Picture of the Day

Easy-wish-it-were-breezy-day. To beat the heat we headed to the mall for lunch at the food court and a chance for the kids to play at the indoor playground.  Alex enjoyed his train ride, and by the last lap he was pulling on the rope to ring the bell as vigorously as if he were riding a horse. He attacked his hot dog with the same gusto!

After dinner when things had cooled down a bit we took a walk along the ditches with the dogs and the neighbor kids, Maya and Jadon.  

Jack was so happy he was howling.

The crab apples Marie shares with me are looking fine!

Gus the gentle longhorn makes his way to the fence to get his head scratched

Beautiful blue bug

Marie's lovely back yard pond

And welcoming front yard - just thought y'all might like a trip down memory lane!

Look who joined the kids for some early-morning cartoons

Picture of the Day

Day #5 at the arena - the boys are old hands

Gabe rides Dutch on an English saddle. I think this horse is so beautiful. He's a Trakehner, a Dutch Warmblood. His past life was pretty rough, but he's in a very good place now. He's a big boy, about 17 hands, and a little intimidating for the boys but they are beginning to appreciate how very gentle he is. 

At the end of the lesson Kimber let Alex ride with Seth on Rio.

Alex: "This is sooooo awesome!"

Then she let him ride solo

Then she had Seth take a nap on Rio's back and pat his belly

Hard-workin' rider at the end of the lesson

Beware of women bearing gifts of chocolate!

I could get used to coming home from work to this!

Pictures of the Day

Blah. In the wee hours of the morning I took Sven to the airport for his flight home to Korea. I will NEVER never, ever get used to send-offs. The only redeeming factor is that Hyuna and the boys get to stay for 3 more weeks.

Today was low-key: swimming with Maya and Jadon, Frisbee and Badmitten, computer and TV - b.o.r.i.n.g. but kinda n.i.c.e.

Hyuna's amazing double-handed Frisbee toss warm-up pose

Beware of women wielding Frisbees!

The competition is intense around here

Tomorrow morning, about the time we are finishing with the boys' riding lessons, we hope to receive a phone call from Sven letting us know he is home safe and sound 28+ hours after leaving El Paso.

I have been touched many times over these past days as I have watched my strong, handsome sons and their sweet, beautiful wives care for their little families. I am thankful that they would make such efforts to come all this way to spend this time with us, in 100º+ weather no less, allowing us to have these marvelous days together and creating life-long memories. I am grateful for their tenderness with and their great love for their children. It makes this momma so proud. It makes this grandma so grateful.

 Picture of the Day

When Alex picked up his last piece of sandwich he looked at the plate and squealed, “Look, Grandma Jensen! It’s a fish!” Thank you, Vicky, for the cute dishes!

Every 3^rd or 4^th day we use the water in the swimming pool to water trees and bushes in the back yard and then move the pool. The boys have been great at helping with this task. Today it turned into a major water fight, and Grandma was the big looser. I just told them they need to watch their backs because I don’t get mad. I just get even. Seth has been asking me about that all day….still don’t know what my revenge will be but it will be good. Suggestions welcome!

One by one Hyuna gave the boys haircuts. They look so sharp and handsome!

With Sven leaving tomorrow we had an early Birthday celebration for Alex. First on the agenda was a trip to the movie theater to see “Cars 2”. Cute and clever show, but watching his excitement was the best. Kris came along begrudgingly, but he had a huge smile on his face throughout, especially when they were in Paris and Italy!

Cake & ice cream & presents followed. I have never seen a child as excited about a birthday card as he was – he opened it up and looked at the pictures very carefully, and then listened to every word his mother read. Then he carried it around the kitchen and said, “I need to show this to my friends!”  He was all excitement with everything he opened, starting with his rollerblades. “Awesome! My Birthday!” He had found them earlier today where they had been hidden by his parents, and he was sooooo excited. “Look, it’s my Birthday!!!” He was just as excited when he opened it tonight.

Spider Man roller blades - "Awesome!"

Seth gave Alex a sweet Webkinz turtle that he cleverly "wrapped" in two baseball hats. This is the note he put with his gift:

 Ready to roll!

Missed Photo Op: Just after daybreak as I was driving east on Country Club I saw a man pedaling a bicycle heading the opposite direction. With one hand he steered the bike. With the other he held on to an 8- or 10-foot ladder which was balancing on his shoulders with his head through the middle part of the ladder. His look was, "I know this looks ridiculous, but I gotta do what I gotta do". 

Beware of Women With Sharp Knives!

Picture of the Day

Letu - a breakfast for happy champions!

 

 Gabe & Seth, so very engaged in the Tabernacle Choir broadcast

 Mary Louise & Scott joined us for dinner

and pie!

 Seth opted for the last remnants of the strawberry cheesecake

Missed Photo Op:

Last at the table and not very happy about it, Alex stuffed his mouth with his pancake.  Cheeks bulging, he came down the stairs with an attitude saying, "Don't look at me!"

Bonus Photo:

Look who shared dinner in another location tonight!

Saturday is a Special Day

Picture of the Day

Saturday was a day of hard work with some hard-working young men. Seth and Gabe were troopers and moved the last of the wood pile to it's new spot. Keven, Sven and I raked up yet more pine needles and loaded tree limbs into the truck. Three runs to the collection center, with each grandson taking a turn going in Grandpa's truck, and we called it good.

Hurray - the last load!

Grocery shopping, laundry, and house cleaning made it a busy day. After dinner we were treated to a mini Tai Kwan Do demonstration by Hyuna and the boys. Hyuna is so graceful, and looks like a dancer! The boys look so strong! They will have a belt test when they return, so I hope we get many more shows. Later, Sven treated Kris and the boys to Dairy Queen, a worthy treat for a day of good hard work.

Missed Photo Op:

Opening the pantry door I catch Gabe holding a box of donuts high over his head just as he is lifting them down from the shelf. The look on his face was, "Oh, no. I'm busted." And then we both bust a gut.