BIRTHDAY PARTY ADDENDUM

Brecken starts the party off

by showing his great gymnastic skills.

Unfortunately, Bumma wasn't too quick on the draw

with the camera action.

 The party had it all,

Candles

 cake ( what spit?)

 Pinata fun

 Candy for everyone!

 The gift he has been asking for

The Buzz Lightyear Cosmic Blaster

A fun night for everyone.

MONTESSORI CHRISTMAS PLAY AND BIRTHDAY WISHES

On Cupid, on Donner, on Blitzen 

That was Brecken's part, as well as the

shaking of the bells....

AWESOME JOB!!

I haven't seen anyone shake bells with that much

enthusiasm E.V.E.R.!!

And the singing....he sang his little heart out.

He could be the next "tween heart throb".

He's already stolen his Bumma's heart.

 Definitely stolen my heart!

He has a 30 year old mind in a 4 year old body.

And today is his 4th birthday.

He made his parents a beautiful ornament for the Christmas tree AND...

 It didn't cost a penny.....

which was the "theme" for the ornament.

He also does not like posing for pictures.

Remember that theme  from another recent post?

Proud parents of a special little boy.

 Note the wonderful "baby bump" on

my FAVORITE daughter in law!

 His Grandparents think he is pretty great too! 

You did a great job Brecken, we are proud of you

and hope you have a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Can't wait to get the details on your fun day in SLC

on the Polar Express!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr......

I'll stay in the sunshine....

P.S.

I just found this great Christmas video 

The song is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.! 

and will bring the spirit of CHRISTmas into your very soul 

Which is......

The reason for the season

GRRRRRR.......OWL

Each and every year, I have the

MARVELOUS

opportunity to clean up the

mess made by my neighbor's

dang blasted pecan tree.

This year was no exception.

And so, 2 hours and  14  3 Ibuprofen 800s later...

I tried to think of reasons to be thankful that I have this

golden opportunity.

Are the leaves pretty, golden and red?

No, they are ugly shades of brown.

Is it giving me a workout equivalent

 of an hour at the gym?

 Not quite.

Does it let me know that my nose runs

in perfect order with each breath I draw?

You betcha...

 

 Do I feel a sense of accomplishment as I

silently cuss this cursed tree in all it's naked beauty?

Naked because its leaves are 

2 feet deep on my patio?

Am I grateful that I am able to physically 

perform this dreaded annual task? 

O.K. that is a BIG YES.

Plus, don't forget all the wonderful

perks of getting all the pecans that fall on my side of the fence!!!!

YES, YES, YES!!!!!

I am beginning to develop an attitude of gratitude!

A clean patio, and the nuts....

ALL....THOSE.....GLORIOUS.... DELICIOUS....NUTS...

which you may know, cost a small fortune at the store.

I get the leaves, and the neighbor gets the nuts?

GRRRR.......OWL

All that work for this?????

I just may have to visit my neighbor's yard tonight...

with a flashlight and an extra large bowl.

If you happen to see this:

Followed by this:

You'll know the real story behind

the headlines:

"She went nuts over the nuts"

THE ART OF THANKSGIVING

What do you get when you take a delighted smile

A lot of energy

 and a deep thinker...

 And mix them together with

a lot of concentration?

 

Don't forget to add the face of a true artist at work. 

Throw in Bumma who loves making these kids happy.

Give them paint, stensils, brushes

and let their imaginations go to work.

And viola'....you have

fun, giggles, yawns, and

A sence of accomplishment

This is one of the few pictures of this ball of energy

that shows some exhaustion...Creating a masterpiece of art is draining.

This is what you get when you say

"Smile for Bumma and show me your pretty mug."

Not in this life.....

This one didn't paint, but is a work of art herself.

(The cute baby girl on the left, not the old Bumma...

just in case there was any confusion......I know how easy it would be

to make that mistake.....and yes, I did choke on those words.)

This is the ONLY time I was able to get this

sweetheart to pose for a picture. Every time I try

I get this:

this:

or this:

WHATEVER you do, DON'T ask her to look at the camea.

Quite a different story for this one:

Or this one::

Or these:

Quite a different story indeed....

And lastly, what fun to be able to spend time with my

sister Jamie and her beautiful (inside and out) daughter Nicole.

Nicole also has 4 brothers that are very protective of her..

VERY, VERY, PROTECTIVE...

Remember that, if you are one of the fortunate ones

to get a date with her.

And we can't leave out the talented  family member,

(one of the above mentioned 4 brothers...btw)

Brandon

He is amazing with the things he creates.

I have never seen anyone like him.

He takes things most of us would throw away, and

creates a beautiful piece of art. Old doors become benches, and wall hangings.

Old windows become beautiful artistic masterpieces.

Check out his website for a very small sample of his work:

http://www.etsy.com/people/thissandthatt

AMAZING.

and the Art of Thanksgiving was enjoyed by all. 

 

A WEEKEND OF FAMILY, FOOD, AND FUN

The weekend of November 5th-7th, 2010

started with a family favorite.

 Their Mac and Cheese is the best.

This is probably the only time you will find adults telling the kids

to "save room for dessert".

The adults ulterior motive?

To eat the kids mac and cheese.

 And the weekend of fun begins.

 First the grandkids start planning the things they want to do.

 Hey Bumma

Halloween's over!!

 Next stop....adult purgatory

and child heaven

Chuck-E-Cheese

 The only time putting a kid in a cage.....

is legal.

How do you get a "playland" like this in your own home?

I could have used this a lot when my kids were growing up

and NEVER causing any problems.

(Hold on a second, I seem to be choking on those words)

 Jameson was having none of the rides and games.

He's a shy one, but oh so adorable!

 What's more fun than putting kids in cages?

Making them pose for pictures.

 They love, love, love that!

 Bumma with the only 2 kids that

don't have an opinion about pictures.

 Macie and Dalan wanted to let Chuck-E-Cheese know they 

had come to see him.

300 tokens, 5 fun fueled, exhausted kids later
and 2 baby girls that had no idea of  what they had missed....

 

we prepared for the blessing day of

Quinn Tatum Shepherd.

4 generations with Grandma Great, Mom Amber,

Bumma Mags, and Quinn..the reason for the gathering.

Great Grandma and Grandpa Ockey

hold Quinn, who just wants that thing off of her head.

At least, that's what I think she is thinking. 

The Shepherd-Bailey Family,

with Quinn making the family complete.

So tired from this great weekend of family, friends and fun.

Quinn's expression says it all. 

I wish I could know what she is thinking.

My best guess?

" This family really loves me!

Although I miss my Heavenly home,

and my Father and Mother there,

I feel the love from my family here

And I feel Heaven very close ."

 yes

very, very close indeed.

 We love this sweet baby girl.

 Quinn in her blessing dress on November 7, 2010
What a blessing she is in our lives.
We love you Quinn.