Pap's party

Pap had his 70th birthday party at a shelter at the park. The whole family invited friends young and old, and quite a few family members made the trek for cake and ice cream and pie... oh, all right, there was LOTS of real food there too, but we know why everyone really came.


 

You'll see several kids with raincoats on, and plenty who have shucked theirs and ran around in the rain regardless. It was a damp and drizzly day. That didn't seem to affect the cheery partygoers or dampen the birthday boy's spirits.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pictures speak for themselves; everyone enjoyed themselves and there was a LOT of laughter.

I'd never seen this picture before, but it has become one of my favorites. These are Pap's parents, Mona and Charlie. She was a teacher, and therefore not allowed to marry. So they married in secret. I love how romantic that is! They are so incredibly cute. I never got to meet Mona, and only got to spend a brief amount of time w/ Dada's quiet grandfather. I do miss his killer handshake and his twinkly eyes.  
 

 

Neva with Aunt Becky, who is doing what she does best- teaching reading.

And I love how Liam is listening to Michael so raptly. The kids cannot get enough of Michael. Any single ladies out there should seriously snap him up- he is wonderful.
 

 

Hehe, and then there's Zach. He was completely soaked and loving every minute of it. I'm fairly sure that entire puddle is just from him, waterlogged socks and all.
 

Glad you had a great birthday, Pap! Thanks for a fun party!
 

Down on the Farm, post-party

Here are some post-party shots of my husband's family's homestead. It is always beautiful, no matter the day or the light or the weather, but it was especially pretty that evening. I very much miss rolling hills and big trees and some kind of elevation for your eyeballs to look at when driving around. This refreshes me. Not as much as woods do, but it is still restorative to my spirit!
 

 

 

As soon as I saw that one of Damon, I wished he was holding a 3. My mother is going to love it.
 

I've always loved misty mountains, whether it's Tolkien's version or Led Zeppelin's version, so I was excited to take pictures myself of the encroaching mists...
 

 

 

I think this last one is my favorite. =)
 

#LevisBigBugs

Levis Commons has a month-long installation (invasion??) of Big Bugs. I'm remiss in remembering the artist's name, and I apologize, but the kids had a great time scavenging for all six of the humungous sculptures.
 

You can't see the big kids in the distance, but they are all holding up fingers for birth order. Damon wants to make sure y'all understand that he's also three. Twice.
 

 

 

There was even a rainbow! Should have gotten bonus points for that on the scavenger hunt list...
 

 

 

 

Liam is praying beside the Praying Mantis.
 

 

Come visit our Big Bugs! =)  They are lots of fun!
 

Viola

Someone has joined Fifth Grade Strings! Here is Miss Carrie, with her new-to-her viola. She has lessons during recess about twice a week at school and is loving it so far.
 

 

 

Here's hoping for some stick-to-it-ed-ness and that she continues to love this instrument...
 

 

Hugeness

This post is specifically for my parents. They've been asking me for pictures of the Damonater with a number three, since he is their third grandchild and he's now three. We took pictures of Care Bear with a one when she was one, Liam with a two when he was two, and now it's Damon's turn.

However, our printer is still not on speaking terms with my laptop. So, for now, you guys are just going to have to print off the picture you like best. Here are some with Damon pre-haircut and post-haircut so you have some choices. Sorry!
 

 

 

 

 

Oops. This one is Liam, diving into the Stuff in a Box that Grandmama sent. He went right to work!
 

 

Carrie, naturally, didn't want to be outdone, so here she is reminding everyone that she is NOT three.