I really can't plan ahead for this....

....or it would drive me crazy so I just have to find a date that works for everyone (hopefully everyone, I hate to leave anyone out)....and then be in the right frame of mind and give out a hollar....IT'S TIME FOR THE ANNUAL "CRAZY GRANDMA CAMP"....and I really am crazy for (1) thinking I can have total control over 9 little kids ranging from the age of 3 years old to 11 years old for 24 hours and (2) thinking that I can do it without yelling my lungs out throughout the evening...but I haven't done too badly tonight. The house is a wreck, we didn't get to nearly as many things as we had planned and THEY ARE ALL ASLEEP as I type this. Just trying to make a few memories with the wee ones and I tell them that it's called "Crazy Grandma Camp" because I'm crazy about all of them, which I really am but about 9:00 tonight...I was once again realizing that it's "crazy" and I don't have to do it but I actually do love it. They are all so very different and so very funny. I love how they figure things out. I'll share some pictures and tell you what it is I love about these amazing little kids that belong to my amazing big kids. One of the bigger kids asked me today when I was going to have Grandma Camp and I just said...."I'm working it out". A bit later, little Jack who is only three looked at me with his big blue eyes and said..."Grandma, did you work it out yet?"....and I did work it out and made it happen....and I'm tired, but it's a good tired. (reporting here about 11:51).

So the kids start comin' and they head out to the trampoline and I'm looking out the window and they're rollin' around on the tramp getting their hair all staticky and the next thing I know, they are hookin' on to each other's fingers, making a line then one of them touches the metal part of the tramp and they all start jumpin' around and laughing as the electricity flows from kid to kid. I thought it was pretty cool...I guess that's why I'm telling you about it, whoever you are out there in blog land.

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So, I'm going to give a few tips about having the kids over...or I should say, this is what works for me.

Plan a good song that they can dance too. Last year it was "...apple bottom jeans, boots with a purr...."...not the real words but they didn't have to know and it was a pretty catchy song. This year it was "Hey Soul Sister" and here is Jack getting ready for his ukelele duet...

Make sure ya take a few of the older ones shopping at the dollar store and let them pick out a few cheap things that you can call the "activities". Here we got a little sidewalk chalk...upgraded to the 3D this year. (not necessary but kinda fun)

Let 'em start stakin' out their beds a bit early then it's not so hard when it's finally time to call it quits....and let them be creative about where they will sleep. It's important to get them to bed early too....then the night doesn't seem so long. I made it by 11:51 this year.

A few cheap water balloons can kill about 4 and a half minutes....it's a must have item!!!!!

Shirt decorating is always fun. Just don't think "puff paint" will dry in time for them to wear them to bed.....(they were 2 for 5 dollas at Michaels. I did good)!!!!!

Then the usual trip to Snow Shack (of course wearing their shirts. It makes you look like a really cool grandma. The kicker to my "coolness" was when I reached into my pocket for my 10 bucks, it wasn't there so I had to be really cool....and let Kenny Miller butt in line with his 2 boys to pay for our snow cones. Now that's cool.....NOT!!!!) Don't ya just love this place though.....always someone you know to help you out in hard times. I still can't figure out where the money is that I really did put in my pocket (but I'm sure no one stole it from me Spencer. I just misplaced it in the craziness of it all. Just lettin' you know).

This is my "hard core" gang....in their coolness......

Don't forget to snap a picture with the whole gang....'cause ya know...if you don't have a picture of it and write about it, it's as if it never happened and I'm not about to go to all this trouble only to have it be "AS IF IT NEVER HAPPENED' for cryin' out loud.

We missed Scotty and Jakey. Don't know why these pictures wouldn't turn but the kids did a little chalk art for them and I left a place there in the picture above to PhotoShop them in. Next year, Staheli boys, we'll plan "Grandma Camp" around your visit to Utah.

So, there you have it. Whether it's for the right reason or not, I do it and I actually love it. A little like childbirth...when you're going through it, you'll never do it again....but as the year goes on, you forget. Oops, it's 12:50 and George is wandering.....now I know I'm not doing this again!!!!! Actually, I keep thinking I should entertain them until about midnight then drop them off at their own homes. Good idea....think I'll try it next time. We didn't get around to the Pop Rocks and AirHeads. We'll have them for breakfast. Mmmmm....PopRocks in cereal. Fun surprise.....and I forgot to mention the snaps and glow sticks, a few more dollar store gems.

