Day Eighty Two 2011

The Mega Block dawgs that grandson Elijah and I built this morning.

He had fun destroying the wacky building I made. That's why he's laughing.

The first tulip bloom. I love tulips. We don't have as many blooming in recent springs because the bulbs need to be dug up and separated and replanted. That sounds like work.

The irises bloomed, too! One day they look like that iris on the right, and the next day--poof! I love these--the Tennessee state flower.

Mama Cardinal and other birdies looking for food. The feeders are empty because the squirrels pig out on the seed all day long until there's none left for the winged creatures.

Papa Cardinal probably found more seed to eat on the ground under the feeders than his mate found on the feeders. Getting some rain which we need and storms which nobody needs. Hope you are safe and dry where you are.

Day Two Hundred Sixty Nine

Random Pictures From The Day With Shelby And Elijah

Shelby and Elijah spent the day with us while their parents went white water rafting on the Ocoee. Since it was scheduled to rain the whole day, I guess Holly and Jerry figured they were going to get wet anyway. The kids dug out blocks they almost never play with and built castles and towers.

McDonald's is a great place to hang out on a rainy day. You can eat a cheeseburger (after peeling off the cheese), then play like a monkey on the indoor playground. I'm glad these kids choose apple slices over French fries. After McD's, we hit DQ for cones with sprinkles.

Shelby spent most of the day creating Halloween art. She was especially proud of this spider and its web that she drew and colored. She drew a ghost with mean red eyes, and it kept freaking her out every time she looked at it.

The rain stopped late this afternoon, and we ventured out on the back porch. Elijah wanted to swing, but the tree swing was soaked and the ground too muddy, so he settled for a ride with Shelby and Grandpa on the porch swing.

I snapped this picture when Neil said, "The sun is out!" They all had to turn and look. Sunshine has been at a premium these last couple of weeks.

We blew some bubbles to amuse ourselves. And it always does. Elijah was trying to blow the biggest bubble ever!

I could almost hear the angels singing when the sunlight popped through the clouds. What a glorious sight. By then, it was on its way down. Tomorrow is supposed to be dry.

The four of us got into a nasty pillow fight just before supper. Lots of giggling as these two just kept swinging at each other.

Neil and I got out of the way and let them go at it. Shelby landed the most head shots. By the time we finished supper, they were running out of steam. Holly and Jerry picked them up around 7:30. They were exhausted from their rafting (apparently after all the rain, the Ocoee was a raging river) but they had a great time and want to do it again. I'd love to have some pictures of that! Good times, great memories!