Training Camp

I forgot to show you this perfect jumping platform. You'd all stand up there and Greyson would be the first to try it. Then everyone would fly through the air and land on the soft pile of leaves while I took pictures of your Spiderman poses.


There is also this really cool bar that has grown into the tree years ago. It's really sturdy and you could do all kinds of things on it. Like Spiderman's training camp. There's another one twice as high, just like it.


We could go down on the beach at sunset and feed the ducks.


They'd let us build a fire because it's our beach. Perfect for marshmallows.
One more day and I'll get to hug you!

If You Were Here....

Kiki-Greyson-Sawyer-Tristan, if you were here, you'd say, "Can we go outside and play?"


You'd go racing along this curvy yellow-brick-road path to the side of the building it leads to.


When you got there, Sawyer would find these jumping steps.


And Tristan would hide between these hedges and jump out at y'all.


Then you'd run around the back of the house and over to the other side yard to shoot through this portal.


Next you'd see these Tarzan vines and you'd dare each other to swing on them. Will they come crashing down?


If you looked just to the left, you'd see this perfect climbing branch. Just low enough to shimmy on up.


Around and about one of the outbuildings is this play fort.


With these dizzy makers. You'd go REALLY fast on these. Around and around and AROUND.


And at the very end, Kiki would look up and say, "Mom, look! A bird's nest!"

For the Kids....

Hi Kiki and Greyson and Tristan and Sawyer! This is White Grandma's house. I am at the lake, looking back at the house. Wouldn't you just love to play tag around these trees?


Now I'm at the house, looking down to the lake. This is what you see when you sit and eat breakfast. There's a Blue Jay and a mommy Cardinal that have breakfast with us each morning.


This is what you see when you drive up the driveway. See White Grandma? Her yard is like a storybook land. You can't wait to get out of the car and go SEE.


She has a big front porch you'd love to play on. You could set up a whole kennel or gingerbread house, or jail for bad guys on it.


There is a big, heavy front door. It makes you feel like you are walking into a mansion. Today I am going to walk around and take pictures of where you might like to play in the yard. I wish you were here to do it. I miss you and I wish I could squeeeeeeeeeeze you! I love you lots and lots.

Who Needs Toys?

Sawyer made this nifty gun out of a wooden spoon and a pants hanger.

It has spiffy mid-air action. You should hear the sound effects. And I didn't just let my five-year-old launch himself off my couch. Nope, not me. That would be instilling bad habits and teaching disrespect for property.

Sandwich Fixin's

Somebody needs to fix this sandwich. Kiki set the table, set out the bread, called everyone for lunch, and forgot to put anything inside it. We ended up with a choice of peanutbutter and jelly, egg salad, or turkey.

Did You Eat All Your Dinner?

Sawyer got some treats today after his check-up. He kept asking to have them and finally made due with being able to take them out of the wrapper and set them on the counter to await the after-dinner hour. Just being able to look at that goodness, even if he couldn't get it in him, was joy enough.

Time passes so slowly when you're a treat-awaiting kid.

What You Can Do With Cars and a Rug....

Here's our Christmas Calendar. Trish made it for us several years ago. Each day has a bible reading, a piece of the manger to velcro up top, and little surprises stuffed in each pocket. It's a tradition now, and around the Thanksgiving Day that we don't have, the kids start asking, "When do we start the Calendar?" This morning they woke up and found these...

It didn't take long for me to come into the living room and find they'd found a new use for the rug.....
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After the initial run of the cars, Kiki bequeathed hers to Sawyer. What? Thirteen-year-old girls don't like mini road racers?