An evening at the pool...

....and Mason's probably tired of hosting all the family parties but they sure are fun and the kids have a great time in the pool. This month has flown by.....starting out in Kentucky, then bringing Laynee home with me and Spencer's family has been here most of the month. I have to say...and it may sound sappy and cheesy but I do love my family and I especially love it when we can all get together. I was reading a book yesterday and the author stated..."I wonder what they will remember".....and as I was watching the kids in the pool, playing together, laughing, making up games and just plain being kids, I wondered if this was one of those things they would remember many years from now. It's interesting what my kids remember from their childhood but I'm grateful now that they want to be together and that we are able to make time for them to be together.

Thanks, Mason for being a good sport and sharing your place. Good times!!!!!!!

Happy Happy Birthday Laynee Jane dear....

.....happy days will come to you all year; if I had one wish then it would be....a Happy Happy Birthday to you from me. A sweeter girl you'll never find and I happen to know because I've been able to spend most of this month with her. She's really got her head on straight in this crazy world and she's totally, totally a joy to be around. These past weeks having her in my home have reminded me of the eleven short years ago that I got to tend her and watch her grow. Time is going by oh, so quickly but she's growing up to be a beautiful young lady. You go girl.....none finer than you. Have a very Happy Birthday. I love you tons.

My, how time flies...

....when yer havin' fun and these past 2 years have flown by and in honor of Mason's second anniversary with Hurricane Dental Group, I'd like to honor him with one of my favorite poems by Shel Silverstein and let him know that I think he's a mighty fine dentist but I'm his mom. It's good when others tell me that and I've heard it from quite a few of you. Thanks for your support these past 2 years and especially to Mason's staff, Karen, Jilyn, Cathy and others that help keep the place runnin' smoothly.

I've gone to pot....

....or I should say "pots" and that's what I want to blog about today because I had to go up to Brushfire to get the kids projects that we did last week after they had been fired (they all turned out so cute) and it got me to thinking about how much I love pots. I've always loved them for a place to stash things and now I put them all over my house to collect my reading glasses, my pointy sticks, my pens, my pocket change....you name it, I have a pot for it. It's such a silly thing to be obsessed over and I wouldn't say that I'm really obsessed (if I were, I'd be a master pot thrower but I don't like getting my hands dirty so I just resort to looking around for other people's pottery) but I do like to find a good pot. When Joyce and I traveled across the United States a couple of summers ago, we went into every antique store we could find looking for the perfect pot to put our reading glasses in. The "quest" made the trip a little more exciting and believe you me, we were glad for an antique store every few miles to break up that trip through Kansas. I have a tendency to look for pots in most gift shops and over the years, I've added quite a few unique ones to my collection but my favorites have been the ones given to me, made by people I know. I admire people that are talented enough to do the real pottery with the wheel and turn out something that is a work of art. Some of my most cherised decorations are the pots that Lauri made when she was taking a pottery class. But mostly, I like my pots to be filled with my reading glasses....one or two in every room of the house and still, I'm continually looking for my glasses. I know I should just go get me some "real" glasses and wear them all the time but then what would I put in my pots. So, until I do break down and go to the eye doctor, I'll continue to put my glasses in my pots.....and I may even go check into a pottery class tomorrow.

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I wasn't going to join in with the kids last week but I couldn't resist so I wanted to post a picture of my finished pot that I painted and it's perfect for my pointy sticks. I'm really quite proud of it and may just go back and do another one. It's really fun and quite relaxing and looks so pretty after it's all fired up. That firing kinda covers up all the imperfections. There must be an object lesson there but I'll save it for another time.

....been longing for Stars Hollow....

