I have all sorts of pictures from the day. Thank goodness I haven’t felt constrained or limited by the whole “Take One Picture” aspect of the Project 365. Lol! This certainly is going to be a well documented year if I keep this up. I have always used my e-mails as a point of reference when I need to look up an event or special family occasion – now I have this blog as a tool as well (complete with pictures).

This was our last full day with my parents. All three of the boys spent the night at the hotel so they swam away the morning while we slept in. Sarah didn’t get up until after 9:30 am. She was a tired little camper.

Dad was very gracious and worked on several home projects for me. He took down our screen door and fixed it – repaired the screen (which broke the FIRST day we put it up), added a grill on the inside so the screen will last at least a week this time, shaved the side a bit so the door would fit properly, and added a pneumatic closer so the door won’t slam shut (although most of the family has become very trained at catching the door before it slams).

Sarah happened to walk by when I had the camera so she made it into the pictures. She didn’t really “help” but she poses so nicely it looks like she was a helper. We won’t tell if you don’t.

Mom did laundry while we worked on her Costa Rica blog. She washed loads and loads of dirty clothes and even went through the entire sock basket, trying to match up socks. Thank you, Mom!!

David is crazy about these new goggles. I had to get a picture of him wearing them around the house. Too funny.

As soon as he arrived home from the morning’s swim, David came and told me he had some thoughts about the day. “Since this is our last day with Mamie and Grandad, I’ve been thinking we should do something special,” he said. “I thought we should probably go to McDonald’s Playland for lunch. What do you think, Mommy?” How could I resist? A “fun outing” at McDonald’s – do we live right or what? Lol!!

Of course, if ice cream is involved, that does make it pretty special.

Joshua is too old to play on the equipment so he brought along a book. He manages to enjoy his ice cream cone while reading – a multitasker if ever I saw one!

Back at home, full of hamburgers and ice cream, Grandad went to work putting the molding up around our large white board. Thanks, Erica, for this great idea! We love the whiteboard and use it all the time. It’s nice because the size fits all – everyone can reach a spot upon which to write.

The rest of us played Apples to Apples (Bible version) while Grandad worked.

We canceled our Wednesday night outings in favor of family time. We went out for a yummy meal at Applebee’s and then came home to play Citadels. I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed their dinner choices. Some even had a repeat of their lunch menu – hamburgers and fries.

We had a little wait for a table but eventually got a nice spot, big enough for the 9 of us.

Back at home, David and Sarah played on the floor (an elaborate game involving Playmobil people, a Imaginext jeep, and several warriors) while we played Citadels. Rachel decided not to play the game. She did some e-mailing and then came to consult Mamie on her game choices. Citadels is lots of fun. I like it – it still takes us a little while (as we’re figuring things out) but isn’t a very complicated game. There is strategy and competition but it’s also a building game. Fun.

Thank you for the wonderful visit, Mom and Dad! Come back any time. Fly safely! We love you.

Kathy

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I lost connectivity last night and couldn’t post my blog. I had the pictures uploaded but couldn’t connect to edgren.com. Ah well, that’s fine. I went to bed early. Looking around at my messy house this morning, perhaps I should have done a little tidying up instead of sleeping. What is that Proverb about sleeping too much?

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-
and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. Proverbs 6:10-11

In my case, it’s a messy house and lots of dishes that will arrive in no time. Lol!

Grandad takes a break from a little computer work to hug Rachel.

The weather is grey and rainy these days. It is not, however, very cold so Mom and Dad are content. In Michigan yesterday ALL the schools in the area were closed due to extreme cold temperatures. Brrrrr!! That does NOT sound fun.

My parents brought goodie bags for all of us (a tradition whenever they visit – they spoil us). The boys (including Tim) all got a toy from Target made by my cousins company, Monkey Business Sports. We are all very excited that his company has a contract with Target and the toys are being sold nationwide.

Daniel gets ready to shoot his rocket.

Of course, the day wouldn’t be complete without some more pool time at the hotel. This time the boys went off with Grandad while the girls went to the library and shopping with Mamie. We all met up back at the pool so the girls could swim a little bit before dinner.

Not sure why this is such a fun spot but there you have it.

Thankfully Tim was home to put a ham and some Yukon potatoes in the oven. All we had to do was add a big salad, some toasted bread, sweet potatoes and we had a delicious dinner. The children were STARVING (poor dears) and thoroughly enjoyed every bite.

