Nina's Grandchildren

Are You Missing Posts?

2011-09-16T06:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends, Many are still checking this URL for updates on my grandchildren; you will not find them here. Grampa has insisted, for security reasons, the blog become private. If you would like access to the continuing blog, please email me at burlingtongal@aol.com for access. Don't miss the fun stories of Karin's and Greg's children!

One Impressive Kid!

2011-08-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

I am making an exception on my security block-out to publish this post on this unsecure blog so that all my Facebook friends can read it. It will be removed by August 12. If you would like access to the secure blog, please write to me at burlingtongal@aol.com for access. Enjoy!!!

Kevin attended Sunday School at the Children's School while I was blessed with a phenomenal Morning Worship experience. He was playing on the playground when I arrived for him.

On the way home, we saw some art students working on Chautauqua scenes. As we watched the first one, his canvases blew over in the wind and his palette blew upside down. ugh! This smart girl had hers anchored with a heavy backpack. Her sky is particularly expressive!

We passed a white birch tree. I was sure Kevin had never seen one before and pointed it out. He heard about white birch at the Iroquois Indian village a couple of weeks ago. The Indians used white birch bark which they peeled off the trees to start their fires because it never is too wet to burn.

He asked on the way back to our condo if we could cut some Queen Anne's Lace so that he could make an arrangement. He has such a natural flare! I could not have done as well.

We snuggled on the sofa watching the movie "Fly Away Home" this afternoon. It is the true story of a young Canadian girl who rescued 16 Canada Goose eggs, hatched them, and raised the birds who viewed her as their mother. The mother must lead the chicks south for the winter. Her inventor father helped her to be successful. As the babies were pecking their way out of their eggs and they had wet, sticky feathers, Kevin said, "The baby geese have sticky feathers like a nametag," as he pulled his Sunday School nametag off his shirt.

At 4:00, there was to be an "Opera Surprise Box" for children. We arrived along with about 20 other children plus parents, but the instructor never came. So disappointing! The kids found a piano and were playing their well-learned pieces. In a little while, I heard Kevin's "CDE" piece!
Our next venue was an organ tour at 5:00. We went to Bestor Plaza to pass the hour and maybe have ice cream. BTW, Kevin is doing just fine getting around on his bike! He is pointing at the fountain asking if he can go play.

He wasn't even interested in ice cream, so I got some for myself, then found him at the fountain. Since he had no coins to throw in, he was harvesting them from the fountain for himself and another boy to throw back in. It was fairly hysterical!

While Kevin was head first into the pool, a photographer from "The Daily Chautauquan" came along and snapped several pictures of Kevin without him being aware. I hope one will be published!!!! Either way, I will have to go to the office to purchase at least one shot!

The other boy's mother was bemoaning she had no camera. So I emailed a couple shots to her from my iPhone.
Next was the organ tour -- of the largest outdoor organ in the world with 5460 pipes!!! These are the only visible pipes seen by an audience, and the trumpet-style "pipes" at the top are decoration; they are not pipes at all.

The organ was a gift of the Massey Family of Toronto. It would cost many millions of dollars to replicate the organ today!

An organ builder whose company keeps the organ in tune and in repair was the leader. During his talk, Kevin asked how they "tune the bottom of the organ?" The man was impressed with his question and explained about the bottom notes and that the very lowest note cannot be heard by human ears; we only hear the harmonic of the note. Then the man said to Kevin, "I am going to let you play the pipe with the lowest note when we go downstairs to see the pipes."
Here are some of the pipes we saw on the tour:

The organ is even computerized!

Then we came to the largest pipes with the deepest tones. They sit horizontally as they are so long.

And Kevin had his chance to press the button playing the lowest note which rattles the rafters in the back of the Amphitheater.

The last portion of our tour was of the console to the organ. I pointed out to Kevin that it has FOUR keyboards PLUS the pedals which are a keyboard played by feet!

When question time came during this portion, Kevin asked to hear the middle pipe (of the ones which were in front of us). As the talk progressed, and he talked about what "pulling all the stops" means, the man chose Kevin AGAIN to come up to the organ bench!!!! WHAT???!!!! How does HE get to do that when Grandma will NEVER touch that organ!!!! He placed Kevin's fingers on three notes

and told him the exact moment to play those three notes.

All of us jumped out of our skin, it was SOOOO LOUD!!!!! When Kevin turned around and got off the bench, his face was pale and drawn! :-0 None of us had any idea that what happened was going to happen!!!!
Before the tour was over, there was another question session. This time, Kevin asked, "Do the pipes have to be gold?" The answer is no, and he told us about another organ on campus which has pipes with decorative pictures painted on them. We will have to visit!

As we left the tour, an elderly gentleman said to me, "I wish my students had been like him!" Kevin obviously was very interested in the tour and did come up with some amazing, thoughtful questions!

CHANGE IS HERE!!!

2011-07-31T11:38:00.001-07:00

Due to privacy and security concerns, I need to move my blog of grandchildren to another address which can be accessed only by requesting permission. Please write to me at burlingtongal@aol.com to receive access to the new blog address. Thanks!!!!

VBS Redux

2011-07-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

A friend mailed photos to me that were taken of Kevin at VBS earlier this summer.

Holding a craft.

A Niagara Day

2011-07-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

I needed to go to Niagara Falls, NY, today to mail Gabe's birthday presents. He will be TWO August 6! Kevin was not thrilled with the expectation of a trip in the car. Of course, I brought along activity books to keep him busy, though his most favorite thing in the car right now is listening to the CD of "My Fair Lady" music -- particularly song #3 -- "All I want is a room somewhere..." He has it memorized!

Kevin was hungry, so we stopped at a Tim Horton's for a coffee for Grandma and a treat for him. I asked what sprinkle donuts they have. Canadian maple leaf sprinkles!

Last Sunday, I promised Kevin we would return to Niagara-on-the-Lake and told him that is what we are doing today. He was not happy... He didn't want to ride anymore. Because of the high volume of border crossings today, we had to use the less-used Niagara Falls Rainbow Bridge. I told him we were going to travel along the Niagara River. Before we were there, he began complaining saying, "I'm bored." We saw the Falls coming and going over that bridge, then turned away from the Falls. He began to be interested in the gorge saying, "I've never seen a canyon before!" He wanted to stop, but I told him we had to wait for a place to pull off. The first place we came to was the Whirlpool where there is an aerial ride across the whirlpool area.

He wanted to ride the Aero Car, but I had to explain it was a long wait and we would spend our whole afternoon there. He couldn't comprehend there was yet a lot more to see along the river.

Our next stop was a museum/gift shop. Here we found a woodworking artist! Kevin could have spent the whole afternoon watching the man who was very patient with Kevin.

Kevin didn't beg for any of the carver's pieces, but he certainly would have liked one! Yet I couldn't imagine his Mommy wanting to decorate his room with an Indian wall-hanging or animal statue.

From this stop was a nice view of the river gorge back to the whirlpool area.

Next was a power plant. You could take a tour, but we just looked at it with Grandma feebly trying to explain electricity was produced from the water power and spread throughout Ontario and New York State and beyond.

Beyond the power plant is the Floral Clock.

Kevin was motor mouth! Here he is asking, "How deep is the water? Do the fish go potty in the water? What does it look like? How do they clean it out?"

The questions were endless!!!!
How do the lily pads grow?
How do they get the money out?
How do they get up there?
How do they plant the flowers?
How do they cut the grass?
What is a weed eater?
Is this all there is to the clock?
Why don't they have a second clock? A smaller one?
Why do they grow grass instead of flowers? (around the back of the clock)
Look at all the weeds! We need to go in and pull them out.
Is there a clock bigger than this one?
He had already asked a hundred questions before I started writing them down!!!! He had ME in hysterics! LOL

Next stop: Brock's Monument.

General Brock led the British troops against the invading Americans at Queenston in the War of 1812. As we approached this soldier, I announced, "We are Americans! Are you going to shoot us?"

The 185 foot monument has 235 steps in a tight corkscrew to the top. We didn't check how many steps there were before starting, so we had no way of knowing how close we were getting to the top. But we counted them on our way down.

A view from the top of the river flowing into Lake Ontario.

Another view from the top.

Kevin at the top. At the bottom of the photo, you can get a bit of an idea of how tight and narrow the steps are.

Back on the ground, another soldier told Kevin that mulberries are tasty to eat. We have a tree in our backyard, but we have never tried them, though the wildlife loves them! He helped Kevin pick some berries.

A major reason for returning to Niagara-On-The-Lake was to go through the Trish Romance Gallery. We arrived in town at 5:30. It closed at 5:00! But the fountain across the street never closes and it was full of kids. Kevin changed into his bathing suit and had a blast.

When he had had enough of swimming, he went to the playground nearby.

Then it was time to go home, yet he insisted he was not hungry. We arrived home at 7:11 and went to the club for fish and chips. He LOVED it, but insisted the fries were fries, not chips!
He declared this to be the best day yet!!! And he started out the day by saying he was bored... Life is NEVER boring with Grandma!!! ;-)

A Day with Aliyah

2011-07-28T22:33:00.000-07:00

Aliyah returned yesterday after being away for several days, and she is going away again next week. So today, they played together most of the day. They watched movies at her house this morning. They had a picnic lunch together in the backyard. We took her with us to a conservation area nearby which has an Iroquoian village.

After visiting the Seneca Indian Museum (the Senecas were part of the Iroquois Nation) a couple of weeks ago, we have read some books about the Iroquois, so this was a treat to see a village and have some of Kevin's questions answered which I could not answer. From the books, we did not know how they entered their village through the palisades fence. They developed a maze! You entered the village in single file, thus a band of enemies could not rush into the village easily.

Through excavation, we know that a village with longhouses stood in the exact positions where they have reconstructed this village.

The guide demonstrated how to light a fire without a match. Aliyah's Dad is a naturalist, so she already knew many things about surviving without the conveniences we have today.

Aliyah declared she learned much from this experience! Kevin and I did too!

The guide did not know the real name of this weed, but said it smells and tastes like pineapple. The kids had to try it! A bouquet of it came home with Kevin.

We found a cute butterfly mood ring in the gift shop for Aliyah, but could find nothing worthwhile for Kevin. He insisted he wanted a mood ring too, but I insisted they were for girls. I told him I had his Mommy Karin's mood ring at home, and he could have that one.

We arrived home in time for Kevin's swim lesson. He did back floating today

as well as practicing the crawl stroke, AND he began learning to dive!

Today was the first day his hands entered the water before the rest of his body!!!

Once home, he and Aliyah continued to play until bedtime -- mainly riding their bike and scooter.

Summer Reading Completed!

2011-07-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

This morning we took Guinness for his much-needed walk to doggie park. Kevin rode his bike, drew a picture of Mommy Karin in the soft soil of the baseball diamond,

went into his tree "den" where he found another exoskeleton of a cicada, not a locust... as MLE pointed out to me! :) (can be seen in front of his forehead)

and climbed his favorite tree.

We returned some materials to the library and turned in another list of books read for the summer reading program. He has now read enough to count for having completed their program! He was given a fish on which to write his name and tape to the window. YAY, Kevin!!!

In recent days, Kevin mentioned that he likes Wendy's, mainly because of their milkshakes. So we went to Wendy's for lunch. Do all boys do this, or only ones with Monkey for a middle name??

Besides, Wendy's is on the way to the Botanical Gardens where he will be in an art day camp next week. I wanted him to see what the Gardens are like so that he will look forward to it. He was very impressed, and I was too. There have been a lot of improvements since I was there last. He had fun chasing the Canada Geese!

Tonight is our skating night, plus Melanie came with us again! There was some "snow" outside the arena, so Kevin did some summer snow sliding.

Melanie was delighted with his improved skating ability! He skated around the big rink, not at the end where beginners practice, most of the evening! He is doing very well, though an adult still needs to hold a hand around the rink for his safety with so many fast skaters there.
Grampa called while we were on our way home wanting a peach Blizzard from DQ. Kevin was in tears that Melanie couldn't go to DQ with us. He couldn't understand -- if she went, and we took her home again, Grampa's Blizzard would be mush by the time he got it. But they did not have peach. So we bought two Hawaiians -- for Kevin and Grampa, forgetting that Grampa does not like coconut. Oh, well...

Piano and Pool

2011-07-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

For lunch, we went back to the mall for another crepe. They are just too yummy!

Today was Kevin's third piano lesson. I wanted him to practice a bit before his lesson. Bad idea! He was already cooked by the time he arrived at his lesson. Oh, well... He did OK, but his attention span was not great.

We brought a photo of him playing his one piece on a keyboard at the Club last week while the jazz musicians took their break and invited him to play. His teacher added it to her album of student photos.

After working hours, Melanie's family went swimming and invited us to join them. I intended to get in the pool too, but the 90 degree weather has passed, and the water was just too cold for me!

Melanie pointed out to me that Kevin pronounces her name "Men-a-lie"!!! Cute!

THE Helper!

2011-07-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

Grampa had told him to never go in front of the bushes of our yard, though he has permission to roam the driveway and backyard.

After the recycle truck came today, I saw a blond head at the street. By the time I opened the front door, Kevin was coming up the steps with our recycle bins. It WAS him at the street!!! I didn’t reprimand him at that moment, but thanked him, thinking he was done.

