Deep in the Heart of Texas

Because I am jobless at the moment (due to my boss retiring at the end of December), I took the opportunity to visit Melissa and her family in Fort Worth. I had a wonderful visit with them, and they generously let me stay a whole two weeks, which was longer than I had been planning. Since it took Calvin a few days to warm up to me (I didn't want to push it and thereby cause him any trauma), I was glad for those extra days.

 

We had plenty of good weather while I was there, although there were a couple of really cold days. We went on several walks around their neighborhood. The girls took me to the man-made "lake" that's only a few blocks from their house. We enjoyed walking around it in the sunshine, looking at the ducks, and climbing the hill.

 

I was especially trying to show Mira's shiny pink boots in this photo.

 

 

 

We tried to go out to eat at one of their favorite restaurants, but it was closing just as we arrived (mid-afternoon on Saturday!), so we found a nearby Italian restaurant. It was a great meal, so we were satisfied with the substitution.

 

 

Calvin was a really neat eater in the restaurant, but not so much at home.

 

As with many toddlers, he enjoyed playing with the "real" items around the house even more than playing with his own toys. He was constantly emptying certain cupboards and drawers.

 

But sometimes he actually wanted to be helpful, like putting the wet clothes in the dryer (and closing up the dishwasher before I was done loading it!).

 

We had to take advantage of the photo opp at Target (notice Danica's blue teeth from her Icee).

 

 

The sun was shining so brightly that I couldn't get them to look straight at the camera.

 

I was treated to several dancing and singing "shows" while there.

 

Danica snuck up behind Mira during her dance number.

 

This was Mira's expression when she discovered that Danica had "photo-bombed" her big moment.

 

Creative use of a tutu.

 

I'm happy to look foolish to give the grandkids a good laugh.

 

Calvin wants to get in on the fun, too.

 

 One of Calvin's favorite spots is inside the laundry cabinet (thus they've had to quit using it for dirty clothes). He thought it was great fun when Sister got in there with him.

 

I saw a lot of this face during my visit. Evidently it's hard being a baby -- he had a lot to complain about!?

 

If he was sad, he would lay his face up against something -- the sofa, the floor, or even the door if there was nothing else handy. Then he'd wait until someone noticed and paid attention to him. If that took too long, he'd start whining so someone would notice him.

 

Here are the girls in their brand-new robes (Target was having a good clearance sale).

 

 

They were dressed up really cute for "picture day" at school (although really, they looked cute every day!)

 

The playgrounds at River Legacy Park in Arlington, Texas had a nature theme -- with fossils, animals, bugs, etc.

 

 

Calvin didn't seem too worried about his mama being eaten by the dinosaur.

 

Most of the playground equipment was in the form of a bug of some kind. I've heard they have big bugs in Texas, but these were the fun kind.

 

 

 This sign made me laugh (I'm not sure why speed "humps" should be so much funnier than speed "bumps" -- but they are!)

 

We went out to eat at the OldWest Café.  Breakfast with "The Duke".

 

It took a few tries to get us all looking at the camera at the same time, but I'm glad to have this photo.

 

Can't get enough of Anna



Whenever Anna comes over we try and get some photos of her. But she usually doesn't hold still long enough to get very many. Here are some photos from a couple of times she was here in January.

 

Here she is with "Bumble" -- luckily she wasn't afraid of him at all.

 

We have plenty of toys at our house to keep her entertained.



Blowing "raspberries".

She was not afraid of Grandpa trying to eat her toes.

December 2014

Here are a few photos from December 2014. Anna gets to be the star of the show this month!


Clay and I were hosting at the Eugene Community Creche when Neil & Mandi showed up with Anna. I have a new portrait lens for my camera that can take photos in fairly dim lighting, and I was pleased with how this one turned out.

Clay and I were lazy this year and didn't want to put up our big Christmas tree (since we weren't having any company for Christmas). So we got this little tree and set it up on the end table. We don't plan on un-decorating it -- we'll just stick it in a big bag and set it upstairs or in the attic.

Clay won second prize at the ward's "Ugly Christmas Sweater - International Cuisine Potlock". We were somewhat confused because he is wearing a cute Charlie Brown t-shirt, not an ugly Christmas sweater. He graciously allowed me to take a photo of him in his winner's finery. We then used the tiara for a Christmas tree topper, since we hadn't yet found one we liked.

We were invited to Christmas dinner at Neil & Mandi's that afternoon. For some reason, I only took a few photos of Anna "opening" the Christmas present we gave her, a Fisher Price Little People dollhouse. As soon as the wrapping came off to reveal the people figures, Anna pounced on them. But since they were behind the plastic, she was frustrated that she couldn't actually get her hands on them.

Here is a photo of the toy from the FP website -- since I didn't take a picture of Anna actually playing with it when Neil got it put together. (I was enjoying watching her play with it so much that I didn't think about getting my camera out again).

They had gotten a wooden "toy" Nativity set so Anna could play with it, but I guess Neil got tired of it always being scattered around the house. So with his usual offbeat humor, he put up a "No Babies Allowed" sign, which Anna ignored, of course! They said she carried Baby Jesus around with her a lot, and they would find him in all sorts of odd places around their house.

Clay enjoyed playing with one of Anna's new Christmas toys -- he was proud of himself when he finally got them to stay stacked on top of each other.

Anna came over to our house a couple of days later to play with our Fisher Price nativity set, which she enjoyed. She spent a lot of time carrying Baby Jesus around, and her other favorite was the "hay" that came with the set.

I got a photo of Arlene and I together a few weeks ago. I had worked for her for over 32 years before her retirement in December. I wish I had a photo of us together from 1982 when I first started. That would have been an interesting comparison!