Sunday, March 27, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CORISSA!!

March 27 is our daughter-in-law's birthday.  Corissa is a very special "daughter" to us, a loving wife to Michael, and a wonderful mother to their children! 
Corissa has a sweet smile and infectious laugh that makes me smile!
I hope you enjoy a great birthday, Corissa, with perhaps a few moments to relax squeezed into your day!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Spring has sprung...maybe?

Exactly 3 weeks ago, we had some wild weather, including rain and hail!  I remember it was February 27 because we were going to celebrate Jen's birthday via webcam and I was concerned about the kids driving to our house in the hailstorm!  Since then, the weather has changed.  In fact, last week the Valley of the Sun experienced some REALLY sunny and warm days....up in the low 90's!
 Above is our Texas Laurel bush; we have 3 of them in our back yard; the blossoms are a beautiful lavendar, and smell like "grapes"!
 Next, our purple daisies are blooming...made it through the cold frosty nights we had this winter. I call them purple daisies, because I don't know the real name!
 We have two of these pretty yellow-blooming shrubs near our fish pond; unfortunately, neither Vince nor I remember the name of them. 
 Here is our hardy Italian parsley plant...easy to grow, obviously, and is leftover from last year's crop!
Last, but not least, are the desert marigolds that we have scattered throughout our front desert landscape.  This time of year brings out the best blooms!
The official first day of spring was yesterday...March 20.  The reason I said "maybe" in my blog title is because today, our high temperature in the Valley of the Sun was in the 50's and it rained ALL DAY!!  Northern Arizona was hit with another snow storm too!  Perhaps winter hasn't quite made an exit!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Cuddle-time with Landon

Landon, Cailyn and their mommy & daddy came over for lunch today.  After mass, Vince and I are able to get a decent meal on the table in just under one hour of preparation!  Here's Landon cuddling with mommy, just before she gobbled down her lunch.  Then it was Landon's lunch-time!
Now this is the look of contentment, and full bellies for both!
This is one tired Daddy, and 5-week old Landon! 
Landon enjoyed "tummy-time" on the blanket during Cailyn's naptime...and then Aunt Alissa had a turn cuddling Landon too!  Mimi was privileged to change a diaper and feed Landon a few ounces of formula today...what a hungry little guy he is!

And when Landon isn't sleeping in the basket, "baby kitty" has decided it's a great place for nap too!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Playtime with Cailyn

We are lucky to be able to see our grandchildren usually once a week! Two year olds are very busy, so playtime with Cailyn is lots of fun! Cailyn loves playing dress-up...Aunt Alissa helped her dress up a teddy bear too!
She likes playing at her little table from Great Grandma & Great Grandpa. Here, Cailyn and her Grandpa are playing a "match game"!




Swinging in our backyard is always fun, after we collect leaves and throw them up in the air. The whirly-gigs are examined each visit too!





Tea parties are always a favorite. Mimi and Cailyn enjoy "o's" with every tea party!




Soon after Landon was born, Mimi took a day off from work to have a play-day with Cailyn. We walked over to a neighborhood park, played in the sand, went down the slides....





and had a "teddy bear picnic" at the park! I know the teddy bears really enjoyed it, as did Mimi!
The sky never seems as blue, nor the clouds as pretty, as when I look at them through the eyes of a child!





Last, but not least, Cailyn borrowed Landon's new football for a fun game that Grandpa created....throwing a ball in the house! ;-) Watch the videos....in the first one, you'll see how quickly Cailyn's attention turns from picking up the ball to something else....