Christmas 2010

Christmas Blessings Mix

Bugles: Bring us the joyful message of the Heavenly Host, announcing peace on earth, good will to men.

Pretzels: Symbol of a mother's loving arms; as Mary wrapped her Son in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger.

Red Hots: Red berries that decorate the holly plant, a reminder of eternal life and Christ's redemption.

Nuts or Seeds: Promise of a future harvest, one we will wreap only if the seeds are planted and tended with diligence.

Dried Fruits: Remind us of the rich gifts brought by the Wise Men

M & M's: Memories of those who came before us to guide us to a blessed future.

Hershey's Kiss: The love of family and friends that sweetens our lives.

Multiple Christmas Blessings this year!

We are blessed to have our whole family with us for Christmas Day! Plus having our friend, Rossy, here visiting from Cancun Mexico. We are still awaiting the arrival of # 11 grandchild. We are excited that Elise is sharing her first Christmas with us. She looks so cute in her little Santa hat.

Rossy helped each of the grandchildren share a Bible verse from the advent wreath, then receiving a yummy treat. One of our traditions also is to have a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Oh, the faith of a little child. It is such a blessing. We also shared the Christmas Blessing Mix. A friend had given me one so Rossy helped package these to give everyone at our Christmas dinner. Similar to the ones Amy and family made us at Thanksgiving.

One of the things Rossy requested for her children in Cancun was a Bible. Rossy was very excited when Dan and Jenny presented them with 36 Spanish Bibles for the children.

Rossy's First Snowfall!

Rossy's very first snowfall. God really gave us a beautiful snow for Christmas.

Rossy said, "Yes, God did this for me as I have never seen snow before."

Our son, John, even commented that this is one of the most beautiful snows he remembers.

We have had the privilege of having our dear friend Rossy from Cancun Mexico visit us for Christmas. It has been incredible (one of Rossy's favorite words) how God has pathed the way for her to come here. So now that she is here we have been able to introduce Rossy to many of our family and friends. The night before Christmas Eve John and Carrie invited us to their church service as Carrie was singing, so we went and were blessed with a wonderful message. "Christmas: The Untold Story"

Christmas is the story of the very first "God with us" and how that began something entirely new in the history of God's relationship with humanity: God's spirit being born within human beings like never before. And that would never end for all of eternity, and calls us out of ourselves and into God's mission of helping everyone become part of the never-ending story.

The Spirit of Christmas only lasts for a season, but the Spirit of Christ within us lasts through all eternity. Mary's gracious acceptance of God's calling her to be the mother of the Son of God, "As you have said may it be so with me" has really touched my heart and is my heart's desire as well.

Baby Girl Larson Born 12-26-10

Baby Girl Larson was born tonight at 9:00 PM at her home with all family and Grandmas present. What an incredible miracle to see a baby come into the world. All the children were there after the birth to see their precious little sister within minutes of her birth. We don't know her name yet but she weighed 9lb. 1oz. and is 211/2" long. She has lots of dark black hair like her sister Ellie had when she was born. Praise God Mom and baby are doing well! More to come later!

Caleb and Seth's Christmas Recital Sunday, Dec. 11th, 2010

One of the joys of the Christmas season is seeing Christmas through the eyes of our grandchildren. We had the pleasure of attending Caleb and Seth's Christmas piano recitals on Saturday where they did a great job of playing their piano pieces. You can check out the details on Amy's blog.

Becky Kelley - Where's the Line to See Jesus - OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

Happy Birthday to my dear husband, Les!

Thanks for sharing this song with me.

Let's celebrate Jesus!

Caleb,Seth & Noah -Live Nativity!

Caleb, Seth and Noah set up our Nativity set before the big snow fall. They posed for this photo so I told them they would make a great live nativity.

What a fun time decorating for Christmas with all this great help. Caleb was great at putting up the lights. All three boys participated in the nativity set up. We could have our own live nativity. Noah was so cute setting up the nativity inside too. One of the sets didn't have baby Jesus, so Noah said, "This set isn't any good, it doesn't have baby Jesus." That is so true. If it weren't for baby Jesus, we would have no hope, but Praise God, Jesus did come and He will be coming back again someday in all His glory. What a wonderful day that will be.

