Our Grands

Sunday afternoon we went to the kids' to celebrate Rich's birthday. When we pulled up, Shelby and Dexter were sitting in the back of their car, waiting to greet us.

We got to see Shelby's and Jackson's newly arranged rooms but then we all hung out in Dylan's room chatting and watching Dylan and Jackson play "football."

Sandee grilled chicken and we had brought pasta salad and Rich's special homemade salsa. After dinner it was time for presents!

Sandee had baked brownies in a sheet pan so they could be decorated and we also had Cheesecake Factory cheesecake...both were so yummy!

Dylan got to light the candles on his Gpa's brownie cake. It still amazes me when something like this occurs...Dylan handling matches...he shouldn't be old enough, yet he is.

The kids all came home with us to spend the night. They raced through the house checking out all that we have done in the last week; there have been a lot of changes. They all love their rooms, especially now that they have beds! I had bought glow sticks at the dollar store, we turned out the lights in Shelby's room, and for nearly an hour it was total bedlam with them leaping on and over the bed sword fighting in total darkness with the glow sticks. I sat on the window seat with my camera and here are a few of my favorite shots. They've all been cropped, some of them have been brightened...I love them all!

While I uploaded photos, Rich and the kids played a fun new train board game called TransAmerica, which he got for his birthday; we all played it again today.

After Rich went to bed, the kids and I stayed up until nearly 12:30 a.m. playing that great new Monopoly game we got; we played it again today too!

I don't have any photos of the boys here on Monday. They slept late, had breakfast and then Sandee came. She and I went to that restaurant supply store so she could check it out and I could pick up a few more things. We barely got back in time for the boys to load up and her drive Jackson to football practice at 2:00; Shelby stayed with us, then I drove her home that night.

While we were shopping, Rich and the kids assembled the new yard cart, filled it with rip rap from the dog run demo and dumped it in the shallow ravine where rain water runs through our property. They also hauled concrete blocks and bricks up to the road end of our property and constructed this statue of King JJ (a running joke among the four of them about King Julian from the Madagascar movies)!

Shelby and King JJ

Jose finished clearing and loading all the brush Monday morning which has been quite a job for the past several weeks. I love it now that we can walk all over and be able to see if anything is slithering nearby...haha That is the peaked roof of our house behind Shelby.

Rich took the motorhome to get propane filled for our trip to CA and Shelby and I completed a little craft project for her room.

After we hung the framed flowers, she posed in front of the opposite wall so that it would look like butterflies were landing on her arms...

...and in her hands.

Speaking of Shelby's room, Bella seems to think it is hers. After finding her napping on the bed in there, I covered the bedspread and pillows with a sheet. Then, the other night when I told The Girls it was time for bed, they both started down the hall in front of me but Bella turned right into that bedroom until I called her back to go to our room! Apparently the kids aren't the only ones who are happy to see beds in those rooms!

Lovin' Life ~~ Every Day!