Family Visit

My parents and my grandmother came to town for a visit last week. It was really lovely having them here; the weather was great, everyone stayed healthy, we had some fun outings and some delicious meals. All in all, I think much fun was had. Here are a couple of pictures of L & J with their grandparents and great-grandmother!

Where are my children?

The other morning my children disappeared while I was doing the breakfast dishes. They weren't begging me for an after-breakfast snack, they weren't whining to watch somethng on T.V., they weren't pulling the ornaments off the Christmas tree. Where could they be?

Ah ha! They were upstairs with my Grandmother, reading stories. Yes, I got totally misty-eyed. I wish my grandmother could stay with us all the time, but a week-long visit was wonderful, and my kiddos adored spending time with her!

Oh Christmas Tree!

O.K., so I knew I might be a little bit lazy about updating this blog, but who knew it would be this bad . . .no pictures from Halloween, no pictures of children cavorting with autumn leaves, no pictures of Thanksgiving revelry, no pictures of the first snowfall . . .

So for all of those omissions, I am sorry. I will try to be better. Really.

Here are a few photos from our big Christmas Tree day today, beginning with our trip to "Santa's Christmas Tree Farm" in Lee's Summit, MO and culminating with a hot chocolate-fueled tree decorating party after naptime this afternoon.

Trip to Mendocino

David, Lucy, James and I spent a week in Mendocino visiting my parents, my sister, her husband and their children. We could not have had a nicer time - the weather was beautiful, the children all played well together, and my father's wine cellar was much enjoyed. The weather was warm enough that we were able to spend some time on the beach - the water was too cold for swimming - but we had a great time playing in the sand and exploring the tidepools.

Red Rody

James has mastered mounting his trusty steed, Red Rody, although his dismount is usually a little bumpy. But boy does he love bouncing on his horsey!

When one isn't enough

We went to a little dinner party at a friend's house Saturday afternoon, and we knew they were making an amazing dinner, and we'd been asked to bring the dessert, but I might have gotten a little carried away. I started with some dark chocolate cookies with oatmeal and white chocolate chips for the children in the group. Then I made an almond, nectarine and cherry tart with this amazing almond-y crust and filling. Then I decided the almond tart was too prissy, so I made a "rustic" plum tart as well. And, we brought all three desserts to the party. And all three were thouroughly enjoyed.

ketchup is yummy

Well, James really like ketchup. And why wouldn't he? It's sweet, it's red, and it does wonders for one's hair.

Zoo Saturday

We had a fun little outing to the zoo Saturday morning for the annual Zoo members' breakfast. It rained lightly the entire time we were there, but it was very nice nonetheless. As always, the carousel was the big hit of the day.

Sprinkler Time

It has been so hot lately, with no rain, sadly (although that doesn't stop the mosquitos or the humidity in the air!) so I did a little watering the other morning and let L & J play in the water. Much fun was had.

Sprayground Fun

Last Friday I tried to take all four children to the Leawood Pool for a morning swim, only to discover upoon our arrival at the pool that it is no longer open in the mornings, now that morning swim lessons are over for the season. Rats.

So, as a consolation prize we all went to the "sprayground" at Loose Park, where we all had lots of fun. Except for Andrew. Who was in a mood. But the rest of us had lots of fun! Even J was getting in there and getting wet.

Corny Baby

This morning a friend sent me this great photo of J chowing down on an ear of corn at her barbecue on the Fourth of July - my baby does love corn - must be that sojourn in Iowa by his Scott family relatives.

Blogging Virgin

So, I've not really been into the idea of blogging but it seems like I am the only one, so I've decided to give it a go. We'll see how current I am able to keep this . . .don't hold your breath!

For whatever it's worth, the weather has been weird/unpleasant (when isn't it here?) and the children have both been ill with mystery fevers and general crabbiness, but we're working through it. And David is home safe from his trip to Little Rock, so hooray for that. I always feel like celebrating when he makes it home safely from a business trip. Maybe it's a tad morbid, but I feel like he travels so much that he must be tempting fate, so I always feel like we've dodged the reaper one more time when his plane touches down safely.