Caleb and Seth played their piano recital songs. We even called Great Grandma Marian, so she could listen over the phone. She was thrilled to hear them play. The boys are becoming quite talented in their piano and have their piano recital next week.

While Caleb and Seth counted my Creative Memories inventory (what a blessing the boys were), Noah helped me get out some decorations and Christmas dishes, washed them and set the table so we could have our Christmas dinner, candles and all. After dinner I helped Caleb and Seth get started doing inventory and Noah came upstairs; he called me to come up because he thought he heard someone at the back door. I came to check and no one was there, but I did discover the candles were still burning. I told Noah God must have wanted to get our attention to put the candles out before they started a fire. God is so good and teaches us in so many ways through the eyes of a child.

Making Christmas cookies with Ellie and Grace 2010

Grace making her version of sugar cookies!

Ellie decorating her sugar cookies!

It's always fun to have Ellie and Grace come to help me with Christmas baking and a sleepover. Their favorites are the sugar cookie cut outs, so we were challenged right off with finding the cookie cutters. The container holding them was no where to be found, but we did find some extra cutters in the drawer so Ellie enjoyed making Christmas trees, angels and snowmen and stars and even Bob and Larry from Veggie Tales. And of course the sprinkles were the most fun.

It was a little more of a challenge with Gracie, as she can't have any wheat or dairy products as they causes her hearing problems, so we substituted coconut oil for butter, rice milk for milk, rice flour for wheat flower and dark chocolate chips for semi sweet chocolate chips. It's amazing how many things actually have milk and wheat in them. And Grace is real good about knowing what she can and can't eat. It's been quite educational for me too. I asked Amy what I could use in place of coconut oil as I couldn't find it shopping at Jewel. Coconut oil is the oil of choice as it is solid at room temperature as is butter and margarine. The cookies actually turned out good and Grace was happy eating them.

It's interesting the difference in the girls personalities. Ellie is more quiet and laid back while Grace is a talker and has that motherly instinct of wanting to direct Ellie in what and how to do things. Ellie takes it all in stride. It will be fun to see how God uses each of them and their gifts and personalities.

It's fun to see how Grace changes from year to year. What a sweet young lady!

Ellie is becoming a lovely young lady! Changing so much each year.

41st Wedding Anniversary - November 29.2010

Enjoying our beautiful poinsettia plant Les had delivered from Jerbi's Floral Shop in Joliet.

It is beautiful.
We celebrated our 41st Wedding Anniversary tonight with dinner at Kuma's Asian Bistro compliments of our wonderful children and spouses. Thanks so much! It was a great place to eat. We both had a hibachi dinner, mine with shrimp and beef and Les with salmon and beef. Yummy!!!

Thanksgiving 2010

WE THANK THE LORD!

Lord, my prayer is that I would always have an attitude of gratitude

and use what I have for God's glory.

When we consider all God's gifts and all that we possess,

A grumbling mood of discontent gives way to thankfulness. - Sper

Gratitude is a mark of godliness.

Our tradition continues this year with Les and me joining Jenny and Dan and family for dinner on Thanksgiving day. Sandra and her mom Marie, friends of Jenny's from her mom's group, also had dinner with us, so it was fun to meet some of their friends. We all shared something we're thankful for, starting with the first letter of our name. So it was fun to share, as we definitely have much to thank God for.

We were blessed to have all our family together for Thanksgiving on Saturday. And as tradition has it we got our family picture, with everyone smiling at the camera. It's quite a feat to get all eighteen of us looking at the same time. I think the blinking light on the camera timer intriques all the little ones and keeps their attention.

We also have the pleasure of Greg and Andy joining us for the third time for Thanksgiving dinner. Andy loves to look at my photo albums. Our friend, Robin Mende was also able to join us for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Amy and the kids made up some cute Thanksgiving Blessing Mix for the table favors, so everyone enjoyed snacking on them.

Elise's Dedication - 11-21-10

Elise was dedicated to the Lord on November 21, 2010 at Village Church of Gurnee! The dress Elise is wearing was given to her mom, Jenny, by Grandma Marian, for Jenny's baptism, in 1976.