Then I realized he was missing! I checked the back. Other doggie parents from our condo townhomes were there and told me he was bringing in everyone’s recycle bins! :-0 I ran to the front; couldn’t find him; ran to the back; one of the dog parents said he had sent him home. When I found Kevin, I instructed him to compare the number on each bin with the number on the townhouse, and sent him off to do that. He said they were all right.

Oh, my.... the neighbors got a real hoot out of Kevin's willingness to help! One asked if Kevin could carry their garbage TO the street every Sunday evening and begin a lucrative business! Another wrote, "A very personable young man." That he is!

He even hosed out our bins when he returned them to the garage! And he said he helped someone else wash out their bins too, because "they were stinky."

Shortly after seeing my grandson at the street, I had Guinny in the sideyard with us without his leash. I turned my back to him for no more than two seconds, and he was GONE! I heard cars beeping their horns on the street and ran! Yep! Guinny was at the side of our busy road! The poor dog is not getting his daily exercise with Kevin here. Instead of five big walks per week, he is getting only one. Apparently, he is trying to take himself for a walk!

I am still giving Kevin the cough syrup per instructions. He does not like the taste of it, but it very good about taking it anyway. He has to have a large glass of water in one hand and the medicine cup in the other to take it. Today, he reminded me of Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz" saying, "There's no place like home." With the same vocal inflection, he repeated, "Smells like Gatorade. Smells like Gatorade," trying to convince himself it would be OK before drinking it.

We pulled my hula hoop out of the garage. I can still do it!!! And he had fun trying.

We went swimming at the pool which he says has a shorter distance for their swim test. He almost failed it because he did a dog paddle with his arms instead of doing a crawl stroke. The lifeguard was kind and gave him a second chance. If he would do half the distance again using the crawl stroke, she would pass him, and he did.

Having fun in the shallow end.

Kevin was in a bit of a strange mood today. He refused to concentrate on practicing piano. At lunch, he disobeyed Grampa when reprimanded for playing with his fork) and then again at dinner for trying to push his fork through a woven hole in his placemat. But he did eat THREE helpings of mac & cheese with cauliflower!!! My recipe which makes wonderfully rich mac & cheese is done in a slow cooker.

After dinner fun:

Some of our trees have developed branches which hang low enough to hit our heads. Kevin was a wonderful assistant as I pruned them.

We played ball again tonight. He is really enjoying playing and is doing quite well at pitching, I think!

My Fair Lady, Indians, and Removing Pastels from Garments

2011-07-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

Grampa noticed a lump in Kevin's bed, but no Kevin.

When the lump was disclosed, Kevin was found -- found watching Pink Panther on Netflix on his iPhone (inherited from his Mommy Karin but no phone service).

We went to Niagara-on-the-Lake for lunch and to see "My Fair Lady" at the Shaw Festival. As we walked in, Kevin saw the beautiful gardens outside and wanted to know if he could go outside. I told him, "Yes, at intermission."

First, he headed for the shallow, clear pond with rocks covering the bottom. He picked up a rock and threw it across the pond! ARRGGGHHH! I told him not to; he threw another! A man nearby said, "He is doing what I want to do." We headed for the gardens and found hidden paths AND Grampa! We also found waterlilies. Kevin is pointing out the blooms hidden under the leaves.

Kevin loved the play, but he was more fidgety than at "Camelot," probably because of the seats. We were third row balcony, but he could not see over the high backs of the seat in front of him, so sat on our laps alternately. He was the first to note we could see the harpist from our vantage point, and we heard the harp often through the production.

I have been talking to Kevin about Trish Romance and her paintings and about her gallery in this town. As we drove into the village, he saw the cute main street and he wanted to walk the street. We said, "Later." After the play, Grampa was eager to get home. He cried that he could not walk the street, see the gallery, AND splash in a fountain where he saw other kids. I had to promise to bring him back.

As a result of stopping at the National Indian Museum a couple of weeks ago, we borrowed books on the Iroquois from the library and read them as we traveled today. We both learned a lot!

Kevin played with the hose and little pool once we were home.
The heat wave temps have dropped 15 degrees, so we had our dinner outside.

We read the first part of Longfellow's "Hiawatha" poem before bed. In spite of the wonderful native rhythm, Kevin insisted it was not a poem, because it does not rhyme.

Tonight I washed dark colors -- mainly Kevin's and Grant's things. Oops! The hot pink from the pastel pallette on Thursday came home in Kevin's pants' pocket. I told him to take it back on Friday. He forgot. I forgot. It went through the wash fine, but fell out of the pocket in the dryer and created quite a modern art scene on perfectly good clothes including a $300 pair of Grampa's jeans! I used Fantastic to get it off the interior of the dryer, and it worked great. So I tried it on the clothing. It worked fairly well. I spent at least two hours scrubbing all the spots with Fantastic, then sprayed them with Spray N Wash, let it soak in, then rewashed. It worked! Almost every trace of hot pink is gone!

Living with the Heat

2011-07-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

We went out with Grampa for a pastry this morning at a shop beside the tourist office. Kevin found lots of brochures of things he would like to see and do here. I learned about some cool things for us too.

On the way home, we went grocery shopping. I asked the pharmacist about Kevin's congested cough which began earlier this week. There are no other symptoms, but the cough does not sound good except it is loose. She recommended a cough expectorant. Hope it helps!

We had not watered the garden this morning, so had to do it in the heat of the day. Kevin always has fun with water.

Such a pretty day with a cute blond head against the deep blue sky.

We wanted to find something to do with Grampa indoors (away from the heat) and settled on going to see "Cars2."

Kevin enjoyed it, which I think is amazing. It was over Grandma's head. Actually, I had a nap! ha! Too much espionage and James Bond silliness. I thought Grant might have liked it because of all the adult humor and craziness, but he was not fond of it either. Not sure why kids would be attracted to it. It is nothing like the first one which was a fun kids' movie.

After dinner, Kevin and I practiced batting and catching balls. For never having done it before, he is picking up on it quite well! After a bath, we did some reading, and he now has three more books to turn in on his Summer Reading report.

Art Portfolio and Swim with Friends!!!!!

2011-07-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

We watered the flowers this morning. A daily ritual for this wonderful, hot summer!

This was the last day of art class. The kids took home a portfolio of their week's work showing the many mediums used to create their masterpieces. Here are some of my favorites from those which came home today:

On the right is the template Kevin created to paint the paw prints on the left side of the page.

They experimented with pastels! The yellow creature is a kangaroo throwing something under the cave. The brown "path" is a hole, and, if you look closely, you can see a bird about midway in the hole.

Isn't this a lovely stained glass butterfly??!!

A 3-D paper creation made from the black paper pieces cut out of the stained glass window page.

We went swimming at the end of a long, hot day. The daily test is to swim from one rope to another and back again without touching bottom. He completed three-quarters of the distance, then stopped and cried saying he was too tired to finish. The lifeguard today was very forgiving and offered to let him start at the second rope and do the last lap again. He said he couldn't. He was too "ti-red." So that meant Grandma was to stay within arm's length of him. Both the new splash park and the waterslide were closed today. I think for lack of lifeguards. So, I sat on the edge of the pool near the diving board and he took repeated turns jumping off. Two young teen girls were also jumping off -- one a very good diver! He started chatting with them at the ladder and ended up "playing" with them the rest of our time there. They were kind and picked him up and threw him into the water repeatedly. I wondered if I should get their names for babysitting!

I mentioned to the girls that we were going to go to a movie after dinner and thinking about "Cars2" or "Mr. Popper's Penguins." They liked "Mr. Popper's Penguins" and told me "Winnie the Pooh" is also out. We chose "Mr. Popper's Penguins" and enjoyed it! It is a movie Brandy must see as she loves and collects penguins!

We finished the night with a stop at Dairy Queen!

BTW, about a week ago, Kevin asked to help me with the blog. So he gets to edit each post and publish them.

Fame is on its Way

2011-07-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

Kevin awoke at 8am, and the landscapers had already come and gone! They obviously were trying to finish their work before the excessive heat of the day (It was 100 today!). Kevin sobbed to learn he had missed them. He is so very eager to help!!! Another gift of his!

While eating breakfast, Kevin said, "It's a good thing salt and pepper is not rain. Or if it was, then everybody would be going Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"

Kevin has learned quite a bit about yoga in his Montessori school. I suggested that we do my yoga video together this morning. I wasn't sure if he could/would follow a 20 minute program or not. He stuck with it and did very well!!! At one point, he told me I wasn't doing the push-up pose correctly! Of course, there are many moves his lithe body can do which mine cannot. I marvel at his cobbler pose. At the end, he showed me poses he knows which were not used in my video, including his most special accomplished pose --

He told me the reason we both had trouble with tree pose is because we were standing on plush carpeting. He said if we were on a flat carpet, it would be easier. I am sure he is right!

It is to be 100 degrees today! WOW! Love it! But the flowers don't unless they have lots of water, so we soaked the garden and he filled the swimming pool. It was much too glorious to come inside for lunch, so he had PB&J poolside. It is quite humid today, which "messed" up my camera, yet produced a great impressionistic photo!

These were taken with another camera.

Once when I looked out at him playing in the little pool, I saw what I thought was him drinking water out of his hand. I reprimanded him again for drinking pool water or any water out of a hose! He said he wasn't drinking water; he was kissing a roly poly!!!!! EEEEWWWWWW

The clay creations from art class were ready to come home today!

From top left, Kevin's has a cave, a flower, a snake, and a beaver. Note the detail on the beaver! Sadly, when he carried it to show Grampa, he dropped it, chipping an edge and breaking off the snake's forked tongue, which was very impressive, and denting the hard(?)wood floor. These pictures were taken post-accident.

Swim lesson this afternoon. His teacher told me he has the best breathing for his age of any student she has ever had!

We went to the Club for dinner tonight. They were having a jazz night, but we were sitting around the corner from the musicians. Kevin got up repeatedly to watch them. The guitarist came closer for Kevin's benefit!

When they took a break, he asked Kevin if he would like to play the keyboard! So he sat down and played his one song he has memorized from his piano lessons!!! Perfectly!!! His FIRST performance!!!! With no obvious nervousness and little shyness!

Kevin is the #1 Zamboni Kid!

2011-07-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

Kevin awoke early -- 8am. Before it became hot, we took Guinny to doggie park with Kevin riding his bike. Some of Guinny's friends were there including one we haven't seen in a while -- Roxy, a deaf dog with a deaf master -- Robyn. I reminded Kevin of some sign language he already knows -- play, and I-love-you. She taught us the short form for I love you and how to sign sit and walk.

Grandma took Kevin to his art class today, then had an appointment plus errands to run the rest of the afternoon. Grampa picked up Kevin from class and babysat. He brought home his canvas painting today.

The "W" and "E" in the center stands for West and East. The letters are sitting on top of a gazebo (like where Daddy and Mommy Kinga got married) with benches on either side and bushes all around. A tree with 3D leaves hangs over the gazebo.

Grampa and Kevin ordered pizza for our dinner.

Wednesday is our skating day -- his fourth time to ice skate. It is in the high 90s today. Seemed very weird to put on warm clothing, coat, and gloves, and go skating. But it was a great way to cool off too! Every week, Kevin shows significant improvement. He went each way across the width of the rink with a cage, then took off on his own. He is doing great! He now knows to not "walk," but push and glide, push and glide. We are working on bending the knees more consistently. Balance is coming.

Our friend Terry worked with him a bit -- showed him how to skate backwards and instructed him to skate in and out around the cones. Another young friend, Paul, who works at the arena, took Kevin around the big rink several times. Here they are doing a thumbs-up!

At the end of our skate, the Zamboni comes out to refresh the ice. Kevin stayed to watch last week, waved at the driver, and the driver came close enough for a high-5! This week, when he was finished, the operator drove the Zamboni TO Kevin and asked if he wanted a ride!!!! :-0 Not only did he ride, Kevin steered the machine!!!! Grandma's life-long dream is to drive a Zamboni, and Kevin beat me to it!!!!

We had to find Paul and tell him! He told Kevin, "You are a VERY lucky boy! Not many boys ever have the chance to ride on a Zamboni!"

I saw some men playing hockey on another rink as we were leaving and asked Kevin if he would like to watch for a few minutes. He found it fascinating.

While we were standing there, the Zamboni driver came to us with this certificate for Kevin!!! It's a good thing we stayed to watch hockey!!!

Some older men started parading through our standing area coming from another rink within the arena. They were pulling and/or carrying their large hockey bags and equipment. Kevin ran to the double doors for each one and held the door for them to exit. He received many "Thank you, sir,"s plus "What a thoughtful boy you are!" and one man who asked Kevin to high-5 the hockey stick in his hand!

Kevin is one AWESOME kid!!!!

Talent and Preseverance

2011-07-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

My painter came this morning to do touchups. He got a kick out of Kevin watching him ALL the time! He even babysat while I ran to the bank for cash to pay him.

We saw a 3-D bird's nest collage painting at the gallery yesterday. I took this picture because I thought it would be easy and fun for Kevin to reproduce.

