A Beautiful Day at George George Park

Saturday was just a beautiful spring day!! Shari and Mark came to visit again for the last time before they move. We decided to meet at the new park near our house so that the kids could play outside together. Shelley was in Arlington for the release of the book she illustrated, and Bob had to work, so we had the boys most of the day. The kids all had a great time and were even nice enough to "pose" for some pictures together. Usually it is hard to get them all in one picture because they are moving so fast!!

Nolan and Matthew

Matthew, Nolan, and Esme'

Shari and Mark with Esme' and Asher. Esme' was tired of pictures and wanted down. She was not happy about this picture. I took about five or six others, but she was crying in all of them. Everybody tells Shari that Asher looks just like her. It is still hard to tell, but he is certainly a sweet baby!

Grandpa with the kids.

Esme' loves flowers and also loves to PICK them! She doesn't understand that all "fowers" are not to be just picked. This park has beautiful flower beds.

Two little angels - I love this picture!

Nolan surveying the area.

Esme' and Nolan. Esme' on her way DOWN.

We had a great time and the kids were very tired by the time we got ready to leave and go to lunch.

Mark, Matthew, Nolan, and Terry

The park has a really nice play area for kids as well as a nice picnic area, cement paths for walking, bridges, fountains, ponds, and the river runs through it.

 

The little kids loved the swings and liked to be pushed. While Shari and I were pushing them, Grandpa and Matthew went for a walk by the pond where they saw ducks, geese, frogs, tadpoles, and birds. I actually got in a picture here - I'm usually the one taking them!

Esme' and Nolan

A VISIT FROM SHARI AND MARK

Shari and Mark, Esme' and Asher came for a quick visit this week on their way to move to Wisconsin. It was great to see them again so soon! Asher has gained two pounds since we were there when he was born last month.

Esme' and Asher are now just about the same size although Esme' is just a bit older.

In these pictures we are visiting at Shelley and Bob's new condo. The kids had a fun time together building a marble run, playing with Matthew's bugs (in the container) and just being silly.


Matthew is proud of his marble run. He earned it with his marble jar by accomplishing a goal.

Here is Shari reading to Nolan and Esme'.

Uncle Mark playing with Matthew.

Here is Asher. Just as sweet as can be - we barely heard a peep out of him all day. He just

slept and ate. 

Shelley holding Asher.

Mark playing with Esme'.

Matthew playing checkers with Grandpa. Matthew LOVES to play games, but

HATES to lose! It was a fun day. We ended the day by going back to our house and barbecuing chicken kabobs. More pictures to come!

This flowering bush was across the street from Esme's house. She loved the flowers! They live at the end of a dead end street, so we could walk in the street and not worry about cars coming. It is a beautiful street with hills and lots of trees. Isn't she precious?

Missing You!

This is the house in Tennessee that Shari and Mark have been renting. It is a beautiful, quiet, neighborhood and I had a great time playing with Esme' in her yard and on her street. We played with her car, her stroller, bubbles and walked her doll baby. We looked at all the flowers and listened to the dogs barking and the birds chirping. I had a wonderful time with her!

Here is a sleepy Esme'! She is putting her head in her doll carrier. Such a sweetie!

Picking "fowers" (dandelions)

Here is her little car. She likes getting in and out, in and out, in and out. She wants to be pushed, but will only let you push her about two feet and she wants to open the door and get out - then back in - then out.
This picture actually reminds me of a picture of myself about this age sitting on Grandma's porch. I didn't have as much hair, but the way she is sitting is similar to the picture of me.

I love her so much!! What a cute age - and I feel like I am missing all the cute things she says and does. Life is sad sometimes. I just have to be thankful that we have all of our grandchildren and that they are all healthy - and so CUTE! This is another video of Esme playing in the kitchen and living room of their house. If shows how active a two year old can be!

One More Makes Four!

Little Asher was born on a Wednesday afternoon. Shari called me at church at about 7:15 to tell me he had been born. I had hoped to be able to leave the next day to go to Tennessee and see him, but ALAS... Terry was in Kentucky and I had to wait for him to come home and pick me up. As it was, we ended up getting there on Friday just after Shari came home from the hospital.

Asher is just a sweet baby! He is so perfect! Esme' was not too sure how to react to him. She just stared at him as though he were a real doll. She would look him over and then scoot far away from him. By the time I left this past week, she was asking to "hold you" and rubbing her little cheek on his. 

Shari and I went grocery shopping toward the end of my visit, and we took both Esme' and Asher with us. There wasn't much room for groceries once we got Esme' and Asher in the cart. I would often forget that we even had Asher because he slept so much! One time I picked up a package of buns and tossed it into the cart - forgetting that Asher was in there!! Shari said that it was a good thing it wasn't a can of soup! 

So we now have four beautiful grandchildren - what a blessing! God is good. The last day we were in Knoxville, Mark accepted a new job in Wisconsin! They will be a couple of hours closer to us, and we can take the ferry across Lake Michigan to see them in the summer. Mark starts there on June 1. So this will be our last stay in Tennessee.

This is a video that I took of Esme' while playing with her outside last week. I am going to miss her so much! She is just the sweetest little girl! 

FALL GRANDCHILDREN PICS

NOLAN

Matthew and Nolan

Matthew's first "two-wheeler"

SHARI AND ESME'

ESME' - Walking!

