April 26, 2015

What a Grand Day,

With the Grandchildren

April 26, 2015

Two youngest grandsons

We had a great day from start to finish.  It was really a nice day.  Our Sunday school class went very well.  Most of the regular attendees were there.  The lesson was good.  This series we are in right now is on the minor prophets and it applies so well to today in our land.

Youngest Grandson

Church was well attended and the message is one that can be put into use by all of us.  It is about how to study the Bible.  There are so many different suggestions available, but this one seems very practical.  One young boy was baptized and I saw several visitors.  Our son and his family were back and it was good to be with them.

Youngest Granddaughter

After church we brought Jeff and Barb's seven children home with us for the rest of the day.  They have selected a house and Jeff and Barb needed to meet with their realtor to go over the inspection report.  We were delighted to have the children for the afternoon so we could hear all about their vacation.  Each of the children loved the vacation time and they had done a nice variety of activities on the trip. 

 Two youngest of Jeff's children

It has got to be a challenge to plan a vacation to hold the interests of seven children from 2 pre-schoolers to 2 high schoolers and some in the middle.  There are four boys and three girls.  A favorite with all of them was the Creation Museum.  They also went to the Air Force Museum, a Kentucky Derby museum where those who wanted to, rode horses, toured a cave, and a baseball museum.  There was batting cage time for the boys, with the current Little League player doing very well in the batting cage.  They went to a resale book store and all came out with books.  They bought little toys and books at the museums.  Their tastes are so varied.

The little boys helping Grandpa

The second oldest boy bought a book on horse psychology (or something like that).  He is not interested in riding, but loves to be around the horses and just spend time observing them.  The oldest boy bought books on history and spent time on the trip finishing one or two of them.  All of the girls and the youngest boy loved to ride the horses; the youngest two riding the ponies and the two oldest girls doing a trail ride along with their dad.  Spending a day in Mammoth Cave was fun for all except the middle girl who was not wild about it.  A hike to a lake seemed to be enjoyed by all.

Oldest Grandson reading one of his new books

They stayed in a vacation rental house in Kentucky that rated very high on the kids' lists.  Their mom had told me the little kids didn't want to leave and the oldest boy told me it was his favorite place to stay.  Then then went to Kansas where they visited their other Grandpa.  They all love to visit him in his place out in the country and the only mishap happened there, where the youngest boy fell running from a little dog.  He slide down in some gravel and showed me all his battle scars, but is doing fine and just wanted to be sure I saw them ALL.  This is the "toughest" of the kids and it seemed so out of character for him to have been on the receiving end of disaster.  He is usually the one behind those things. 

Nap time

I hope I haven't bored you with all of this, but I just have to say what a blessing it was to be able to hear all of their stories about the trip.  I would have missed so much if I had not been able to hear them tell me about all the fun times they had.  They were all filled with chatter as they talked about all the exciting times.  Thank you, God, for using Dr. Chang to give me a way to hear their fun stories by means of my Cochlear Implant.

Relaxing time

For lunch, we picked up pizza; all ate that except the youngest who had a hot dog.  The little boys spent time helping their grandpa plant some new plants I bought Saturday.  The big boys spent a long time discussing the Air Force museum with Grandpa.  The middle girl sewed, making a bed for the wooden Noah and his wife cutouts for my wooden Noah's Ark boat.  The youngest spent most of the day alone in the play room playing and enjoying the peace and quiet.  The little boys played with the Legos. 

Sewing time

About 5:15, Ron took the kids (except the youngest) to the church for their activities.  We met Jeff and Barb at Sears where I had hoped to order my dishwasher.  Jeff, Barb and the baby came home with us to eat leftovers for supper.  Again the youngest went off to the play room and spent an hour or more playing in there alone.  We talked to Jeff and Barb about their trip and their house.

The youngest in the Lego room alone working on her pirate ship

 and admiring herself in the mirror

They left about 7:30 and we were tired but happy.  It was a very good day.