At home, we tried to recreate the nest and discovered it was NOT easy! Maybe if we had had the right glue, it would have been better. Nevertheless, Kevin did it with our gooey, runny Elmer's Glue. The buttons are eggs. Can you see the bluebird?

When I picked Kevin up from his afternoon art class, his teacher told me he is a very good artist -- patient and careful about his work! He does spend a lot of time to get things exactly right. Today's project was paint on canvas. Everyone else had completed their work, but Kevin was still diligently working when I arrived.

He was eager to tour some favorite works again before going home. This room has "Cynicity" -- unique and eye-catching. Kevin is intrigued by the uniformity of the planned urban environment, as I am also. I pointed out to him the variation of color produced by the shadows. The factories are made of clay bricks and the pollution clouds are crafted from paper cores while the houses and skyscrapers are styrofoam.

This is titled "King Cow."

This afternoon was his second piano lesson. He is demonstrating his "magic circles" which help to establish good hand position on the keys.

The first 20 minutes went very well, but that was the end of his concentrated attention. Unfortunately, his teacher saves the most difficult work to the end. She lost him the last 10 min.

His teacher mentioned her interest in yoga. Kevin said he likes yoga too. She asked him to do Downward Facing Dog. Then he demonstrated the position with hands on the floor and knees balanced on elbows! She was impressed and said she could not do that!

Aliyah's Grampa played croquet tonight with his grandchildren and Kevin. It was a fun, skill-learning lesson.

Guinness stole a plastic empty mayonnaise jar from the recycle bin. Tonight, Kevin was chasing Guinny around the house trying to take it from him. A dog tooth accidentally ripped the skin on Kevin's thumb (THE thumb!) next to the nail. Ouch!!!

Art Class Begins!!

2011-07-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today is another scorcher! Also in the 90s. Kevin spent the morning watering my flowers, grass, and getting wet.

His art class at our local art gallery began this afternoon. He wore a shirt he made at his art class at home earlier this summer. And I brought some jeans from home with ripped knees in his suitcase so that we could cut them off for art shorts.

He wasn't sure how his jeans could become shorts, but he was fine with it once he tried them on! He informed me that he wants to learn to sew. Any ideas for a beginning project for a boy??

His class is receiving preliminary instructions for the clay project they will do.

This is the first creation step of his clay project! Unfortunately, the picture is not great and does not show the intricate detail etched into the clay.

Can't wait to see the final result!!!

He was VERY interested in the museum. We spent about an hour going through all the galleries examining many of the items closely. Other adults commented on how interested he is in art. And some asked him if he had painted his shirt! :)

Besides videos from the library and church, we read some books, and made sure he is prepared for his piano lesson tomorrow. He surprised me by showing me he has memorized the one song he was assigned!!! But we are having trouble memorizing the musical alphabet backwards from G to A.

96 Degrees in Canada!!!!!!

2011-07-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

Guinness sleeps with Kevin every night. Here is how I found them.

The trampoline is still set up in the foyer of the church after being there for VBS a couple of weeks ago.

One of our parishioners was making sure everyone was taking a turn and being safe.

Kevin wanted to have lunch at a breakfast place which serves plates with artistic fruit displays, so we did! At home, he watched the video, "Tangled." Grandma was able to have a Sunday afternoon nap while he finished his movie. In fact, when I awoke, he said, "Grandma, you can sleep some more. The movie isn't over."

After the movie, we returned to the pool where he failed the swim test yesterday. We found a different lifeguard to test him. No problem!

The new splash park is now open. Get a load of this huge bucket that unloads every few minutes!!!

Kevin is under the deluge though not visible.

Now look what he is doing... Loading his bucket; a girl walks along...

typical boy...

Back to the water slide

Today's lifeguard was timing the kids. Kevin did it in 7 seconds.

We had a picnic supper at the pool.
Back to the diving board before the pool closed.

Then we went to an outdoor bandshell to hear a swing concert. Kevin wasn't very interested and the lawn was full of clover blossoms, so I tried to remember how his Mommy made clover necklaces when she was little, but I was not very successful. However, he had fun picking the flowers and trying to do it.

We stopped at DQ on our way home. Here is a cute face with ice cream on the nose!

Where There's a Will, There's a Way!

2011-07-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

We took Guinny to doggie park this morning. No friends for him, but some boys were having baseball practice. Kevin enjoyed watching them! The coach told the boys they had a "super fan" watching them! (in red shirt and the far end)

There was a little toy poodle/something mix which Kevin loved hugging!

After lunch, we had a list of errands to run. First stop was at the sports shop where we bought his skating helmet. It is too tight, so we needed to have it resized. He saw a T-ball stand as we left, so he bought that with his $20 from our neighbor who gave him money his first week here. Next was Walmart where we bought Kevin a new swim suit as he is complaining his current trunks are getting tight around the waist. We also found a couple of sale shirts. Then it was time for a haircut.

The hair stylist told me Kevin was intrigued by "Tangled," so we rented it from Blockbuster on our way home.

Finally, we were ready to head for the fabulous pool we went to yesterday. As stated before, anyone 7 and under has to be tested by a lifeguard to know what level of ability each swimmer is. Kevin has always passed as the highest level with permission to be in the deep water alone, use the water slide and diving boards, etc. The lifeguard who tested him today said he touched bottom several times. I never saw it! Kevin insists he did not. It was ridiculous! He said he could not use the waterslide, but he could go off the diving board as long as I was an arm's length away. I said, "I don't swim well enough to be there;"(overstatement to make a point!) "He is a MUCH better swimmer than I." I asked for a second test in deep water so he could see what a good swimmer Kevin is. They refuse to do a second testing. After appealing to the chief lifeguard, I asked for our money back, because there was no point in staying there where I had to be an arm's length from him even in the splash park! Ridiculous! They gave me 2 free entrance coupons, and we went to another outdoor city pool for free. He passed his test, and had a great afternoon swimming while I napped! ha!

After dinner, we set up the T-ball stand, and he practiced hitting. Then we played catch for a while until we saw Mr. Whitehead watering the flowers among the boulders. Kevin ran off to be in his spray.

Apparently, we had a colorful sunset which we missed until seeing it in the reflected water!

A Summer Day

2011-07-15T22:32:00.000-07:00

Kevin slept in this morning. I checked on him around 9:30 to make sure he was breathing! It was after 10 before he awakened! He shut his bedroom door and told me not to enter. Then he made me close my eyes and led me in.

Not only had he made the bed perfectly, with his own twist on the pillows, but he reversed the comforter. It had been on the blue side and he switched it to the floral side. Note the little New Testament in the middle of the bed. That is the one we gave Karin in her Easter basket when she was 4. It is now Kevin's.

When I pulled out the little table and chair for Kevin's art center before he arrived, I thought -- this is becoming too small for him. Yesterday, he mentioned the chair was too little. He suggested he could sit on the patio hassock instead. He is still sitting in the too-small-chair eating his breakfast and watching "Pippi Longstocking."

While I was taking Guinness for a potty run, Kevin came out and screamed down the backyard stairs. He said there was a cockroach there. It was the exoskeleton of a locust! Once he knew what it was, he wanted to take a picture.

He decorated Mommy's garden statue with fresh blooms. Grampa liked that!

We practiced piano. One of his assignments is to create animal sounds -- one in a high note range and one in a low note range. Yesterday, we heard a cardinal sing and I repeated the song for him saying we could find those notes for the cardinal song. At home, I sang the tones and he found the corresponding keys on the piano. Today, he was messing around and made a trill. I said, "That sounds like a bumblebee!" So now he has his two animal sounds!

By 3:30 this afternoon, he desperately wanted to go swimming. Open swim had ended at our local pool, so we checked the recreation booklet to see what pools might be open Friday afternoon and found one -- an outdoor pool with waterslide! So off we went to find it. In this city, every child must be tested by a lifeguard each time they come to make sure they are safe for the pool. As the lifeguard began testing him, she suddenly turned to me and said, "Is this Kevin?!" as she whipped off her sunglasses revealing she is Kevin's swim instructor at the other pool!

Kevin is standing in line mid-way on the stairs.

He went down this slide a zillion times in the 2 hours we were there and only went off the diving board twice.

Kevin and Aliyah playing rock, paper, scissors, shoot.

I am behind in publishing blog posts this week as Kevin wanted to edit them before posting, so we did that just before bed. He changed a verb tense, didn't like a couple of terms because they were words unfamiliar to him, and other valuable contributions. Then as we were going up the stairs to bed, he commented about the blog noting the cute things he says. LOL BTW, he did not like my title for today's post -- "A Day in the Life..." He gave it another title!

Grant asks repeatedly why I do this. I do it for Karin! I do it for Karin's friends. I do it to create a blog book for Kevin and Kien and Gabe. It will preserve memories for them they would otherwise not have.

Busy as a Bee

2011-07-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

Before Kevin was up, I went to my Rotary meeting while Grampa babysat. I asked a pediatrician friend about Kevin's thumb which no longer hurts, and the blister is sometimes visible and sometimes not. He said we need to keep the blister from breaking and perhaps a bandaid was sufficient. He also said it would be fine for him to have his swimming lesson today -- even without a bandaid.

This morning, Kevin helped me with my gardening. We had some weeding to do and the plants needed to be feed. He has watched how I prepare the fertilizer, though I did not explain how to do it. After the first spray bottle was empty, he refilled it by himself without my knowledge! Again, he did most of the fertilizing while I did other garden chores.

One of the neighbors last night was working on getting rid of carpenter bees in the underside of her deck. Kevin was intrigued by this. She told him he could help her today after lunch. She allowed him to assist her with her project. Here are the holes made by the bees, now filled with a foam that forces them out of the wood. Kevin says he helped her wash off the scraper she used to finish off the filled holes.

I went over later to see how things were going and he was hosing off the drive behind her house, cleaning away the dead bees, larvae, and chemicals.

Kevin's swim lesson was just before dinner. She was teaching him how to make non-splashing strokes with his arms. She explained to me that he has trouble focusing after a while, so she gives him 2 minutes of free play after 10 minutes of coaching to allow him to refocus on the lesson.

Kevin saying goodnight to Grampa. Grampa thinks he is a "pretty cool little guy."

Kevin is Smarter than Grandma!

2011-07-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

Guinness has been missing out on his exercise routine of going to doggie park daily. We went this morning with Kevin riding his bike. We did not run into any friends today for Guinness, but the climbing trees are favorite friends for Kevin! I asked him if he prefers climbing a tree or a jungle gym. He didn't know which one he likes better.

Note the thumb!

There were lots of maple seeds on the ground. Kevin was playing with them, and I reminded him that they fly like helicopters, but they refused to twirl! I was confused. They are supposed to spin when you throw them. We tried thowing different ways. Finally, one spun as it fell. The next one did not. Kevin declared why! When there is a breeze, they are helicopters; without a breeze, they do not twirl. What a smart boy!

As we walked further, he saw berries and asked what kind of tree it was. I said, "It is a pine tree; it doesn't have berries," and pointed out the pinecones near the top. He insisted it had berries and showed them to me. Sure enough! There were black berries under the tree and among the pine needles! ?? I was stumped for a minute, then I noted there is a mulberry tree trunk about a foot from the pine tree trunk! A mulberry tree had grown up in the middle of the pine tree! Again, he stumped Grandma!

We don't have many lunch choices in the house, so I suggested we go to the mall for a crepe at a small counter in the middle of the mall. He chose a Hawaiian one. Watching them being made was as much fun as eating it! And he ate every crumb of the large crepe plus a couple of bites of Grandma's!

Then we began our errands: a car wash, followed by the library. He moved up one more level on the summer reading program. We found more books and videos to keep him busy. On the way to the car, he asked if he could play on the playground. We still needed to grocery shop, but Grandma was ready to drop. I said, "You may if I can have a nap!" I pulled my folding chair out of the car, sat under a tree and had a glorious nap while the boy had fun on the playground.

Tonight was our third skating night. He improves a bit each week! Tonight he finally was able to stop "walking" and would push and glide. Also he did more skating without the cage. Terry brought an old jersey of his as a player on a farm team for Kevin to wear.

At the end, I held his hand and we skated around the entire rink!
After we had our shoes back on, the Zamboni was coming out on the ice. Kevin tells that when the Zamboni driver came close to him, he stuck out his hand and they touched each other!!! Cool!

When we arrived home, neighbors were outside enjoying the great weather, and we chatted with them. One was polishing his Porsche. Kevin asked if he was putting sunscreen on it. The next I knew, he was helping to wipe the car. :-0
The neighbors all think Kevin is a scream. I am allowing him to leave my yard and roam the back property of our condo development. A couple of them told me tonight they had seen him out there alone and asked him if his grandma knew he was there. It is great to have watching, concerned neighbors!

He had a shower before bed. As he said goodnight to Grampa, he stated, "Don't mess up my hair." He is becoming quite aware of his hair, wants to comb it himself, and I showed him how to hold a hand mirror to see the back of his head.

Play and Piano

2011-07-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

Amazingly, Kevin awoke with NO pain in his thumb! I was expecting he would need another dose of Motrin. I asked him to press his two thumbs together to see if there was pain. None!

We talked to our local pharmacist for suggestions on how to bandage the thumb properly. He had more suitable products available than we could get at country drugstores in NY. However, we arrived home to discover the box of gauze strips was empty! Another trip to the store...

