Happy Birthday, Charlie Bear! Part 3

No birthday celebration would be complete without pizza, cake, and toys to assemble. Charlie's party had all of these. Andy and Uncle Jim did a great job of helping Charlie to put together his new tricycle. Fortunately he was persuaded to wait until he got home to try it out. Grammy and Mommy did a fab job serving the cake. All Charlie wanted was a "sparkle " but he did force himself to have some cake and ice cream as well. Great job, everyone. And thanks to Grammy and Grampy for hosting the party. You both were wonderful hosts and provided the perfect setting for an amazing party!

Happy Birthday, Charlie Bear! Part 2

Everyone got into the act as the adults snapped photos, the children dueled each other with their birthday blowers, and Grammy and Grampy observed the chaos from a safe distance. Charlie loved EVERY present and card. He'd just barely begin to open a present and exclaim, "I know what this is!". When asked, "What is it, Charlie?" he'd answer, "It will be something when I open it!".

Happy Birthday, Charlie Bear!

The whole family braved a 6 inch snowfall to celebrate Charlie's 3rd birthday. We all met at his Grammy and Grampy's house. It was a Christmas card "picture-perfect" evening with the new snow as we gathered in the living room to open presents. Charlie's grandparents' home is so warm and inviting that it truly seemed a Norman Rockwell painting. Charlie certainly enjoyed being the center of attention with his birthday crown as he began ripping into his presents with unbridled enthusiasm.

Thanksgiving 2010

This Thanksgiving we all had much for which to be thankful. Jane (with a minor bit of help from me) prepared an amazing dinner. After so many years she now makes it look easy. This year was extra special because Mark and Janet were able to join us. We had a great visit and Mark helped out by carving the turkey. He's much better at it than I am! All of us had enjoyed visiting and we sat, and talked and ate until we could hardly get up from the table. Of course Trevor and Abby were ready for seconds a few hours later. If they continue to grow the way they did this year we may have to cook an extra turkey next year. We missed those who weren't with us but I know they were there in spirit.

Skater Girl

Abby brought her skateboard with her when she came to visit us this weekend. She had lots of fun skating with some of the kids on our block, but she really wanted to try out the new municipal skate park. Unfortunately it was raining when we went by it on Saturday. However, Abby was undaunted. She crawled into bed with me the next morning (at 6:30!) and reminded me that Jane and I had promised to take her if it wasn't raining. I wasn't too crazy about getting out of bed that early on a weekend, but I have to say that Jane and I enjoyed every minute. As you can see she put on an amazing show for us. Afterwards Abby, Jane and I returned home to wake up Laura and Trevor and we all went out to celebrate with breakfast at our favorite bagel shop.

Corn Fest

This weekend we had a chance to visit the Corn Fest with two of our grandchildren. Everyone had a great time sampling the various food and drinks and just walking around people watching. Abby discovered a neat Skateboard shop and Trevor looked like a natural on this souped up lawn tractor!

A Surprise at the Park

Gramma and I had a fun-filled day with Olivia and Alex. We had lots of adventures and a couple of surprises. One surprise was two visits from Aunt Sarah. Another surprise was getting to play with Sully and Charlie this afternoon. However the biggest surprise was running into Miss Stephanie at the park. Miss Stephanie was there with her students from her new school who were there for a play day. What a wonderful coincidence!!!

Adventuring

Whenever I get the chance I like to spend a day with just one of my grandchildren. That way we can hang out and really get to know each other. Sully and I did just that the other day. Since we had a lot of adventuring to do we started out the day with a hearty breakfast of pancakes , bacon, eggs, and apple juice. With a good meal under our belts we set off on our adventure at Morton Arboretum where we spent the day watching frogs, getting soaking wet, building dams, climbing on ropes, and investigating tree houses. Sully and I had a blast having all kinds of outdoor fun and and discussing whatever came to mind. Pizza for lunch rounded out the day. Both of us were reluctant to end the day, and we can't wait for our next adventure.

Drowning Worms

There are very few experiences in life more satisfying than fishing with your grandchildren. This weekend I had a chance to go fishing with Sully and the day was everything we hoped for. Sully is quite skilled at casting and reeling in the fish. They practically jumped onto his hook. He caught the first fish and the biggest fish of the day (notice the rod bending in the last picture). Sully's take... six beautiful sunfish all caught and released to live and fight another day.

Tall Ships

This summer has been filled with activities with the grandkids, but Jane and I decided to take a day for ourselves and go see the Tall Ships at Navy Pier. We had regretted that we missed them the last time they were in Chicago and didn't want to miss them again. We waited in line a half hour to see several of the ships and an hour and a half to see the Bounty, but it was worth it. Jane and I loved spending the time together exploring the ships and people watching. I think we enjoyed both equally.

The day got me thinking about when Jane and I used to fantasize about taking off and sailing around the world by ourselves without a care in the world (we would miss our children and grandchildren). We both love spending time together so much that we know being together 24/7 on a small ship in a big ocean would be no problem. Even though we'll never actually do it the day at Navy Pier proved once again that we still have as much fun after all these years as we did when we were dating. Jane, I love you!!!

A Day With Thomas

Jane and I decided to take Sully and Charlie to see Thomas at the Railway Museum in Union, IL. Unfortunately it was the hottest day of the summer (it really was!). Fortunately we had a blast. The boys loved seeing all the trains, especially Thomas. There's lots of stuff to see and do and the boys loved running from one thing to the next. Everyone at the museum was super nice (most of them are volunteer railroad buffs who love to see the next generation of kids develop a love of trains). We all kept well hydrated ( thank goodness for bottled water and snowcones) and everyone had a great time. Bet we'll go back next year!