Grandpa's back!

My Dad was in Florida for about 3 weeks and wasn't home when Andy first got home.
When he got back took Andy out for lunch and a game of bowling. He and his wife Ann are avid bowlers and are pretty good, especially Ann.
We stopped at the bowling alley so he could see Alaina too.

He hadn't seen her in awhile and was surprised by how she had grown.

Ann had to say hi to her too.

Ann - Andy - Dad

They had fun bowling, and Ann beat them all.
I know Andy enjoyed spending time with them again!

Floods and treasures

I got a call from my Dad Sunday night telling me that they had a problem at their house. My stepmom had gone downstairs for something and found about 2 inches of water covering the floor. He's never had this problem before, but apparently a tree root had grown through the drainage system, allowing ground water to get in.
There are 2 finished bedrooms in the basement, along with a family room. All the carpet had to be taken up and padding needed to be scraped off as it was the type that was glued to the cement. Insurance didn't cover it because it classified as flood damage.
So - he needed help, and that's what family does! Monday evening, all of us kids, along with our spouses and a few grandkids came over. We pulled carpet, scraped padding, pulled down wallpaper and got rid of all the damaged things into a big dumpster.
Dad had some professionals come in to protect the rest from any mold and make sure things were dried out.
I did come home with some treasure though. The picture above shows 2 of the 3 tables I have set up in my basement that are covered with letters. They are letters that my Dad wrote to my Mom when he was in the army from 1956-1958. Mom had saved them, and they got wet in the basement. I spread them all out on tables and it looks like they are going to be ok.
We were thrilled to see this piece of family history. What a treasure!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

I've been so blessed by the family I was born into. I was given Christian parents who worked hard to raise us knowing God, knowing how to work and with lots of love!
My Mom passed away 7 years ago, but my Dad is doing well - happy and healthy!
It was my Dad's 80th birthday on Friday, and on Saturday my brother, 2 sisters and I had an Open House for him.

Here's Dad before the open house. I don't think he looks 80 and he sure doesn't act it!

Some of the pictures we had set up. The picture on the left is my Dad and his younger sister. He came from a family of 10 kids. (He was the fifth) One sister died as a child and his oldest sister died a few years ago but the rest of his siblings are all living and in good health.

One of the cakes at the open house.

Dad and Ann. They got married a couple of years ago. Her first husband died about 10 years ago and it's a blessing to all of us to see them together. They both had happy first marriages and all of their kids are happy to see them enjoying each other.
Don't you think they are cute? :)

This is me with my Dad's sister Esther.(the same one that was in the picture with him as a child)
Those two got into a lot of trouble as kids and if you look at them now, you can still see the mischief in their eyes!

Here's a group of the grand kids. I'm thankful that they have remained close and all get along well.

My Mom had 9 kids in her family, but only one sister. This is her sister Jo.
Uncle John, Aunt Jo, Dad, cousin Lori and her husband Dad

Two of Dad's brothers - Alan and Henry

There was lots of talking and reminiscing.

After the Open house was done we took a picture of the whole group. This is the whole family except Heather who is in Myrtle Beach with friends and Andy who is in Afghanistan.

We had fun seeing some of Dad's old friends, army buddies and family members. I know Dad enjoyed himself too!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Tuesday was my Dad's 77th birthday. We'll be having a party this weekend, but thought it would be nice to go out for supper with the family tonight to celebrate. There are 4 kids in my family and we were all able to be there. We had plenty to eat and lots of good talk and fun. We got put in a back room and wondered if they thought we were going to be a wild group! (We behaved quite well, although there was a lot of laughing going on!)

Here is my Dad with us 4 kids: (Left to right) Dad, Terri, Duane, Cheri, Me.

I am the oldest, Duane is next, then Terri, then Cheri
Here is the waitress bring my Dad his birthday cake while a group of waitresses were singing.

When we left the restaurant, the sun was setting. This picture really doesn't do it justice. It was a nice way to end the evening.

Surprise!

My sisters and I spent the painting on Wednesday. My stepmom is in Florida for a few weeks and my Dad wanted to surprise her by fixing up the dining room while she was gone. There was wallpaper on these walls and it was time for it to go. Dad took the paper down and Terri, Cheri and I came in and painted today. We ended up painting the hallway too. It was lots of work but it looked so nice when we finished. Ann should be happy when she comes home! Here's Terri, working hard at rolling that paint.


Here's Cheri - cooling off by the patio door. I told her it looked like she was just watching while we worked. Actually, we all worked pretty hard, but had fun too!