.....so I started watching Gilmore Girls again. (Clickity click HERE to learn more about it. This is Lorelei's house). It's just a make-believe town but it's got everything I could ever want and when I'm watching the show, I'm "there"....and it is a really good place to be. Not that "here" isn't a good place to be but I'm a dreamer and an adventurer and so I will continue to search for my "Stars Hollow". I believe it can be anywhere we are because it is just a "sense of community" that some of us want. As I was enjoying the evening at my mom's for our usual "cake" visit, I realized, that, in a way, is my "sense of community". Stars Hollow has quirky characters...so does our family (I'm one of them). Stars Hollow has "routine", things that you can plan on being there all the time like Luke's Diner, various yearly celebrations....we have that in our traditions, such as the 4th of July, Sunday nights at my mom's and there's plenty of "small town" entertainment and Farmer's Markets here. We don't know everyone any more when we go somewhere, but it's still fun to be able to occasionally run into old friends at the grocery store or a concert....that's a very "Stars Hollow" thing as well. Then, there's Lorelei's house and I realized it looks a lot like the one that Traci has her eye on in North Carolina; very "Stars Hollow" Traci....I like it!!!!!
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I always dream of visiting places that I read about or see in the movies. I read a blog about a person that set out to find "Stars Hollow". If you want to read about it too, click HERE.
So, until I head out on my own roadtrip to find my "dream town", I'll settle down and realize I'm living in it and try harder to take in all the "Stars Hollow" experiences that our own "not so little anymore" St George has to offer and realize that here are my memories, my friends, my family, and my neighbors that can give me that "sense of community" if I just let them. It really is a pretty good place to live (at least 9 months out of the year) and Pine Valley takes in the other 3 months as a pretty dreamy place to reside. Here we are having some "small town" family fun.

May we all find peace in where we are and a comfort in knowing we're all in this together and here to help one another out whenever needed. Stars Hollow isn't real but the concept of community is and can be found wherever we are if we're willing to be a part of it and make it a part of us. (Nothin' like a little game of "Andy-I-Over" to remember the small town feel).

Miller would rather play basketball......

Dads......

I had a great one, was married to an amazing one and raised three awesome ones......

I'm feeling blessed this day!!!!! Happy Father's Day to all you dads. You deserve our praises.

....do you swim in a pool, to keep yourself cool...

.....or swing in a tree so high? Is that what you do? So do I.....and we did finally swim in the pool and it was plenty cool. Not back to the "real" St. George heat yet but it was a lot of fun and good to get some sun.

...and about the "swing in a tree" part. We didn't actually swing in a tree but we did get to watch some monkeys swing from some trees at Tuacahn last night.

Could I just take a minute here and tell you about this place. I got to thinking that this is just one HUGE reason I love living here. I hate the heat, I hate the desert (yes, Traci, I know how you feel about the green in Carolina) and I would love to move and have a new adventure but other than the fact I'm starting to get my family back, Tuacahn is right at the top of why I live in Southern Utah. I'm just proud to live in a place that has a venue like the Tuacahn Amphitheatre and I get a thrill every time I go there. We went to Tarzan last night and it was blustery but just made it feel a little more "real". It was so amazing....I just hope everyone that wants to can get tickets. They're going fast....but guess what??????? Next summer it's GREASE and HAIRSPRAY!!!! How can it really get any better than that?

Let's get this party started...

.....oh, believe you me, it has started and Laynee is in the house so everyone wants to be here and how can you blame them. I remember when I was a kid the "happenin' " place to be was at grandma's house. I only had one grandma but I loved it when I got to stay over with her. Grandmas don't tell you what to do and they let you snoop a lot. I remember that she and grandpa always made me feel like royalty. They happened to live above their cafe in Cedar City for some of my "kid" years and I got a lot of really cool privileges. So....while Laynee is here, I'm spoilin' her (within reason) and letting her enjoy the cousins. We're trying to do all of her favorite things while she is in the magic city (St. George is magic when you only get to come once a year). We've been to Pasta Factory, Cafe Rio, painted at BrushFire, fulfilled our goal to have a Shave Ice every day (2 days so far). We haven't been able to swim yet, a little too windy but that's in the future.....heading to Tuacahn tonight for Tarzan. Lots of trampoline time (4 hours to be exact last night alone). It's fun for me to have a houseful again and watch them play and be together. Only one more year then this magic city turns into reality. It'll be good to have Spencer's family back but until them, we'll continue to show them a good time. Party on kids.....

