Happy Day to Annika!!

Annika has the good fortune to share a birthday with Harry Potter!! Seems fitting, since she is a very adventurous little girl - and clever and smart too!!

She has a mothering streak too - one that will stand her in good stead.

She is thoughtful, not just of others, but she thinks about things - and asks good questions. Another quality that will stand her in good stead.

She is brave and adventurous - a quality I envy, since I'm basically a coward at heart. She is quite creative - she has been at my house this week, and I was indeed impressed at her ability to take a task and go with it.

When she was born, her big sisters were staying with us. When Bruce called to say that they had a new little sister, Ara said, "Now we are our own Little Women!" Annika has indeed rounded out the quartet with style and verve.


Have a great day Annika - and a wonderful year ahead!

My "BFF" - that would be Joy!

Happy Birthday today to my BFF and former roommate, Joy.

We go back over 53 years!!

Now that's a friendship!!

Happy Birthday Charlie!!

July is full of birthdays - and one of those, in fact today - is Charlie's!! I'm sure I post this photo every year - but then I don't have a whole lot of photos of just me with Charlie - in fact, I have few photos of me with any of my siblings - at least from the "old days!!"

I was at Mom's last week, and Phoebe's kids were running through the sprinklers - in this very backyard which is depicted here in the photograph! And I told them that very fact too. They were not significantly impressed. But they were impressed with the shower bath I was giving them and enjoyed the whole experience. That backyard has certainly seen a lot of activities - water and otherwise - over the years. If the trees could talk!!

We both look sort of "Grapes of Wrathish" don't we? We were fine - just grubby sometimes - especially in the summer time!

And I had to include this photo, since it's such a great shot of Charlie in all his Davy Crockett gear! The lineup in this photo - for those not in the know - is Mary, Barbara, Richard, Alice, Charlie. I think I was 12 or so, so it would be 1957. The top one is probably 1952 or 53.

(I cannot begin to explain why I had my bangs in pin curls - unless they just bothered the heck out of me and I wanted them out of the way.)

Charlie is a great brother and a fine son - happy day to him - and best wishes for a wonderful year ahead!!

A visit with Grandma Mary!

On Thursday the 21st we went out to GH to visit Grandma Mary. It took us about an hour just to pack the van to cover all the contingencies!! But it was worth the effort!!

Running through the sprinklers was still a hit - just like it was, in this same backyard, when I was a child!

The ever-popular water guns! We brought Razor Scooters too, since Grandma Mary has an excellent circular driveway for zooming around on. We parked cars at each end to keep anyone from zooming into the street - it worked just fine!

We brought sewing projects - and got all of them done!! PJ pants for the boys, a skirt for Agnes, a pile of mending for Phoebe! I even got a pair of pants hemmed up for myself!

Grandma Mary can still help lay out a pattern just right!

The backyard was just right in the afternoon.

Leslie and Sarah helped out with the kids, and Leslie made a mean dish of Martha Stewart's Homemade Mac and Cheese - a winner for sure!! Just sitting and visiting was lots of fun - Mom would say, noting the clutter of toys on the floor, "This is just how it used to be!"

Mary and Donna joined us after work, and we also saw David and Diane. We didn't leave til 10 p.m. - it was hard to tear ourselves away - there's always more news to catch up on!

The required "group photos" - always a chore!! But good for a laugh!!

Henry, Calvin, and Agnes fell in love with Donna's upstairs hideaway!! And loved having so many movies to choose from!

It was like old times - at least like the old times when I came down when my kids were "little kids!" Sometimes you can go home again!!

 

 

Where did the days go?

Phoebe and kids left this a.m. Got a call from her that they had been making good progress and having a fun trip home. How can she be gone, and I haven't even finished posting the visit??

Henry, Eve, and Agnes were with Phoebe and Bonny's girls - the girls were visiting the American Girl Doll Store - so we had some water gun fun and then lunch at McDonalds. This was Wednesday - Porter, Harry, and Eve spent the night.

The water gun fun soon morphed into some kind of spy mission!!

The fierce fighters!!

And ever-pleasant Sully - I miss him - and the others - already!! Good thing more grandkids are coming this week to stay a few days!!

In the meantime, Dad and I went and saw Harry Potter.

A day at the beach!

It would not be a Cousin Camp experience without a day at the beach!! We were not there bright and early, but we were there when it counted - when it was warm but not too hot, and the waves were just right for everyone!

I did spend a lot of time under the canopy - I admit it. But I was surveying the scene with interest and enthusiasm!

After we went to B and B's for dinner - and Miss Isla found the "rocking chair" and promptly claimed it as her own!

Bruce's sister and family were in town for the family reunion on Bruce's side, so we had extra kids around - the acreage handled it fine!

It's fun to watch kids keep running back for more dunking in the waves!

And of course, someone has to be buried in the sand!!

Don't you love the random order these photos ended up in??

Fearless Cal!

Sully loved the sand!

As did Agnes!

Those beautiful Terrill Women!! (and "men!!")

Instructions from Dad!!

Tuesday night was a sleepover night for Eve, Porter, and Harry - fortunately everyone was tired enough to fall asleep without much fooling around - as is common on sleepovers.

Stay tuned for Wednesday's adventures!

Birthday Night at the Backyard Bar-B-Q!

After the water games, the dinner and birthday party on Monday night got underway. Miss Isla and Miss Agnes exchanging greetings no doubt!

Sully eventually got to liking the idea of his little cake!

Agnes enjoyed another cake and candles event.

Sully enjoyed the meal too - at least his mother's meal!

Sarah - and her mom and sister - were with us - and who can resist tetherball?

The "cousins" wanted to recreate "the pyramid" - and almost managed it!

Some folks took it easy!

Grandma Mary, Aunt Donna, and Aunt Mary were with us too. It was a nice evening.

We did manage to get the 12 grandkids in attendance in a photo with almost everyone facing forward! We missed Theo, Ida, and Lars!!

Outdoor picnics on a pleasant summer evening - a perfect end to the first day of Cousin Camp!

Coloring Cookies

After the swimming activities we had the kids "color" the frosting on some sugar cookies I found at the Monrovia Bakery. The pens have food coloring in them, so everything is edible.

I saw them when I took Agnes for a "Birthday Donut" last Saturday.

I was a little surprised that every single kid enjoyed doing it! I had been convinced that some would think it was "too young" to be doing.

But it was a big hit.

And the cookies tasted pretty good too!

Too bad there wasn't a bigger variety to choose from.

It was either Dora the Explorer,

or Sponge Bob.

So I opted for Dora!! (On a walk to the park at the beginning of the Fillmore's visit, Agnes was talking a lot about her friend Dora. I said, "Who is your friend Dora?" Agnes replied, with obvious surprise that I would ask such a question, "Of course she's imaginary!")