For Abigail

Skirt I found for Abby...

See the tiny pocket INSIDE the pocket?

The Bible holder Linda Stubbs made.

That's a little notebook covered in blue and placed in pocket on the outside!

(The skirt colors in the last two pictures are more accurate.)

Aaaaaaaaaah!

Missing our big brother!

She Starts School Tomorrow!

Our oldest granddaughter begins school TOMORROW.  We had great fun together TODAY!
Click to see closer up.

School Daze

Our grandson (on the left) and his buddy.  First FULL day of kindergarten...
          ... and his brother and a friend on their first day of
preschool.

Happy Birthday, Amy!

For who you ARE,
for all you DO,
for all you SERVE,
for your pure HEART,

I am SO thankful.

I'm proud of you and love you more than I communicate 

and more than you know.

Love, Mom

Back to School I

Four of our grandchildren started school this week - two in kindergarten one in first grade, and one in third grade!  Have a great year, kids!  John, buddy, Grandpa and Grandma are SO proud of you!  You look FANTASTIC in your Bears shirt with your new tote bag! 

The Smiths Go to Michigan

While the Obamas vacation at Martha's Vineyard (and the Gulf Coast), the Smiths are in Michigan enjoying a retreat with the student leaders from Moody Bible Institute where these children's father is employed...

Have fun, kids!

Water, Water, Everywhere

There are waterparks in Kansas, too!

I didn't realize the title I used for this post came from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner...

Day after day, day after day,

We stuck, nor breath nor motion;

As idle as a painted ship

Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, everywhere,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, everywhere,

Nor any drop to drink.

Saturday Pleasures

 Saturday morning.  T was ready with his basket to collect candy thrown from floats and other paraders!

 What's a parade without a band?  Here's Woodlan's!

In the afternoon we went to watch the Grand Prix Corn Crate race.  Here, Grandpa & T look over the entrants prior to the race.

 In lieu of Saturday night baths, T chose the fountains at Headwaters Park in Fort Wayne.

What a great way to end the day!

The Kansas "Krew" Rides and Reads!

At the library...

Love to see you guys wearing those helmets!

Wish we could read with you.

Tuesday with Two

A stop at the downtown library held many surprises including this space ship with special reading modules!

 

Picnic at Headwaters Park was followed by a romp in the fountains!

We stopped in to visit cousins and Great-Grandparents...

...before a trip to Auburn to see thirteen life-sized statues!

Later, at home we made s'mores.  A perfect end to a wonderful day.

Grandparenting Fun!

'Tis the end of our first (partial) day. We met the boys & their parents about 1/2 way between our two homes.

The boys played a travel game in the backseat a lot of the way home!  We had a hard time finding a dog, a ladder, and a few other things that we thought would be easy!

Once home, we soon were playing some games - Stay Alive, and a couple of new card games Grandma taught us.  "Slap" was one of them...

We each selected a napkin ring to identify our napkins to be used for a few meals.

Dinner included cantaloupe, strawberries, grapes, celery with Ranch dressing dip, and hamburgers in whole wheat sandwich rounds.

After a walk, we had some blueberry/strawberry fruit smoothies that Grandpa made (above).

Then we played the Corn Hole game on the driveway.

Bedtime followed after Grandpa read some books. (They were almost ASKING to go to bed!)  The end of a wonderful first day!

Look Who's 6 Years Old!

Happy 6th Birthday, Abigail!  Grandpa and Grandma L-O-V-E you!

Almost Birthday

I've furnished the rooms of the doll house we're giving our granddaughter for her birthday this weekend with extra pieces I have on hand.  The scale is not quite right, but there are enough pieces to keep her busy.  She loves to arrange and rearrange the furniture in the doll houses we have here.  The exterior of the doll house (before and after) can be seen HERE.  The attic room is the nursery/toy room.

Before and After

Our oldest granddaughter got a haircut!  Doesn't she look like her American Girl doll, Kit?!