After dinner Daniel wanted to serve everyone dessert. We had ice cream Monday night so it was time for something different. He decided to serve graham cracker treats. He fixed some for everybody – even delivering them – and served himself last. Thank you, Daniel! That was a yummy dessert.

Another fun day with the Michigan grandparents.

Kathy

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It’s the close of a lovely day. The house is quiet (except for the hum of the washing machine and dryer and music playing in the kitchen), the boys (including Tim) are in bed, and the girls are off with Mamie and G’Dad at the hotel. I cleaned the kitchen this afternoon so that work is all completed. I need to pack a lunch for Tim, finish this blog and then go to bed myself.

We had a very relaxing day. No one seemed interested in heading out on an adventure or field trip so we stayed home and played games for most of the day. We started the morning off with Citadels which was lots of fun. I can see why Tim and the three older children have all been begging to play it again. [They played it for the first time on Saturday while I was gone.] Dad worked on his laptop while we played. Sarah and David busied themselves, coloring in the dining room. It was a contented crowd all around.

David and Sarah managed to convince Grandad to come and play Rat a Tat Cat with them in the living room. I think they played several rounds. Sarah sat by them, watching everything and cheering them on.

While we were busy finishing up our game, the little ones decided Grandad was bored (since he wasn’t playing with us) and should come out to the garage (brrr, it’s cold!!) and watch a movie with them. It was probably too chilly for him to sneak in a nap so he was forced to watch at least 30 minutes of Duck Tales. Now there’s some real movie substance. Lol!

They look like a snuggly group!

After lunch we decided to squeeze in one more game. Joshua and I really wanted to teach Mamie and Grandad Bang so we begged and pleaded and fussed until they gave in. Or something like that – I think everyone was sitting around waiting until Tim said, “Okay let’s play” and we all gathered around the table. Bang is a favorite with our crowd and the children have taught several of their friends how to play. It helps if most of the group already knows how to play – things move along fairly quickly.

Tina – this is one you should definitely think about for your group. It’s fun – Western theme (maybe we can get Tom and Casey to play), card based, doesn’t take too long, etc. Come home and we’ll teach you. Sniff, sniff.

Tim was incredibly kind and said he would take the children swimming at the hotel while Mom and Dad snuck in a quick nap. I stayed home and worked on things around the house. It was lovely having a little time to myself. The kids were still going strong when I joined them at the pool (except for Daniel who was out, taking a break).

We decided to go to East and West Cafe for some Thai food. It was absolutely delicious!!! Thank you, Michelle, for the recommendation. I think I oohed and aahhhed over my food with almost every bite. The meals are reasonably priced and the atmosphere is pleasant. The parking lot looked full but the restaurant did not feel crowded. I will DEFINITELY go again. Tim loved his entree until he accidentally added in some chili paste sauce that he thought was sweet. Oops! He does NOT like things spicy. Gotta watch those unmarked sauces in Asian restaurants!

We returned to our house for some Rocky Road ice cream and a showing of Nanny McPhee. We didn’t finish the movie – time for bed, especially for those on Michigan time. Tomorrow Tim heads back to work. Not sure what the rest of us will do – some school, more relaxing and game playing, and maybe a few work projects.

I’m trying not to think about how short this visit is. We’ll see everyone in June so I’m clinging to that – always important to have the NEXT visit planned.

Kathy

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Skipping along through the day via pictures. It’s so special to have my parents here in town with us. They came over in the morning, before church. Mom helped with Sarah’s hair.

I had the camera out (need to charge it) and so it wasn’t in my purse during church. I would have taken a picture or two of Sarah sitting beside me in Sunday School class. She brought her coloring book and pencils and a workbook/sticker book and was quiet and contented the entire time. Such an angel. Not feeling very well – cold symptoms.

We spent some time looking at the videos from Mom and Dad’s Costa Rica trip. Gorgeous rain forests and wild animals there in CR. The kids snuggled up for the video time.

In the middle of the afternoon Tim’s parents came by for an unexpected visit. It was so nice to have them here. We had been wishing that we had invited them to join us for lunch so it was especially pleasant to have them come by. We had a nice discussion time and then even snapped a few pictures. As Grandpa said, “Is this going to make its way into the blog?” Of course!!

We went back over to the hotel to swim, and came home very hungry for delicious steaks (the kids had scrambled eggs, except for a few fortunate morsels wheedled from the grown-ups). We finished the evening watching Facing the Giants.

It was a delightful day, well-filled with time with grandparents.

Kathy

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