Jesus blesses the little children. Mark 10:13-16 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
We were blessed to join Jenny and Dan, along with Paul and Amy and their family, for Elise's dedication. Pastor Todd from Village Church talked on the passage above - Jesus sees children as a blessing. Jesus was eager to receive children, but his disciples tried to shoo them away.

Pastor Todd shared:

"What Kids need from Grown Ups!"

1) Focused Attention
"Let the children come to me." Jesus wasn't too busy to provide for children.
Apply this to our lives - Make time for your children and grandchildren! This is something I
want to make sure I prioritize in my life as I love to be with our family.
2) Affectionate Touch
Jesus took the children in his arms. I love to get hugs and want to do the same for my children and grandchildren.
3) Words of Affirmation and Prayer
Jesus blessed them!

How to Pray for Our Children

Every day of the Week

Sunday - Salvation for your children

Monday - Minding

Tuesday - Teachers

Wednesday - Weaknesses

Thursday - Thoughts and Attitudes

Friday - Friends

Saturday - Strengths

What Grown Ups need from Kids

Blessed are the LITTLE! To enter the door of heaven, every one of us must make ourselves small. Children show us the way to have a child-like faith. Mark 10: 14-15

WOW! I've realized since having children, and even more so, grandchildren, how much they do teach us. I just love the excitement and enthusiasm they have for life!!! For example, watching a squirrel in our back yard eating nuts, or seeing the sun rise, or hearing an airplane up in the sky and pointing at it. Or seeing our older grandchildren give of themselves so freely helping others (making up shoe box kits for needy children or helping with distributing food to the needy).

This helps me to realize that I need to enjoy the journey and smell the roses along the way and always have an attitude of gratitude. What a blessing little children are to us. I am looking forward to all the things little Elise will teach us about life, as have each of our other nine grandchildren.

A TEA PARTY AT EMERSON CREEK POTTERY!

Paul and Amy have had Steve and Ema Anderson and their four children staying with them the past two weeks. God Bless you Paul and Amy!
We went to Emerson Creek Pottery to their tea room for lunch and an open house; Bonnie Schmitz joined us there, too, which was fun. Amy and Ema and the girls looked so pretty in their fancy dresses and we enjoyed our time in the tea room even though they didn't serve tea and our lunch was served on paper plates and styrofoam cups because of the open house and craft show.
The girls found these cute soap cups at the craft show so they turned out to be a big hit.
What a fun day at Emerson Creek! We'll be back when the weather turns warm and they're serving tea in their nice ceramic cups and their signature salads in their flower pots!!!

STEVE AND EMA VISIT FROM COLORADO!

Evan, Brennan, Ema, Ella, Steve and Kaily came to visit yesterday, sharing with us about their ministry at Camp Redcloud in Colorado. It was fun to see how the kids have grown since we last saw them and how God is working in their lives.

Evan and Brennan

Steve and Ema

JAY AND HIS TRIKE!

I originally was going to watch Jay so Carrie could go to work, but Tuesday morning I found out Carrie had been sick all night and was staying home in bed. So Jay and I hung out together and had fun with his little trike with the handle on the back. We must have made at least 4 trips around the block with Sandy. I love the enthusiasm of these little ones. Jay would get so excited every time he heard an airplane in the sky, too.
Jay is not much for cameras so I was happy to get these pictures.
John and Carrie also have their friend Lance staying with them; so he arrived late afternoon followed by Daddy. Mommy felt better by the end of the day, so all worked out well. Glad you're feeling better Carrie.

Isaac, Levi and Elise

Elise is almost 3 months old already. She has really grown since we saw her a month ago.
Elise is smiling and loves to be held which was fun for Grandma. Isaac still loves to put puzzles together and play games and watch a movie. He plans out the whole day when he gets up in the morning. Levi is talking a lot more and can say Mama (for Grandma) and Bumpa (for Grandpa).
Levi will sit on the potty and go, not always, but it's a start. We enjoyed the day with Jenny and the kids. Jenny got Levi's album completed too. Congratulations Jenny!

A trip to Lake Villa!

A Trip to Lake Villa to see Isaac, Levi and Elise and Mommy and Daddy!

Doesn't Elise look peaceful? So cute!

Mommy and Elise!

Daddy and Elise resting!

Update from the Lake!

An early morning fog set in. About 2o minutes later it was sunny and a beautiful day!