Aliyah is back from her stay with her other grandparents, and will be here the rest of the summer. They rode bikes together, and Aliyah came over to our house. Of course, Guinness ADORES her and snuggled up for some loving pets, and Kevin used him for a pillow.

The kids and grandmothers went to a splash park down the street. It was a hot day in the 80s, and Aliyah said the water made her too cold. LOL

Kevin is always looking for something unusual to climb. I've been through this before... with Greg! LOL

Kevin had his first piano lesson (right hand only due to left thumb!) this afternoon with an acquaintance of mine. It went pretty well. He was engaged in the lesson until towards the end when his brain was clearly on overload.

Tonight we had some baseball practice. Grampa was pitcher, Grandma was catcher, and Kevin was the batter. With his ailing thumb, he could not catch! Initially, he had all misses until he finally connected with the ball. Then he had occasional good hits. I had not worried about our windows before, but there was definite worry about windows tonight!!! He hit a few very good balls!

Curious George

2011-07-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

Mommy Kinga calls Kevin "monkey." Today, he proved himself to be a special monkey -- Curious George!

Our hotel offers a free breakfast which is better than most. Yesterday, we built our own breakfast egg/English muffin sandwich. Kevin loved it! Today, I made waffles in their waffle iron. Kevin, the ultimate manager and full of curiosity, thought they were done and reached for the waffle iron to open it, burning his thumb badly!!!! :| He did not cry, but was in quite a bit of pain. We put ice on it, and he was relatively OK. Before going back to Chautauqua, I made sure his health insurance card was in my wallet.

I had planned to hear Tony Compolo one more time this morning. By the time we were in our seats, the ice had melted, and he was miserable. We went to the clinic on campus which, of course, took considerable time. The doctor said they no longer class "minor" burns, but this one would be a second degree burn in the old terminology. There is a large blister on the top of his left thumb which is now buried in a deep coating of anti-biotic cream and gauze. The doctor also gave him a dose of Motrin and said to repeat it every 8 hours.

Feeling overwhelmed with his pain and plight, he asked to go home. He didn't want to stay in a hotel another night. I offered him a final helping of Moose Tracks before leaving, but the ice cream shop was not open yet.

For lunch, we stopped at MacDonald's and Kevin had a Rolo Blizzard along with his Happy Meal. It was too hot to leave Guinness in the car, and Kevin could not sit in the backseat to eat with Guinness next to him! So, Kevin sat in the front seat while we munched our lunch.

I cancelled our hotel for tonight, but we still went to my hometown to visit Great Aunt Janet and see where Grandma grew up. On the way, we passed Salamanca which is on an Indian reservation. I talked to him about Indians being the native peoples of North America and the white man pushed them off their land onto reservations. Then I reminded him that his step-brother's friend, Chai, is part Indian! We passed a sign announcing an Indian Museum. He wanted to go, so we did! I had been there years ago when it was mainly about the Indians of 200 or more years ago. There is still a bit of that, but today, it includes fabulous art pieces made by Indians today.

Kevin was afraid of this creature, and it took some talking for him to go close enough for a photo!

This is an interesting display about the construction of the Kinzua Dam and the destruction it caused and damage to the environment. I remember when it happened in the 1950s and some of the tales which swirled at that time.

More taxidermy animals.

We bought a puzzle of these animals as seen in the museum. We also bought an arrowhead necklace and Indian bead ring.

We visited my parents' graves. Now he has seen the graves of both his Walsh and Herne great grandparents!

This cemetery is full of my ancestors and relatives. I showed him his great X2, X3, X4, and X5 grandparents' graves!! Plus aunts and uncles and cousins.

We drove through town, and I showed him where I grew up and the relatives' houses in a row next door. We drove over Richburg Hill Road to experience a dirt road and the ultra steep road at the top of the hill! He was impressed with the beautiful hills of my home area, but he did not like the steep roads. Richburg Hill is a thrill ride! That route is the back way to get to the state road leading to Wellsville and the Texas Hots restaurant! Again, Guinny couldn't stay in the car while we ate inside, so we took our Texas Hots to a park where Guinny could be tied to a tree. Kevin loved the playground, so I had to run around with his hot dog trying to get him to take a bite once in a while.

Before we left Aunt Janet, she gave him a baseball Pez and an oil town coloring book. Something else I must teach him about: my hometown was an oil boom town over 100 years ago.

On our ride home, he took a photo of his thumb.

He is such a chatterbox; always has been. He was singing lustily, so I snapped this photo blindly as I was driving.

After we arrived home, we Skyped with Mommy and Daddy to show them his poor thumb. They sent lots of kisses and loves to make it better!!! Kevin mentioned in the call that he misses Mommy Kinga's cooking!!! Does that say something about Grandma's cooking? LOL

Chautauqua

2011-07-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

When we took Guinness on his morning constitutional, we saw a small worm the size of a single strand of yarn. Kevin stopped to look, touch. When he caught up with me, he said he had moved it off the sidewalk into the dirt around the bushes, and spread some dirt on top of him to make him comfortable.

We arrived at Chautauqua Institution with time to plan our day. We walked to Bestor Plaza where Kevin exclaimed, "I remember this!" and ran to the central fountain.

I bought the daily paper to learn all the activities of the day and discovered there is a Sunday School program for kids at the Children's School! We walked to the rec. building to find out about swim times today. There are no open swims on Sunday, which means Kevin will have to swim in the lake. He was tired from our walk (there is a LOT of walking on this campus!) and wanted to ride a shuttle.

I was used in God's plan today! A woman and young boy were already waiting at the shuttle stop. She began telling me her woes: she injured her ankle, she sings in the Chautauqua Choir and was already late for Sunday morning rehearsal, her babysitter didn't show up, and she had no one to care for her child until SS began at 10:15. You can see where this is going. Kevin and I were headed for the Children's School to play on the playground until SS began. So little Joe played with Kevin for half an hour. The mother was ecstatic and said I was an answer to prayer.

Remember -- Kevin had a bit of fame last year when playing on this spider web thing! http://ninasgrandchildren.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-week-and-famous-boy.html

Soon more kids arrived and other parents including daddies with strong arms to really make this plaything rock!

Morning Worship at Chautauqua is spine-chilling!

Tony Compolo is the Chaplain for the week and speaker this morning. I have never heard Tony before, but he sat on Karin's lap when he was at Furman 20 years ago! She and her boyfriend were sitting on the front row, and Tony plopped himself on her. He is a great speaker, but, as Grant warned me, he is a flaming liberal! ha! However, he may be the only evangelical Chaplain of the summer, so that is significant. He would flinch at being called an "evangelical" as that term, he says, now has negative connotations. He uses "red letter Christian" meaning he follows the teachings of Christ which are printed in red letters in some Bibles.

The craft Kevin's class made was David's harp! His first had a flaw in the cardboard, so he made a second.

Dogs are welcome at Chautauqua. Kevin stopped to pet a little toy poodle puppy and received some kisses. He said, "That dog's tongue felt like worms all over my face!"

While eating our lunch, Kevin found a centipede.

He created a home for him. If you enlarge this photo, you can see him on the right on the two stones.

Enjoying his strawberry shortcake!

I bought one of Tony's books and stood in line to have it autographed. Kevin walked ahead to see who this person is I was in line to see. He came back to me wondering why I wanted to wait in line when "He's just an old man!"

An excellent brass band played this afternoon.

The centipede came with us in his paper cup. An usher came over to say only water was allowed in the Amphitheater. I told her it was a centipede. She laughed.

Swimming in the lake! The leg in the air on the far right is Kevin.

Meandering through Palestine Park (a miniature replication of Palestine as it was in Christ's time).

PS The centipede was relased this afternoon beside a boulder at our hotel.

Traveling Day

2011-07-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

Grandma spent the day getting ready to leave and packing. The boy, who loves to play with water and water my plants, didn't want to water them. ??? We finally were ready to leave by late afternoon. Kevin found a climbable tree at our first stop in Niagara Falls, NY.

Our destination is a hotel in Jamestown, NY. We drove past the house (first floor apartment) in Gerry, NY, where we lived when Karin was born.

Dinner was at Bob Evan's. Kevin had his sundae all over his face!

Water and Harp

2011-07-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of VBS. Kevin is at the front looking back at me.

The program is either half day (mornings) or full day. I didn't think Kevin would want to be in the full day program, but he informed me -- the next time he comes, he wants to be in the full day camp.

He told me about their Bible story on the way home -- about Jesus going up into the air, through the clouds, to heaven. Then Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the world. I asked if they talked about seeing tongues of flame on their heads. He was unaware of that.

He brought home a very nice craft: a glass jar filled with layered colored sand or salt. He said he used salt and tasted some which gave him a stomach ache. They told him to drink a lot of water.

We decided it would be fun to go to McDonald's for lunch. Eating his french fries and nuggets.

A light sabre came in his Clone Wars Happy Meal.

We had to wait for a service man from 1-4; then they called to say he wasn't coming today. After the call, we had 40 min. before the end of open swimming, so we hurried to the pool.

On the way home, we passed a public park where I have been told they have a wading pool and splash park, so we checked it out. A wedding was about to take place in the pavillion and we heard a harp and flute, so we went over to see if we could find them.

The harp was identical to Mommy's -- a Lyon and Healy Style 85!!!
The water area was lots of fun.

This was an active play area where the kids could play with water in a series of trays, valves that turn on and off, water wheel, and more.

In fact, Grandma had a hard time convincing him it was time to go home. At home, he continued his active play until dinner. Grampa said he is going to lift the training wheels a notch (though we aren't telling Kevin...).

Dogsitter, Landscaper, and Swimmer

2011-07-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

At bedtime, I tuck Kevin into bed with Guinness lying at the bottom of his bed (thus *I* don't have to lie with him!) I close the door to keep Guinness there for the night. In the morning, Guinness knows when 7:00 is, his breakfast time! So we let him out before he awakens Kevin just before 7:00 and give him breakfast! Then, when it is time to awaken Kevin, we let Guinness back in his room and he helps to get him up! LOL

Grampa was going in the direction of church this morning and offered to drive Kevin again, giving Grandma another free morning.

I brought Guinness with me to pick him up as it was not too hot to leave him in the car for a few minutes. Kevin mentioned that they are using the cemetery behind the church for some of their outdoor activities. ??? Anyway, since he is used to visiting Mommy's grave and saw his Walsh great grandparents' graves last Sunday, I told him I would show him the grave of a dear friend of mine in that cemetery -- Kathy Percy, the wife of our former Rector at Trinity. Her grave is unique in that she does not have a usual tombstone; she has a rock with wildflower/tall grass planted around it -- very natural looking -- like Kathy. Hard to believe it has been seven years.

Kevin was very interested in knowing the dates on the stones, especially the very old ones. Most in that cemetery died in the 1800s.

Since we had Guinness, we stopped at the doggie park not too far from the church on the way home. There were three little dogs there which loved to fetch. Guinness does not seem to know he is a retriever! He does not fetch, but steals things and makes humans fetch it back from him! Kevin had fun throwing the ball for the little dogs. A couple of times, the ball went on the other side of this fence. Instead of using the gate, Kevin retrieved the ball in this manner:

When we arrived home, the landscapers were there to clean up our condo property. Of course, Kevin did not want to come in the house! He was NEEDED outside. I brought him a picnic to eat on the boulders while watching the crew. I left him outside.

When I checked on him, he was helping to weed.

The crew seemed to be enjoying his help. In fact, they suggested when they started to use the riding mower, I should take a picture of Kevin on the mower.

When the crew was finished and packing up to leave, I noted they had not cleaned up the mulberries on the driveway behind our garage. So they came back, and Kevin and I assisted them to shovel them up. Then I put Kevin on the task of washing down the driveway.

When Kevin finally came inside, I suggested that he watch "Herbie" which we had borrowed from the library. He LOVED it!!!! :) Guinness enjoyed watching it with him too.

He had his first of four weekly swim lesson late afternoon. It went very well, and they pronounced him to be in Level 4 (out of 10 levels). Not bad!

Swimming, Slip-up, and Skating

2011-07-06T21:46:00.000-07:00

This morning, Grandma had her first Rotary Board meeting as a new Director of Communications. So Grampa babysat which meant Grampa had to prepare his breakfast and drive him to VBS this morning. Breakfast consisted of -- cereal, a banana, milk, and a piece of PIE!!!! Oh, my... Apparently, after the cereal, he said he was still hungry. Then after the banana, he was STILL hungry. So what comes next? Pie, of course -- strawberry rhubarb!

At VBS, their craft today was a Spoon Critter.

Grampa keeps telling me I should find a pool and swim lessons for Kevin. He says swim lessons are more important then ice skating. Soooo... I sought out our closest city pool, we visited after VBS, learned there is open swim from 1:30-3:30 MWF, and learned about lessons. We returned after lunch at 1:30 to swim. He noted the warning Mommy Kinga has given him about not swimming after eating. I assured him, it had been long enough and he would be fine. ;-)

We signed him up for four weeks of private lessons beginning tomorrow. A lifeguard gave him a swim test to assess his abilities as the entire pool is over his head. He was determined to be a good enough swimmer to go in the deep end alone. Grandma didn't have to get wet! Yay!

