Benny's Graduation

 No - we haven't typically done Kinder graduations. Not because we have anything against them. We simply haven't. This year, however, Benny has had a lot of changes and is looking at more upcoming changes. Cory and Arielle felt he could use a bit of loving affirmation and they asked if they could come over to the house with a cake and such to celebrate. We were game.  CyRi and JaRissa asked about coming out and were happy to join the celebration.  Which is how we ended up having an unexpected day of fun. 

Danny and Little Buddy are also educational enthusiasts. Having Livie read to them made it even BETTER. 

Benny was suitably impressed with the cake his mom made and the leaning beeswax candle I supplied. 

Nolan met Noah - Jared and Larissa's little guy! 

My heart! We sure love these grands. 

Noah and Papa...such a doll. Both of them. 

We had to get outside...look at all that snow in APRIL! 

Stacia and the twinkies

Papa and the boys! 

How many little ones get to take the nurse home???

Blogging from a vantage  point of 6 weeks in the future....I can't help but being so grateful to live close enough for so many of the kids and their families to just DROP IN. We are blessed. 

March 2023 Snippets

 Is this not the cutest little hobbit baby you've ever seen? Larissa is SO creative. 

📷by Larissa

                                Saint Patrick's day at BreZaak's. Look at Trudy at 4 months old! 

📷by Bre

Tis the season of messy eggs. BLECK! If I wash them the bloom is off, they say to wash them right before using them...but there is NO WAY I'm selling a box full of poopy eggs. We've been eating them....and when I just can't stand it I wash them and put them in the fridge. LOL 

Michael has a new volunteer gig. 

Allie and Stacia spent an afternoon and evening on base with Krista. Here, Stacia relaxes while Krista finishes the workday. 

Baking on snowy days is a beautiful thing.

Enjoying Dad's birthday gift from Will 

Benny & Charles perfect their skills

These boys are so cool! ::wink:: 

Danny, Benny & Charles📷by Arielle 

Happy Noah! 

Sporting his Hawaiin threads from Papa and Bachan

A Saturday

I met with my table group today - a group of 6 ladies which meet once a month around various tables with the goal of cutting through small talk and developing authentic relationships. This is our 4th month and it's GOOD...just good! It's good to validate the value of relationships. 

I came home to find Michael, Stacia and Allie in our room. It seems Allie needs to know how to tie a tie. Fun memories were made. 

Allie went to get dressed for work after this tie-tying lesson.  She discovered her uniform tie is a velcro neck sash thingy rather than the standard tie. 

Stacia spent 20 minutes driving her stick shift up and down our driveway, starting on hills etc....then Michael and she went out driving. Soon, she will have mastered the stick and will have her own car to drive around. 

GG went to be rather early and Michael and I had a quiet night at home. 

A Day of Visits

Today was a day of visits. The girls came home for tea! I decided it would be fun to pull out the "good China." LOL  We have missed them, and it was fun to have them home today. 

They ran out with Nolan and Alex as the boys are shopping for things to outfit their new place. They have signed a lease and will be moving into a home in June.  The four of them went thrifting and then on to Freddies. The guys found dishes, a welcome mat, some end tables, towels and a cool lamp.  Michael and I need to start seriously discussing how we are going to best use the space when they move out. We haven't been able to completely unpack the study. We will move the study into their room. We then have to decide how to utilize the space the study is currently in...food storage/seedling grow room, guest room, exercise room...

While the four were out shopping, Michael and I had Shannon and Lindsey, our pastor and his wife, over. It's always a good day when we can catch up. 

Nolan brought pizza home for dinner. I had planned leftovers as I've been cooking way too much with all the young adults out of the house for various reasons. BUT, pizza is our Friday night tradition. LOL He and the girls stayed and watched Mr. Magoo with us. It was a nice way to end a week that has felt,at times, as if it were out of control. 

It snowed yesterday and most of the day today. 

Signs of Spring?

 It felt good to be out in the snow chipping away at the frozen snow on the deck.  It took three days, but by Wednesday I had finally cleared the 3-5 inches of ice packed snow off the deck, while Michael worked over the driveway with a pickax. Millie approves of the clear deck.  Spring/Break Up here is the ugliest time of year up here, but it's a season filled with hope. NOW, it felt like spring! 

Note the trees are all bare...this is looking into the snow-covered garden. It will be months before we can really work in the garden. 

BUT WAIT....today it began snowing again. It is still coming down...big, fat flakes. Michael just got home and says we have more snow here than anywhere he's been - in town and Wasilla. 

... and so, Millie and I went outside again to shovel the deck. It's still coming down, but I reasoned it will be easier to get this off the deck before it piles up again...and freezes... I was so happy to have all the ice off the steps yesterday...

It IS prettier with a coat of white. 

THIS is a sure sign of spring - spring snow storms....

First Spring Tea Party

Benny asked so nicely. 

"Bachan, after science and naps, can we have a tea party at your house?"

Who could resist?  I always love having drop in tea parties with friends and family. . . And if they were coming over for a tea party it needed to be a bit nicer than our spur of the moment parties. While they napped and such I ran home and baked some cookies and set a table that would be a bit special and still kid friendly. Two kinds of cookies, banana bread, almonds, toffee, mnms scattered here and there, a plate of fruit and hot drinks. Benny requested his favorite, "China tea." China tea is also known as sugar free chai tea. LOL  Just look at these excited little faces!

Who says boy moms don't get to enjoy tea parties? 

 Little Buddy was so cute when they ran in..."Found it! Found it." I used the good kid China. These cups are melamine, and the kids love them. 

It wasn't long before GG and papa joined us. The boys thought that was pretty special. I did too. 

Little Buddy, Arielle, Danny, Papa, GG and Benny

 

Papa took care of cleaning up the two-year-olds, while Arielle and I cleaned up the food and such. Benny brought a couple of games upstairs. 

Hungry, Hungry Dinos

Danny moved on to this banana game. I love his expressions in these photos...and the laugh when the monkey flew out of the banana tree was priceless. 

Anticipation...

Papa introduced Little Buddy to his favorite game...airplane. 

Benny managed to pick pocket Michael's flashlight. Michael has a thing about flashlights, and it's been he and Benny's thing for years. Benny let Michael know Little Buddy didn't know about flashlights or have one...which led to Michael finding three little ones and giving each of the boys a new flashlight...

It was a fun spring afternoon! Our first Spring Tea Party!!!!

Sensational Sisters

 Both girls hit milestone goals today.....

Oh my word! Even Rocky Trevor Fisher Price, the garage rooster, came out to celebrate McDonald's newest manager on her way to work! Way to go, Allie!

And CHECK THIS OUT! 

Stacia's work samples for her 3rd and 4th quarter of her senior year. I'll get grades together and submit it all and she'll be done with high school. She began brainstorming what she wants her "graduation" to look like. It sounds like it will be a bit more than DQ, but certainly not the whole "walk the platform" thing. I'm curious to see what it turns out to be too. 

It's a big day for both the girls - they make us proud.