Spending Time......

We spent some quality time in Quadville this weekend.

The quads needed time with us and we needed time with them. 

And we all needed time to be togther as a family.

We arrived there Saturday afternoon. I came in the door first and all the kids were excited to see me - but when Louis Dean walked in - Kailey cried out in joy and told me, 

"THANK you for bringing my GRANDDAD back to me!!!"

The last time they had seen him other than in Facetime on our iPads was October 9th.

While were we at the ranch, Kailey called us one day and said, "Y'all are missing all the FUN of us!!"

It was wonderful to be together again.

We brought all the makings for chili dogs and mac and cheese and cooked them up for lunch.

Now that the quads are Big Kids - they didn't need a nap so we went right on to watch a movie -

The Emoji Movie! Really cute.

Later in the afternoon, Granddad read The Ghost Eye Tree to them for the 5th time.....

It's an annual tradition.

He still has the special old hat that he used to wear when he would read this book to his second grade students.

This was the very best pic I could get of them together.

You can see Logan has my iPad and - between the four of them - they took well over a hundred pictures over the weekend.

Kailey took this photo of me.

I think I looked better than I felt.

My hand was burned more seriously than I thought and Amber doctored and bandaged it up for me.

She fixed a delicious dinner of grilled chicken, garlic green beans and Alfredo spaghetti squash and we all gathered around the table. We have a family joke about how Louis Dean 'hates' pasta!

Of course, he LOVES spaghetti! 

He had no idea what he was eating and had a huge second helping.

After the meal, she told him what it was. Too late! He already liked it!

Amber herded everyone upstairs for showers and bedtime while Louis Dean and I went on to the guest room. I must say - this whole dental ordeal has been more painful than I anticipated.

Still, it was a must do thing and I have tried to suck it up and carry on - but it's not been easy.

Blisters are what's bothering me the most. Blisters on both upper and lower gums and the blisters on my burned hand as well. I feel like I have a toothache - but there's no tooth there!

It was an early night for us and we slept so well in the comfy guest bed.

This morning I could hear the kids upstairs so I made me a cup of coffee and added a lot of milk to it and tiptoed up to their rooms. Parents and Granddad were still asleep so I stood outside their doors and listened. I was reminded of the song Louis Dean loves to sing - 'Ain't it Kind of Funny What the Children Say?' They were so precious! Young innocent little people.....I wish I could keep  the memory of their conversations playing in my head but it's already fading.

I shared my coffee with them and then we decided to go downstairs and use the small coffee cups in their play kitchen and have a 'Tea Party.' They didn't know you can have a tea party without tea! I said you can use coffee, punch, or milk instead. I also told them that when they were tiny newborns in the NICU, the nurses gave them caffeine. "WHAT????They gave us COFFEE???" they asked!!

Later in the morning, Amber and I made a run to the donut shop and we all sat around the table again.

I love her table and the fact that they gather there every single morning and night as a family.

It was a joy to be sitting there with them again.

The kids took us around showing off the crafts they made with their Mama.

Logan impressed us all with her first book!

She made it all by herself......

written and illustrated by Logan!

When Amber and I got back from the donut shop, I found all the kids gathered around Granddad in the guest room.

Kailey was playing and singing with him!

Oh, let me tell you he was on Cloud Nine!!!

My mouth was still hurting so badly that I could not even bit into a soft roll. 

I tore off little bits of it and tried to nibble towards the back side of my mouth.

We all opted to watch a church service online so the kids, parents and grandparents gathered in the living room for 'church.' Ed Young of Fellowship was preaching and we were all blessed and encouraged by the message....young and old alike.

It was from a series called  'Know Thyslef' and talked about choices.

Appropriate for all ages.

We came home shortly after wards and I dropped Louis Dean off and headed over to Debbie's to deliver her Sledding Santa painting.

She was giving her mother a birthday party and I had been invited!

She has a group of ladies - mostly friends from childhood - called The Fun Girls.

They ARE fun!!!

Debbie and I on the back.

Donnis and the birthday girl, Judy, in the front.

Donnis and Judy have been friends since they were 9 and 13 years old.

That's amazing to me!

This is Vernon, Debbie's husband!

 I enjoy watching him and Debbie as they share their lives with their friends and family.

While I have not felt very well, I was still able to get out and visit and spend some quality time with people who are important to me.

Summer just called to tell me our very most favorite movie of all time was on TV -

Jeremiah Johnson with Robert Redford!

I paused it while I finished 'my words' here in this journal entry.

Filmed in 1972, I have seen this movie more than a dozen times. 

Once we saw it at a drive in and recorded it on a tape player.

Summer, Jesse, Jr and I can quote every line!!!

So I will close with this......

 His name was Jeremiah Johnson, and they say he wanted to be a mountain man.