He spent the entire time in the deep end jumping off the diving board or playing Tarzan on the rope!

Grandma received a call this morning that I have an MRI scheduled in Aug. Since it was a surprise, I made an appointment with my doctor to find out the particulars. I thought it was at 3:10 today (I guess I was eager).

I told Kevin we had to leave the pool at 2:30. He swam the ENTIRE length of the pool from the deep end to the shallower end! I am SOOO impressed with his swimming abilities! He has improved greatly since I saw him swim last summer!

Well... we got to the doctor's office on time to discover the appointment is for tomorrow! ugh! Ditzy Grandma!!! However, they said if I could wait a half hour, they could fit me in. So we waited; we walked across the parking lot to a convenience store and bought ice cream -- a Drumstick, his first, I think!

I had a yummy Breyer's almond crunch bar! He insisted on taking my photo -- with my frizzy humid indoor swimming pool hair! And this is a pretty good photo of my collarbone lump too... :\

AND he talked Grandma into buying him a battery operated helicoper. When Grandma goofs, she has to make it up!

Tonight was our ice skating night! I forgot my camera and phone; Melanie did not come, but Terry was there to give him more pointers. Terry also brought a picture autographed by a famous hockey player he knows -- "TO Kevin, Best wishes! Your Pal, Mark Visentin."

Kevin is definitely improving!!! I could count on one hand the times he fell tonight. He took off without his cage several times also. He is still trying to walk, and I am still encouraging him to push with one skate and glide. He can push with his right foot and glide on the left for the width of the rink. Now we need to learn to push with the left foot too. Even though I am only moving around the beginning skater's area with Kevin for the past two weeks, I can see definite improvement in my own skating!

Octopi, Squirrels, and Rainbows

2011-07-05T22:39:00.000-07:00

He was still slightly shy coming in to VBS this morning, so I stayed a bit and took this picture of him singing (in the middle of the row).

Today's snack was an "octo-dog" -- a wiener sliced to have 8 "legs" and lying in green noodles representing seaweed.

Their story today was when a man came from his town to Jesus in another town. He begged Jesus to heal his son. Jesus told him to go home and his son was healed. Their craft was a 3 in 1 game set.

While having lunch on the deck, Kevin noted a squirrel sleeping on a high branch! I got out binoculars so that we could see him up close!

Kevin had fun splashing in the little pool and playing with the hose -- watering flowers and making rainbows.

We are working on many projects during free time. Playing piano (though Grandma has not given him much attention/help yet), learning to tell time on a clock, watching videos borrowed from the church and city public libraries, reading, playing catch and batting a ball, bike riding, and magic tricks. Plus there are so many more things we want to do...!!!! He wants me to find his Mommy's Smurfs in the attic and get out the dollhouse furniture (between Karin's and my dollhouses, I have five and furniture for all of them! And no young granddaughter... :\ ).

Like dog / like grandson.

The Helping Hand

2011-07-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

Our church's VBS, called SonSurf Beach Bash, is mornings this week. It is a 35 minute ride to our church. Kevin ate a quick breakfast at home, then took some BabyBel cheese to eat in the car and created this masterpiece out of the waxy cover. He is the consumate artist!

Kevin was very shy at the beginning. He refused to sit in his row at first.

He wanted me to stay, so I sat in the back for a while. The counselors were great and took him under their wings to make him feel welcome. It amazes me that he is so shy in this type of situation, even when he knows some of the kids as in their former church when Mommy was alive. Yet, it other situations, such as on a playground, he is very outgoing and the person in charge!

When I returned at the end of the morning, this is what I saw on the cemetery fence behind the church! The craft today was to make a camp tie-dye shirt. Their snack was "oysters!" They were made with two oval cookies which the kids frosted top and bottom, and added yogurt covered raisins for the pearls on one cookie and put the second cookie on top! On top of the cookie, they put 2 dots of frosting and placed chocolate chips on each dot for the eyes. This goes with the Beach Bash theme.

After lunch, we ran three errands: went to the library to turn in his first two installments of reading. After three books, you receive a poster and stickers; after three more, you fill out a ballot for a chance to win bigger prizes. He had read six books. And we looked for more books and videos.

Then we went to the carwash. At the end, three men were inside the car wiping the inside while other men wiped the exterior dry. Before I realized what had happened, I saw KEVIN in the backseat wiping down the upholstery!!! The men thought it was very cute that Kevin was so eager to help.

Our last stop was the grocery store, then home to some backyard water fun.
The yellow bucket is his the "totebag" given to each of the kids at VBS. He brings home his crafts and papers in the bucket and is to take it back each day. Clever! To go with their Beach Bash theme, of course!

After dinner on the deck, our neighbor was watering the flowers among the boulders beside the driveway. The next time I looked, this is what I saw!!! :-0 Very kind of Mr. Whitehead to accommodate a little boy!

Sunday with Cousins

2011-07-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

Today was the beginning of Family Camp at Wesley Acres. Gary was the preacher for the morning service. I told Kevin we would be going to church at camp in a tent. He was mind-boggled! He could NOT figure out how we could have church in a tent!

We arrived an hour early for church and took Kevin on a brief tour of the grounds. We showed him his great grandparents' trailer where they spent their summers for many years, and our family stayed there as well several times.

We found the street named after his Great Uncle Gary.

And we showed him the camp swimming hole.

And we told him stories about his Mommy and Uncle Greg going to camp here. Mommy Karin rode a horse at this camp which took her under a tree high enough for the horse's head but not high enough for Karin's head! She grabbed the branch to protect herself, and the horse left her hanging on the branch!!!! LOL Karin did NOT find that an amusing story! Next year, Kevin will be old enough to go to camp here! We will do our best to make sure that happens!

The children were with us through the song service. Kevin sat behind Seamus and Georgia. A lot of kibitzing was going on.

Before Gary's wonderful sermon on prayer, the children left for their churchtime program in another building. Anna stayed with them as there were hundreds of kids and it seemed not enough adults. After the service, I joined them to bring them back. This is how the kids walked!!!

Is that sweet or what??!!!

John, Ellen, and James chatting with others after church.

One of the blessings of Wesley Acres is seeing oldtime friends of the Walsh family. Grant and I had not been on the grounds in probably six years when we were debating about buying a trailer for ourselves to share with Grant's siblings. The deal didn't work out, and I somewhat regret it did not. We saw several people today from our past. One elderly man called out as we walked near him in his golf cart, "Hey, Grant! Is that you?!"

The cousins all in pink plus Kevin in red: Liam, Lillian, Natasha, Duncan, Kevin.

We were under the impression that everyone was going their separate way after church, and that we would be heading for home. Kevin was quite upset about that! Then we discovered, everyone was invited back to Gary and Ellen's for lunch. Kevin was on cloud nine!

On the way, we passed the cemetery where Grant's parents are buried. We stopped to show Kevin his great grandparents' grave, plus we pointed out friends' tombstones nearby.

He and Seamus were back in their dirt pile quickly!

We were the first to leave as we dreaded the cottage traffic headed back to Toronto on this holiday weekend. Kevin was VERY upset. But I told him later how proud I was of him and that he has matured a great deal in a year. Six months ago, under similar circumstances, he would have had a meltdown. He was not happy, but he was not even close to a meltdown.

Great Uncle Gary's Retirement BBQ

2011-07-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

Today we drove to Prince Edward County where Great Uncle Gary and Great Aunt Ellen are proud residents. Their sons and families threw a family party to celebrate their Dad's auspicious career.

As we arrived, Duncan picked up Lillian. Kevin could not be outdone and shocked everyone by picking Lillian up off the ground!!! He is our little muscle man!

Kevin had met some of his cousins on this side and met more of them today! Seamus is 5 and Georgia is 3. The three of them had fantastic playtime together.

Here the two boys were exploring the empty lot behind Uncle Gary's.

Kevin also had a lot of fun with his older cousins -- Natasha, Lillian, Duncan, and Liam! He went with the big kids strawberry picking.

Natasha was the photographer for me, thus we have no photos of her. :\
A young kid manned the welcome booth to collect money. He was busy playing video games and was oblivious to the Walsh gang and their strawberry fight! :-0

A gourmet BBQ was served by John and Jillian, James and Anna.

The boys had their private picnic.

Cousins Susan and Edward (on the right) joined us by dinner time.

The second cousin lineup: Kevin, Natasha, Liam, Lillian, Duncan, Georgia in the back, and Molly the dog.

Natasha was a junior bridesmaid in Karin and Steve's wedding. Lillian was the flowergirl.

Typical boys: they were drawn to the dirt mound like it was a magnet. And Georgia, apparently, is a tomboy, not a girly girl.

By the end of the day, the little kids had created a fort complete with flagpole on their dirt mound.

Grandma Became a Canadian on Canada Day

2011-07-01T22:09:00.001-07:00

Kevin wanted to comb his own hair, and left the bathroom with a Mohawk!

Yesterday at Rotary, I offered a "happy dollar" saying that "this morning is the last time I will sing 'O Canada' as a non-citizen." A joshing friend immediately called out, "Do we get to vote?" LOL Four of my Rotary friends came to my ceremony at the public park where Canada Day celebrations were centered. Melanie and her family came, and Kevin hung out with them until the ceremony began.

Waiting at the park to check in.

We took the oath of citizenship from Peter Appleyard -- http://www.peterappleyardvibes.com/.
I think I am the only one of the 31 who brought a "holy book" to swear upon. I brought Karin's Bible we bought her for her 16th birthday.

My turn to go to the stage.

Receiving my documents from the Honorable Peter Appleyard. He had quite a chat with me -- mainly about my name and sang a song from the 50s about Nina.

Note that Kevin was my photographer (along with Melanie and Grant). He took many of my photos.

The others in the line were Mike Wallace (my Conservative Member of Parliament), Joyce Savoline (my Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament and her husband is on the Music Festival Board with me). They noted my young fan (as seen in this pic also) and gave me extra pins for him as well!

Gary Carr (Chairman of Halton Region), Tom ? (a coordinator of the event), Rick Goldring (Mayor), and an RCMP officer. This was taken by Kevin!

The notable dignitary present was The Honorable Lincoln Alexander, a personal friend of Grant's.

I told him I was initially disappointed that I was not being sworn in in Ottawa where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were today, but I was delighted to have him as my dignitary. He said that he was hoping to be sent to Toronto today. ha!

We went to the Club to celebrate Grandma's day with champagne.

Kevin had a Shirley Temple champagne. He does not like bubbly drinks, but he did drink some of this one.

It was such a beautiful day today, we got out the old pool, disinfected it and filled it. Guinness was excited about it too, but before I could take his picture, he disappeared!!! We couldn't find him on our condo property, so I went to the front sidewalk where many people were passing on their way to and from the Canada Day celebrations at the park. Some passersby said they saw him on the other side of the major highway, beyond the underpasses! I found him there in a cloverleaf!!!! I will never be able to leave him unleashed again!!!

Kevin helped me feed all my flowers. He did a GREAT job!
This evening, Melanie's family came to park behind our place to go to the fireworks. The boys played in the yard a bit before they walked to the park.

We waited until almost time for the fireworks before we went. Awesome!!!!

Camelot

2011-06-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

This morning, was Grandma's early morning Rotary meeting and Grampa stayed home to babysit. Then Grandma had to run to the doctor's office to hear about the results of a test which made us miss having a nice lunch in the quaint town of Stratford, the home of Ontario's Shakespearean Festival. We spent our car time productively by having Kevin read some books to us! Grampa took a strange route to get there, arriving just 10 minutes before show time!

I was looking forward to Camelot, as I LOVED Camelot in by-gone days, but I had forgotten the basic plot which is not one for little kids! It is a clusterfuck (I also love that new word to my vocabulary!)! However, kids only absorb what they can understand, and the sins of the story flew over Kevin's head. Thank goodness! The music is so great that who cannot love it?

At intermission, we had drinks on the terrace. Buglers come out when it is time to return for the second half of the performance. Kevin was able to see them up close!

It was a very long, though excellent, performance. Kevin's attention never waned, unlike his grandparents who both caught a couple of winks! As soon as it was over, Kevin asked if we could see it again!

We went to The Church, a fabulous restaurant, for dinner. Kevin was intrigued by eating in a church. We ordered frites on the appetizer menu for Kevin while we had vichyssoise. I ordered a Cornish hen dinner, expecting plenty of meat to share with the boy. Instead of a full hen, I received a portion of the tiny hen. ha! We still had plenty to eat.

The boy was in need of exercise as we left the restaurant and found a way to let off some steam by rolling down the hill in front of The Church.

From Star Wars to Ice Skating

2011-06-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

We finished watching the first movie of Star Wars this morning. Kevin wasn't sure he wanted to watch it last night, but, once it was on, he was glued to it!

Melanie and Sophie joined us at doggie park again this morning. This time, she caught a shot of Kevin as he played Tarzan on the spruce branch as I prevented the lower branch from hitting him as it sprung upward.

The greatest excitement of the day was to go ice skating with Grandma and Melanie! The ice arena has "walkers" for children to use as they learn to skate. They are a wonderful crutch to help kids learn to stand up and begin to move on skates.

Learning to glide is a difficult thing as the natural tendency is to try to walk. Kevin ended up flat on the ice many times. Usually in good humor!

