Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Speaking of Birthdays!

Now let's backup to October when Max and Henry were here. We not only celebrated with Rebecca and Jonny's wedding, but we even squeezed a birthday party since we don't usually get to be with Max and Henry in October!



After playing "Birthday Bingo" and "Pin the Tail on the Donkey," it was time to open birthday gifts.




Here's Henry waiting for his turn to open a birthday gift.


Ummmm, Grandpa, do you want to play with me???

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Happy 5th Birthday, Miss Kayla!

How did Kayla get to be 5 years old so quickly?


You go, girl! Blow out those candles!



A fun gift from Aunt Carly/Uncle Brian was an chef's hat and apron.


Another fun gift from Uncle Jonny/Aunt Bem!


Sunday, September 11, 2011

It's Been a Loooong Time!

What a busy July and August! Very Fun.....but very Busy! We had Joshua, Kayla and Tyler for a week while their mommy & daddy were celebrating their 10th anniversary. The kids just did great, but oh, it was hot! We did a lot of inside activities and Tyler.....well, he was just concerned that he had his tow truck in hand!


We did several craft projects during the week. These were little bird houses that the kids painted.



Lots and lots of bead projects. I had a slight panic attack when Kayla chewed on one of the beads and it slipped down over a tooth like a spacer. Thankfully it popped off eventually.


Their mommy left this wonderful treat......a 100 piece puzzle. The puzzle pieces were itsy, bitsy. Didn't make a lot of progress very quickly.



Stephen and his family arrived at the end of the week and here they all are looking out the window. I think they were watching Uncle Ryan on the 4-wheeler! In case you are wondering there was a 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 year old.



Henry and Max patiently waiting for their pizza at CiCi's!



The kids took advantage of Brian and Carly's pool those hot, hot days. The kids are getting more and more confident in the water. Just makes Grandma nervous!



Lena just happy to be on board in her own little "boat!"



Henry was ready for all kinds of fun and splashes.



Max


Another day we visited the new "Discovery Center," a hands on museum for children. There were many really neat centers and the kids enjoyed it. This was the woodworking center where the boys put on their goggles and gloves and began sawing, hammering nails, etc.



Tyler joined us for this outing and this was at the "grain" exhibit.



There were exhibits Lena enjoyed doing as well. This one was painting on the glass walls.



This was the automotive exhibit where you can change the tires, add oil, and work on the exhaust underneath the car.



I was hungry for a fruit pizza and Freya did the honors of decorating the top! It was delicious and it was devoured in one meal!



And finally......a trip to Chuck E Cheese. Lena was chillin' with Aunt Carly!



Saturday, July 2, 2011

Catching Up!

These first pictures go back to March when Brian, Carly, Richard and I made a trip to Stephen and Freya's to be there for Lena's baby dedication service. Wouldn't you know I forgot my memory card, all the pictures went to my hard drive, and it has taken me this long to get them transferred over to my memory card and on to the computer. We had such a good time together. The pictures from the church aren't very good, so we will just remember the memories. Henry was on the platform as well.....not sure who he was hiding behind.


Lena was decked out all in pink! Cute, Cute!


Lena Mae



Mr. Max



Henry



Now let's jump forward to June 17. Rebecca and Jonny have been playing coed slow-pitch softball for several years. Jonny chose this night at the bottom of the 5th evening to propose, "Rebecca Susanne, will you marry me?"




And the answer was "Yes!"



Took this picture before I left for St Louis last week. The yellow lilies, some of the orange lilies, and the red spirea were in full bloom. With all the color, I almost forget how cold and how much snow we had last winter.



The garden is growing well. First two rows are potatoes, then green beans, tomatoes, more green beans, then the corn.



One day last week I had zuchinni, fresh potatoes, and new green beans. I didn't even fix myself a hamburger like the guys had. I could easily go without meat!! Love that garden stuff!! Waiting for the tomatoes to ripen.



Sunday, May 29, 2011

Happy 59th Anniversary to Mom and Dad Varner

Umm....I loaded these pictures backwards, so sorry! I'll explain along the way. We had the fun opportunity to have a surprise family gathering to celebrate and honor Mom and Dad Varner's anniversary on Saturday. The family gathered at Nancy and Robert's and it was our "job" to take Richard's parents "out to eat" to celebrate. We happened to "remember" that we needed to get something at Nancy's and of course, as we pulled up we could see all the cars. Mom V said she knew something was up when I didn't put my seatbelt on???


Johnny and Rebecca


Uncle Robert M. gave some rides to the grandkids. Rebecca tried her expertise on the lawnmower.


Tyler was checking out the mama kitty with her new six kittens. Tyler was pretty fascinated.



Arriving at the celebration. "I thought something was going on!"



Mom and Dad Varner celebrating 59 years of marriage. They were married on a Wednesday because it had rained and Dad couldn't get in the fields! Now that's being practical.



Get your magnifying glass out for this one!!



Mom and Dad Varner and the kids. Roy, Richard, Robert and Nancy


Grandpa and Grandma with the Grandkids there.



This was a hoot to take a picture with the great-grandchildren.


Saturday, May 21, 2011

More This and That

Do any of you remember the refrigerator "safe" that was in the basement at Mother and Dad's in Houstonia??? Ryan had his "eye" on this treasure so when we gathered up the last things we hauled this refrigerator home and it has been sitting in one of our buildings. Several weeks ago Ryan decided it was time to refinish this keepsake. He sanded it down to bare metal and painted it a 1940's pink. It has become quite a conversation piece.



Ryan painted the hardware with chrome paint. He'll have plenty of takers if he ever decides he doesn't want it!! It's pretty cool.


Happy Easter 2011. J K & T stayed with us the night before since their Mommy and Daddy were very busy with music Easter morning!


Happy #2 Birthday, Tyler.


Nothing like a new John Deere Tractor.


Nice fire engine cake, Lisa. I just now noticed the hose with water coming out!