A Very Cool (new to me) Blog

I am planning 31 days of posts for Christmas in July on my Christmas blog. This requires a lot of searching on the themes I've chosen for each day. While I was searching yesterday I came across the most beautiful blog I've seen to date. It's called "a quieter storm" and you can find it here. I also added the link to the right side of my blog page under the heading "Check Out These Great Blogs".

If you check it out, let me know what you think of it!

It's Beginning to Look...

... a lot like Christmas! As you know, I am obsessed with Christmas. I have a Christmas blog. I Christmas shop all year round. I listen to Christmas music, watch Christmas movies, and read Christmas books throughout the year. I really enjoy Christmas.

So you can imagine my excitement when I walked into Hobby Lobby last night and saw this:

Yes! The Christmas decor is here! Only 187 days to go...

Father's Day

This year we had two Father's Day celebrations for Dan. On Friday, Jessica had us over for dinner and a swim. Yesterday we met Zach for lunch. A good time was had by all!

 Gramps provided free rides on his back

Dan and Zachary

SSMT #12

What a great reminder of our responsibility to others:

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2 NIV

This Week's Fun

Sunny and Thunder are taking a break from pre-school/daycare this summer. I still have them two days a week and the other days are covered by Gabe, Jessica, and a babysitter. Since it is summer, I'm trying to come up with some theme days to add to our fun.

Monday was Joke Day. Sunny has discovered Knock-Knock Jokes. I can only remember one, so I googled them and printed out four pages of age-appropriate jokes. On Monday in the middle of our activity I would announce "It's joke time!" We'd read three or four knock-knock jokes, laugh hysterically and resume our activity. It was a huge success and on Tuesday she exclaimed "Let's have joke day again!".

But I had other plans for Tuesday. We met Joanna and her kids at the splash pad for some cool water fun. I was disappointed that Sunny and Thunder did not react enthusiastically to the splash pad. Thunder didn't venture in at all, and Sunny didn't try until we were ready to leave. Oh well. Now they know what to expect and I think they'll be more willing when we try it again later this summer. I did get a few cute photos to share...

Kat lending support to Sunny

They chose a small fountain to start with

  

She's brave enough to stand on it!

Trying to convince Thunder to try.

Shelby gave Sunny this bag for her birthday.

After Sunny finished coloring it I snapped this photo.

I love the way Thunder has his arm around Sunny!

Party!

If you're not in my family, this post may bore you to tears. It's full of photos from Sunny's BD parties. I say parties because we met Katie and Gabe and the kids at Peter Piper Pizza on Thursday for her "real" birthday. Her birthday party was on Saturday. I'm sharing photos from both. She certainly had a great 4th birthday and received lots of terrific gifts. Such fun!

Excited about her birthday!

Taking aim on Skee Ball Game

Grammy and Sunny

Checkin' out the prizes

Looks like she'll get her wish

Sunny (4), Skye (2), Thunder (23 mos)

I don't know what my dad and Dan are doing here...

Zach, Skye, Thunder making some art

We told her to close her eyes for a really special present...

Here's Dan delivering the special surprise

She squealed "a doll house! I have to go get my dolls"

The architect and the owner

Sunny and Naia playing house

Skye was more interested in the drums

Shelby, Bryce, Gigi

Time for the pinata that Abuela made

Skye takes a whack

Gramps and his girls

Blowing out the candles

The Dance Recital

On Saturday, Sunny participated in her first dance recital. We were all anxiously trying to predict whether she would a) actually go on stage, b) even attempt to dance, or c) cry. We were all thrilled when she did go on stage, she bent her knees and tapped a few times, and most exciting of all, she did not cry!

Her performance was pretty much the same as the other little girls in her class. She was sure a cutie, and we all clapped like crazy!

She "danced" to "Good Ship Lollipop"

Receiving her flowers

Four

Four years ago today I became Grammy. If you're a grandparent, you understand the awesomeness of this role. If you're not yet a grandparent, no one can adequately explain to you what it means to be one. I used to dream about being a grandma. As my friends became grandmas, I would watch their shining eyes and  listen to them rave about their love for the grandchildren. I thought I got it, but still didn't get it. Not until they placed that tiny baby in my arms did I start to grasp what a blessing she was and what joy she would bring. I've been blessed with three grandchildren so far. What joy they do bring!

Sunny has been excited all week about her upcoming birthday. The kids were over on Monday and mid-morning she spotted a princess wrapped present on my kitchen table:

Sunny: What's that?
Me: Oh, it's a present for a little girl I know who has a birthday in four days.
Sunny: Me?!
Me: Yep.
Sunny: What's in it?
Me: You'll have to wait until Thursday to see.
Sunny: Ohhh!

And with a huge smile on her face she skipped off to play. An hour or so later she came up to me in the office, threw her arms around me and exclaimed, "Grammy, I looovve the present you got for me!" and skipped off to play some more.

She is beautiful, precocious, joyful, intelligent, talkative, funny, creative, caring, silly, musical, imaginative, artistic, thoughtful, strong, and loving. I am amazed at her depth. I am privileged to spend so much time with her. I am thankful that she made me "Grammy". I love her "to the moon and back".

Happy 4th Birthday, Sunny!

In the Garden - Irises

While we were in Manhattan KS visiting JD and Janel, we went to the K-State Gardens. We had been there on an earlier visit during the Autumn and it was so beautiful. I wanted to see it in the Spring.

The garden was featuring Irises. There were dozens of different varieties of Irises on display. They have a sale during Mother's Day weekend and again at the end of July when the public can come in and purchase the plants. There was a list with all of the varieties featured, but I didn't pick one up.

I thought I'd share some of the gorgeous flowers with you. I took so many photos of so many varieties that I know I'd lose readers if I posted them all. I'll share some of the most unique (to me) ones with you. Unfortunately I can't identify which variety you're seeing. But they are all beautiful!