Esme'

Esme' in the pumpkin patch

Esme' with the goat

Esme' eating her first birthday cake.

Esme's Birthday Video

 OUR GRANDCHILDREN

This picture was taken the week of August 9, 2009.

Shari and Esme' were visiting us from Tennessee and Shelley, Bob, Matthew and Nolan were at our house visiting Shari and Esme' for the day. I have been wanting a picture of all three grandchildren together, but we never seemed to be able to pull it off. This one turned out great with Matthew holding on to both of the littler ones.

NOLAN, 8 months

MATTHEW,  3 years

ESME', 1 year

Oh, Lord, I do not ask for much,

Eternal beauty, or youth, or such, 

Just give me a little hand to hold,

And I'll forget that I'm growing old.

I do not ask for cloudless skies,

A life that's free from tears and sighs.

Just give me a little face to kiss,

And anxious moments will turn to bliss.

For what is there, really, that means so much

As little hands that reach and touch,

As little eyes that search and see

Only the very best in me?

So let me grow more loving and wise

By looking at life through their wide eyes.

For through these little ones, you have given

This grateful grandma a glimpse of Heaven!

Author: Barbara Burrrows

 What precious children they are, and I am thankful for them every day. This verse now has special meaning to me:    

 Psalm 71: 18b  "... let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me."  

Happy Birthday One Year Old!

Esme's Fiesta Birthday Party

How could one year have gone by so quickly? Our little baby granddaughter is now crawling, walking around furniture, saying words, and growing so beautiful! We love her very much - she is the sweetest little girl!

Her party was at her "other" grandparents' house and it was a Mexican fiesta. Shari and Mark made all of the food (very good!), and there was color everywhere!  Colorful balloons, bright roses, colorful tablecloths, and lots of gifts. Esme' wore a colorful ruffled dress and a bright flower in her hair. That is until she discovered that it was there and then she pulled it out! Mark's sister Amy, and her family were there, Mark's brother Jim, and his family, Mark's parents, Shelley and Bob and boys, and two other couples, friends of Shari and Mark, and their kids, and us. Esme' got lots of great gifts. She was a little awed by everything and everyone and it was hard to get a good picture of her all day. She moves very quickly and there were many people to get in the way of a good picture. Today is her actual birthday and they are back home in Tennessee now. It was so much fun having them here for a little while and we will miss Shari and Mark and Esme' until we see them again in a couple of months. But the party was fun and a good memory. I picked her up before I had to leave her  and just cried!  She is so sweet and soft and smiley and I will miss her!!!

Sister Retreat

This year my sister, Carol, and I traveled to Western Michigan to the Ludington area for our sixth annual sister vacation. We have gravitated to that area every year because we both love to be by the water and Lake Michigan is the perfect getaway place. There are quaint little towns, beautiful lighthouses, breathtaking beaches, trees, birds, etc. It is so peaceful and relaxing! The picture above is the Big Sable Lighthouse on Lake Michigan. It is in a State Park and the walk on the beach to get there is about two miles. But it was wonderful! We were very tired and opted to walk back on the pathway through the park, but the walk there was so beautiful! The lighthouse is just perfect. We walked up the 130 steps to the top and the view was amazing from up there!

This lighthouse is in the town of Ludington. We spent time walking the pier out to the lighthouse. The lake was so blue and was full of sailboats, cabin cruisers, and freighters. We watched the sunset one night while walking on the pier. It wouldn't be hard to live in a place with a pier and a lighthouse and a beach!

It was great to be with Carol! We got to talk all we wanted and catch up with each other's lives. Carol lives in Grand Rapids. You would think that we lived light years apart because we hardly ever see each other! I love her very much and always have a great time traveling with her and exploring small towns and lighthouses. I would never want to give up our little vacations and am already looking forward to next year - place to be announced.

We shopped in some nice little towns. Both of us love toy stores! We could both spend all kinds of time in them. Carol and I both have grandchildren and just love to pick out toys ahead for birthdays, etc. It was sad that a couple of the towns we visited seemed like ghost towns! Many of the shops were closed down and out of business. But we did manage to buy a few things anyway!

It is always fun to find new places to eat our meals while away together. We have usually had really good success in finding good places. Sometimes we ask for recommendations from townspeople and other times we search out places CLOSE TO THE WATER! (That is one of our prerequisites!) Some towns just don't cooperate, though. They don't see the importance of great restaurants right on the water!! I can't figure it!

We found a game to play while we were there and we played it in the motel room two evenings. It was a very competitive game and lots of fun. We also went to a movie the first night we were in Ludington since it was a rainy night. We went to see Julie and Julia and it was a very good movie - two true stories incorporated into one movie. 

We almost ran out of gas one day while trying to find a beach or lighthouse. I can't remember which! It seems every year that happens to us, but we have never actually run out of gas yet. We are just so lucky! Actually, the Lord is so good to us and is taking care of us!

Here is a picture of one of the beautiful sunsets that we saw on Lake Michigan. They were awesome! Another year has gone by and another special time with my wonderful sister is over -

I will always treasure these times we have spent together just talking, exploring, and catching up. I can't wait until next time!

"There's a special kind of freedom sisters enjoy.

Freedom to share innermost thoughts,

to ask a favor, 

to show their true feelings.

The freedom to simply be themselves."

Author Unknown