Notice the little black gum tree at the bottom right of the picture. Les did a good job planting it.


This is our replacement tree for the one we lost this summer in the wind storm. This is a 6 foot black gum tree which should grow to be 30 feet high. But not in our lifetime! Well, hopefully it will provide a little more shade in the next few years.

Nice job on the fence, Les!

This new fence will deter drivers from landing in the hole where the

drainage culverts are located.

Les is organizing his shed with his new tool box.

Tomorrow we leave the lake to go home. It's been a great 10 days here. Tonight we went to one of the local churches for a spaghetti dinner followed by a Bluegrass Gospel Singing Group who were very talented and sang a couple of Grandma Larson's favorite songs: Beulahland and I'll Fly Away, which brought back great memories of Grandma Larson.

We sat with a couple who spend their spring and fall here, but actually live in Mission, Texas. It is a small world. That reminds me that Mom and Sylvan are on their way to Mission, Texas now with stops at Sharon and Ree's on the way.

Good Fishing at the Lake - October 25,2010

Les has been catching fish off the dock all week. Today I rode with him to get gas in the fishing boat; so before we put the boat away we went out fishing and caught 5 fish. Les caught four and I got one. We had a few other bites, but either didn't get them in the boat or they were too small. I could get to like this fishing when I actually catch fish.
This is the first picture I've taken with the camera since we've been at the lake. Wow!!!

Dollingers Farm - October 14,2010

A fun day at Dollingers Farm with Caleb, Seth, Noah, Ellie, Grace and Nathan taking in the petting zoo, the pirate ship, measuring the kids to see how tall they are this fall and playing on the bales, tepee, fire engine and slides.
Les drove the big van so we could all fit and we picked out pumpkins and apples and a honey stick for each of the kids. Toot enjoyed being with all the kids and taking in all the sights of the beautiful fall day.
When we arrived back at Paul and Amy's, Amy had a great meal for us and got a chance to visit with Toot.

A Visit from Toot

Les met Toot at the airport on Saturday, Oct. 9th, and they drove to Jenny's to see Jenny, Isaac and Levi, while Dan was gone on a weekend retreat. This was the first time Toot had met Elise. The little red dress Elise is wearing in the photo with Toot was Jenny's when she was a little girl, one of my favorites, which is why I kept it all these years. Les commented on how Elise really likes to swing with a little bit of gusto. I was having Croptoberfest so didn't get to make the trip this time.

Tuesday we watched Jay, after Jay had a hernia repair on Monday; as Carrie and John were both working . Jay was doing fine and we tried to keep him from being too overactive. Aunt Jenny had found this Thomas the train set for Jay at a garage sale. Jay loves Thomas. Jay's saying words like Dada and Mama, Sandy, choo choo, and Bob. We had dinner with John and Carrie and Jay retired early as he only slept for an hour during the day.

Today Toot and I took a trip to Emerson Creek Pottery where we enjoyed lunch in the Tea Room and shopped in their gift shop. The days are starting to get cooler, but was still a great fall day.

Croptoberfest

What a fun two days celebrating CROPTOBERFEST! Stacy Schott, Roxanne Dorsey and Lisa Dailey cropped all day on Friday, joined by Carol Brower and Bonnie Schmitz in the afternoon. The Cheerful Power Palette was highlighted with each person accepting the challenge to complete coordinating pages. Donna Preisler joined us in the evening and her page layouts were voted the best pages by her peers. Donna spent the night so got an early start on Saturday.

Saturday Sandy Denewellis, Cara Weber and Cher'ie Huspen joined us for cropping with Cara's page layouts voted the best by her peers. We also had grand prize drawings with Cher'ie winning the Tools Caddy, Roxanne the Autumn Additions, Donna the wavy tearing tool and Cara the Cheerful Christmas additions.

Thanks to all the scrap bookers for a great day. Sandy and Donna tied with 13 pages and Donna stayed later completing a total of 21 pages.

Celebrating Levi's 2nd Birthday!

Levi can't wait to get a taste of his yummy birthday cake!

Levi turns 2 today-October 3rd. What a fun day with all the cousins together. Levi loves balls so his birthday cake had lots of fun soccer, baseball, football and basketballs on it. How fitting to have the party in the garage! Jenny had a great meal with yummmmy chili and all the trimmings!

