Memorial Weekend - 2021!

 We had all of our family here for Memorial Day weekend, except for David, who was

unable to get leave from the Army.  We were so disappointed that he was not able to join us

but we had a rousing good time anyway.

We had a cold front move in right before everyone arrived - it was chilly!!!!!!

Jonathan was the first to fly in.  It was a beautiful warm day, the last one we had!

Courtney flew in the next day!  Good thing we are only about 15 minutes from the airport!

We went straight to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, La Paz.

A quick trip to the Omaha Zoo by Joe and the boys, Courtney and Jonathan - Rachel and crew

were scheduled to arrive later that afternoon so I stayed home to welcome them.

The zoo was very crowded and very nippy!

Rachel and family drove all the way from Tucson with their three children and they did really well!

More on their story in another blog post!

So with all here that were able to come, we had a great time!

Isaac and Nathan! 

Courtney and Kinsley!  Both in purple!

Jonathan's thin blood finally got to him on the chilly days!

Frisbee game in progress!

The boys were so thrilled to have their older siblings all together again!

Poor Nathan just sacked out one afternoon - so funny!

We all had such a wonderful time together, and, of course, the weather warmed

right up after Courtney and Jonathan flew back home!

And Joshua Becomes a Teenager!

Look at that smile!  This young man is now officially a teenager!  Whoo Hooooo!!

He had a delightful birthday, with a special breakfast and then presents to open!

Legos are always a hit with these boys!!!

Joshua LOVES "Gomer Pyle, USMC"!!

Books are always a welcome gift for Joshua!

We'd had so much fun bowling the month before for Isaac's birthday, that Joshua

asked if we could go again!  Of course!  Maybe we will all do better this time!

What tremendous style!

 Here's to another great year, Joshua!

My Grandma Trip to Arizona!

Rachel can be very persuasive.

She convinced me to make a rather impromptu visit to Tucson to spend time

with her family, especially the grandchildren!

I hadn't seen baby Kinsley yet so that was a huge incentive to go!

Joe encouraged me to just do it............and I did!

 

We took several morning walks to the neighborhood park - the weather was glorious!

Elenna and I did some schoolwork together.

I think we wore Nathan out sometimes!  

He was so cute - he called me FiFi while I was there.  I have no idea how

he came up with that, but it sure was precious!

Elenna and I had fun making lemon bars!

Courtney and Dennis decided to fly to Tucson for a quick weekend trip when they

 knew I would be there.

So we had a semi-family reunion!

They came over to Rachel and David's house, along with Jonathan and we had the

lemon bars that Elenna and I had made earlier.

Then we went over to the park and took some pictures.  Dennis brought his

drone, so that added an additional fun element!

Jonathan holding Kinsley.

Two beauties!

I love these girls so much!

Drone photo!

Look how packed in all these houses are!

The three originals!

The next day, Sunday, we went over to Jonathan's new house for a cookout.

His house is lovely and we all had a wonderful time - with really good food!

His home has a very high ceiling, which makes it look very open and airy.

His Egyptian tapestry from his visit there a few years ago.

It is absolutely beautiful!

And of course, we took more group pictures!

Rachel and David's family!

My sweeties, in age order......

I am one happy grandma here.  Love these three littles so much!

It was a great time at Jonathan's.  Courtney and Dennis left the next day, but I

had several more days left for my visit.

Kinsley is so alert!

The newness of my visit was wearing off......Elenna wasn't too happy with me when I

asked her to put the books away!

I had such a GREAT time visiting with Rachel and David and their family, along with  

Jonathan, and Courtney and Dennis!

It was a wonderful trip!

BUT, THE BEST NEWS IS YET TO COME.........

Rachel and David have decided to move to Nebraska!

We are beyond excited!

Isaac Turns 14!

 This young man turned 14 back in April and we can hardly believe how much he's grown!

He eats constantly, has tons of energy, and is always the first one in line to help.

We are so proud of him and the fine young man he is becoming.

These brothers love buying each other gifts!

Pencils and a new shirt......probably not high on his list for birthday gifts!

We also went bowling!  I can't tell you how many years that's been for Joe and me, and

the last time the boys went they had to use the little slide for the bowling ball!

They did great!

It was a grand time!

We celebrated the following day with steaks on the grill, salad, and pineapple casserole!

Lemon bars were the chosen dessert!

Happy 14th Birthday, Isaac!  You're the best!