I worried about his sometimes short frustration level, but he only had a few moments of frustration. Melanie was indispensable in helping him!!!

We skated for for nearly 1.5 hours. By the end he was venturing out on the ice without the walker.

Another friend who coaches 7 year old hockey teams gave Kevin some pointers -- like looking straight ahead instead of at his feet. He felt Kevin was doing very well for his first time on skates.

A Great Summer Day!

2011-06-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

Today was a lovely, warm day (in the high 70s) -- finally! Kevin helped me deadhead flowers in the garden, weed, and he set out the grandchildren stones plus the stones he painted for my garden last year.

My tree-climbing monkey walked up the Mountain Ash tree to the branches.

He is always ready to pose!

After his hard work, it was time to play in the water.

And more cooling off with an ice cream cookie sandwich.

Grandma bought him an electric bubble maker.

Kevin likes the new angel Grampa selected for our garden representing our Angel Karin. He wrote, "I love this :) --->" with "this" spelled phonetically as "zis" in tiny letters.

Creative, attractive chalk drawings now grace the wall around the patio!

He found a friendly snail! He was not afraid at all, as he did not hide in his shell.

He crawled right into Kevin's hand!

And he didn't stop there! He crawled up his chest!

Kevin created a home for him. But before bed, he opened the lid in case the snail did not want to stay there.

Today is Grandma and Grandpa's 42nd wedding anniversary! I showed him our wedding album.

He was interested in the New Testament which sat on the top of our wedding cake.

I still have it (of course!) and showed it to him. I also have the Bible which my nephew Mark Herne, then 3 years old, carried down the aisle as our Bible bearer. The Bible was the theme of our wedding -- also featured on the cover of our program. Of course, our ceremony was centered on a Christian marriage with Christ as a the third leg of our marriage to keep it steady. I told him the story of what little Mark did! As he walked down the aisle and caught sight of his Mommy, he dropped the Bible and ran to her. On the same shelf with those small Bibles was a small New Testament with colored picture of Jesus with the children on the cover. Mommy Karin received it in her Easter basket in 1977 when she was only 4. I told him he could have it. We found some verses which he could read and Grandma read the Love Chapter to him.

We had dinner on the patio beside the bay at our club.

Two neighbors were there also!

And a friendly seagull kept vigil on the clock.

A Day with Melanie

2011-06-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

Kevin slept in until 10am, so we had a really late start to our day! Melanie had the day off and wanted to take her dog, Sophie, to doggie park with us. Kevin loves Sophie and she tolerates him treating her like a horse.

Kevin found a rather large branch and dragged it half way around the field until Grandma made his drop it.

More spruce tree climbing today.

He had to show Melanie his trick he did yesterday of walking out on a limb while holding the limb above, then taking his feet off the lower limb while holding the upper one like Tarzan, and the upper branch dropping down with his weight so that he could easily jump to the ground. No chance for pictures as Grandma had to hold the bottom branch from bopping him as it flew up as the upper branch dropped down.

Melanie stayed to play ball with the boy.

Melanie went to lunch with us at Cora's (a breakfast/lunch restaurant we all love!) and shopping for ice skates, helmet, and ball glove at stores which sell used sports equipment.
She caught these shots of him today:

What was his doing outside the railing of the deck??!!! Good thing Grandma didn't catch this! :-0

She left us to pick up her boys, and we went to the library to sign up for summer reading. Then they met us at the playground behind the library. Baby Elie had a wonderful time sliding down a fast, spiral slide scaring me half to death! While Mommy helped him get started at the top, I watched as he zoomed down, making sure he was OK at the bottom. There was NO second to ever take a picture! He did it over and over again! Brave, thrill-seeking kid!
Teo and Kevin swinging,

and sharing a drink.

Dinner was a little unusual. Grandma style! We went to DQ for a banana split and a strawberry shortcake -- each of which we shared! Then we went home for some cheese. Yum!

Other things we did today: learned more magic tricks, colored the wooden clock puzzle Grandma bought to help teach how to tell time on a clock,

and watched videos borrowed from the church library.
Guinness makes a great playmate! He slept with Kevin last night.

News from Texas today! Jeremy wants to join the Air Force ROTC in high school this year, so he cut his hair short!!! :-0 Handsome dude!

Keeping a Boy Busy

2011-06-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

I took this shot at church to email to Mommy and Daddy. Grandma bought Kevin some new sneaker Crocs yesterday!

However, before church was done, a blister had developed on his heel, so he went home barefoot!

While we were at church, Grampa added air to Kevin's bike tires and went shopping for a bat and balls. :) They played catch this afternoon.

In preparing for Kevin's visit, I had pulled out some things from the attic including Mommy's Fisher Price Magic set. He was very excited about learning how to do magic and could NOT wait to begin!!!! He mastered the first couple of tricks and did an impressive show for Grampa!

Guinness needed some exercise, so we took him to doggie park where Kevin LOVES to climb the spruce trees!!!

Grampa grilled our steaks while Grandma prepared the rest. We ate on the deck and needed one more high stool from the basement/garage level. Kevin insisted HE could carry it up 2 flights of steps!!!

I played ball with him after dinner. I was amazed at how well he did for never having experienced catching and batting before. He was able to make contact with the ball 50% of the time.

At bedtime, this was his prayer: "Thank you for a nice day. Thank you for dogs in the family. Thank you for Grandma and Grandpa. Thank you for the nice dinner. Thank you for the magic box. Tell Mommy we love her. Help us to have faith. Thank you for helping me play baseball. Thank you for the egg salad sandwiches I wanted for lunch. Help us to have a good day tomorrow. Amen."

Traveling back to Canada

2011-06-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

Saying goodbye to Mommy Kinga.

Daddy dropped us at the airport.

The JetBlue Terminal at JFK is quite remarkable and high tech. Ben and Jerry's is always yummy.

Kevin enjoyed having audio to go with the video choices in front of every seat, giving Grandma a chance to nap. :)

Before crossing the border, we shopped for some shoes for Kevin at a large Croc's store. When we arrived home, Grampa had a hot dog supper ready for us.

Grandma's Arrival

2011-06-24T21:46:00.000-07:00

I flew to NC today. It's a good thing I didn't plan to turnaround trip in one day, as my second flight was delayed.
We had dinner near the local university,

then walked the center of campus with our ice cream.

This was the first I met Kevin's 15 year old stepbrother. A typical 15 year old who loves to make faces for photos and playing video games.

Kevin's excitement was to collect fireflies. We stopped at a Starbucks for a cup to keep them in. We had to convince him not to open his fist full of bugs once we were inside Starbucks!!!

The Dedication of Karin's Cross

2011-06-05T16:06:00.000-07:00

Today Summit Evangelical Covenant Church had a dedication ceremony for the cross erected in memory of Karin and to the Glory of God. A song sung at morning worship was one of Karin's favorites and one that I often sing to her when I visit her grave -- "How Great Is Our God" --

The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice

He wraps himself in Light, and darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
Trembles at His voice

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God

Age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the end
Beginning and the end

The Godhead Three in One
Father Spirit Son
The Lion and the Lamb
The Lion and the Lamb

Name above all names
Worthy of our praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God

How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God

Since losing Mommy, Kevin always wants me to stay with him in his class at Summit. In fact, he sits on my lap for the first part of the class until he becomes more comfortable. Their lesson today was about "rules and really silly rules," based on the story of Daniel being thrown into the lion's den due to a silly rule. They played a game of toss to illustrate rules, changing the rules with each new game. Kevin does not like to lose, so tears ensued when he was out, and the tears did not stop. He continued crying as we went outside for the dedication, not wanting to be there. It became evident that the tears were exacerbated by the upcoming ceremony remembering Mommy. Daddy had to hold him. After church, others were talking about the sermon, how powerful it was on the topic of adultery -- to beware of the lust of the flesh; to not begin something which could go down a slippery path. Pastor Eric said it was difficult to preach and friends said it was difficult to listen to. I was told it was worth listening to, and it is! Fabulous sermon! Can be heard at -- http://www.summitnc.org/926/series-on-the-book-of-1-john-part-4/ The YouTube video used in the sermon can be seen at -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QASREBVDsLk

Pastor Eric Geil led the liturgy of the dedication.

Pastor Greg Harper recounted Karin's life at the church, her involvement, and her deep commitment to Christ.

The family presented the cross to the church in memory of Karin -- our daughter, wife, mother.

It was wonderful to see so many of Karin's friends today.
Friends not from Summit who came for the dedication were Kathy Robinson, Amy Zaremba, Heather Edmonds, and Dick & Carol Miles.

Heather, Kinga, Steve, Suzanne Sadler, Amy.

Dick & Carol with Jean Goodale.

Kevin had some difficulty with the memory of Mommy.

John Adams is responsible for the creative design and construction of the cross.

A miniature of the plaque to be placed in the church was presented to me.

Steve enjoyed introducing Kinga to his friends.

As was typical, the Faulkner clan always was the last to leave -- staying around to chat with all their friends.

Kevin hanging out with his friends and watching a video game.

Heather (Kevin's former nanny) and Kevin.

Heather and Nina.

After lunch, we stopped at the cemetery to insert a summer floral arrangement on Karin's grave. Steve is the brawn -- pulling out the old and inserting the new.

Kevin and I are the creators. Kevin is holding the spring flowers we removed today.

Kevin also adds something especially from him everytime we visit. He is pushing in a red rose for Mommy.

Kevin's bedtime prayer: Thank you for the good food. Thank you that we had dessert. Thank you that we got to have a ceremony for Mommy. Thank you that we have faith. Help us be able to get the cross on the roof right. (The cross cannot be permanently placed until the city has responded on the exact way they determine it is to be installed.) Help it to not get struck by lightening. Amen.

Pastry and Photos

2011-06-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I were up first while the rest of the family slept in. Such a gorgeous day, I asked him if he wanted to walk to the market street (about a mile) for a coffee and pastry. He had fun picking dandelions gone to seed to blow, then picked a blossom for Grandma's hair.

We saw butterflies.

He asked about a tree we passed. Its identification did not come to mind, and the owner walked out of the house. I asked her if she knew her tree. A hawthorne! Of course! We chatted about trees, and she told me about a fabulous app: "leafsnap"! Take a photo of the leaf and it will identify it!

Kevin had a little trouble selecting a pastry, so Grandma spoiled him.

With crumbs on face...

It was now about 11am, so I made a call to Daddy to see if he would come pick us up. At home, Kevin had fun with Mommy,

and cuddled with Daddy.

This afternoon, Daddy and Kevin went to the pool. Mommy and Grandma went shopping for a bathing suit for Grandma. We didn't find a suit, but we did find lots of other things! :) And we didn't make it home until the swimmers were burnt to a crisp! Daddy is fired! Some body parts were protected. Others, like Kevin's face and Daddy's tummy, were not.
Pebbles got away and ran down the street.

We had dinner at an outdoor cafe where Mommy and Daddy love the apple martinis!

While waiting for food, Kevin made the railings a jungle gym and asked to have his picture taken!

Then he experimented with taking photos. First faces...

"Mr. Mayor" even conscripted the couple at the neighboring table. He is such a "Ham Sandwich" as Mommy Karin used to call him! He makes friends with everyone, thus the Mr. Mayor name.

Then ears, but most were blurry except for the one I took of his ear.

Besides a sunburned ear, note he has ketchup on it!

He moved on to other objects.

At home, Kevin and I had to prepare a new floral arrangement for Mommy Karin's grave.

Mommy Kinga and Grandma modeled their new clothing. Grandma thought one of her dresses was navy and white and the shoes she bought were navy. Kinga insisted it was black and white and the shoes were black. The shoe box proved Kinga right. So I bought TWO pairs of dress black shoes. ugh! Kevin modeled a pair of Mommy's snazzy new shoes!

Kevin's prayer at bedtime: "Thank you for the great dinner. Help us to have faith, and to have love. Tell Mommy that we love her. Help us to get to church on time. Help us to have a good trip to Summit. Amen."

Technology is Security

2011-06-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Kinga picked up Grandma, and Steve picked up Kevin from school, and we all arrived at their house at the same time. After touring their lovely new home, Kevin took me to "meet" his playground at the end of the street! He has learned to pump himself on a swing since our last playground adventure many months ago.

Mommy and Daddy sent him off with a Walkie Talkie, so they can keep track of him, and he can respond to home with any questions or concerns. Technology is security!

He pointed out the path into the woods behind the park and was eager to explore it for the first time. Off we went on a hike. I showed him tulip, redbud, oak, and white pine trees. We saw little holes in the ground which he thought were snake holes. I knew they weren't, but was not sure what they were. I had forgotten about detail about the 13 year cicadas in Missouri back in 1985, but I soon was re-educated on them as this is the year of their return! We didn't find a live one, but we saw several wings, such as this one, and holes in the ground everywhere where they escaped from their 13 year development. There was no loud cicada singing tonight, so I think the wave of them must be past.

Kevin found a tree with a face on it! :)

We climbed to the top of a hill and came out at a school. I pulled out Maps on my iPhone (technology is security!) to see where we were in relation to their house. I showed Kevin the map and asked him to follow the blue dot (our location) on the map and lead us back to his house. He needed some help with the orientation of the map, but he did it! He found home!