Levi has the cutest little smile and loved opening all his fun birthday presents. We were blessed with a nice day and the kids spent some time outside-Levi loves their swing set, too.

Levi's Uncle Paul has a birthday on October 4th, so we sang Happpy Birthday to Paul, too.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEVI!!!

Soccer and a day with the Larson grandkids! Celebrating Paul's Birthday!

Caleb, Seth and Noah had fun at the CYC playing soccer. Paul and Amy took Caleb, Seth and Ellie to Amy's cousin's wedding while Les and I kept Noah, Grace and Nathan. The time between the wedding and reception Paul and Amy brought the kids home. Nathan entertained us with his sunglasses and stocking cap. What a comedian! We celebrated Paul's birthday the day they got their well finished. So what a celebration that was. Thankful for an overflowing of water. PTL!!! Amy made a yummy pumpkin pie and the kids decorated it with whip cream.

Celebrating John's Birthday!

Celebrating John's Birthday at Mongolian Barbeque! We met John and Carrie for dinner at the Mongolian Barbeque. While waiting for John, Jay entertained us by waving at all the cars, etc. driving by. John just came from work so was all dressed up with his shirt and tie. After dinner we went to Barnes and Nobles where Jay loves to play with the train.

FISH FRY!!!

This fish fryer is fabulous! And so is the one who cooks the fish-Les! He fixed us fish for dinner tonight after spending the week catching fish on the dock. It's really neat to catch your own dinner and cook it. It was a little nippy to sit out on the deck for dinner, so we had a nice dinner for two inside. Thanks for a great dinner, Les!

Dockery Scrapbooking Weekend - September 24-25, 2010

We had a great weekend here at the lake; scrap booking with my dear friend, Paula and her daughter, Robin and friend, Jen. I actually had time to work on my album and completed 4 months of pictures in Jay's album and watched as Paula, Robin and Jen completed lots of pages in their family albums.
Today Karen, Paula's youngest daughter, and family joined us at Jolly Rogers restaurant on the lake for lunch. The staff sang Happy Birthday to Karen as she posed with this hat and sword. Then Jacob wanted to participate so it became a family affair.

Les at work in his Shed!

Fun in the ole wood shed!
We've been here at the lake over a week and enjoying the rest and relaxation.
This is rest and relaxation for Les. He's enjoying working in his shed. He put up a work bench, wiring and lights for the inside and now the latest is a dusk to dawn light on the outside. I'm impressed! All the lights work! So does that mean he will spend more time out there now that he has lights? We'll see! He's having fun so that's what counts.

We also solved the mystery of the missing fish he had caught last night! Les went out to clean his fish and came back in saying " The fish is gone!" So today he went out and checked and said there was a hole in the basket. How can that be, he just bought it this spring! Oh well, he didn't have to clean the fish!

Celebrating Caleb and Nathan's birthdays! Sunday, Sept. 13,2010

Caleb and Nathan both have September birthdays, so we decided to have a birthday party while they were all at our house. Caleb is 11 years old this year! Wow! Only two more years and he will be a teen ager. Caleb is a fine young man and so helpful to the family. Nathan is 2 years old already and loves any kind of balls. He likes cake and ice cream, too, as you can see from the pictures. Paul and Amy arrived in time to help us celebrate.
We had gotten some paint by number pictures at the garage sale on Friday, so the kids had fun painting them and posing with their picture.
We enjoyed having the kids during the weekend. It keeps us young at heart!
Glad you got home safely, Paul and Amy.

Soccer in the rain! Saturday, Sept. 12,2010

Soccer in the rain! We took Seth and Grace to the soccer game. There was a light drizzle all morning, but didn't stop the game. Seth got two goals and Caleb assisted him with both for a tie game. Later that evening Betty took Grace to a birthday party, while Seth stayed and played games. Ellie came back with Grace and spent the night. How do you like our sleeping arrangements? Not that we don't have any beds or anything. Seth preferred sleeping on the couch; by morning all his covers and pillow were on the floor. But it's more fun that way, right Seth?
We met Betty at church and brought all the kids to our house on Sunday til Paul and Amy got home from Niagara Falls. Paul e-mailed us a picture of the Falls as seen from their hotel room. Nice view!

