"Just a minute, Grammy, I'm busy!"

I spent a wonderful afternoon with Ayeresam a few days ago. We went to the park and played on the swings and the slide, we watched the garbage truck empty many bins, we ate lunch, we read lots and lots of books, and we played hide and seek. Then, Ayeresam needed to conduct some important business on my phone. You know, just some texting and stuff...
This takes full concentration, as you can see. Sometimes a guy just has to do what he has to do! Too cute!
"OK, Grammy, I'm ready to play more now."
♥ Love this kid. ♥ SOOO much! ♥

In the Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday Mark and I were invited to go to the Pumpkin Patch with Jake, Beka, and Ayeresam. It was SO fun! First stop: meet up with their family at their house. One of Ayeresam's new toys is a tunnel, which Mark promptly put on over his body in order to surprise Ayeresam when he came downstairs. Let's just say this: it worked great!
Mark popped out, Ayeresam squealed, and we headed off on our adventure. We went to Airlie Hills Harvest Festival and Pumpkin Patch, located about a dozen miles north of Corvallis. Such a fun place. I didn't even know it existed before yesterday, and we've decided we will definitely go back.
The sweet little family at the entrance.
Meeting the resident turkey, who of course is named Tom.
Jake and Ayeresam at the top of the hay slide.
Mark loved the doors on the barn.
Next came the hay ride, which took us on a fun, bumpy journey around the perimeter of the farm.
Safe in Grandpa's arms.
Resting for a spell.
Me, too.
Aren't they a happy, handsome group? Yeah, I think so, too!
Taking a ride in the wheelbarrow.
Touching Grandpa's cowboy hat (thanks for this pic, Jake).
Playing in the wheat bin, which is like a sand box, except the "walls" are made of bales of hay, and the "sand" is wheat kernels. Ayeresam REALLY liked this activity!

Just chillin' with the lovely pumpkins.
There was a huge semi-truck, which Jake and Ayeresam had to check out!
Leaving the farm: Jake and Ayeresam, Beka, Mark, and me. We loved it!

How time flies...

This past weekend, Mark and I traveled to Seattle to attend our 40-year high school reunion. Yes, you heard right - 40 years since we graduated from Mt. Rainier High School! So crazy to contemplate how quickly the years have flown by, and how fun it was to celebrate that milestone with others from our class. One of our first stops after arriving in Seattle was to drive by the house (above) where my family lived while I was in high school, which is now mostly obscured by tall hedges. This was a very small home for our family of eight!
Right across the street from that house is the campus of Highline Community College, where I attended school the first year following my graduation from high school.
Mark and I next drove down to Saltwater State Park in Des Moines. This beautiful little park is on Puget sound, and Mark and I used to go there quite often while in high school. Fun memories!

Next stop was Mark's family's former home in Normandy Park. Many large trees and shrubs obscure the full view.
Friday night we convened with our classmates at the Holiday Inn Sea-Tac, where we were greeted by Doug and his dear wife Kathy. Doug is a lifelong friend and was the best man in our wedding 37 years ago.
A very special delight was seeing Verna, my best friend from high school. Like me, Verna is also married to a man from our graduating class.
On Saturday morning, we had a second reunion event, this time at our high school. Several years ago, the old high school building where we had attended was demolished, and a new campus built in its place. We had a tour of the new facility (very nice), had lunch in the cafeteria, and did more socializing. There are bricks in the entry way of the new school, and we found "our" brick, along with the bricks for Mark's sister Nancy, and their dad George, who was principal of MRHS for two years, including our sophomore year.
My friend Verna and her hubby arrived at MRHS in style!
I just had to take a picture of this airplane departing Sea Tac airport. One of my favorite memories from Mt. Rainier includes the loud roar from departing airplanes, so loud that teachers had to stop their lectures at times until the planes cleared the sky overhead. Apparently this is still the case!
The front entrance of the new high school.

Checking out the new gym. The banner painted across the wall above the bleachers reads: WELCOME TO THE MOUNTAIN - HOME OF THE RAMS (with a mural of Mt. Rainier in the middle).
Such a fun weekend. As one of our classmates said, "We were nice kids back in high school, and we are nice adults now."

"Our voices echo through the halls,
We sing to Mt. Rainier,
Of days gone by, of victories won,
And hours of good cheer.
We'll support the blue and white,
Our colors bold and true,
Both now and in the years to come,
We'll e'er remember you."

More baby stuff... ♥

Here are a few more pictures of our time with family this past weekend!
Adelaide with her Uncle Chris.
More Grandpa time!
Getting sleepy...... (Adelaide, that is - not Grandpa)!
Yesterday, Beka, Ayeresam and I drove to Nikki's parents' home for a last visit with David, Nikki, and Adelaide before they head back to Colorado. Ayeresam was getting so tired, and yet, this is such a precious picture of these cousins and their mommies.
With Dave, our youngest son. So happy for ANY time with our kids.

Below is a short video clip of Adelaide performing a cute trick. If she wants her pacifier, and it is within reach of her mouth, she will dive-bomb for it! We all shared lots of laughs watching her perform!

Adorable Adelaide

Bonus update: Just added the picture above - stole it from David's Facebook page! ♥

Just a few recent pictures of our precious granddaughter, Adelaide. (Thanks for sharing, David.)
She's five months old already, and looks ready to tackle the world!
Such a sweet, drooly little cutie pie. Love you, Adelaide! Miss you soooo much!♥

Seizing the Moment to Celebrate LIFE

I awoke yesterday with an intense longing to be near the ocean. Perhaps it was because of of the many television programs that had aired the day before, commemorating the ninth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, which of course included heartbreaking stories of the many innocent people who died on that horrific day. My heavy heart desperately needed to celebrate LIFE, and to see the amazing power of God's creation.

So, Mark and I hopped in the car for a spontaneous trip to Beverly Beach, just north of Newport. The first thing we saw after hiking over the rocks to the sand was definitely not alive. This sea lion, however, was providing food for the many little critters who were crawling in and around it.
Not such a good shot of Mark, because of the position of the sun, but you can see what a breathtakingly beautiful and warm day it was on the coast.
Ahhh, just what my spirit needed!
Do any of you ever stomp on these little "bulbs" just to hear the POP it makes? Yes, I did pop a few yesterday!


Lunch: Absolutely scrumptious fish and chips and clam chowder at Szabo's. And then it was time to head back home, because I had a play date with Ayeresam!
He and I went to the waterfront in Corvallis to play in the fountain. He was very intrigued by the water bubbling up from the grates. Some water was soaring very high, and some streams were much smaller. It was such a joy to experience the fountain with him, to see his excitement and hear his sweet squeals of delight.
Baby A always has his pointer finger at the ready, just in case he needs to point to something!


Nothing is much cuter than a baby wearing only a diaper!
He was zonked by the end of the afternoon. I love this precious little guy SO much! And I think he kind of likes me, too! ♥
Thus ended this most excellent and perfect day. I saw the hand of God all day long: in the powerful ocean waves, in the intensity of the clear blue skies, in the trees just beginning to display their lovely fall colors, and in the sweet face of my dear grandson. My prayer of praise at yesterday's end: It's a beautiful day, and it's great to be alive.