Daddy/Daughter (S) Dance!!

Last Friday night, it was DANCE time at my grandaughter's elementary school.  I was honored to be invited to attend the "getting ready" phase of this adventure.  When it was "go" time, the doorbell rang and Daddy (my son!) came in with flowers for his two girls and asked them if they'd like to go on a date with him.......*swoon*.....(this was katiejane's first time to be old enough to go and she was SO excited!!!

DANCE AWAY THE NIGHT...they did!!!  and were back home in bed by 8:30 pm!!!!

These girls definitely have a dad setting very good standards for them!!!

(I am so proud to be his mom!)

Hear Ye....Hear Ye!!!

Announcing the publication of ye ol' blog for the year of 2018!!  9th year of posts in the books.....or, should I say....in the book!  The 9th diary for my kiddos of all of our holidays, regular days and antics of the family!

I have my blog made into a book at the end of every yr and have a copy made for each family.

I'm hoping that one year our grandchildren will enjoy reading about our family's activities...

I really like the clear print and images that show up on the pages.

as well as remembering the sweet friends I've made in this blogging world.

I like to have hard copies because we never know when the cyber world may eat our words up...never to be found again!

The first page of  this year's book....kinda says it all!

Think Yesterday was Just Valentine's Day???

NOPE!!!  The real meaning of  February 14th to me is my youngest son's birthday!!!  He was unlucky enough to be born on the LOVE day which meant he's had to share his birthday with everyone else around the world.....but it truly was a LOVE day for me....to fall in love with the sweetest boy ever.

That was 33 yrs ago.....*sigh....such a happy day!!!

Now that boy is grown with a family of his own.  He has fulfilled our lives since day one and continues to amaze us with his independence and desires to succeed. He makes us proud on every level!

Loving father to Case and Lane....and his daughter, Dixie the Dog!!!

Loving husband to Hailey!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!!

(the birthday boy NOT the valentine boy)

How Cool is my BFF???

And such a sweetie pie!!  She always makes me laugh and she ALWAYS warms my heart!  Just look what my buddy from Spokane WA sent me yesterday.......

The cheese is a hoot!  You see, I love this Beechers cheese that she always has at her house when I visit.  And I've looked and looked in a tri state area for this cheese around here.  With no success. When we travel around the country twice a year, she always cracks me up when she goes to pulling cheese out of her checked luggage.  And sometimes that luggage has gotten lost in flight and takes several days for it to arrive....cheese always intact, if sometimes smelling!!!!!!!  We laugh and laugh!

So, yesterday I got a block of cheese, some PNW apples and the cutest kitchen towel!!

I LOVE this towel!!!

The card said it all....

"in my imaginary neighborhood YOU live right next door...

don't even get me started on the imaginary universe we could create"

WE WOULD RULE THE WORLD!!!!!

FRIENDS FOREVER!

thank ya sistah!!

Our Number 1's Birthday!!! (yesterday)

I may have 3 beautiful sons!  I may have 3 gorgeous daughter in laws!  I may even have 6 of the sweetest, cutest, funniest and loving grandchildren in the whole wide world!!

BUT...

The reason I have all of these glorious people in my life is because of this man!!!!

He is my husband, my friend, the father of those sons and daughter in laws and the grandfather of those perfect grands.  Yesterday was his birthday and we had a wonderful evening together "just being us" in honor of his special day!!!

happy birthday, february 8, dear Cap'n!!!

we love ya!!!

I Feel It In My Bones....

Or could it be the 75-80 degree weather we've been having all week????

But in February????  Just a lil bit crazy to me!!!!

And because I am sad that my oldest boy's family, ALL of them, are sick with strep and the flu...and that they live too far away to baby them in person, and that my middle boy's family was sick all last week with stomach virus and strep..I made soup today in their honor.  Definitely not because we are having cold weather....

Ham, White Bean and Wild Rice Soup

Ended the afternoon with a wine and cheese party for one...actually two if we're counting ms. sophiejane!!!!

The Many Faces of LANE....Today's Birthday Boy!!!!

He is the youngest of our 6 grandchildren and the baby boy of MY babyboy!!!!

His personality is something else and he CRACKS ME UP laughing every single time we're together!!

Speaking of faces......LOOK WHAT IS UP ON THE HIGHWAY TODAY!!!!!!

His other grandfather, Papa, had this up on the billboard bright and early today!!!!!

Lane adds so much to our lives....lots and lots of laughter, too!!!!!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANE!!!!

HE'S 3 TODAY!!

A New Month....A New Season???? Maybe???

On my walk this morning, I spotted forsynthia blooming!!!!  Put a skip in my step!!

We ended January with celebration for one of our good friend's birthday...and oh what a fun night it was!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY S'MANDA!!

A beautiful table setting...

filled with good food, good friends and laughter between us for hours!!!

January also marked the end of hunting season 2018 for our guys....more on that later!

Let's hope that February is good and spring-like for all of us!!!

AND THE NEXT BIRTHDAY IS......

AUSTIN REX!!!

we have 14 people in our family......9 of those have birthdays in Jan and Feb!!  We eat alot of cake!

Austin's birthday was Friday, February 1st and he turned 7 years old!  His birthday "bowling party" was today and I haven't heard from him yet today but I'm sure he had a BIG time...after all, it was HIS special day!

I was lucky enough to be with him the day before where I surprised him at his front door! Actually, I put his birthday s'prise at the door and I hid in the bushes....he opened the door and hollered ...Mom, the mailman brought me a bike!!!!! Then I jumped outa the bushes and screamed Happy Birthday!!!

Poor little guy....I think I scared him half to death!!!

Then he and all of his family and I went out to a fun dinner!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!