Oh, Sammy!

I had all last week to look forward to our weekend with Sam, Jenn, and Sammy.  They hadn't been here since Mothers Day weekend.  Finally, between 9:30 and 10:00 pm Friday evening, they drove in.  Sammy had been sleeping and was a bit stunned at being awakened.

But in true Sammy style, he warmed up and hammed it up in no time!

Sam and Jenn went out for an hour or so.  Sammy is going through a bit of an attachment phase, but he did okay.  It just pulled on my heart when he crawled out to the kitchen searching for them.  It didn't take him too long till he was sleepy again.  What a precious lamb.

Next morning - what's for breakfast, Grandma?

Sam thought he should have a tub like this at their house to use as a playpen in the mornings when he's trying to get ready for work!  (Jenn leaves a couple of hours earlier.)

Saturday afternoon we went to the Mommy Shoppe at our Houserville church and found some cute clothes for Sammy.  (I also enjoyed showing him off to all my friends there.)  We all took naps in the afternoon, then headed out to the Centre County Grange Fair.  

Ever since we live up here we have heard so much about the Grange Fair, but have never been there.  Nothing anyone ever said could have prepared us for how huge an event it is and how many people were there.  I wish I had gotten a picture when we drove in at the top of the hill and got our first sight of all the tents and RV's, the rides, the food vendors, the cars, the people.  It lasts all this next week.  Maybe we'll go back.  We had such a FUN evening.  Jenn and Sam are already talking about coming back for it next year. 

Two of the sweetest faces.  I love them both so much.

The Sam and Sammy duo!  What a great team they make!

His shirt says it all.

Total delight!

A very small view of the tent city at the fair.

My friend Sally from Houserville House of Hope made this quilt and won Best of Show award.  I was told this morning that she wins it every year!!  I've known her for an entire year and had no idea what an artist she is. 

We also looked at the animals.  Sam and Dick enjoyed watching a tractor pull while Jenn and I watched some of the Grange Fair Idol contest.  By the time we left I was one tired grandma!  

This morning when we left for church, they were giving Sammy his bath.  He was NOT in the mood for it!  He has learned some "drama king" behaviors that just crack me up!  "Can somebody get me out of here, PLEASE????"

I guess sitting outside in his diaper was much more to his liking, hahaha!!

"Oh, Grandma, is that you and your camera again??"

Anthony, Lori, and  Austin joined us for lunch.  Looks like Sammy was hiding behind the tablecloth.

By the time Sam and Jenn left this afternoon, Sammy was more than ready for a nap.  There was no cooperating for another picture!  (Yes, he actually DOES cry!)

Austin stayed here for his nap while Anthony and Lori went home to get some work done.   She starts back in the classroom at Penn State tomorrow and will have 120 students this semester.  I cannot imagine.  

Later they came back and hung out here for a couple of hours while it rained outside.  Of all things, the only picture I took was this - Lori giving Austin airplane rides in his undies!  Look at his long legs!  No wonder he's starting to look so tall.

We had hoped to go to the airport park so he could ride his new two-wheeler.  But the rain squashed those plans.

Destiny spent her weekend at Frank and Lauren's.  He sent me this picture today of his two daughters.  I love it!

Fun Sunday

We had a very fun, very short time with Destiny here Saturday evening to Monday morning.  I wish I had taken a picture of her Sunday morning at church - so beautiful.  Her friend Cassie from Houserville came home with us after church for lunch. Then we went back to Houserville for a "building storm windows / ice cream party".

The weather was unusually cool on Sunday and we had an afternoon downpour, but then the sun came out and it got warmer for a bit.  In the evening we went to the airport playground with Anthony, Lori, and Austin.  Our friends from Fillmore, Peg and Bill, showed up with their little Chiweenie (cross between Chihuahua and Dachshund).  At one point they let him run and it was hilarious!!!  He was so little and so fast.

