Colorado Boys Come To Visit - Days 8 & 9 (Amanda and Trent Join Us)

It is a gorgeous Sunday morning in Dallas.  Simply wonderful.  Today is Songkran Festival in the Thai culture and we are going to go and enjoy the festivities.  (I did a complete post on this last year if you want to read ALL about it -- click HERE.)  Jen and Jon meet up with us as we are parking and we are off for some food, fun, and cultural moments.  As we enter the grounds, many musicians are set up and playing some beautiful music on the most interesting instruments.

It seems like no matter who we bring here, they make a beeline for the koi pond and today is no exception.

Colorado Boys Come to Visit - Days 6 & 7

It's an early day today.  We have a VERY full day in store and are excited to get it started.  The DART bus picks us up at home and we are off to the train.  At Union Station, we leave the light train and run to a much larger one.  The TRE is sitting there waiting for us and we grab upper level seats, complete with a table for playing games during our trip to Fort Worth.  Cards and cars make appearances as we pass the time.  It's not too crowded on the train so the boys can visit and play without disturbing too many people.  

Destination Imagination with Jon and Jacob

I have escaped from the house and three grandsons to go and watch two grandsons with their Destination Imagination presentations at the state competition here in Dallas.  It is such a great group of kids to be around --- always creating and coming up with ideas.

Jon's group presents first and he has built a Crab robot as part of their skit.  I love the flag from Brazil as well.

Soon, the stage is set up and ready to go.

And action!  It's pretty fun how the sun moves as well as the waves.  A lot of work went into this --- yep, that's Jon -- behind the newspaper -- controlling the crab and speaking for him.  Good job.  Nice presentation.

Jen and I find some fun hats for an upcoming retreat and soon it is hats all around.

Next it is Jacob's turn for his team to present their skit.  Let the set up begin.

Again, well done and fun to watch.  This one had a definite Asian theme going on.  These kids are remarkable.  The backdrop wall has at least three different scenes and changes throughout the skit.  Cool.

Once the skits are over, I have to head back to the house and rescue Grandpa from three little boys.  That's a joke y'all.  He does wonderful with all the grands and loves every minute with them.  Thanks Jen, Jon, and Jacob for a fun morning.

The tiger hat is back.  I think I saw a ton of that in Washington D.C.

New fads --- I know my parents and grandparents thought I was crazy too.

Lovin' The Outdoors -- Well Mostly

It's another beautiful spring here in Dallas.  Flowers are blooming everywhere and the blackberries seem to be happy as well.  We have baby peaches making an appearance and all is wonderful.  Well, almost all.  For some reason there is an outbreak of caterpillars everywhere.

Colorado Boys Come to Visit - Days 4 & 5

Another day in Camp Gammy.  We start out the day with Legos.  What else?  Yes, they have overtaken my dining room.  Do we need a table?  Heck no.

We are off to the Aquarium today.  It's another DART day and after our train ride, we mosey on down to the acquarium via the lagoon.  There is so much to see and do here that it is possible to get lost and just enjoy these activities.

Colorado Boys Come to Visit - Days 2 & 3

Good morning!  We are up and out of the house.  It is TRAIN time.  After being picked up at home by the DART bus, we are now anxiously awaiting the arrival of our train.  It's a ZOO day!  Woohoo.  I do so love the zoo.  Here comes the train.

At lest one of us is pretty dang excited to be traveling this way.  I let Raef head to the front of the car while we are in the tunnel so that he can watch out the front windows by the driver.  At our exchange stop, we meet up with some missionaries and stop to visit while waiting for our train.  They are off to the zoo as well so I help them out by taking them in on my membership so they get a discounted rate.  As I am telling them about Telluride and the fact that the boys get to ski as part of their P.E. class, Raef is nodding like, "Yeah, it's pretty dang cool."  A little head bobbing going on.

Colorado Boys Come to Visit - Travel and Day 1 - With Texas grands too!

I get my BOYS today.  I absolutely could not be happier.  First things first, I am off to the airport for my flight to Denver, I have a little project packed along to keep my busy after the flight as I have a bit of a wait until Amanda and all her boys arrive.  Once I arrive in Denver, I settle into an alcove and stitch away on my little snowman face block that will go into my Christmas quilt.  All he needs now is his nose which will be appliqued on.

I get word that everyone is at the gate so I head that way (since I'm across the way - it takes me about 2 minutes).  I find my boys eating lunch and playing while watching the planes.

Woohoo --- hugs all around and the fun it about to begin.

Yep, this is a dang good picture isn't it?  Ryan wants to pose for me but keeps putting himself against the sunlight.  Am I supposed to do a silhouette?   Luckily Grandpa can lighten it up even though it appears that I wiggle while taking it.