chatting with children is always entertaining, wacky, confusing conversations, but I loved it.

Love you all, Grandma