What a Fun Day!

Today was our family Easter party. And it was wonderful! We had a BBQ lunch. Thanks to those who weathered the rain to cook our meal outside. It was yummy! Brian did his favorite, Tootie-tah! The kids never tire of that. Erin did an Easter egg relay race, which the kids all loved. Dan and Chris did a water balloon toss. The rain stopped long enough for that and for our egg hunt. But the kids could have tossed balloons all day. They LOVED it. Good idea, guys. The kids hunted the eggs and were very careful to be sure that everyone got a similar amount of eggs in their buckets. They were all quick to share with others. And we had the traditional fish pond. The kids seemed to enjoy that, too. Then we spent some time just relaxing and visiting. Too soon, it was time to go. We took Brian's kids to shop for Luke's birthday gift and make his trip to Build-a-Bear. He chose a cute fuzzy dog. He chose a Diamondbacks t-shirt and shorts to dress his dog. Luke seemed to enjoy the fun there, with the help of Abby and Dallin. All in all, it was a wonderful day. When I asked Abby and Dallin on the way home what their favorite part of the day was they replied as follows: Abby said she liked the egg hunt and the family all being together. Dallin said he liked the fish pond and the family sticking together. They really like being with their cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents. I truly appreciate all of my kids for making the effort and sacrifice to get together to bond as a family and to create memories for us all. Thanks, all.
I'll post pictures later....I'm too tired tonight!

Happy Easter!

Tomorrow is our annual family Easter BBQ/egg hunt/games/fish pond. I think this is the first year that ALL of the grandkids were old enough at one time to totally enjoy the hunt. It should be fun....if it doesn't rain, which it's doing as I type. Sorry, Erin, if we have to come inside.
And after that we're taking Luke for his 2 year-old trip to Build-a-Bear and then to choose his birthday present. Lucky kid!

He Found His Groove!

I just got a phone call from Matthew about his baseball game tonight. He's found his groove! He told me he got a walk, a base hit up the middle to the outfield, a triple and a home run! Way to go, Matt!! I KNEW you could do it!!! We can't wait to see another game so he can show us his stuff!

Musical Performance

Last night Eliza's little signing group performed at a local nursing home. They did such a good job singing and entertaining. The residents, parents and others who watched thoroughly enjoyed their performance. And their little costumes were adorable. I'm hoping Eliza will volunteer to be our family's "talent" for our family reunion this summer.

Healing Hand

Today was bread baking day at Erin's house. We both enjoy those fun days....and her girls love snitching the unbaked dough! Today was no different. And we have to keep reminding ourselves that we're being productive and not just having a fun time.
It's been almost two weeks since Ellie's fingers were smashed in the door, and as you can tell from the picture, they're healing very nicely. Thank goodness! She still likes to wear a band-aid on them, but I think they're still tender and sore and the band-aid helps protect them a bit. She still won't use them...just holds them out as she plays.

Opening Day of Baseball

Monday night was the opening day for Diamondbacks baseball....and also for our grandson, Matthew. He plays on the Defenders team. This is his first year playing on a "kid" pitch team. In the past, he's played t-ball and coach pitch. So this year is a learning year for sure. He did great, though. He started off playing center field, but there wasn't a lot of action there. The coach later brought him in to play third base...and lots more action there! Most of the runs on both teams were scored as players "stole" bases when the opposing team would overthrow the ball to another base. And there games are LONG. They play for a full two hours. Whew! But it was fun to watch Matt and we look forward to seeing the improvement of all the players.


Emma enjoyed being silly, visiting the snack bar and cheering on Matt's team!

Luncheon

On Monday, my friend, Jan, invited me to a luncheon with her scrapbooking group in Sun City Grand. It was delightful! Each table was hosted by a member of the group and it was up to the hostess to determine the theme of her table. I have to tell you....there were some very creative ladies there. Jan chose to do her table using Mother Goose and Little Golden Books. She recruited me and Gwen ahead of time to alter a few Little Golden Books. What fun that was! And Jan acquired lots of stuffed animals, beautiful dolls and other Mother Goose items to embellish her table. It was gorgeous. They served chicken and ham salad for lunch. And each hostess was also responsible for the dessert at her table. Jan recruited her daughter, Kirsten Mor, who has a restaurant in Surprise with her husband, Snir. It is a wonderful place to eat, by the way! Their restaurant is called Amuse Bouche and is located just west of the 101 freeway and Bell Road. Kirsten made a dessert called Mille-feuille, which in French means a thousand leaves. Basically, it's layers and layers of delicate pastry with a rich cream filling between the larger layers. YUM!!! Jan provided each of her guests with a favor bag which consisted of a Little Golden Book suited to each person and a bag full of ephemera to use as they construct their own altered book. What a fun day!! Thanks, Jan!
There were at least twice as many tables as shown here, but unfortunately, my camera battery died!! Oops!
I made the "We Help Mommy", "We Help Daddy", and one of the Mother Goose books. I have a feeling we'll be teaching a class soon!