Owen wanted to play football with Papa, so of course then Katie had to go out as well!
Category Archives: Grandparents
Story time with Papa
Katie getting scared by the peekaboo bear
We were downstairs coloring a welcome sign for Grannie and Papa when Katie pulled out her peekaboo bear…and the excitement began. Holy cow.
My lamppost ghost!
We had one of these growing up and I always wanted one of my own but I never lived anywhere with a lamppost!
Until now!
I asked, and Gramma Jean made one for us when she was here! After seeing the neighbors with their decorations, I put it up after getting Owen on the bus.
Dad’s Day at Owen’s School
We all went for the morning program!
Then they told us it was Halley tradition to have the VIPs participate in Tooty Ta with the kids! (This is the dance I posted awhile back that Owen learned in Pre-K but did again this year.)
You can’t see us very well, but me and Gramma Jean are up in the front. 🙂
Owen’s cubbies:
Owen’s table:
I love his hopes and dreams: to do more homework! 🙂
This is why I can’t take Katie in the classroom…all my attention has to be on her.
She just wants to play and take out every toy. Here she was having a tea party. 🙂 I have no idea where she learned the words tea party.
Owen is Calendar Helper. We didn’t get to see it this morning because the morning program ran late. I have yet to get a good description out of him on what Calendar Helper does. 🙂
Getting ready for snack time!
What’s left of the ant farm from last week:
Getting ready to go to lunch.
Everyone gets hand sanitizer!
LUNCH! We asked who he usually sits with and he said “Somebody.” 🙂
After lunch, daddy was back in the classroom helping.
Owen loved every minute of it—and so did Tom!
Chalked Driveway
Gramma Jean and Grandpa David babysat so we could go out for dinner. This was happening as we left…
And the driveway was full when we got home.
A bigger better house!
GJ gave this house to the kids ages ago and we finally got it out and set it up (and colored it) while Katie was napping and Owen was at school.
After dinner at the playground with Gramma and Grandpa
At dinner, Katie started asking about going to the playground. It was still early enough and the weather was still gorgeous, so off we went!
Gramma built a house for the kids!
We got a box from Amazon that just called out to be made into a house. 🙂
Katie loved it, but it got CRAZY when Owen got home…
It’s perfect for Katie but just a bit too small for the both of them together…but they don’t let that stop them!
Look at all the cool stuff on it!
In mom’s dress with mom’s matching doll—Part 2!
See part 1 here!
Today Gramma Jean and I tried to get a better shot of Katie in the dress with the doll—and with the bonnet that I found (and didn’t lose after we moved!).
First, Katie was thrilled to get new shoes (I’ve had them forever and finally had a reason to get them out). Second, she loved her “long socks” and sat very patiently while I put her tights on. Third, she was excited to finally hold “her dolly” that she had seen sitting on the table waiting. 🙂
Here’s a comparison shot with the original picture and the closest one from today (out of 147 shots):
And a collage of the rest of the best:
Two of my favorites:
Some pics mom took:
Showing grandpa her long socks!
Heading to the bus stop to get Owen, with a brief detour to see the pumpkins and try for more pics:
As always, excited to see Owee getting off the bus!
Back at home, refusing to take off any of the outfit:
Katie and the mannequins
Mom and I went to Kohl’s this morning and Katie was enamored with the mannequins. She kept saying “He’s over here! He’s over here!”
Playground with Gramma
Katie was SUPER excited to go to the playground and knew right where to go from our house.
After all that running around and sliding and swinging, she took an 8-second rest with Gramma.
Every time I would sit on the bouncy animal, Katie would say “NO! My horsey!”
Nature walk—this time with grandparents!
We took Gramma Jean and Grandpa David to the park to go on the nature trail! It was a gorgeous morning!
Where’s Katie?
Here I am!
And the route we took. I knew it was up and down but a few of the big jags really surprised me. And aren’t GPS apps cool?!
Gramma wins at Trouble!
Owen is such a great sport! The game was back and forth the whole way, and I was recording because I thought he was going to win. But Gramma did—and he was just as excited!
Katie and the kazoo
Gramma brought Owen a kazoo but he couldn’t get it to work—in fact, none of us could. Then Katie picked it up, figured out how it worked (we had all been blowing into the wrong end), and WOULD NOT STOP PLAYING. 🙂
We eventually had to hide it from her. 🙂
T-5 days until the pool closes…
Papa happened to call right as we were walking in, so I Skyped them back so they got to watch Owen do a few jumps and watch Katie swim around.
He kept doing this and I finally asked what he was doing… You’ll never guess. He was trying to do a somersault! 🙂 I told him I’d help him when we were in the big pool!
Katie saw Owen holding his nose, so she was trying to do the same thing!
The kids she had been playing with in the kiddie pool were going home, so she was at the fence saying “Guys! Guys? Where are you going?”
He loves just floating like this.
If you didn’t know he liked to do it, it might freak you out because he looks…well…dead.
