A few things that warm my heart...

This week-end Huston and Arden spent the night while Clarke and Jennifer attended the Baylor vs. Tech game. Huston did something nice and I told him how sweet he was. He told me with a voice full of conviction that God wants us to be kind and the he wants to listen to God.

Since Truitt and I pray for God listening hearts for our grandchildren that moment seemed particularly poignant.

Huston already has a protective and helpful spirit. Last week when they spent the night he handed me my glasses when I woke up, telling me that he was very careful not to touch the lenses. Then at breakfast he handed me my coffee. As walked over to see the goats he saw me aproaching a hole and screamed, "Mimi don't fall in the hole."

Arden has a smile like the rising sun. It's bright and full of joy. She is always talking and singing and reading. She wants to do everything that Huston does and has great determination and independance.

We love our grandkids.

New Mexico

1. July 11, 2011
   
   Arden is putting stickers on Clarke’s feet. He and Papaw just finished up a long discussion about Tertullian, the early Christian author and apologist. Huston has been telling us that Blankie (his faithful blanket that has a mind of his own and meows like a cat) is very sad that he did not get to go on the ski lift with us today.
   Clarke and Jennifer, Huston, Arden, Mom, Dad, Truitt and I are in a rented townhome for a week in Red River, New Mexico.
   Before I forget the week, I decided to get a record of it here on my lap top. Here’s a few highlights….
   1. Huston is delighted to be here. He made the 11 hour drive here with his new bubble machine and two bubble containers held in his lap the entire way. As soon as they arrived we but batteries in his machine and we all had a great bubble celebration. Huston and Arden were excited beyond belief, and of course, we loved it just as much!
   2. I brought Arden some colored wooden beads in a old aspirin bottle along with a plastic divided tray and a few other objects. She has played with these items for hours, but the beads in the containers and sorting.
   3. Jennifer, in an attempt to get Huston to help her work a magnetic puzzle book, dumped all the pieces from a container onto the floor. “Huston,” she said, “where do all these puzzle pieces go?” “In the bowl, “ he answered matter of factly.
   4. Arden sits with the children’s Bible in her lap and babbles punctuating her babbles with the word “Jesus” and “Bubbles”, her word for Grandpa. Sometimes pics of Jesus are Jesus and sometimes they are Grandpa.
   5. Clarke, Dad, Truitt and I played a round of Spades. Papaw still has the game logic skill, even though he is almost 85. He and Clarke were partners and they beat us though I successfully went “blind Nillo”. Clarke and Papaw are going to partner at a 42 game this week at the community hall.
   6. Huston slept with Truitt and I last night because he had a nightmare and was waking up Arden. We had such much fun snuggling and talking in the bed this morning. He went downstairs before us and had breakfast with Granny, having Raisin Bran for the first time. It was so sweet to hear them visiting them downstairs. Papaw joined them later and they had a great, sweet time. When I came down he proudly told me that he had gone downstairs by himself and that I didn’t even know where he was!
   7. A few minutes after we drove up, Jane and Bruce McGregor from church drove up. They are booked in the townhouse next door for the entire week like we are! A real coincidence!
   8. We had quite the adventure on the ski lift today. Huston has been obsessed with the ride even since we arrived, calling the ski lift “the seats”. He was a little afraid to get on the lifts, but loved it he once was on. When we were about ¾ of the way up it began to rain heavily and then it began to sleet! We were freezing and wet and trying to keep up a good attitude. When we reached the top Papaw was nervous about jumping off onto the wet slick flooring. He hesitated, accidentally knocking me over just as I was jumping out. I slid across the decking on my belly and the attendant somehow hurt his head in trying to help us. Miraculously, none of us were hurt too badly. We took shelter in the restaurant and had lunch. I did a “dry off” dance with the kids to the music on the sound system and we tried to get warm. Arden had a blow out in her diaper and Jennifer didn’t have an extra. She thought we were simply going up and down the ski lift. She cleaned her up and put her pants back on without a diaper. Immediately she wet her pants and Jennifer’s too! It was quite the morning!
   9. Huston loved watching the Hyperlink 11 Kids Kamp DVD in our quieter times. He quoted lines from it and carried about his Bible like the characters in the drama. Once Papaw was reading his Bible on the balcony and Huston had to run and get his Bible so that he could read it on the balcony as well.
   10. Mom and Dad sang I’m Gonna Take a Trip in the Old Gospel Ship to the kids and they loved it.
   11. Clarke and Jennifer got all the adults to play Fishbowl a couple of nights. It was a stretch for Granny and Papaw, but they ended up loving it.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Backyard Fun

No one can accuse Arden of not stopping to smell the roses. It has become a tradition that she stops and gathers some rose petals from the school garden each Friday when I take Huston to his preschool. I always smile when I see the rose petals scatted across my back seat during the week.

I took the first week in April as a vacation time so that I could keep the kids while Karen is in Amsterdam with her sister. We spent one morning with at Mom and Dad's house before having lunch at Cracker Barrel. Huston loved it so much that when we were going home he said, "Mimi, why did we just get to stay at Granny and Papaw's house for a few minutes?". It had actually been close to two hours, but it wasn't enough for him. He got to play with Papaw's mini van doors and his electric bed. These things can be very exciting to a three year old!

On Tuesday we went to the Museum of Science and History and went back on Thursday at Huston's request. Arden made lots of people laugh at her incredible enthusiasm for the snakes and tarantulas! She was a darling little thing all dressed in pink and bows and she could not get enough of those little animals. She squealed with delight and kept pointing to the tarantula saying, "Bug! Bug!", with a huge excited grin on her face.

On Friday Truitt, Huston, Arden and I went to the Arboretum in Dallas. We could not believe how much fun the kids had in the little Texas play village. Huston wanted to go into every house and pretend that it was his. Arden wanted to climb on everything she saw and do everything that Huston did. What a great day!

Jennifer turned 30 on Friday. I took Arden and Huston to the Dollar Store on our way home from preschool and let Huston pick out anything he wanted for his mother. He picked out a plastic bat and ball, two swimming pool noodles, 2 pair of flip flops and a pair on sunglasses. I asked him two decide between two of the largest gift bags, but he had his own ideas and picked out a sparkly red bag with stars for his presents. He then saw the red shiny filler and wanted to get that as well. We went home and he excitedly placed the items in the bad. Arden got to join in too by putting in the red shiny filler.

Jennifer came home and Huston was so thrilled to give her her gifts. "I got you new sunglasses in case the lenses fall out of your other ones, " he told her. He excitedly told me the next day that his mom didn't wear her shoes that day, but she had worn them out to pick up the trash can the day before.