Family Time

 The last five days have been busily spent

taking care of grandchildren

while our daughter and SIL

have been out of town.

Our Son -In-Law Dano
just competed in another 

Iron Man event

where he made great time.

This one was held in 

the beautiful Red Rock Country of

St. George Utah

where we used to live before moving to Arizona

 

Love to kiss on these cute faces :)

I always gain a renewed appreciation

for Amy and Dano and 

the hours of dedication they put into their family.

The kids were well behaved 

and we had a lot of fun together.

 Every moment was non stop activity.

We played Barbie Dolls together

 School, homework,
sleepovers in the family room
birthday parties
 and dance class

 Baseball games

 I even gave Kayla, age 4, her first quilting lesson.

I brought along my antique Featherweight

which is easy to transport and set up on the kitchen table.

Kayla asked a million questions as she

 sat on my lap and helped guide the fabric

cut the threads.

I was happy to see how ready she was to learn

and look forward to the day when we can make 

a quilts together :)

 I rarely get sick, but had to ask Mr. Cactus 

to come to the rescue by the last day.

He is an awesome grandpa!

I'm home now, 

and hopefully this is just a quick summer cold.

Goal!

 She may only be 4,

but look out world

Kayla has started playing soccer.

All that

tenacity

spunk

persistence

and chutzpah

focused in one area.

 From the time she took her first steps,

she's always had a thing about shoes.

Who knew they made tiny soccer cleats in pink?

Of course she had to have them :)

 Learning skills

like balance

and focus

 With a great coach.

 The nets are placed close together

for this age group

while the sidelines are packed with supportive family members

from parents to siblings to grandparents

all cheering and clapping

no matter which team manages to be coordinated enough

to make a goal.

 Little Miss Fashion Statement

has no fear about pushing an opponent aside

in order to get the ball in the net.

Determined

Persistent

First Game: 5 Goals!

 We are so enjoying our Saturday mornings

under this beautiful Arizona sunshine

watching the grandchildren play sports.

Noah is now 6 and we can see his skill level 

and coordination

increasing with each season.

 It really helps to have his dad,

(who was quite the soccer player in his day)

 as the team coach.

As I sit on these fields that are 

filled to capacity with hundreds of children

surrounded by cheering family members

I think of how lucky we all are to be part of this experience.

I observe loving parents and patient coaches shouting

Good job!

Nice try!

Keep at it!

This kind of community support is, after all

the best kind of 

GOAL

Little Mermaid Birthday Party

If you have a little girl in your family

chances are she has an

obsession with

Disney Princesses

Our sweet grand daughter

has inherited the Disney bug

and for her 4th Birthday

asked for a 

Little Mermaid Party

It might have something to do with

 meeting 

THE REAL ARIEL 

in the Royal Hall

at Fantasy Faire

in Disneyland a few months ago.

BIG Moment!

 Our daughter Amy hosted

a very creative

Under The Sea 

themed Party

at very little $$$.
I admire our daughter
who makes things
very fun
and yet doesn't go overboard on cost.

I wanted to share with you some of her ideas

that worked perfectly for little girls.

 As the children arrived at the party

each was given a crown

and then led

to a table full of art supplies.

With inexpensive glitter and self adhesive 

sea life foam stickers...

 each little girl made their own

personalized door hanger.

The next art activity

involved pink and purple bubble gum.

Amy had previously put holes in each gum ball with a

wooden skewer

and then provided a large embroidery needle

strung with ribbon

that was knotted at one end.

 Because of the young age group

this was an activity that required adult supervision.

Each child hand select their own color pattern

and then we noticed if we held the needle,

they were coordinated enough to

thread the gumballs.

 Every Princess needs

her own

Pearl Necklace

 For the games,

Amy wanted each little girl to feel as if she won.

Instead of musical chairs (where you lose when you are out)

she chose a form of 

Cake Walk

 Under The Sea music was played as the girls walked in a circle.

When the music stopped

each found a Princess Card to stand on.

Who ever was standing on

Sebastian (for example)

came out of the game

to receive a prize

and the game resumed for the others.

 The girls loved their prizes of 

bubbles 

that also served as

take home gifts.

 There was plenty of 

Little Mermaid 

food

Amy stayed with the 

Under The Sea Theme

providing

cups of gold fish crackers

and nutritious fruit

Even the brownies

were cut out into star fish shapes.

 By twisting streamers

the walls gave the effect of being 

underwater

But the best part

after all the games, food and presents

was getting hugs and kisses 

from a wonderful Mommy and Daddy.

We feel so fortunate to have 

had 4 years of amazing
heart stealing moments with 

this precious little girl.

Isaak's Baptism Day

Yesterday was an important day in our family.

Our oldest grandson Isaak

was was baptized.

 In our faith, we believe a child

should be 8 years old,

or the age of accountability

 before making the decision of baptism.

Isaak was baptized by his father,

our Son-In-Law Dano.

A very special moment between father and son.

 Baptism is a very sacred ordinance.

It is a 2-way promise, or Covenant with God

to show our commitment to Him.

We demonstrate we want to follow Jesus Christ,

to help each other,

and to try and remember the Savior in all we do.

 We believe in baptism by immersion, 

the same way Christ was baptized.

Immersion is symbolic of a 

rebirth into a spiritual life.

 We are proud of Isaak and his choice

to be baptized.

He is a wonderful young man 

who is sensitive, kind, and a friend to all.

Many people came to see his baptism.

At the end of the service,

without any promptings from his parents,

 Isaak went around the room

and shook hands with each person,

thanking each one personally for coming.

I watched him with amazement.

I am grateful for

our daughter Amy

and our SIL Dano

who are wonderful parents

in their devotion to their 

children, family,

and God.

Campfire Cones

 In our church 

we have an annual tradition 

where the men and boys gather for an overnight

Father and Sons Camp Out

They head to the mountains,

pitch their tents

cook food

let the little boys run in packs

(and get plenty dirty)

and tell stories around the campfire.

It's a "GUY THANG"

and I don't know who is more excited to attend

Mr. Cactus 

our son-in-law

or our grandsons.

 I sent along a fun little treat

that I saw on Pinterest.

Campfire Cones

by Laura of Come Together Kids

 You start with a waffle cone

 and frost the inside with peanut butter.

 Fill the insides with a mixture of 

chocolate chips

mini marshmallows

and chopped bananas.

 A mouthwatering blend of flavors.

 Fill as many as needed

for an ooey-gooey time.

 Campfire Joy

 Wrap each individual cone in foil.

 I packed the 

Campfire Cones in a zip-lock bag with 

easy to follow instructions.

 Turning every few minutes, the cones only need 5-10 minutes on the coals

to melt the chocolate with the marshmallows.

 Then be prepared for some happy faces.

 Our grandson Noah said he couldn't decide what he liked more:

Campfire Cones

or 

listening to grandpa tell stories

in the campfire darkness

about aliens

who sucked up camper's tents

and transported them into spaceships.

*fortunately, all ended well  :)

yep, it's a guy thang.