I just got these cute pics from JoEllen and it reminded that they had a fun day at the park sandwiched in with all the other fun stuff we've been doing....This is the park that is out by my dad's farm.

....and never anything cuter than a kid and an Oreo. Laynee's had a good time getting acquainted with Matty.

You've had a birthday shout hooray...

.....we'd like to sing to you today....one year older and wiser too....Happy Birthday (clap, clap) to you!!!! Did you sing along with us? Laynee here, wanting to wish my mom a Happy Birthday 'cause I'm in St. George and she's in Kentucky. So....let me tell you about my mom. She's helpful, friendly, a little shy but outgoing when she needs to be, she's kinda mean when us kids get on her nerves and when we don't do piano, but nice when we obey her and do what she tells us to do. She plays with us....sometimes she chases us around the house and when she catches us she tickles us. She lets us walk to the Dollar Tree. She's teaching me how to cook. She's a good cook and let's me help so I'm learning how. She cooks the best Chicken Enchiladas. She helps me with my homework. She's busy with her church work. If my dad has a long day, she let's him sleep. She's fun to be around. She will play Wii with us. She likes to hang out with her friends. I love my mom. She's the best mom anyone could have. Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you. From Laynee. P.S. Mom, you might not like these pictures of you but it's the words that count.

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I too, want to wish you a Happy Birthday and tell you thanks for being a great mom to my grand kids and a very supportive wife to my son. He couldn't have fulfilled his career goals without you. Have a great day and know that we are having a good time for you here in St. George. We'll eat cake in your honor today.

Take me out to the ball game....

....please, please, please!!!! I was in heaven as the boys let me tag along. I forgot how much I love Major League Baseball and I used to go to a few, mostly Dodger Stadium but this was a first here and it was great to be at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.....

It was bobble head night....

....and we all got a Scott Rolen Bobblehead....which I will treasure forever....

...but Jonny Gomes (rhymes with Homes) was my hero....I'm so back into baseball, and a big Reds fan now. Watched this guy pump out a couple of homers....it was so awesome.....

It was just a great time with my boys, remembering the good ol' days of a game we all came to love. I just love the excitement but slow pace of baseball....the hotdogs and cotton candy are pretty good too but the atmosphere is like none other.

I always have to have a picture with my kids after church. We're home now.....it was a good week. I was able to help out with the kids while Shana went to girls camp and appreciated Traci making the trip over from NC with Scotty and Jakey to help out and join in on some fun. We really packed in the fun in a few short days. Good times had by all......

I pulled this picture off Traci's blog from our fun at the park when they visited. Pretty dang cute kids, doncha think.......

Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad...

Today would have been, I think their 64th. I don't have pics but just want to remember them. I'll post more when I get home but for now here's what we've been up to here in Kentucky.... mostly just hangin' around....(at River Front Park)....

....and I hope you want a school board member that will actually test out your kids playground equipment. I know I do.......

....and if you've never had Bourbon Ball French Toast....well, I'm just here to tell you that you're missin' out.....(this is actually a half order)....

A while back, Bobby Fley's Throw Down was here at Lynn's Paradise Cafe and he challenged Lynn's famous breakfast which included this. I'm pretty sure that Lynn's won.......Clickity Click on my pic to see more.....

....now we're off to Cincy for a Reds game......later!

Churchill Downs....yeah baby...

....after 8 years of coming to here I finally got to go. Spencer's graduation was a lot of fun....very loooooonnnnngggg but a lot of fun. We left at 6:30 and just arrived home at midnight. Needless to say, I was very proud. Just a few short years ago he was trying to get into med school, supporting his family on just over 9 bucks an hour and now, here he is.....Dr. Wells. Oh, my how time flies when you're having fun, right Shana. I think they are all ready to be done but....one more year; a fellowship then they'll be done.

The proud owner of some authentic Louisville pottery......

....and this award for Outstanding Neurointensivist Resident...whatever that is.

......and the brothers enjoy a good discussion over dinner. It really was a fun evening. Congratulations Spencer G. Wells. Ya done us all proud.....