Quad Monday, a Very Quiet Tuesday.....And Happy 80th Birthday to Louis Dean on Wednesday!

I went to bed Sunday afternoon with a bad head cold but I woke up in decent shape on Quad Monday! That was wonderful as we did not want to disappoint the kids and we are always ready to spend some quality time together. That's the real true beauty of being grandparents! Time spent with the grandchildren is QUALITY time! Time spent simply enjoying them and not feeling the weight of all the training and forming responsibility that goes with parenthood. We don't have to think deeply about disciplining or worry about long term character development. Not that we don't keep that in mind and actively keep the goals and values of their parents in our activities, we do. It's just different when all the responsibility is not on OUR shoulders!

As soon as they arrived, they spied pretty yellow butterflies flitting over the gardens.

How fun to see them get so excited!

Harrison went to the gazebo and rummaged around until he found the butterfly net - and then he promptly used it to hold a stash of pecans he picked up!

See that HEALTHY orange plant on the right? I bought it 'reduced for quick sale' at Lowes a year or so ago. It just took off  the last week or two and I am so happy about that!

Once the intense summer heat lets up, we see some plants really come into their own.

We had a special visitor - Miss Stephanie came over to see us.....the quads loved talking to her!

 And giving her kisses!

Harrison is a smart little boy and found my mini iPad and decided that he needed to take our picture.

He did a good job and was so proud of himself!

They picked up pecans, chased butterflies, and played croquet on the front lawn while Stephanie and I had a few minutes to catch up with each other.

Last week we spent the first block of time once they arrived walking in the rain!

Nature and outdoors always provide good entertainment!

Lunch was served outside on the upper deck. A smorgasbord of leftovers! Everything from spaghetti and meat sauce to chips and queso!

Kailey is saying if she eats THREE more bites, can she have dessert???

Dessert was the birthday cakes from Sunday night that our sweet neighbor, Olga, brought over.

We all wiped THAT out!! Not one bite was wasted!

The kids played while I did the lunch dishes and Granddad got out the blankets for naps in the den.

Each child gets to pick out their own pillow from anywhere in the house! And I have a LOT of pillows!! They get to choose as many books as they can carry - usually no more than four - and they read quietly while Louis Dean and I visit or he checks his stocks on TV. The quads know what Louis Dean watches on TV....usually Fox Business News. Friday night at Taco Casa, there were two TV's up in the corners of the restaurant. Logan looked up and said, "There's Donald Trump!" We took the opportunity to explain that he is to be our next president and that every night when she she goes to bed, she must pray for President Trump and ask God to give him wisdom and keep him safe.

The other day - while we were at Dickey's and the TV in the corner was on CNN, she asked, "Why is Donald Trump everywhere?" Good teaching moments, although they are too young to understand the history of what is taking place here. I feel sure that when they are older, they will have a few memories of history as it was being made. They told their mama, "Granddad watches the news!"

Granddad is my Knight in Shining Armor! I was pretty tired by now and he urged me to go to the bedroom and actually get in bed and rest while they napped. So I did! He stayed in the den and was actually the LAST one to wake up!!!

Trystan was the first to go to sleep so she was the first to wake up.

I was in bed and I heard her in the hall. When I raised up, she said, "Meemaw, I took a GOOD nap and now I'm awake!" She and I spent a little one on one time together. 

Once we were ALL awake, it was Tea Party Time!!!

I served the Miss Debbie Treats the kids urged me to buy at HEB last Friday.

They KNEW they would love them and so they did.

Harrison knew just exactly what to do with what he thought was a lemon slice.
Oranges work in a pinch!

After tea, I had a project to do - clean the fridge - and Louis Dean was needing to carry all those bags of trash we collected from the storage building to the curb - so we did our projects and the quads totally entertained themselves. Harrison came in the kitchen and was a real help to me. Amazing what four year olds can do!!!

It was so nice we kept the French doors open all day and pretty much played inside AND out!
Granddad and I took the easy way out for dinner!!!
Little Caesar's Pizza!! For the price - you just can't go wrong!!!

Pizza! Pizza!!!
The kids love them!!!

