Three Things I Learned From Rose

Use both hands and your whole heart to create your own masterpieces.

Cooking can be fun if you use your imagination and wear the right outfit.

Learn a new skill and be proud of your accomplishment.

Happy New Year!

Remembering Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was busy, crazy, and wonderful at our house. We ate too much, stayed up too late (for me, anyway), and squeezed in as much visiting as possible. 

There were plenty of hugs and kisses given to the grandchildren, but the one thing I didn't do enough of was take pictures. Myles and I attempted a photo session on his last day here.

We played ball in the hallway. I would roll it to him and he would roll it back. As you can see from his smile, we had a lot of fun. I guarantee you, my smile was just as big.

Stairs hold a great fascination for children. I promised Myles I'd teach him how to go up and down them the next time he comes for a visit. 

After all, it's best to focus on one big accomplishment at a time, and the big accomplishment this visit was learning to walk!

Myles took his first steps several weeks ago, but only just figured out while he was here that walking is a better way to get around than crawling. He's toddling all over the place now, always with his hands outstretched for balance. It's so cute! 

I smile every time I remember our time together at Thanksgiving.

Birdie's Little Helper

There was some good cooking going on in the kitchen yesterday.

Rose helped me with the pumpkin pie. I gave her a small piece of pie dough to play with. She rolled it, cut it, and cooked it...and then did it all over again...for over an hour. Every so often she asked me to take her picture. We had a lot of fun.

While our family is here visiting, I'll be taking a break from blogging. I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving!  See you sometime next week.

Happiness Is

...taking a selfie with someone you love.

Me and Granddaughter Rose in my very first selfie. It was the only way I could get her to sit still for a photo.

...succeeding at a new skill.

See what I mean? Never still. Rose demonstrates her somersault abilities.

...lending a helping hand.

Aunt Wissus and Mama fold a handmade quilt with Rose's help.

...cheering for the band at marching contest.

Robyn and Rose enjoying the show.

...giving it all you've got.

Lafayette High School Marching Band (my nephew's band) competing at the Lone Star Preview. Second place winners!

...eating a blue sno-cone on a warm, sunny day.

Yum, yum! Aunt Patty knows what little girls like.

...snapping pictures with your camera to capture the memories.

Rose and I take pictures of each other on the ride home.

Just a few of my smiles from Saturday. I hope you had fun this weekend, too.

Miles of Smiles at the Oklahoma State Fair

Strolling through Centennial Plaza, our first stop was an indoor exhibit called City of AGtropolis where we saw...

a large mesh tent filled with butterflies. Geep bought our tickets and in we went.

There were hundreds of Blue Morpho butterflies inside! They would often land on you, especially if you were wearing bright colors.

I wondered if this was the first butterfly Myles had ever seen. It is certainly the largest.

We each took a turn feeding a butterfly...

Geep demonstrates the upside down method.

I opt for the right-side up approach. (photo taken by John)

The Butterfly House turned out to be the highlight of the day for me, but we also saw...

chicks hatching,

goats grazing,

butterflies emerging from chrysalises, and...so much more...that I stopped taking pictures after a while.

However, I do wish I would have remembered to photograph our fair food...

We ate two Indian tacos on fry bread, one turkey leg, several fried ribs, some curly fries, a boat of fried okra, and one ear of roasted corn...to start with.

Later there was funnel cake, liquid nitrogen churned ice cream, and a jug of homemade root beer...and then we were full.

When the midway opened we went to find the Merry Go-Round for Myles to ride. We took the long way, so I'm sure we must have burned off all of those calories.

It turned out that Myles wasn't tall enough to ride the Merry Go-Round, not even to ride sitting on Mama's lap on the bench. We were slightly disappointed, but we didn't let it spoil our fun.

Miles of Smiles, the theme of the Oklahoma State Fair, described our day perfectly!

Rosie Loves Tomatoes

Once upon a time there was a little girl called Rosie who liked to eat tomatoes.

She liked to pick them right off the vine and pop them into her mouth. They were sweet and warm from the sun and oh, so very tasty! 

But, summer ended and the garden was no more. It was a sad day for Rosie, until her Geep showed her some tiny tomatoes in a carton.

He lifted her in his arms, took the carton from the windowsill, and let her pick any tomato she wanted.

She popped that tomato into her mouth, just like she used to do when she picked tomatoes from the vine.

It tasted so good that she kept on picking tomatoes, one after another, and popping them into her mouth, until her mouth was so full of tomatoes, she couldn't even close her lips. 

Rosie was a happy little girl again.

Because, who else in this world could make store-bought tomatoes taste just like homegrown ones? Only her Geep.

Rosie loves tomatoes...but most of all...Rosie loves her Geep! 

True story.

Smash Cake Series

Happy birthday to you,

(Hey guys, that's a nice song and you sing so pretty.)

Happy birthday to you,

(Is this whole cake for me?)

Happy birthday, dear Myles,

(What flavor did you say this is?)

Happy birthday to you.

(Chocolate? Well, it's pretty tasty.)

And many more...

(Yep, chocolate is definitely my favorite.)

We love you, Myles!

(I love you, too. Want some cake?)

The Best Party Gift

Yes, you guessed it. Yesterday's hint, mylestone birthday, wasn't all that subtle. 

Grandson Myles turns one year old tomorrow. We celebrated this special event on Saturday with a birthday party. Lots of family members from both sides were there, including...

Granddaughter Rose.

So even though Myles was the one unwrapping all the presents, John and I felt like we received the best gift of the party...hugs and kisses from both grandchildren on the same day.

Our heart is full!

Beach Baby

Remembering Rose's first experience at the beach--June 2015.

I don't know what this stuff is, but I like the way it feels on my feet.

It's so pretty, Mama. I think I like the beach.

I changed my mind. I do NOT like the beach. It's loud and scary here. Why is the water moving?

I know you say it's okay, but I'm not sure.

Hold me, Mama!

Let's get out of here. I'm leaving.

Okay, I'll give it one more try.

Hey, you know what? This IS really fun! I never want to leave.

Myles and Geep

Grandson Myles came for a visit last month right before he turned 10 months. Don't you just love those rosy cheeks and little round belly? He's a squeezable sort of baby that everyone wants to get their hands on. His easy-going personality and occasional high pitched squeals remind me of his daddy. Such a cutie!

Rose

Granddaughter Rose on a recent visit to our house (age 18 months). This sweet girl is a bundle of energy and full of pizzazz. She loves me, but Geep is her favorite. That's okay. He's my favorite, too!