On the way, he noted the leaves of the street-side trees and thought they were maples. I showed him they are sycamores and pointed out the unique bark.

He wanted to return to the playground to show me what he can do on the monkeybars. Actually, he got stuck up there and needed some help to guide him down. I'm sure he could have done it on his own, but Grandma likes to help!

On our return home, Kevin found a roly poly and had to play with it.

Tonight, big step-brother Cullin and his friend prepared our dinner. Yum!!!

From Super Heroes to Flying Fish

2011-05-22T22:47:00.000-07:00

Brandy asked Kien this morning if he rescued Daddy last night. He said, “I pressed this white button and I turned into a cape. And I flew and got my super hero friend Marco and my super hero friend Jordan (both from his Preschool class). And we flew and rescued Daddy!” Quite the imagination! LOL

Brandy and Jeremy have taught Gabe to flex his muscles.

Then he laughs.

After breakfast, Kien asked me about Kevin’s car. Stunned me for a minute, because the Odyssey they have was purchased by Steve and Karin when preparing to adopt the two Vietnamese babies, Kien and Aria. I didn’t know if he was asking about that or what?! I told him Kevin and his daddy have a small, blue BMW for just the two of them. Then I said, “Kevin has a new mommy! Would you like to see her?” So I showed him some of their wedding pictures. In one of the pictures, we can see Kevin’s blue BMW.

Leaving for church. The black dirt on the sidewalk behind the boys is a fire ant mound which developed overnight!

Taking the boys to their classrooms.

Fellowship Church is always an experience. Ed Young’s sermons are unique and attention-grabbing. Today’s began with a clip from “Pinocchio” with the song “Jiminy Cricket,” focusing on “give a little whistle, give a little whistle, and always let your conscience be your guide.” Conscience was the theme, with the sermon revolving around Schwarzenegger and his escapades. Besides conscience (and Ed usually sang and whistled with each mention of the word), he talked about character, Christian commitment, credibility and much more. Arnold (and Tiger) will lose business, reputation, legacy, respect, as a result. It is what happens when we disobey God’s laws. Great sermon! But a man collapsed during it. Two or three rows of people had to be displaced and the chairs removed for the 9 paramedics to get to him. The end report was that the man was OK. We prayed for the man, and we should pray for those who are ignoring the whistle of conscience.

After church, we headed for lunch somewhere on the way to the airport. Not sure what Greg was thinking, but he kept us all in the dark wondering where we were going as he navigated through all the little streets he could find on the way to the airport. He finally ended up at Razzoo’s – a Nawlins restaurant. He thought I would like something unusual. Ack! Crawfish? No thank you! But I found they do have GREAT “hamboigers!”

Nearby, Bass Pro Shop (next door to the Embassy where their wedding reception was held) has large fish in giant tanks.

The boys liked the boat!

I needed new sunglasses (to have a spare the next time I “lose” mine!). Jeremy liked my choice, so we are twins!

Grandma and Gabe.

When Kien realized we were delivering me to the airport, he said he didn’t want me to go! I promised to be back soon (I hope!)!

Boys, Dogs, and Ball

2011-05-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Daddy's Boy, before Daddy had to leave for work

This morning, I was relaxing on the sofa and reading a book on my iPhone with Duke snuggled up to and on me and Daisy nearby. The dogs sleep with/on me every night I am here. Always. A couple of days ago, I was napping on the sofa. I knew that Duke had climbed up on the sofa and lay on top of my feet. When I awakened, I discovered Daisy was above my pillow AT my head! It is nice to be loved. Of course, I get the same treatment at home with Guinness.

It was my job today to take the dogs to the vet. I asked Jeremy to assist me. On the way home, I stopped at the grocery store for some things for dinner while he stayed in the car with the dogs. Then we stopped at Starbucks. I bought him a frozen double chocolate chip hot chocolate! He loved it and shared a taste with Gabe. Gabe loved it too and ran away with it!

Double duck. Karin bought a backup duck when she discovered how much Kien LOVED the duck. Good thing! It has come in handy many times! This year, the second one lived at Preschool for naptime there. Now he has both at home and was taking advantage of the double dose.

A surprise came in the mail today! A quilt for each of the little boys made by their Great Aunt Ruth in Michigan!!!

We had storytime this afternoon.

Greg took some pix of me holding Gabe, then said. "You look like twins except 60 years apart.” Sweet and honest son…. But he is right!!! And I thought Gabe was totally a Walsh! He has some Herne too!

Tonight was Brandy’s ROTC Military Ball. She looked gorgeous!!!

She and Justin met in ROTC.

For dinner tonight, I made BLTs, corn on the cob, and strawberry shortcake. Before we sat down at the table with plates served, Duke and Daisy helped themselves to one of Jeremy’s sandwiches! :-0 I have never seen them do that before when people were right there in the room with them!!! Kienie Bean wasn’t very happy with his tomato or mayonnaise on his sandwich, but he loved the bacon and corn. Both boys LOVED strawberry shortcake. I asked Cathi how they were doing with it. She said, “Listen…. Do you hear anything?” They were silent and spooning it in.

Greg’s Miata broke down, so Cathi had to go rescue him. She took the two little ones. Kien was delighted that Daddy needed to be rescued. He said, “I am going to turn into a super hero. I’m going to save my Dad. I have the rescue sword.”

End of Preschool

2011-05-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

This morning was like an Abbott and Costello show. Gabe and Kien were in the family room with the gate open. Gabe left, closing the gate behind him. Kien screamed, “Gabe! Don’t! Don’t close the gate!” Too late; it was closed. Grandma came to the rescue.

As we were getting ready to leave to take the boys to their last day of Preschool, Gabe was wandering around holding a tube of “Puffs” (or whatever those toddler snacks are called). He disappeared as we were ready to go out the door, so I went looking for him. He was in his bedroom trying to pick up the hundreds of puffs he had spilled on the floor! LOL

I did not get to go with them to school as I was taking the Odyssey in for servicing – something which Greg and Cathi NEVER have time to do. I had to take it in the last time it needed servicing -- 1.5 years ago!

But I did go with Cathi to pick them up at the end of their school day at 2:00.
Gabe sees us!

She took the wagon in, because the kids had all their year-end things plus summer gifts to bring home.

Kien in his classroom playing with a friend.

He sees us!

The teachers made scrapbooks of each child’s year. They are ADORABLE!!!!
Gabe's book

Gabe's first day of school. It took him a couple of weeks or more to become comfortable with Mommy leaving him!

Kien's scrapbook and extra photos:

Kien's ABC book:

Tonight, Cathi had an event at church and Brandy was one of the babysitters. They took Kien and Gabe with them, leaving Jeremy and me home alone. Greg was to come home about the same time they were to be home from church. Cathi wanted me to wait until 8:30 to have dinner out with her and Greg. She fed the boys at church. And Jeremy needed to eat at home alone. He cooked a box of sausage links and several eggs for his dinner. He did a good job!!!! I even sampled some of his cooking.

A Day in the Life...

2011-05-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

After accomplishing an appointment back home, Grandma returned to TX. Cathi and the little boys met me at the airport. Gabe was asleep, but Kien gave me lots of love. We had to pick up a part for Daddy and deliver it to MAACO before going home. Gabe awoke from napping in the car to find we were parked at Daddy’s work. He began screaming, “Dayee! Dayee! Dayee!” So cute. He LOVES his Daddy!!! Daddy finally appeared and carried him around a bit before we had to leave.

We needed to hurry home to be there when the AC repairman arrived. It was 80 in the house. With the windows open and the breeze blowing, I was finally was warm!!!! The little boys and the dogs were cornered in the family room to be away from the repairman, so we watched Toy Story. Kien played stuntman while Gabe did not take his eyes off the screen! Cathi says that only Toy Story, Mary Poppins, and Finding Nemo hold Gabe's attention. It didn’t hold my attention, and I feel asleep. When I awoke, Kien was cuddled with me on the sofa.

Kien with his faithful ducky.

Once the AC was fixed, I had to don a sweater. Brrrr…

We had dinner at Olive Garden. Gabe wasn't happy about leaving the house, so Daddy gave him one of his motorcycles on display on a high shelf. He is clutching it here as we are being seated at the table. Of course, Daddy had to find another suitable one for Kien to cherish also.

The evening turned out to be too much for a baby boy...

On the way home, Kien sang “Here I am to Worship” over and over. It was soooo cute, so I finally turned on my camera to catch a bit of it! Note he is strumming his left hand as if playing guitar!
Copy this link into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck5g0m6eXVU

When I returned to TX today, I had no luggage, so I brought an old suitcase from my attic full of Greg’s childhood artwork, Boy Scout stuff, school reports, and other memorabilia. It was very heavy, so the $25 charge as one checked bag was cheaper than a shipping fee would have been! He had fun going through everything tonight.

Brandy and Mary

2011-05-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

This morning, I drove Brandy to school. Wow! A knockout! She told me that Tuesday is her one day to dress up for school.

The boys watched “Mary Poppins.” Cathi told me they saw it recently for the first time, and she was surprised at how much they enjoy it and want to see it over and over. Here are some shots of them being mesmerized by it.

Note the Woody hat!

Then it was time to drive Grandma to the airport. Both boys were asleep by the time we arrived, but I will see them soon!!!!

Lunch With Daddy

2011-05-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

Our big adventure today was to have lunch with Daddy.

While Gabe napped on the way there, Kien played with his tools envisioning helping Daddy to fix cars. He had his hammer and a wrench.

With two older kids in the house, Kien’s vocabulary is showing signs of teenage influence. He said, “I didn’t bring my screwdriver. That stinks.”

Daddy hard at work

Daddy's racing Miata outside advertising the work MAACO can do.

Gabe is attached to his "Oooo-eee" or blanket and his "Oiy-oiy" (Woody) and "Buzz" (Buzz Lightyear). It is essential that the two Toy Story toys are within reach at ALL times -- including Woody's hat!
More teenage influence: At dinnertime, Jeremy suggested Gabe use his Woody as a spoon. Ugh! Actually, it worked!

Sunday in Cool Texas

2011-05-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

During Greg’s childhood, Daddy found it difficult to get the kids ready for church and out the door in time and still be in the mood for church! So Daddy started taking us to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast on our way to church! That gave everyone time to relax, calm down, and prepare ourselves for learning and worship. The kids loved that Sunday morning ritual, and Greg has instituted it for his family, with one variation: Daddy goes out for the donuts and brings them home. I told him, that method does not solve the problem of getting everyone out of the house on time and into the car, then being in the mood for church once we arrive. His contention is – bringing the donuts home, gets everyone to the table. It is impossible to get everyone to the car without the table as a gathering place first. Whatever works!!!

Kids like sprinkles on donuts. Karin and Greg always did, and the grandkids do too. However, their donut shop uses two kinds: annoying tiny ball sprinkles which are hard and crunchy. They also have long, soft sprinkles. The older kids like both. The little ones do not like the crunchy ones, yet cannot verbalize their dislike of them. Kien was not eating his donut until Cathi pointed out his donut had the ball sprinkles. Gabe’s had the long ones, and he was happily eating. Daddy broke a piece of each donut off and exchanged them. Kien gobbled the soft one down. Gabe refused the ball sprinkles. Hopefully, Daddy learned the lesson! NO MORE BALL SPRINKLES PLEASE!!!!

Arriving at church.

Kien calls me "Grandma Nina" now.

Dropping the boys in their classrooms.

Headed for church.

After church, Brandy stayed to help with the kids in the next service, followed by a youth event. The rest of us had lunch at Panera, followed by a train ride through Trinity Park!

Turtles! As seen from crossing a train bridge.

While stopped at a concession stand, the boys ran and ran.

Acrobat Kien climbed this tree (camera unready). Then Jeremy helped Gabe do the same.

This evening, Greg and Cathi’s small group from church planned to meet at a park for a pizza supper. I knew I did not bring clothes warm enough for such an adventure in this unseasonable climate! Cathi and I went shopping this afternoon. I found a new top and blue jean capris, and Cathi loaned me a sweater.

The Walsh boys.

Gabe climbed this ALL BY HIMSELF. I kept my hands ready to catch him, but I didn’t give him any help!

All the way to the top!

Kien LOVES to swing!

Slides are Gabe’s favorite!

(That is Brandy with him)

Jeremy took some of these shots for me. This one by Jeremy is adorable!!!

Jeremy likes to be an acrobat too!

Following the road….

Brandy, her friend Justin, and another teen were in charge of the kids during discussion time.

Grandma Arrives in TX

2011-05-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

And it is COLD!!!! 66 degrees!!!! I was hoping for 90 like they have had, though weather reports were in the 80s. They were all loving the coolness, whileI froze all day!!! I didn’t bring warm enough clothes!

I received wonderful floppy hugs from Kien! Gabe was happy to see me, but not thrilled with me holding him.

At home, we had some backyard playtime. Jeremy wound Kien up for extra thrills.

Greg constructed a playhouse for the boys, though not finished off. Even Jeremy likes it! But he does things Grandmas don’t like to see – trying to jump from rooftop to trampoline and visa versa. :\

Gabe is not a swingin’ kinda guy. He likes the slide.