The Larson Children perform at Pathway Cornerstone Ladies Luncheon!

Helen Tyler sat with the girls and helped them with their lunch.

The kids sat with the Cornerstone ladies and ate their lunch. How precious to see the children interact with the ladies. They are so cute.

After their performance we had lunch including chili, soup, bread and crackers and yummy desserts.

Caleb, Seth, Noah, Ellie and Grace performed for the ladies from Cornerstone with several songs, including Nothing but the Blood of Jesus, and Grace sang Jesus loves me by herself.

Grace made pancakes for breakfast!

We made rice krispie treats to take to the church this afternoon for the Cornerstone ladies.

Yummy chocolate chip pancakes. Way to go Gracie! Thanks for helping!

Grace even poured the batter on the griddle and added chocolate chips to them.

Grace helped me make pancakes for breakfast. Grace is allergic to milk so we made her own special pancakes with rice milk.

Fun at the Park!

Isaac on the scooter!

Isaac can ride his bike now with training wheels. Way to go Isaac!

Levi and Isaac on the bike and scooter. Dan's niece, Naomi, is staying with them. The boys love to have her play with them.

Levi likes to try everything his big brother Isaac does. Good job balancing, Levi~

Isaac does well balancing on the beam walking around the slide set!

Isaac is getting strong. He can hang from the bars on the gym set!

Levi likes to ride on the glider. Hold on tight Levi!

Isaac likes to have Grandma push him on the swing

Levi and Isaac walking across the bridge on the swing set at the park near their house.

Jenny and family - Sept. 6,7,8

Les went to the lake so I spent a couple days with Jenny and family arriving Labor Day eve and leaving Wed AM. Elise has grown so much already since I saw her after she was born. We spent time together; Levi and I gave Elise a bath after Isaac left for his first day of preschool. Isaac was so excited to go; he looked so grown up with his backpack. Levi enjoys playing with the tools and workbench and hanging out with Elise under her jungle gym. We got a couple good pictures of Jenny and Elise, too.

Celebrating Caleb's 11th Birthday!

I can't believe our oldest grandson, Caleb, is 11 year's old today. I guess it was yesterday, since I see it's after midnight. I always enjoy my time with Caleb. He does a great job with making pancakes and other goodies, so he made us pancakes for breakfast. Caleb has my trait of closing his eyes in pictures. So the first one, he had them closed, then he kept them WIDE OPEN! I know the feeling, Caleb!! We like to play games, so played dominoes and trivia of America. I think Caleb beat me at both games.

By the way, does anyone know what my plant is called? I bought it a couple of years ago at a nursery. They told me it is suppose to keep the mosquitoes away. I don't know about that, but it got so big in my front yard, I transplanted it to the area next to the garage, and it's huge!!! I would like to know the name of it!

Our tradition is to go to Wilderness Falls miniature golfing, so I asked Caleb if he wanted to do something different. He still wanted to go there, but we did change our restuarant for lunch to TGI Fridays. So that was fun and they gave Caleb a free ice cream sundae! I got a picture of Caleb with his sundae on my palm cell phone. So I need to figure out how to get that here. We got a few different shots at the Falls. I got a couple of great shots of Caleb fishing his ball out of the water. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CALEB!!!

Overnight with Jay! Ravinia for John and Carrie-Sept. 2nd

Carrie and John went to Ravinia to see the Beach Boys after work on Wednesday, so I went to their house and watched Jay. (Les left for the lake on Tuesday, so I will join him down there later). Jay had just gotten up from his nap so we went outside and played or an hour. Jay loves to line up all his toys in the drive way. I didn't get any pictures of that this time. I enjoyed Jay's bathtime and pre-bedtime watching him playing with the train and cars, lining them up. It's fun to watch Jay around Sandy, too. He kinda tip toes around her so as not to disturb or touch her. Jay does really well with her, and seems to know his limitations.
Bedtime is always fun, reading books, and rocking for a short time. Jay is a good sleeper-John and Carrie said he sleeps til 8:30 or 9 AM in the mornings.
I got up and left around 8 AM to go home and get ready for my weekend scrapping! Jay was still sleeping when I left. Way to go Jay!