Yesterday I took Destiny home to Reading.  She loves to watch where we're going on Googlemaps on my phone.  She also entertained me by reading books to me that I used to read to her!  

She's started cheer leading now and has practice every week day.  She showed me some of her cheers - just adorable!  I hope we can sometime go to a game and watch her with her squad.  Next week she starts middle school and is so eager and excited.  Where has the time gone?

And speaking of school - yesterday was Sophie's first day of school for the year, now in second grade, and her first experience of riding a school bus!  Another excited girl!  And again, where has the time gone??

Church picnic; introducing baby Jada

I really need to do a post before I go to bed tonight.  I have so many great pictures.  The first one is another amazing sky shot, taken Wednesday evening when we walked out the church door after praise team practice.  

On Thursday evening Houserville House of Hope had its annual community picnic.  The weather was PERFECT after the previous two evenings of rain.   

Look who came for the bouncy house!

Sam and Jenn were planning to come up this weekend - something I have been EAGERLY anticipating. Friday morning Frank's Lauren went into labor and I was wondering how this would all go down.  But I told the Lord to work it out for me.  Later Friday morning, Sam called and wondered if I would be terribly disappointed if they come next weekend instead since Jenn gets off early next Friday.  I told him that would actually be perfect.  

Frank and Lauren's little girl Jada was born Friday afternoon.  So this morning I drove to Reading to pick up Destiny.  It was a perfectly BEAUTIFUL morning for driving, along with some anointed worship CD's I hadn't listened to for a while.  And I promise I stayed with the speed limit! (Although I have noticed that the more I sense the Lord's presence the faster I want to drive, hahaha!) 

I got to Destiny's place around 11 and we headed to the hospital in Pottsville, about an hour away.  

Introducing beautiful little Jada!

Frank and his girls!  Doesn't seem long at all since Destiny was that little - almost 12 years ago!

I brought Destiny along home with me after our visit.  Just as we neared our place we spotted this hot air balloon.  

And now I still have next weekend with Sammy to look forward to!

Pictures from the past two weeks

Here are some pics from the past two weeks. First some sky shots.  On Monday, during my early morning walk, I took the first two.

Last week one morning I took this pic from my dining room window .  I loved that pink streak!

We had an amazing rainbow this past weekend, but I somehow missed it.  It rained like crazy, then the sun suddenly came out.  I said to Dick, "There HAS to be a rainbow out there!"  I looked out windows on every side of our house, but saw nothing.  Just a few minutes later I started seeing pictures on Facebook.  Here's the cool one Anthony posted.

We've  had some wonderfully non-humid, just-right temps the past two weeks.  As I sat here one morning with the window open, there was such an awesome breeze blowing the curtain - sometimes right over top of my head!

I decided that this month we MUST knuckle down on our grocery budget.  I looked in my freezer to see what's there and saw a venison roast that Dick's brother Steve had given us for the purpose of making jerky.  I decided that will probably never happen, so on Sunday morning I did an old-fashioned thing that I haven't done in years - I put a pot of roast, potatoes, and carrots in the oven at 275 degrees for five hours.  Ahhhh!  That awesome smell when we came home from church!!  The meat was so tender, just falling apart and seasoned perfectly.  I promise you venison haters - it tasted exactly like a beef roast!

Dick and I enjoyed it all by ourselves for lunch, then Anthony, Lori, and Austin came over later to enjoy it with us.  We also took another trip to our favorite playground and then went to the creamery for some ice cream.  A perfect Sunday.

And what would a blog post be without one of my "duh" moments?  I needed to dig out my wax removing ear drops recently.  Afterward I put them in the same place that I keep the rewetting drops for my eyes.  BIG MISTAKE!!  

Thankfully, the ear drops come out V-E-R-Y slowly, giving me time to think,  "What is wrong with this thing?"  Just the tip of the bottle got against my eye and that was enough of a sting.  Whew!!  That was close.  Those ear drops (which expired in '09!!) are safely back in their own spot again!