This is how Owen moves across the pool when he’s not actually swimming.
And then it was time for the special surprise! Not only was daddy at the pool with us…but we ordered pizza for dinner! Poolside! (Ever since Owen saw the signs and saw someone have pizza delivered, he’s wanted us to do it. Since the pool season is almost over, today was the day!)
She loves being tossed in the air…but can’t quite manage to count to three. 🙂
My turn with Katie. The video isn’t that great (meaning Katie doesn’t appear to be having that much fun) but she really was…and it’s rare for me to actually be in a picture or video with the kids. So here it is. 🙂
I finally got a video of Katie getting out of and back in the pool. However, she only did it once. The other day, she just kept going up the ladder then back into the pool—time after time after time.
And the bonus to the whole day? I started talking with a girl at the pool (she was there with a little girl who Katie was playing with in the kiddie pool) and long story short, she’s a babysitter and lives in the neighborhood! WOOHOO!
And the funniest thing of the day? While I was at the kiddie pool talking to the girl, Tom came over to tell me what Owen had just said. Tom said they had a race across the length of the pool and of course Tom won, but when Owen finished, Tom asked if he was tired or if he wanted to go talk to me. Owen’s response? NO! I’M PUMPED UP! LET’S GO! 🙂
A new bubble machine!
Gramma Jean got this for the kids to use when we were in Michigan but we never had time for it…so it came home with us. We finally got it out today (the kids were driving me crazy so we had to get out of the house)! And of course they loved it!
She loves climbing up in the chairs.
Our last night at Gramma and Grandpa’s house
After the group photo, he commandeered the tripod to use as a cannon…and then actually as a tripod and was pretending to take pictures.
Sitting by the fire!
Not a bad spur of the moment family picture!
Making s’mores!
Eating s’mores—or in Katie’s case, eating the chocolate bar off the graham cracker.
Kaliseum, Day 2
Since we had the time, Tom took the kids back to Kalkaska to the Kaliseum for another day of swimming with Uncle Rob and Grandma Marsha! (I stayed back and went to a Parade of Gardens and lunch with my mom!)
This is how she’d navigate the water when it was too deep for her.
Heading up for the waterslide! He hadn’t wanted to go on it the last time, but then was sad he didn’t do it…so he was excited to go back so he could try again.
Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, and he came back down within a minute (the time stamps on both photos are 1:06pm). Oh well.
Fire, Fireworks & Stones, Part 2
I got some of mom’s pictures of the day, but not until after I’d already posted…so I’m just putting her pictures in their own post!
Fire, Fireworks & Stones
Gramma Jean wanted to try out her new fire pit…so we all headed outside. The kids loved running around and of course Owen had to get out his new water gun. 🙂
Uncle Rob was nice enough to go in and fill up the water gun…but surprised Owen by shooting him! It’s blurry but I love Owen’s body!
She stayed pretty far from the fire once daddy yelled at her for getting too close. 🙂
Watering Gramma’s flowers.
Smoke bombs! They certainly didn’t last as long as I remembered them to…
Katie liked the pooping dog—except for the popping and crackling at the end.
In addition to Katie’s first fireworks (MUCH earlier than Owen’s first fireworks!), she also got her first sparkler. She was okay with it…but not thrilled.
And then we all went out to the front yard looking for Petoskey stones in the landscaping.
Elmo with Grauntie Marge
Guys Gone Shootin’
I forgot to post this on the 15th.
David, Tom, Rob, and Papa went shooting today before Katie’s party. Tom wanted to test out his new gun, David is always game to go, Rob was eager to join, and my dad thought it sounded good, too! I wasn’t going so I made sure Tom took a few pictures! 🙂
Tom’s target:
DQ Kids
Meeting Papa and Grannie at DQ…
Teaching Katie about mirrors.
Katie had just gotten up from her nap and was cuddling with Grannie Lin while Gramma Jean curled her hair. She was very intrigued by the mirror—especially when she realized she could see Papa and Owen behind her if the mirror was put in a certain place.
Papa + the iPad, matching outfits, a ball, and Star Wars
Owen showing Papa ABCMouse on the iPad.
The boys in matching outfits courtesy of Grannie Lin. 🙂
Kicking the ball around.
Showing Papa his Lego Star Wars book. Owen saw me with the camera and immediately gave me a good smile. I love that he’s somewhat trained. 🙂
Then we had to have Papa look up for a good picture, too!
Outside with Grannie Lin
Matching Girls
Grannie Lin showed up in the same basic outfit as Katie—so of course we had to get a picture!
Trying to get her cute new outfit
It took awhile to get her to sit pretty so I could get a picture of her cute new bumblebee outfit from Gramma Jean.
Hair, Story, Pouting, and Sewing
Gramma was reading a Finding Nemo book and Katie kept saying “Nemo!” and “Just keep swimming!” You think we’ve watched that movie a few times?
