90th

So while Grandpa was away we decided to eat the food we'd brought for the BBQ and figure out our plan of action.  We decided we needed Grandpa for the party so we were going to reschedule.  Wouldn't you know it about 3 hours later in walked Grandpa!!!

I have to say Grandpa walked in and asked where the birthday boy was and Grandma said he was.  I don't think after that it really sunk in what was going on...he finally got it and I think he was genuinely surprised that we had done something.  Although there was a sadness over hanging our party I think everyone did there best to make the best of it.  It's certainly not every day someone turns 90 years old!

Here is Grandpa's birthday cake...looks good!

Here is the man of the hour! 

Grandpa Great and great grandkids...love this picture! Aunt Lynn had a great idea to do this!

 My family with Grandma and Grandpa Great! 

In the end it was a good day and we accomplished what we set out to do. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to our extended Paulson family on the loss of a family memeber!

Day 3 Challenge

"Curvy"
There was curvy handwriting on Grandpa's birthday cake! 

Missing Ohio

So Frank and I went to Ohio last weekend (yes it's been a whole week already...more like a lifetime ago!) and visited my family that's there.  I miss them terribly and two cousins had babies and I desperately needed to come sniff their babies and see them!  They seriously all need to move back home...

Here I am with Chase...he's my second cousin, his momma is Jennie (you'll see her later).

My cousin Brooke and myself (no we didn't call each other but man we coordinate well!). We are 3 months and 16 days apart (whose counting right?) I love her to pieces and we were thick as thieves as kids. I miss that with an ache in my heart!

(I have pictures to put up later of her little guy Ryan...he is 3 months old and I was loving that baby smell!)

My cousin Morgan and I.  Isn't her hair beautiful!?! I remember when she was little and she'd follow Brooke and I around all the time...drove us nuts! Love her to pieces though!

This is my second cousin Trinity and she is 9 months older than Ian.  Her mom is Morgan. This was the second time I have seen her and it's been fun...it felt more comfortable this time...we aren't complete strangers now ;)

This is Jennie and below is her twin Carrie.  The older they get the more I get to know them better.  I didn't really have a chance to get to know them as kids.  The one memory I have of them (I'm sure they are so tired of hearing me talking about) is when their sister, Brooke, and I had to babysit them one day during the summer.  The girls were about 1 or older and it was around nap time or something like that.  Anyway, one of the girls had done something naughty and when Brooke and I were trying to figure out which one did it (I swear only their mother could tell them apart as babies...I couldn't) this is what they said to us.  "I not Jennie, I Carrie." the other one then said "I not Carrie, I Jennie". 

These two were some smart cookies at 1 year old.  So the result of that was they both got in trouble and had to go down for a nap!  HA!

Right here I'm with Carrie.  I have a feeling she's like me right now, just living it up as an Auntie and digging it! She's in love with her 2 nephew's and her niece!  Aunties ROCK!

Here I am with Jennie and her son Chase.  I'm so glad I was able to come and meet the babies!

Chase and I are second cousins...he loves me best!

Trinity, Morgan and I

This is John...Brooke's love of her life...oh and me (I'm in the picture that is...HA!)!

 ;)

I had a really good time this time around (we were in OH 3 years ago for Brooke and John's wedding and had a good time then too!) talking to John and learning a bit more about him (last time he was busy being a social butterfly at his wedding).  He is a really nice guy and he's got a subtle or dry sense of humor and most of all he makes Brooke happy and treats her well.  What more can I ask for her?

All of us.  Too bad we don't live closer...I could see some double dates here...someday

(John did say he would move to WA...so I looked at Brooke and said lets get packing!)

All the cousins and spouses together!  We make an awesome group!

(we did good with our timed picture!)

And here is the Matriarch of the family in Ohio, my Aunt Kelly.  She misses WA so much and I can hear it in her voice.  Her momma is so far away and she misses many things (weather being one of them during the summers in OH).  I had a good time helping her watch her grandbabies and visiting her.

I'm so grateful for being able to get to Ohio to visit my family and I miss them terribly. 

 Until we see each other again!

Day 2 Challenge

So today's word for the challenge was Cast.