Paul's for Lunch after Church

Paul invited us for lunch after church as Amy was at a scrapbooking retreat. So after we changed, Les hooked up the boat so he could get a culvert from Paul to take to the lake for drainage. When we got there, Seth was cooking chicken breasts on the grill, Caleb was making brownies for dessert, Noah was vacumming, the girls were cleaning their rooms and Paul was doing dishes. The kids all have a great sense of responsibility.
We had a great lunch with chicken, corn on the cob we had gotten at Glascock's and potatoes. Yummmmmy!!! Nathan was taking it all in. He went down for his nap right after lunch so I didn't get a chance to get his picture.
Noah wanted to show me his train set up in the attic so we took a trip up there. The train set is really great. Noah had so much fun showing it to me. Then we found some puzzles so the girls and I put them together, joined by Seth and Noah.
We had a fun afternoon with Paul and the kids!

Carrie's B-Day-Watching Jay!

A night with Jay while Mommy and Daddy go out to celebrate Carrie's birthday! Never a dull moment with Jay! He had so much fun lining up all his toys outside while Carrie and John were getting ready to leave. Les let them take the corvette out for dinner. Don't they look good! Les noticed Jay was next door in the neighbor's yard lining up all his toys in the drive way. So off he went to gather up Jay and his toys. So we spent the next half hour lining up toys on the side walk.
Then in to watch Elmo and get dinner ready. Jay lined up all his trucks and cars on the couch while I got his food ready. It's so much fun watching him. Jay's so intentional in getting them all in the right place.
Then the evening was gone before we knew it and off to bed Jay went after a fun time in the tub.

Les - Canada, 2010

Les and his buddy, Chuck Dockery left Friday, August 6th for fishing in Canada. They had a great week of fishing with great weather and lots of fish and big ones at that. Take a look: a 27" walleye and a 161/2" bass. They each got their limit and all the fish you can eat while you're there. An added bonus is yummy Canadian jam which we all get to enjoy throughout the year. Plus we had a fish fry at Jenny's when Les returned home. Of course this is baby # 3 over the years that arrived while Les has been in Canada fishing . None the less, proud Grandpa was there to hold and love his newest granddaughter four days after she arrived.

Uncle John and family meet Elise and Grandma and Grandpa go home!

Uncle John, Aunt Carrie and Jay came Friday night, August 20th, to meet Elise. Elise is about the size Jay was when he was born. Jay liked to touch Elise's head and face - and he called Elise baby, too. John said Elise was really good, 'cause most babies cry when he holds them. He did a great job. And Aunt Carrie enjoyed her turn while the three little boys played in the basement with their daddies.
Then the time came for Grandpa and Grandma to go home. Grandpa left early so missed getting in on the photo op!!! It's always such sweet sorrow leaving- I'm going to miss those 6 AM visits from the boys first thing in the morning - but on the other hand, the extra sleep will be nice, too!!! Thanks Jenny and Dan for a great couple of weeks!

Elise's first bath!

Elise had her first bath and was very content with it all. Jenny's godmother, Paula Dockery, made the beautiful pink hooded towel and blanket. Levi kind of took a liking to the blanket. Isaac is the official gift opener. He still calls his sister, "the girl". He and Naomi came up to see Elise take her first bath. We got some fun pictures of Elise in her strawberry outfit. A friend of Jenny's gave her some newborn clothes as all the 0-3 months are too big. Elise is really tiny compared to the boys.

TRIP TO LAMB'S FARM!!!

August 18th Naomi, Dan and Jenny's niece, and I took Isaac and Levi to Lamb's Farm, about 40 minutes from their house. We arrived before it opened, with our lunch and water. The animals were being fed and getting fresh water and hay. The boys got to pet the goats and sheep, who were very cooperative. We saw rabbits, geese, all varieties of chickens and roosters, cows - the biggest I've ever seen (and I did grow up on a farm), horses, a peacock, but not with its tail fanned out, farrots, a snake, a turtle, and ducks.
Then we rode the merry-go-round, and with our pass, the rides were unlimited. So we went round and round until Naomi and I were getting dizzy and decided we'd better stop. The train ride was the next adventure. We were all set to go when Isaac decided he had to go potty, so we found the port-a-potty and made it back in time to ride with Naomi and Levi.
The boys thought the merry-go-round was the most fun! Our biggest challenge was keeping the boys awake on the way home. We planned for the boys to eat their lunches in the car on the trip back, but poor Levi was so tired that even with all Naomi's efforts to keep him awake, Levi was gooo...ing, until Isaac decided he couldn't wait til he got home to go potty.... So we found a Culver's in just the nick of time. So Levi and I got out and walked around while Naomi and Isaac made their trip inside. The rest of the trip was easy - Levi had gotten his second wind. But then he was wide awake when he got home for his nap!!! It was a great time and never a dull moment with Isaac and Levi!!!

