Like Father like Son

Levi is very attached to the bubble mower we got him.

Being Clif was mowing the yard today, I decided to have Levi join him.  This way I could get a few pictures of it.

I told Clif, doesn't this remind you of days gone by?

This was Stephen and Dad 25+ years ago.

This is Levi and Grandpa now.

Levi liked to keep his distance from the real mower.

It seemed to scare him.  

But Grandpa appreciated his help just the same. 

Levi had to inspect the cut grass.  Too funny. 

He was ready to go inside after time spend in the heat.

Gatorade to the rescue.

Water Time Fun

I have had Levi for 2 days. 

One of which was spent enjoying water activities.  First up in the morning was the Splash Pad at Downy Park.

We took our buckets and a water toy.

That was plenty to keep him amused.

As he got more comfortable, he explored the other

splash objects.

He watched the kids going this through this for quite some time before he got the courage to try it himself.

Once the thunderstorm rolled through, we went to the J Blanchard YMCA.  They have Orange County resident night on Friday evenings from 5-9 pm where it is free.  I have been yearning to swim in a pool for months now.  I am glad I remembered this as an option.  Trying to coordinate with people I know who have pools to go swimming doesn't seem to work out.

We had so much fun.

And, Levi went right to sleep for the night.

He had a BIG day!!

cousins

Chloe and Levi enjoy playing together.

Amber had taken Levi to the park.

Great pictures to share.

When Valerie returned to Tallahassee,

they went to Destin, FL.

Great pictures to share here also.

Oh, the love of family. 👪

VBS 2017

This year Chloe was old enough to join us for VBS!  I was super excited as was she.  Our theme this year was 

"Maker Fun Factory, Created by God, built for a Purpose".

Too bad my camera couldn't take panoramic pictures.
This is our gathering area for the Sing and Sound Wave
as well as the Funshop Finale.

All week long, we inspired kids to create innovative ways to play with the toys.  They didn't let us down.  One of the crews used our slinky as a jump rope. We did have giant airplanes we used the first day, but kids weren't paying attention to safety so we had to come up with alternative creations.  Some were suggested by Group publishing.

Each morning started with a skit.  Ian was getting frustrated in that he wasn't a good inventor, Christine and the participants encouraged him using our Bible points.

Take a closer look, and I will point out a few things...

the PVC pipes are an instrument that makes music by slapping the openings with flip flops.  In the baskets we have ballpit balls.  We had a launcher made from bungee cords attached to a funnel.  We'd shoot the balls out to the kids.  They loved it!

At the end of the day, kids were come in, sit and enjoy 

the Spotlight Drama

Chloe is eagerly awaiting the slide show. 

Our photographer went to the various stations and took pictures of the crews.  I can only show pictures of Chloe being that this is considered social media.

All of the pictures are cropped accordingly.

Chloe was in the preschool room

for age appropriate activities.

Each day snacks were delivered to their room.

Of course, I volunteered to take them so I could see her!

Each day at the Funshop Finale, we would have some sort of invention (Group of course provided) that WOWED the kids.

Here is a sampling....

The last day, Ian finally figured out an invention, and yes it is his creation, only he didn't know what it would do.  Christine suggested he use it as a scarecrow in his mom's garden, then help her with the gardening.  He thought it was a good idea.

(All part of the skit provided by Group).

The last day, we finish with Mass, then a pizza party.

Chloe was so happy to be able to eat and ENJOY her pizza.

She was still eating after the event was finished and volunteers were cleaning up.  Tables and chairs had already been removed, but she doesn't care....

"just let me eat my pizza!"

She chowed down 3 pieces that we know of!!!!

Her throat is definitely healed after her tonsillectomy!

Oh, and the beach ball was another activity we had to engage the kids.  We had 4 beach balls going throughout the crews, trying to keep them up and not hit the floor like they do in stadiums during sporting events.  We had SO much fun!

Chloe was happy because she went home with lots of goodies, including the beach ball and airplanes.

At home, Chloe had fun with Grandpapa using the airplane.

And just a fun tidbit,

Judith is making gains everyday.

This is the most active she has been so far!

Other birthday celebrations

Levi was in New York on his actual birthday.  The kids decided to go fishing to celebrate.  Levi was happy with the catch!

After they got home, Amber's family had another celebration.

Clif and I were able to join them.

I like how Levi thinks no one is paying attention.

He keeps dipping his finger in the frosting!

And yes, it was a pool party. 

The only problem was by the time Clif and I got

there the thunderstorms were in full swing.

He was most excited about his bike.

It was a fun time, enjoyed by all.

The Girls

The girls were down for an unexpected visit which was nice. Sandra was in for the weekend so she got to see everyone.  Chloe loves to wrap up in the blankets.

It makes for messy hair, but she doesn't care. 

All she knows is she is happy!

Can't take a picture of one without taking a picture of the other.

Judith is content watching her big sister.

I went with them back to Tallahassee so I could watch Judith while Chloe had her tonsils and adenoids removed.

Judith was active on my lap, so I thought I'd try to get some pictures, only Charlotte interrupted to let me know she 

wanted the attention instead! 

She kept pawing my arm.  Notice how she is in my face!

Chloe was feeling much better the second day.

Judith was happy having her tummy time on the floor.

I talked with Valerie to see how Chloe is doing.  

She said today was a great day.
She final ate a substantial amount of food.

That made me happy!