Last post of 2011

We went to Jacksonville Beach today.  The weather was in the 70's and the kids were all fired up about playing in the water.  We met Theresa, a friend of Andrews for lunch and Al Pizza and had a great lunch.  We then went to the beach and stayed there until it started getting cooler.  Wyatt had to have his swimsuit on but he didn't do more than put his feet in the water which is what Andrea did.  All in all it was a fun day.

Bed time wars

We are working on getting the grand kids to bed.  It is a matter of being persistent, but it does wear on the temper.  The gambits this evening have been not wanting to sleep in the bed Wyatt was put in.  Hiding in the corner of the bedroom.  Asking for numerous bed time stories, and finally coming downstairs naked with a new diaper in hand.  I might add that there was nothing damp with with old diaper.  Everything is delaying tactics, just to see who can outlast the other.  So far I am betting on Ray and myself, but it isn't easy.

Christmas Day 2010

 These photos are also from Christmas Eve as well as Christmas Day.  This year was great. We had a good time from start to finish. We had been trying without luck to get good pictures of the kids for Christmas, and they didn't come through until last night.  

Getting together with the Brown's

We had the Brown side of the family over for dinner on Sunday night.  It was a lot of fun.  I made lasagna, and everyone else brought the the rest.  I must say everything went very well.  The kids were wild which is to be expected and the adults ate way too much which also is to be expected.  I am really glad that Ray put the evening together.  All I had to do was cook and clean up.  Not bad at all.

Pity Poor Santa Claus

He has to try to make little kids look happy when they don't want to be smiley and cheerful.  Ray and I took the kids to the Y on Saturday morning for Breakfast with Santa.  After we ate, we went to visit the man in the red suit.  Wyatt did pretty good telling Santa what he wanted.  Andrea just looked at him.  I realize that she isn't quite ready to present her lists to him yet.  The truth is that she had a cold and didn't feel the best either.  Anyway, we got three pictures taken, none of which pleased me that much.  This is one of the shots I took while the photographer was taking her pictures.  I liked mine better so here it is.  The photos were a donation to the Strong Kids Program, so I feel good about the money, I just wish Wyatt and Andrea and been more in the mood to look happy.

Christmas Pageant

Sunday night was the Children's Christmas Program at church.  Wyatt and Andrea were Mary and Joseph.  If they were selected to be comic relief they were successful.  Wyatt was webbing people, he can't differential between Spiderman and Joseph.  Andrea wouldn't keep her veil on.  As people told us later,"They were just so cute."  It was a good program overall.  The children had fun, the adults enjoyed it.  After the program there was an appetizer buffet afterwards that left us all stuffed.  I have had to run extra to make up for what I ate.  The program was just another addition to a very enjoyable Christmas season.

Bonnie Hatch

I went to Bonnie's funeral this morning.  It was a joyful occasion as well as sad.  Bonnie was 103 years old and is the mother of our friend, Ken Coryell.  She had been  living in Derby near Ken and Nora for eight years and attended church regularly at First Presbyterian.  It sound hokey but Bonnie radiated kindness, she had nice things to say even when little boys like Wyatt would be a nuisance.  She had been declining the last year and all of us would have loved for her last months to be more pleasant, but we live with the situations given us.
The thought I came away with today though was that, in spite of what we may think, all of our lives are interesting.  We do interesting things, we meet interesting people and life changes us and we change lives.  Everyone should think about this now and then.  No one should feel that they don't do anything interesting.  I would say that a lot of the people who live exciting lives, really just live lives filled with self generated drama.  I don't need that, so I will go back to being in the world and living the life God has planned for me.