and these are the good times! Thanksgiving week end was filled with family, friends, food and football. Is there anything better?We started on Wednesday night when Tom's brother came from Ohio, we had a nice relaxing steak dinner and of course a few beers. Charlie & Michele showed up with the kids about 1am. Natalie's parents & brother also came in Wednesday night so Thursday morning we had everybody for breakfast and then attempted to decorate the tree. We also got the six grandkids dressed up (in the tutus I made)and attempted to get pictures for our Christmas cards. Tom's mother and stepfather showed up from PA midday and were very excited to meet the two little girls for the first time. We put them up in a hotel since we already had Charlie, Michele & the 2 kids and Tom's brother, Tim, staying with us. We had 4:30 reservations for dinner which I have to say it is the smartest thing we've ever done. Twenty for dinner and no prep or clean up! Very relaxing two hours and to the kids enjoyment they had a chocolate fountain for dessert. We then all went over Thomas & Natalie's for dessert & drinks. Friday morning our three kids and I went shopping.I really can't remember when just the four of us did anything together. Natalie took the girls and went with her parents to visit family in NY and Tom was able to spend some time with his brother,mother, stepfather & Wyatt.Michele took off with Piper to visit friends and wrap presents for the day.I had made a turkey and ham for leftovers so we had a nice dinner and continued the decorating. Tom's brother left (To see whoever he was texting all day my guess is. LOL). Saturday was the big Ohio State/Michigan game so Charlie made us some chili and Michele took the baby to spend the day with her mother & sister. We said good bye to Tom's family and took Charlie & Michele to the mall to get the kids pictures taken (I have realized that if I want pictures I have to take the bull by the horns and do it myself LOL).Sunday we were able to see Thomas & Natalie & the girls again and finish up the decorations and clean up the house some. Charlie & Michele were gone all day visiting friends and family, they came and picked up their stuff and were on the road by 8. We've got 4 weeks to recover and start the whole thing all over again. I love our grandkids! I can't imagine what holidays would be like without them.

Natalie's mom,Beverly

"Uncle Chuckles" & Lily "O H I O"

Wyatt loved his cousin, Lily

Charlie has the red hair but neither of his children have it but his two nieces do. Sami loved the baby

Great Grandpap Steve is sooo good with babies.

He is showing Grandma Joyce how to hold Piper's head up

We had three tables at the restaurant and were able to walk around and visit. They had a buffet with not only traditional food but pork, beef and cod (which Wyatt LOVED)

We're so happy that he is comfortable in our home. He knows where everything is and sleeps in the big boy bed with no trouble.

Grandma Joyce just kept saying how happy she was to have everyone together. Lily makes everyone smile.

So like her mother, she LOVES reading.

We got to sit at the kids table and who wouldn't want to.

The dinosaur nugget is eating Jack's food.

I took them each to the chocolate fountain to dip their own dessert.

Uncle Tommy and Wyatt. The connection between them just makes me smile.

He loves vroom vrooms

PaPa,Wyatt & Piper. We miss you already.

Ella was taking pictures. These girls are about a year apart. I think they will be friends in the years to come.

Me with Natalie's mom & brother

Roger, Beverly & Alex, Natalie's family.

Sami & Uncle Al, aren't they sweet!

Uncle Tommy & Wyatt

Our Christmas Cupcake & her daddy

Just hanging around

Uncle Tim & Natalie

Mother daughter bonding watching the parade

Michele keeping in touch with her family

Lily Jean Jelly Bean

The boys relaxing with popcorn watching the Thanksgiving parade

Ella, Piper,Wyatt, Sami, Jack & Lily. Our six blessings!

Uncle Tim & Ella. She talked his ear off.

Sisters

Our oldest and youngest

Ella always keeps everyone entertained

Uncle Chuckles & Ella

Ella and her other grandma"BaBa"

They had to set up their fantasy footbal line ups

Piper at 5 weeks

Thanksgiving breakfast

Uncle Tim & Wyatt

and oh ya,I forgot to mention Charlie brought along his dog so add three dogs into the mix.I sure do love my familyand I wouldn't have itany other way.

Pictures from Lily's Baptism, I WISH

Don't you just hate those old people who don't know how to use their own electronics? That's me! I have to say it's more irritating when I do it myself than when I see someone else doing it. My sister, Cookie, flew into town to be Godmother to our little Lily Bean. There was a cook out on Saturday and the ceremony was beautiful on Sunday. Ella spent a lot of time with us and talked Aunt Cookie's ears off. That being said I THOUGHT I dowloaded 200 plus pictures and then deleted them from my camera. I'm not sure what I did wrong but only a couple of pictures Jen took with it in Ohio last week actually downloaded,weird. We do have a nice picture of Great Grandpap & Lily from Ohio but not much else. It's a good picture but . . . Jen got some of the week end so we'll just have to go with THAT for now Here are a couple of pictures from today. I've had the flu all week but Tom had promised to take Jack on Thursdays and he didn't want to back out. He was so sweet he even took Sami with him to pick Jack up so that I could have some time to rest. He took Jack, Sami & Lily to the park, visited Natalie at work with Jack & Sami , then took the two to Wal Mart & McDonald's. What a good PaPa! By the time they got back here it was nap time. We tried to have them nap in the same room but they just kept talking to each other, who would have thought.

SNACK!

Jen brought these puzzles back to us for Sami to use since Jack has outgrown them but he got excited to see them again so we decide he could do them ALL AT ONCE, what a smart boy! I love being a grandma.

Halloween in Pictures

This picture is of my brothers and sister with our dad in 1959. I was only about five months old at the time so I'm guessing I was too young to enjoy the carving.

Piper One Week

Piper with the blanket I made her.

Jennifer & Shawn took their kids to Ohio to trick or treat with Wyatt. I love that they have fun together

Wyatt LOVES Woody

Michele & Piper

Lily & Piper

Wyatt & Jack

Jen and her family were a Hamburger, Hotdog, French Fries & a McDonald's Manager. She is also the talent behind all the cute fall inspired knit hats we are wearing.

Ella was the Queen Bee and Sami was the Grouchy Ladybug and during these pictures she really played the part LOL. She loved the Trick or Treating, she's not a fan of a lot of people like her sister but she did so love putting things in and taking things out of her bucket. Ella on the other hand chose to stay at the house and give out candy so she could "visit" with everyone. So alike and yet so different these two sisters. I actually dressed as her worker bee and Tom was a ladybug but darn my camera was missing in action.