Family Only Birthday Party

Our granddaughter,Samantha, turned one! Since her birthday fell on a week day her parents had to work so Pops and I got to start the birthday girl's day with her.We started the day with breakfast at Waffle House.
Then we took her shopping and let her pick out her first "baby".At dinner time we all met over her house and I got to cuddle with our newest granddaughter.They had a pasta bar & the kids really enjoyed it!Sami had a special appetizer,shrimp, her favorite.Then it was present time.

Aunt Nenni & Uncle Shawn got her this cute outfit. We'll have to save it for their daughter's first birthday too.Aunt Nenni made the huge cupcake & I made the "smash cake" and extra cupcakes. We had Uncle Chuckles, Aunt Chel & Wyatt on the phone singing Happy Birthday with us. Then Wyatt heard PaPa's voice and had to talk to him. John Robert thought his Daddy's cake looked better than his.

She'll be having a big "Block Party" later on this summer, when it's convenient for everyone to be here, CAN'T WAIT!

Look Who Has a Tattoo

When our son was in college and got a tattoo he called me and wanted me to tell his father because he was always threatened them with their life if they ever got a tattoo or a piercings. When we were talking about it I said I didn't mind so much and I thought I might even like one myself. He looked at me as if I had said I killed someone and he said "I don't even know who you are" and that was that until . . .

When my dad was dying we all did a lot of thinking and he just wanted to do something out of character. He decided on a buffalo since in the army he was a scout and in the early days scouts were called Buffalo Soldiers. He even has a small buffalo collection. We started searching for just the right one and came up with this one. The KDT 52 was added later for our names Kathy & Tom Dennison and his football number when we met. We later found a real Buffalo Soldier so he got it put on his other arm. I love this picture it hangs in our bathroom. There's one of me too in the tub but I'll save that for another day.

Here is an up close of the buffalo. He had the Kiddo X30 added for our 30th wedding anniversary. He used to call me Kiddo.

The second buffalo was so big that a bandage like the one below (looks like a garbage bag) wouldn't fit so they actually wrapped it in Saran wrap. Don't you love the masking tape holding the bandage on!

Tom has an uncommon dislike for spiders so we like to buy him things with spiders on them. He even wears a silver one on a chain around his neck. When he got the tattoo bug he decided his second one should be a spider and he surprised me with this one, sans names.


When we started having grandchildren he wanted to get something for each one so he gets a spider each time we add a new grandchild. Lily was the one he just got, you can see the masking tape marks.


Here is MY one and only. A simple cupcake in honor of my father since I was his little cupcake

A Quick Trip to DC

We thought we would take the kids to see the dinosaurs again before school lets out here and it gets too busy. So we drove to the Metro station and took it right to the Smithsonian (almost).

We walked through the mall and pointed out the monuments. Even though they don't understand it all I want them to know where we were. The Capital is in the background to the left of the carousel which was our first stop. Then we had a quick snack in the park. Tom used to run this path at lunchtime when he worked down there.

We've all been here before but the kids still love it every time

Then we let Ella have the camera, Here are just a couple.

and then she had to show me how to use the touch screen

and John Robert liked the shark's tooth

and the brontosaurus, yes he knows them all

PaPa's favorite, shark jaws big enough to walk through

Quick stop at the gift shop on the way out.
They got the most excited over the squirrels in the bushes outside.

Then we had lunch on Constitution Ave.

Any little bit of grass and he was playing dinosaur.

but I want to ride too, Grams, pleeease. She pushed John Robert instead.

Then a quick diaper change before we get back on the Metro.

John Robert stayed dry all day.

It was a great day!