Grandpa and Uncle Paul's family meet Elise!

Grandpa Larson got back from fishing today and met his newest granddaughter, Elise. We got some great pictures and Elise was so content with her Grandpa.
Paul and Amy and family came for the afternoon and Elise got to meet her aunt and uncle and cousins. What a blessing our grandchildren are. They truly are a gift from God!

Visiting Elise in hospital and coming Home!!!

Yesterday, August 12, I spent the day with Jenny and Elise at the hospital, hanging out holding Elise and taking pictures of all the visitors who came to welcome Elise into the world. Jenny and Dan's niece, Naomi, who is spending the summer and fall with them and doing an internship at Great America at Johnny Rockets, had the day off, so went with me and the boys to visit Elise in the hospital. Good friends, Cheryl and her daughter Danielle, and Kristen Bos were among the other visitors.

Today Jenny and Dan brought Elise home and were greeted with two eager brothers. Levi seemed the most intense and wanted to rock the car seat, saying "baby". Isaac calls her "the girl"! So it is so much fun to watch them and their excitement. Levi was "Daddy's boy" today and Isaac stuck close to Mommy. I'm sure there will be lots of adventures in the Hays household!!!

Elise Raeanne Hays - Born 8-11-10

From Dan Hays: Elise Raeanne was born this morning at 7:22am! 6 lbs 11 oz. Mom (Jenny) and baby are doing well! And we made it to the hospital!! Got here at 6:30am so it was quick again.
More news later when the boys go to bed tonight. I just wanted to get the pictures posted. Elise is a special blessing from the Lord!!!

Jenny and Dan's, August 5 - 8 2010

Friends of Jenny and Dan, Dale Vermillion and his wife and daughter from Florida, stopped to say hello. Dale works with money matters and is a frequent guest on Moody Radio advising people on home loans and managing debt. He has written a book on the subject.

Dan and Jenny's niece, Naomi, is doing an internship at Great America, so on her days off the boys love to have her play with them.

Mommy and the boys are shredding zucchini to freeze for later use in making zucchini bread and cakes. Yummy!!!

We made a trial run to Jenny and Dan's on August 5th, as Jenny had been to the doctor, who wanted to monitor Jenny in the hospital for a day. The boys enjoy playing outside in the back yard.
Dan's niece, Naomi, is staying with them, so she loves the boys and they love her. Isaac and Naomi put this big dinasaur puzzle together.
Les made eggs for us for breakfast with Levi's help. Les is leaving Thursday night to go to Chuck Dockery's, then on to Canada fishing. They spend the first night in International Falls and spend the next day traveling to their destination at Frog Rapids.

OVERNIGHT WITH NOAH! - AUGUST 2, 2010

Noah likes his new boots and wanted to wear them with his shorts. How cool is that!!!

Noah still likes his Mickey Mouse pancakes and helped make them. Thanks! Noah!

Noah helped Grandpa and me put up curtains in the bedrooms. I'm planning an overnight with the scrapbooking gals - a bed and breakfast. Thanks Les and Noah for helping!!!

Ymmy Ice Cream!!

Miniature golf at Wilderness Falls. It's one of our favorite places to go.

Noah and Grandma had our annual trip to Wilderness Falls for mini golfing and sleepover to celebrate Noah's 7th birtday. We had a fun time golfing and playing games. Noah likes to talk and told me all about his trip to Great America riding the roller coaster. He did it once but didn't think he'd like to ride it again. Noah's in school now and helps out with the chores gathering and washing the eggs and helping with the dishes. Everyone has a job to do there on the farm!