They proceeded to do a 'project' together with no supervision from me. They found paper strips, tape, markers and small scissors in the old library table that held the old fashioned library cards you used to search for something. It has a dozen slide out drawers and each one holds something different.

This kept them engrossed for over an HOUR!!!

Amber arrived and did baths, put on their pj's and loaded the quads up to take them home and put them to bed! It was a GOOD Quad Monday!

The kids enjoyed seeing the pretty lights from the LED light shower Nita gifted us last year.

After everyone left, LD and I sat in the gazebo with a glass of wine before going to bed.

Tuesday dawned cool but soon warmed up!!!

I believe this is THE warmest fall I have ever experienced!!!

Two years ago today we had SNOW!!

I was back in the sick bed. I rested both in bed and in the den.

Between rests, I took down the fall decorations or - as Louis Dean lovingly calls my 'debris' from the den.

It looks a bit vacant! That won't last long.

I'm always a tiny bit sad at saying goodbye to my beloved fall. I'm never quite ready but it is time.

Last year I left it up until well after Thanksgiving as we had a special visitor from Finland.

It was so special to go down to Galveston and meet Jutta and then take her home with me for an American Thanksgiving.

This year, she is spending her time in Florida and, while I had meant to join her there, it didn't work out as we had hoped. She comes to the US every November so I'm already looking forward to next year!

I admit it - I went to bed pretty sick last night - but slept better than I'd expected.

Louis Dean came in to check on me this morning - he slept in the guest room since I am sick - and brought me a cup of coffee. After a few minutes of chit chat, he said, "Well, I guess this is the day I am now 80 years old!"

What an amazing man I married!!!

His birthday is, indeed, today! His PARTY will be on Saturday!

This was a day to celebrate!!

He is so dearly loved by every single member of my family!!!

What a blessing he has been to us!

We had coffee together and then I had to go to Dallas to meet up with Amber and get all the party supplies for Saturday. Amber is hosting and thank goodness for that! My house is in a state of disarray. The changing of the seasons is a messy business.

I am now a new member of Costco!!!

I LOVE that place!!!

We filled two shopping carts, Amber came prepared with the menu and a grocery list!

Before I left Dallas I shared a moment with my grand dogs, Jersey and Shiner.

Shiner, the white lab, is recently back from a hunting trip for pheasants.

He's an old man today but he enjoyed the trip like he was a much younger dog!

I cam back to Irving with a purpose!

I needed a hair cut in the worse way and went straight to K Hair!!!

My 'bob' was gone but my hairdresser brought it back!

She is amazing and talented and a dear friend.

I then went right next door to Lovely Nails for a good pedicure.

 I was feeling better by the minute and yet my strength was beginning to fail.

I came home to show off my new do and he showed me my fall storage area!

This is less than a quarter of the space! Fall is being packed away all neat and tidy!!

THIS is Louis Dean's newest storage building - not nearly as big as my 'old' shed is but the deal has been made! He is sorting and storing and is bound and determined to keep order in this one!

He bought an extra patio storage bin so he would have a 'holding place' for stuff.....as he is sorting......and storing.

I meant to come home this evening and grill him up a good steak and bake some potatoes and serve Cheesecake for dessert! While I get credit for thawing the steaks......I ran out of steam.

We compromised and had baked potatoes tonight and will have the real deal tomorrow.

I also took Louis Dean out on the deck and gave him a good haircut and clean up!!

No more Jim Wright eyebrows!!!

So Happy Birthday to my beloved husband!!!

He's the best thing to come into my crazy life!

And I love him with every fiber of my being!

How blessed am I to be married to such a man.

And what a joy to celebrate this weekend with family and friends and good food and good wine.

He won't be sitting comfortably in a corner. No, he will be front and center and enjoying his beer or wine, his food and cake and fellowship!

I can't begin to describe how grateful he and I both are that he is as healthy as he is at this age.

We are embracing every single day we have together and living each one to the fullest!

True even though we are sitting here together in the den companionably enjoying a glass of wine together while watching past episodes of Alaskan Bush People and Alaska: The Last Frontier.

Time together is ALWAYS good.

Happy Birthday, Louis Dean!!!

I love you with all my heart!