Plant Yourself!

Give me a Fanny Garden!

Plant yourself down for a cruise through the pictures of my going west to see my precious son, Kelly, home for two weeks on leave from Afghanistan. I was blessed to be invited to spend time with him and his family.

He greeted me at the door in very non-military attire...bib overalls and a big smile, as he was happy to see me too! Marcus has REALLY missed his daddy and spent a lot of the time very close, if not on Kelly.
Marcus made his very own dinner...a jelly sandwich, and wanted NO help making it!!! There was a small dab of jelly spread thinly on one piece of bread with another piece of bread smashed to it. He later asked for more jelly. We love eating together, he and I.

My great-grandson Cameron was at the house too, with his mother, Mandi (my oldest grandchild). Brianna had made a breakfast with Kelly of scrambled eggs and French toast with strawberries and whipped cream. Cameron and Marcus are fast friends!

Here is the darling Brianna who rustled up the delightful breakfast. She had requested cooking b'fast with Kelly, and Alana had requested making spaghetti for dinner with him. We were well fed, believe me!

Clowning for the camera, Marcus isn't setting a very good example for Cameron, but Cam was watching his Mama, fortunately.

I stayed at the Comfort Inn with an indoor heated pool so that there would be plenty of room for the others at Kelly's house. We all went swimming together, another request of an activity the girls wanted to do with their dad while he was home. We swam Saturday morning before lunch and in the evening after dinner. Cameron and I are snuggling up to get warm and dry.

If I'd been in this picture it could have shown 4 generations.

After church with Kelly and his family I drove to meet my sister Margy at Borders Books in Vancouver for a couple hours before attending to Kimber's family.

Dante is now a year old!

He is still small and darling with some blond curls, mellow personality, and ready smile.

He KNOWS who his Grammy is!

He doesn't walk yet, but does stand alone when absorbed in some activity, forgetting that he's standing by himself.

Toys from Isabella's babyhood are brought out of storage for Dante's pleasure...and Isabella's

It was tough getting back home before Thanksgiving. The weather was not conducive for travel. So, I did it in spurts. First I left Kimber's later than I'd anticipated Tuesday morning. I stopped by Stacie's for a much-welcomed and encouraging visit with her and Margaret.

Stacie's hubby had taken the 5 older ones to the beach for 4 days to give her a mini-vacation. Lily (20 months) was the only one at home with Stacie, so our visit was nearly uninterrupted.

I had to wait out the storm one more night, so Kelly's invited me to camp on his couch Tuesday before braving the tough driving conditions on Wednesday. Marcus had found one red mitten which he loved wearing just after getting up on the morning of my leave-taking.

I could not believe the stark reality of winter's descent upon us.

I took this along the Columbia between The Dalles and Walla Walla as I drove.

I just pointed the camera at the river and landscape. My little all-wheel drive Subaru with new studded tires all around did just fine. It was a long journey home, many hours of concentrated driving, and I'm glad I made the trek to see my kidlettes and theirs.

I have been richly blessed!

The Last of the Beach Photos

Ah, he loves his Mama. Kelly 'wands' some bubbles at sunset for Marcus's pleasure.

Melissa frolics with Brianna. She is a fairly serious mother, so watching her PLAY filled me with unspeakable joy!

Alana LOVES her mood ring.

We all love to feed the squirrels.

I'm unendingly grateful to have had this significant time with Kelly and his family before he goes off to war.

My heart wavers sometimes when I think about it, so I don't often think about it.

My son-in-law is home from Iraq and is weaving his family together with some time off before he goes back to the job his boss saved for him.

In fact Chris was offered a $3/hour raise,

a cushy route. and some ready cash to sustain him until May 10 when he returns to work.

We serve an awesome God!

ANOTHER! Spring Break

This is the picture of our first break.

I love traveling with my son's family because they like me to sit up front with him and they like to stop often. Kelly was REALLY on a break with some fine headgear. And Marcus LOVES his Grammy!

This was at Multnomah Falls on the Columbia River as we headed for the ocean on a Sunday. Kelly's boss appreciates his work ethic and has rewarded him with 3 weeks of paid vacation when he hasn't even work for a complete year yet.

He chose to take his wife on the first vacation to the ocean to scope out what we would do on his third week of vacation. I think he stayed home with the kids during their spring break for the second one. Anyway, before we left the boss called and offered him a $3 per hour raise.

Kelly heads for the Afghan war in May with the National Guard, and my heart is torn over the implications of that. But here you will see the pleasures we shared for 5 days together.

The view from the balcony of the condo we rented thanks to Melissa's boss. You see the splashing of high tide above and part of the family enjoying a meal our first night on one of the two balconies below.

When we were all tired that first night Brianna took Marcus under her wing to read a story as we set up the bedrooms and other organizing.

Trenton and Brianna ordered 1/2 a crab for their first seafood experience, Marcus and Alana chose chicken strips, Kelly, Melissa and I ordered scallops and jumbo shrimp with several orders of killer slaw. It was warm and sunny...perfect for a picnic.

One of the amenities at the condo was an offering of classes each day. Kelly and Trenton took an oil painting class, and you see, above, the results.

I was stunned at their talent.

Kelly's last art class was in 6th grade (he is 40, remember!), and Trenton has shown talent in that regard. This class was incredibly rewarding for both of them!

A closer view of Kelly's oil painting.

Here we all are at the Oregon Coast Aquarium ready for the treats inside.

I love this picture not only for the octopus, but also the reflection of Trenton.
There will be more to follow this post. I wanted to get started with these pics for my mom who doesn't get to see her grandkids or great-grandkids often.