Veronika's Birthday!

For Veronika's birthday, I gave her season tickets to the Arkansas Arts Center Childrens's Theatre. We will be going to see 6 plays this year. The first was "Treasure Island". After spending the weekend in Hot Springs, we kept going and went straight to the theatre.

The play was pretty good. It was a pretty strong story, with a lot of noise and action. We sat on the front row, so a couple of times the actors were right on top of us, I thought they were going to fall in our lap. So Veronika was a little upset about that. But she didn't mind the fighting and swords. Her main concern was if the swords were real and the blood was real. Also, the pirate with the peg leg, that was interesting. After the play was over, they had a question and answer session and he showed how he had a peg leg. Very interesting.

Next month we go see, "Junie B Jones and a Little Monkey Business!". I am sure that will be Veronika's favorite!

Pretty Girls at the Wedding!

Aunt Juanita is my mother's sister. She has always been so kind and we have always loved spending time with her.

Our girls cousins joined us for a picture. Actually, the only other cousin would be Vincent Junior(as we call him), Ann wanted a girl picture. Anita and Vincent are missing from the picture. I hope we have another wedding to dance at! We always have such fun!

Evie and Violet were dressed alike. I love getting them matching outfits. Actually, I like to dress all the kids matching.

They are so pretty!

Garven Woodland Gardens

Ann and Daniel and myself went to Garven Woodland Gardens, while the rest of the group slept or watched the Razorback game.

I think we had a more enjoyable afternoon.

The gardens are lovely and we had a nice walk and a nice visit.

A Hair Raising Experience!

We spent the weekend in Hot Springs for a family wedding. I just wanted to have a family weekend, so we spent the weekend there.

Friday night, we all met and went to Coy's for dinner. Great service, not so great food!

Saturday, we went to the Mid America Museum. I think the kids enjoyed it. It's educational and fun. The adults saw the "Body" exhibit. Real human bodies preserved and on display. It was interesting, and more than a little creepy.

Babysitting

Friday night, Ron babysat the boys all by himself. I came home from Amanda's Arbonne party, the boys were bathed and playing happily with Poppa in the play room. And some people thought he couldn't babysit by him self.
Saturday, we all went to CrackerBarrell, then to the zoo and McDonalds. McDonalds has some really fun Batman toys.
Then came Sunday! We babysat Violet! Andrea and Steve went to see Les Miz at the Rep. The picture is from my iphone. I couldn't get to my camera to take this. She was sitting so happy, and would turn around to smile at me. She was so sweet. We sat outside, Violet really enjoyed the dogs, Bruno licked her toes, she thought that was great! The hummingbirds came close to check her out because they could tell she was sweet.

Moonflower & Morning Glory

The white flower is a moonflower. It opens at night and has a nice fragrance! The morning glory and moonflowers are so beautiful. They make me smile, I think because I grow them from seed.

I thought about how gardening is like parenting. You prepare the ground, plant a seed with tender loving care. You give it water, maybe give it feed, you dig out the weeds, you patiently wait for it to grow, then to maybe you are blessed with a lovely bloom. Sometimes you grow a tree that gives you cooling shade.

I think that is why I garden now that my children are grown, nurturing a plant reminds me of nurturing my children, and being blessed with being able to watch my children nurture their own children.

Aunt Juanita

Andrea, Violet and I went to Jordan Contorno and Jennifer's wedding shower Sunday afternoon. Aunti Juanita wanted to hold Violet. Aunt Juanita is my aunt, Andrea's great aunt and Violet's great great aunt.
Aren't they both beautiful!

The Hummingbirds!

Ron likes to sit on the back deck and read the paper after work. We have more hummingbirds than ever before! We decided to try holding the feeder. My gardening and birding books have acticles and pictures of people hand feeding the hummingbirds.

It was really funny to have them flying all over me. Ron and I both held the feeders. The viedo of me was too long to post. They landed on my hands with such a light touch, and I could feel the wind from their wings.

We are going to try it with the grandkids next, to see if they can hold the feeders, not have them flock to us when we hold sugary treats.