       ****Morning sun 'cast'ing a rainbow****

Another project

OK...so I'm doing another project or photo challenge really.  This time it's me who picked the words and I'm having fun (up until I stump myself that is).  So the deal with the photo challenge is that someone (me) chooses a  word and then we spend the day figuring out what that word means to us that day and we take a picture of it (really we discourage file pics...unless of course you are in dire need...and those days do happen). 

For example, today's word was 'Supplies' and what did the word supplies mean to me today.

Well, I had a few things going on in my head that it could mean.  First I went with taking a picture of this.  My supplies for making blackberry pie filling and canning it.  But I wasn't thrilled with the picture and it really didn't speak to me.

I also knew though that I would be school supply shopping today and that speaks to me too!  I actually went with this picture as my pick.  It was a better picture I thought.  To be very honest it 'supplies' me with such excitement for the next 9 months!  Whoopiee!!

On that note, I will give you advice.  DO NOT wait until the last minute to shop for supplies...it's not worth it!! I went to 3 different stores to just get what was on their lists!  Two stores were O-U-T of pencils and erasers...REALLY!?! Whatever!  One store however was taking their school supplies OFF the  shelves to make room for Halloween stuff...honest to Pete that's annoying!  Of course the last store has what I'm looking for but I literally took the last of 2 types of erasers and the pencils...well they had about 3 boxes left of the big pack of them.  It's still boggling my mind hours later! By the end of it Lee was hassling me about the damn erasers by saying who needs more erasers when the stupid (his words NOT mine) have erasers on them!! 

Now I ask you, would it have been bad if I turned around and popped him?  Cause I might have, smart-mouth kid!  To be fair though...I laughed and told him he was smart-mouthed and then said he was right...up to a point of course!

I tell you sometimes I think those teachers have us going a mile a minute!

Another funny moment happened at the school today...it was the day where you get to see your classrooms and meet your teacher and drop your school supplies off (way last minute on the supplies I know).  Anyway, as I'm walking around the school with Ian and Lee and looking for faces I know and they know I had to laugh.  All around I saw parents with big, huge smiles on their faces, milling about and catching up.  The children, however, (wonder how man times I've used that word today?) all were gloomy and had pouty faces on (a few didn't).  It was down right hysterical!! The parents were totally excited and the kids were dragging their feet...comical.

PS...not counting weekends there are 3 more days until school starts!

Birthday Cake!!!

Today was a rough day for Dru.  His big brothers were not kind to him one bit and it was a constant pick...pick...pick on Dru.  I felt so bad for him and seriously wanted to throttle the other 2!  What gives.  It was bad enough for Dru to have a good 15-20 minute conversations with his Oma about his brothers actions today.  One of those wonderful mommy of the year award moments.

However, if you ask Dru if he had a good birthday he'll tell you he did, so I guess that's what matters...right!?!

He really wanted to help make his cake today...and we've done that in the past...thankfully daddy came to the rescue on that one, or I would have had to take the title of Captain Kill-joy yet again!  Yeah daddy!  Dru is putting those cake candies on his cake...

Gotta love the randomness of how he decorates his cake...lets get as much crap on there as we can and see what mom says...before she notices of course!

And here we all are for dinner...Dru said pizza would be fine for his birthday dinner as long as he could have bread sticks...he's so easy right now!

The finished cake product!  Chocolate cake and frosting, with candy and of course lots of sprinkles!! (it was tasty and Dur did a good job helping make the cake...almost makes up for all the egg whites I found all over everything...don't ask...I try not too!)

Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday Dear Dru...

The Birthday Boy...he's now old enough, he fits one whole hand!!!

I can't believe how fast time has gone...this doesn't get any easier the more kids you have...I find it's getting harder.

5

Where has the time gone?  Seriously!?!  It seems like  yesterday I gave birth to Dru at home and was cuddling with him in my arms and recovering on my bed! 

I just can't believe he's going to be 5 in two hours and two minutes!! (not to be specific). 

Happy Birthday my Dearest Dru!  I hope you have a GREAT 5th birthday! I love you!

(I will be posting more on this boy for his birthday)