Happy 90th (and 85th) Birthday!

My grandfather turned 90 at the end of March. My grandma's 85th birthday was just 10 days later, so we had one big party for both. I didn't take very many pictures, between helping and taking a nap in the  middle of the party. My grandparents are in the above photo with the family tree quilt I made for Grandpa. (You can't tell from this photo, but the portraits of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were stitched into the quilt. 

Picture of me with my brother and sister.

Mark and Teri

My aunt Jeannette with her 5 grandchildren.

Cutting Grandma's cake for the reception

Relaxing after helping Grandma with yardwork.

Everyone was taking family pictures, using the quilt as the background. Christopher wanted to get in all of the pictures.

Spring Break

 This wasn't actually our Spring Break, but this was the beginning of Beth's break. It was so great to see Amanda and Beth.

 Amanda looks good at least.

It RAINED almost our whole spring break, so we spent time painting pottery and at the Philbrook. The kids had a great time, but would have loved being outside, too.

 For one weekend of our Spring Break, we went to KC. Our good friends, the Brockways, have just moved north of there. We visited before they've even had a chance to fully move-in.

 We also got to see some of our closest friends from Alaska, the Krabbenhofts. We hadn't seen them since we left Alaska, five years earlier.

Typing

I took a typing class in 10th grade. Ashlyn is learning through a BBC game in first grade.

This week

On Tuesday, Christopher was able to cut his own pancakes. He was so excited that he waved his fork in the air as a bite went flying. Later, as I was washing the sticky off of his hands in the sink, he said that he wished he could wash dishes. Well, you CAN wash the dishes. (BTW, my dishwasher had been broken for a month, so all hand washing.) He was so excited to get to wash dishes, "Oh, Mommy, can you TEACH me to wash dishes?!" The floor and all of his clothing was soaked. "Can I wash the dishes AGAIN?" OH YES!

This morning, Ashlyn decided that Christopher should look like Abraham Lincoln. So, she did this:

It did wash right off, thank goodness!

In the past 7 months...

I know that it has been awhile since I have posted. Even when I have the best of intentions, I don't seem to get around to blogging. We'll see if I can give you a few highlights, and then try to keep up a bit better. No promises. 

July 2011-slip n slide with the neighbor kids

 Celebrating Granny's 60th birthday

 August 2011-Silver Dollar City

 Visiting Russellville, Uncle Bill gets a "favorite uncle" award for taking a very happy Christopher fishing in temps over 100 degrees.

 Ashlyn falls in love with "Lucky"

 Jacob turns 7

 Celebrating Mark and Morgan's wedding!

 Day at Girl Scout Camp-Tallchief

 First Day of School

 September 2011-finally cool enough to take the sillies to the zoo

 October 2011-Ashlyn and her BFF, Lilly spent a day at the Philbrook

 Ashlyn gives a ballet performance at dance class

November 2011-Daisies work on a Gingerbread house for Philbrook Museum

Ashlyn and Christopher make art at a Philbrook Second Saturday

Ashlyn's Daisy troop is in the Jenks Holiday Parade

Family comes to visit for Thanksgiving, Ranger has been diagnosed with lymphoma and is more spoiled than normal

Kids visit Santa

PawPaw helps Ashlyn color

Uncle Mark creates his own twisted drawing

December 2011-We visit our Daisy troop's gingerbread house at Philbrook's Festival of Trees

We say goodbye to Aunt Donna, getting to see Uncle Steve.

Uncle David and Aunt Julia

Christopher gets a fishing pole for Christmas and LOVES to practice 

Silver Dollar City Christmas lights

Kisses for reindeer and Santa at SDC

Making gingerbread cookies for Santa on Christmas eve

Ready for church Christmas Eve

January 2012- Christopher "helps" make his birthday cupcakes

Ranger and JD at Christopher's 4th birthday party

Birthday cakes for his party-Superheroes!

Visit to the park

Ashlyn loses her first tooth!

Ashlyn goes to a Girl Scout sleepover at the Jasmine Moran museum

With Sophie at the museum

Ashlyn writes her pattern words in shaving cream

Christopher just plays with the shaving cream

We said goodbye to our Ranger dog this month, but could hardly stand being pet free. We welcomed a new kitten, Dusty.

February 2011-Christopher cannot get enough of riding his bike. Good thing the weather has been so warm this winter

Dusty actually seems to like the children

He practically sleeps on Ashlyn's head

Ashlyn was learning about endangered animals

Took the kids to the National Cowboy Museum in OKC

They liked the children's area the best

Hopefully, I can manage to do a little better than I have been on updating. May not be wordy, but I can quickly upload photos.