God Thought Of It First

Ron and I watched the boys while Brad and Paula went to the game Saturday. Andrea, Steve, Violet, Amanda and Evie came over to watch too. We played outside, rode the tractor, RTV, and the sea dos(on the trailer), ate their favorites foods (at my house anyway), strawberry fruit bars and night-night cereal.
After everyone left, we settled down to read. Tucker picked out "Things That Go", after he made me read if for the second or third time, Jackson asked me, " Does God make airplanes?"
Of course I thought that was such a profound question for a little guy!
I ransacked the toy closet to find the book, "God Thought of it First", it answers just that question.
I felt so blessed to be able to have that discussion with my grandchild, such a simple pleasure, read a book, discuss God! Such a smart litte boy. Such a blessing for a grandmother!

Silver Dollar City 2007/2008

First picture is Silver Dollar City November 2007, second is September 2008.

Notice the addition of the two baby girls! Notice Tucker is crying in both.

Someday, Tucker is going to look at pictures and ask why we always took pictures when he was crying. He is such a sweet, lovable boy, except when you make him do something he doesn't want to do, he wanted a hat!!! He had to leave the hat and have a picture! That was 2008, in 2007, he was just sick with a stomach bug.

We all decided Violet has the best time, she didn't cry the whole weekend. The rest of the kids all took turns, but it was a great weekend. I love these trips!

We rode go-karts, bumper boats, cooked breakfast, just visited!

Ron & Donna

This is from Brad and Paula's wedding, June 14, 2003, we just look so much older in the later wedding pictures!

1. Who is your man? Ron

2. How long have you been together? We have known each other for 36 years, married for 31 years

3. How long did you date? 5 ½ years
4. How old is your man? 58

5. Who eats more? His family said I ate like a bird the first time I met them. I fooled them!
6. Who said "I love you" first? Me

7. Who is taller? We are both shrinking, Ron was 6 ft, I say I am 5’6”

8. Who sings better? Ron sings in the choir, I sing in the shower and to children too young to tell me how off tune I am, my children love to tell me how offtune I am
9. Who is smarter? Ron is very work smart, can fix almost anything, do almost anything, he is actually brilliant in many ways, I was better in school
10. Whose temper is worse? Mine usually.
11. Who does the laundry? I wash, he folds

12. Who takes out the garbage? I sack it, he takes it out

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed. Ron always sleeps on the right, even in hotels
14. Who pays the bills? I do now, he did for the first 15 years, now I have it. It was a problem, now everything is automatic draw
15. Who is better with the computer? Ron makes our living on the computer, but that is because he knows his product, he doesn’t do software or hardware, barely can turn it on, I can turn it on and type fast, but thank goodness for Adam, who fixes our computers!
16. Who mows the lawn? Ron loves mowing the lawn, will not let me touch his mowers, but I dig the holes for my lovely plants
17. Who cooks dinner? I cook about 3-4 times a week, other than that, we pick up something, or we eat cereal or a peanut butter sandwich
18. Who drives when you are together? Whoever can stay awake.
19. Who pays when you go out? Again, whoever is still awake
20. Who is most stubborn? Ron, he never admits to a mistake, etc.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Ron says he is never wrong. I am always saying I am wrong
22. Whose parents do you see the most? Sadly, both of our parents are deceased.
23. Who kissed who first? He kissed me.
24. Who asked who out? He asked me out, then he stood me up on the first date!
25. Who proposed? We dated for 5 ½ years, I finally said, either lets get married or quit dating. I don’t know if that counts as a proposal
26. Who is more sensitive? Me!!!
27. Who has more friends? Neither of us, we are both homebodies, actually we have friends, we just never do anything with anyone except family
28. Who has more siblings? Ron, his Mom gave birth to 11 children, 9 are living. My Mom gave birth to 5 children, 1 boy, 4 girls, our brother died at the age of 4.
29. Who wears the pants in the family?
Well Ron of course! Except I tell him which ones to wear.

Andrea did hers while here at the shop, so Amanda also. Ann, Kay and Angie, please update!! Anyone else, feel free to do it too!!