Keeping Grand kids BUSY and HAPPY!

Yesterday Louis Dean and I worked from 11 am - 3 pm in the front yard! Weeding, edging, trimming, mulching.....there is always SO much to do when the grass starts growing. Our Asian Jasmine nearly takes over EVERYTHING if I don't keep a watchful eye out!

Just about the time I was giving out - the grand kids arrived!!

We wound up the front yard and bolted all the gates and settled down in the gazebo for nice visit.

Sam, my oldest. He is nearly 10 years old!

Levi, the youngest, is THE hardest worker! And STRONG!!!

Faith is a girly girl.......after my own heart!

She loves a good game of checkers.....

however, Sam beat her by three this time!

Levi was content to watch!

After a lunch of hot dogs, chili, chips and jello - complete with a topping of tiny marshmallows - we started an art project.

Louis Dean had primed the wall with some left over PINK paint.

The kids got right  to work covering it with the nice 'fudge bar' color we are using on the house and storage buildings.

They did a bang up job!!!

They insisted they could paint the other side as well......and so they did!

That little Faith loved painting from the ladder!

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Levi loves MUD! He played for over an hour in the mud pit he created.

While not CLEAN fun - it WAS fun!!

A little dirt never hurt anybody!

All too soon it was time for baths and roasting marshmallow!

We thought the fire wasn't going to start because......

.....Levi had been 'cleaning up' over there!!

No worries!

We got it started just fine!

The kids took their baths while the fire burned down enough to use their wires.

We closed down the night out on the front yard.

The kids have a game they play........they lay facing west looking at the four way stop sign. They watch to see if the cars actually STOP at the stop sign.

13 out of 15 cars DID NOT! (Most don't!)

This morning we had fresh banana muffins by popular request - it's Sam's favorite!

Muffins, milk, and 'fluffy salad' made a perfect breakfast!

Not the best pic to show right after food.....

but the kids were so excited to find this small squirrel skull.

Faith is taking it to school for show and tell.

Then it was back to the art project. They each drew in their design.

Working....working.....

Art by Sam, Faith and Levi!

Signed and dated!

OOPS!!! Faith remembered to sign hers!! A true artist!

We had the best 24 hour MiMi Camp EVER!!

The kids were as good as gold and it did our hearts good to simply look at them and love them and spend some time together.

Every single child is so very different. and so very special .

It was nice to at long last use my spring table setting.

Everyone shared their 'high and low' of the day.

The highs were ALL either spending the night here with MiMi and Granddad or

'Having the kids here!' Not many lows in the group today.

The kids are back home. I came back and took a long nap.

Now I am gearing up for next week!

It just seems like there is SO much going on in my life right now.

Even as life goes on for some......life ends for others.

I recently received word of a friend going on to be with the Lord after a long battle.

Life is Fragile......Handle with Prayer!

There has been a lot of activity in the quad world lately.

The mom of sextuplets recently delivered and you can read her story Here.

Then I think I have already linked to Ashley's blog. She recently gave birth and you can read about it HERE!

Last but not LEAST is my daughter, Amber's latest blog post: Here!

Amber even has a video greeting as she gives you the latest goings on!

OK! That's a wrap for the weekend!

We are all in store for a great week!!

I close with one of my favorite quotes from Charles R. Swindoll.

"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities

brilliantly disguised as

impossible situations!"

And THAT'S the truth!!