As I was looking at Gabe’s face in the car coming back from the airport, I noted he favors not only Aunt Karin and Grampa Grant, but all three of them inherited resemblances to Great Grandma Walsh! Plus Great Grandma Walsh had red hair! Gabe’s hair has a vague red tint, but not enough to call it red hair. Except in these pictures! It really looks red!

Mommy brought the bubbles out! The boys’ bubble blowing was much more successful than Grandma’s failed photography of catching the bubbles blown!

Jeremy wanted to show me his stunts on a bike. The first time, before camera was ready, he did a great show of standing on the rear pegs. The second stunt, with camera ready, was to be a wheelie, but it was an unfortunate wipe out. :\

Kien’s version of skateboarding.

The "boys" riding motorcycles!

Before dinner, we watched the air traffic at a private airport.

One plane did repeated “touch and gos.”

We went to a Mexican restaurant (my choice!). Brandy missed out on all our adventures. She was playing model for a neighbor practicing to be a photographer. Surely she would be a wonderful model!!!

Mommy showing Gabe a funny video on her iPhone.

Kien is very curious about Grampa being in China and how he is digging for gold.
Enjoying his dinner.

After the Fact...

2011-04-25T23:22:00.000-07:00

While Kevin was here, the Glory-of-the-Snow flowers began blooming in the yards across the street. I tried to take pictures, but the cloudy skies did not create the show that they are. Today was sunny, allowing me to take some decent shots of the floral lawns.

Double click to enlarge this picture to get the full effect!

The day after Kevin left, the forsythia branches we cut were in full bloom!

Melanie's dog is Sophie. This morning, Sophie and Guinness went to doggie park together. Once back at our house, I set out a bin of water for them to drink and then to clean Guinness's paws before entering the house. They were drinking together, but I was unable to catch the moment.

After our doggie park playtime, Sophie had an appointment with her groomer. Kevin met Sophie, but he wouldn't know her today any more than Sophie's own children know her. The one year old is scared of her, and the three year old said, "There is a new dog in our house!"

At only three years old, Teo is enamored with Kevin. Melanie wrote: When Teo finally realized that it was Sophie, he was really happy but started joking around saying this was his dog Guinness (probably because of the short hair) and he was Kevin! This went on for a bit, and then he said, "Take a picture of me Kevin with my dog Guinness. And Maman, pretend to be Mrs. Walsh, and, Papa, pretend to be...(LONG pause)...Mrs. Walsh's dad!" LOL I guess that is Grant!!

Going Home

2011-04-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

This morning, I was ready for the car at 7:10. I dressed Kevin in bed, then Grandpa carried the sleepy boy to the car.

We had good flights and plenty to keep the boy occupied. He was behind me walking off the first plane, and he peeked into the cockpit. The pilots invited him in, but I was out of earshot of their exchange. When I asked what the pilots said to him, his response was, "They said 'hi'!" He commented on all the buttons switches and levers they have.

Steve and Kinga picked us up at the curb. They had a happy, hugging reunion!

We stopped at a Polish food store, then at Karin's grave. I wanted to make sure her flowers were OK until I come again. It is obvious that both Steve and Kevin adore Kinga, and she them. I told her Karin is very pleased she is the one looking after her family.

We had a snack together before they dropped me at the airport again.

All week long I was aware of how much Kevin is developing and maturing. Of course, I am prejudice, but he is a wonderful little boy!

Guinness's Birthday and Kevin's Blessings

2011-04-21T23:16:00.000-07:00

This morning, Grandpa babysat while Grandma went to Rotary. Melanie, who is joining Rotary with me, brought an Easter plant for Grandma and a gift bag full of wonderful things for Kevin! Here is his loot --

What great gift ideas for Kevin -- envelopes, paper pad, colored pencils, a Veggie Tales book of devotions for boys, and more!

The weather has been so inclement that we have not taken Guinness to doggie park since Kevin has been here. Today was our final day, first break in the weather to take him, and his 6th birthday! Kevin brought a frisbee from his home to play with Guinness and the other dogs at doggie park. Maggie, the yellow lab, came to play today too.

Guinness is getting some birthday pets from Maggie's dad.

Kevin is saying "Ouch!" after touching the spruce tree!

Later today as we saw more spruce trees along the road, he asked why we have so many spruce trees in Canada when they hurt!

He brought home some chunks of asphalt from doggie park. Boys! He said he knew where to put them that they would look nice. Yeah... right... LOL

The small stone on top of a piece of asphalt is heart shaped. Mrs. Thompson told us, when we see something heart shaped, it is a love message from Mommy. Before finding the stone, I saw a heart shaped groove in one of the boulders behind our house. When I pointed it out, he immediately saw the heart stone beneath it!

The landscapers were working in our yard when we returned from doggie park. Kevin wanted to watch them.

Apparently, he not only watched, but helped! When he came in, he had a looney in his hand for helping them.

He also found some treasures -- a pink golf ball and a snail shell.

He used one of his 3X5 cards to make his own puzzle!

Today is our best weather day. He rode his bike and climbed the boulders again.

We went across the street to get a closer look at the Glory-of-the-Snow flowers filling some of our neighbors' lawns.

And he climbed a tree and got stuck.

Just before dinner, we bought an Easter basket for Melanie's boys and took it to them.

We have had no tears, no meltdowns, or other evidence of the trauma this young boy has experienced. It would appear that having a new mommy is helping! However, at bedtime, he asked, "Will you always love me?" Oh, my! How could that even be a question?! He is so precious! We read a devotional from his new book and talked about what his blessings are. Grandpa heard Kevin say his bedtime prayer tonight and was impressed with conversation with God. He always asks God to tell Mommy we love her. He was thankful for the fun he had today. And he thanked God for his blessings -- food to eat, a nice house, and his family.

Flowers and Rocks

2011-04-20T23:35:00.000-07:00

Between raindrops this morning, we cut some forsythia branches to bring indoors to bloom. And another Easter lily blossom opened today!

We ran a list of errands on this rainy day. What a lousy weather week for Kevin to come to Canada for his spring break! We found a frame for Kevin's homemade paper.

Kevin brought this painting of two parrots he made for Grandpa and me! I thought it was worthy of a frame and a place to hang on our walls!

We have not played piano until today. I was shocked and pleased that Kevin remembered so much about reading music! If only he had the opportunity for lessons... We will have to work on that this summer when he comes to visit again!

The rain cleared up this afternoon, but the temps are still quite chilly for a spring day! I had hoped Kevin would do a lot of bike riding this week and that Grandpa would help Kevin learn to ride without training wheels. Didn't happen.

Kevin is drawn like a magnet to the rocks around our property.

Plus he is Mr. Neat. He threw all of the sticks and pinecones he found on the rocks down to the driveway.

Then he asked for a plastic bag to pick up the trash found along the public sidewalk!

Science Day

2011-04-19T23:27:00.000-07:00

I bought an Easter lily a couple of days ago, telling Kevin that some of the blossoms will open before Easter and he can watch it happen. He noted yesterday that one was ballooning and might open soon. He checked it first thing today and discovered this --

Less than an hour later, we could see it had opened a teensy bit more.
Kevin enjoyed a chocolate chip pancake for breakfast.

Today we went to a Science Centre with Melanie, her son Teo, and our Rotary Club's exchange student from Brazil, Bruna. The trip there was an experience in itself, since we were held up for an hour on the highway by a truck accident. Fortunately, we went in Melanie's car which has videos for the kids!!!

Bruna and Kevin manipulating a space vehicle.

Kevin pushed Teo around to the delight of both!

After watching an IMAX movie on the Hubble telescope repair, we found a papermaking demonstration. The guide showed how to blend (in a kitchen blender) water and scrap paper, the process for transferring it to a screen then drying the sieved mixture resulting in a sheet of paper.

Each child had the opportunity to create a piece of paper themselves. Kevin is inserting the screen into the paper mixture,

then lifting the screen creating his sheet to be transferred to drying layers.

The guide handing Kevin's homemade paper to him.

The guide allowed one of the children to add glitter to the paper mixture. It doesn't show in the photo, but is very nice.

We sought out the electricity demonstration after seeing this picture on Greg's Facebook yesterday when he was a boy in St. Louis.

The guide asked for a volunteer from the audience, and he chose Kevin!!!!

Outside was a sound tube.

When we returned from our day's activities, he spied --

Grampa's Birthday

2011-04-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Our major project today was to prepare for Grampa's birthday. Kevin helped me make a carrot cake. Later when it was cool, he helped frost it.

This afternoon, Kevin and I went shopping for a birthday present and cards for Grampa. We stopped in at Bombay first. I wanted to find a small clock for his new office space on our lower level. Kevin picked out the perfect one! Grampa approved!

Kevin's name is Kevin Byron after Grampa Grant Byron. On Grampa's BD card envelope, he wrote "Grampa Birin." :)

Kevin wanted to play outside before dinner with Guinness tied to the tree. Grant came in to ask if I knew what he was doing. Kevin had taken large rocks from the decorative rock lining our condo driveway, placing one neatly in the center of each concrete section of our patio sides. Grampa was disturbed. I thought it was very clever and creative!!! Though it did need to be put away. I had to take pictures first, of course!!! LOL

Then we took Grampa to dinner to celebrate his birthday.

I had so many hopes for more outdoor activities in late April! I thought Kevin could help me plant some pansies and clean up some of the dead plants, but it is just too cold! We had snow flurries again today. Poor Guinny has not gone to doggie park this week. I also wanted Grampa to help Kevin learn to ride his bicycle without training wheels this week. Doesn't look like that will happen. :(

We had cake at home. Kevin placed 19 candles on the cake, then helped Grampa blow them out. I said I wasn't sure Grampa could do it by himself. So Grampa insisted he had to prove he could, and he DID! Then Kevin wanted to prove he could blow them all in one breath too. He almost made it. Just a couple on the edges did not go out. I guess he is ready to be a teenager if he can blow out 17 candles!!!

Easter is Truly on its Way!

2011-04-17T19:42:00.001-07:00

Today is Palm Sunday! Kevin is under the table of labels and pens at church creating his nametag.

Kevin Byron Faulkner!

Kevin was upset about leaving Grandma to go to his churchtime class, but Grandma did not want to miss the sermon! Our new rector is a fabulous preacher/teacher! The key which finally worked for Grandma to leave him in class was I prayed with him. When I returned to pick him up, he was ecstatic! They had learned to make crosses from palm leaves! He had made several and took extra palms home to teach Grandma and to make more.
He arranged most of them into this vase --

We left church and headed for The Easter Bunny Brunch at The National Club. The weather today is a mixture of rain and snow!

The party began with an Easter Egg Hunt.

After all the eggs were found, the children could exchange their basket of eggs for a prize.

The brunch buffet was lined with fabulous, creative foods with a giant version of our egg tree in the center.

The Bunny went from table to table to greet the children.

Kevin took one of the marzipan chicks.

But his favorite dessert was the chocolate fountain!!!

When it was time for the magic show, Kevin managed to get a front row seat!

He was chosen as an assistant for a magic trick. But after hearing what it was -- placing his finger inside a little guillotine, he decided he did not want to be a part of that trick! I don't blame him.

An older girl did it, and managed to go home with her fingers in tact! Thank heavens!

The final trick ended with a large bunny in a cage which had held a bird! The children were allowed to come on the stage, one by one, and pet the bunny. I missed the perfect shot as someone walked between the camera and Kevin as he had his turn to pet the bunny.

After our supper, we colored some eggs.

Then we read several Easter stories at bedtime.

Kevin Arrives for Spring Break

2011-04-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

Grandma had all our Easter decorations out ready for Kevin to decorate our house! We started with the Egg Tree.

He did a great job -- wouldn't you say?!
We pulled out the Resurrection Eggs (http://ninasgrandchildren.blogspot.com/2010/03/art-and-egg-day.html)also and went through the container from #1 to #12 examining the object within each egg and reading the verse describing it. It is a fabulous way to teach children about the events leading up to the crucifixion and after.

The time between Grandma's visits with Kevin seem to coincide with the timing for a haircut! LOL So off we went. This kids' haircutter has video stations for haircutting plus tantalizing toys to tease parents or grandparents to buy.

Kevin came without dress shoes, so that was our next stop.

While at the mall, Grampa wanted to check out the pet store. We saw adorable puppies, kitties, beautiful birds, and a precious bunny!!!

After dinner, we went to see "Hop." Kevin thought it was hysterical. Grandpa and Grandma both dozed off a few times. I told Kinga and Steve they can be grateful they won't have to sit through it!

Saying Goodbye to Mommy & Daddy

2011-04-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

I flew to pick up Kevin today for his spring break and brought him home.

Saying goodbye to Mommy & Daddy.

At our first stop airport enjoying some gelatto.

We also bought Grampa a birthday present at Brookstone, then saw two LCD mini flashlights for $15 at the checkout, and bought one for each of us. Kevin had fun with his flashlight on the airplane. When we arrived home, we discovered the flashlights were such a great diversion, we forgot to bring home Grampa's present!

We arrived at Grandma & Grandpa's house at 1:30am. Kevin was unaware Grampa carried him into the house and put him in bed or of Guinness jumping all over the bed with excitement and washing Kevin's face several times with sloppy licks!