Road Trip to Graduation

 Last Sunday we took off from Andy and Jen's home and drove three hours west to a Graduation party for some special boys who we love very much.  (My other baby brother and she who sees robins first twin grandsons who used to live next door to us.)

Driver and co pilot

All we had to do is sit back relax and enjoy the never ending flat land in North Dakota.

 

My baby brother sent us this photo...we did not go to the ceremony ...just the party with great food afterwards!  

Long time blog readers may recall these little boys that are all grown up.  Jordan is headed to school to be a Diesel Mechanic and Gavin begins training to be an Electrician. 

Congratulations!! 

Seems like only yesterday they were little boys next door learning to love dogs.  (Chance helped with that)

Far Side

Visitors with hugs

Our Great Nephews (the twins) and our Great Niece have been visiting their Grandparents.  They used to live next door a long time ago...when they were little.

The worked on bikes one day taking the best parts of bikes and putting them together.  The boys are helping shingle their grandpas (my other baby brothers) house.  They stop by on their bikes and give the best hugs.  We wish they still lived next door instead of in North Dakota because we miss them.

They are all getting so tall.  Aubrey needs to get her braces back on and several teeth pulled before she has yet another bone graft surgery this Fall.  This will be her 8th surgery since she was born. She is a trooper.
Far Side

Wistful Wednesday: Happy Boys

The twins use to live next door. They were almost the same age as Chance.  At first hey were afraid of him and would scream bloody murder when their Mom pushed them over in the stroller.  Chance was confused as he loved all kids.  He didn’t like children crying…he was raised on a farm with lots of small children….I think maybe the Mom there raised her voice when children were crying..so crying children made Chance nervous.

As the twins grew older they began to throw the ball for Chance and eventually out grew their fear of dogs. Their Grandfather would hold the twins in his lap and then let them throw the ball. Now they have two dogs in their family!

Everyone looks so happy in this photo.  I can almost hear Gavin giggling.  Chance loved these boys very much and they loved him too. Chance tried to kidnap Jordan once or twice.

I think most everyone that met Chance loved him very much. We still miss him…everyday.

Far Side

Wistful Wednesday: Jordan, Gavin and Aubrey

Everyone is getting so tall! 

The twins don’t look like twins anymore…and Miss Aubrey is such a sweetheart.  They came on bikes or stopped by just to say hi like when they used to live next door…but now they live far away and just come to their Grandparents a few times a year.  These kids give the best hugs…and you don’t have to ask for them either!  They stopped to visit and pet Chance and tell him he was a good old boy.  They met Far Guy along the road walking and were encouraging…even though he is an old guy. 

The Twins in November 2010 back then they wore glasses.  I snapped this photo when they were laying on the floor at their house watching tv one afternoon.

Aubrey  November of 2010

Seems like just yesterday that they were little.

Katie’s Ornaments

I got a nice note and a photo via Facebook Private Message.

Katie wrote:

Thinking of you guys today as I pack away my favorite ornaments! Hope you are doing good!  Katie

****

These are all ornaments that we have made over the years…beginning back in 1990 the Loon top left was the first ornament.  The small bear with the pink shirt is an ornament that my Mom gave her grandchildren in 1989.

Time for an updated list!

1990  a Loon

1991  Santa or Mrs Santa or an Elf.   Katie got a Mrs Santa

1992 a pair of Mittens

1993 a wooden toy soldier

1994 a shot gun shell santa

1995 a big red sleigh bell

1996 a wooden birdhouse

1997 a wood turned snowman

1998 a shell that smelled…Katie is missing this one…mine is in the garage someday I will get the box of sea shells down and make her another one.  After 19 years they shouldn’t smell any more!

1999 clothespin angels

2000 santa face on a bent spoon

2001 a black walnut tree with buttons

2002 a black walnut gingerbread boy with buttons

2003 a decoupage photo..everyone was different ( Katie’s was a photo of them on one side and a photo of the day their trailer moved in next door on the other side.

2004 a wooden flag

2005 a little light bulb santa

2006 a hand carved candy cane

2007 a beaded angel

2008 a snowflake design burned into a piece of basswood

2009 a loon wood burned and painted

2010 a cottonwood bark hand carved church

2011 a basswood spool with a hand carved santa face

2012 a christmas tree handcarved

2013 a Milkweed Pod Santa

2014 Showy Lady Slipper handcarved

2015 Loon handcarved

2016 Yellow Lady Slipper handcarved

I have two ideas in mind for next years ornaments they are both carved.  One I have carved previously…one is just an idea.

It was fun to see all the ornaments together.  Katie is my niece who used to live next door but has moved far far away to North Dakota…and she took the twins and Aubrey with her!   I miss her and her children.  Her husband works in the Oil Patch.

Katie and Aubrey  July of 2016

Gavin, Aubrey and Jordan

Chance: Visitors

My turn!  Yippee! 

I had some visitors!  Kids my favorite kind of people in the whole world!

Jordan, Aubrey and Gavin with ME!

Jordan and Gavin are twins and they used to lived next door.  I tried to steal Jordan once when he was about three years old, I encouraged him to follow me home…and he did BUT I didn’t get to keep him for long.  Jordan tapped on the window and that got Far Guys attention and he made me take Jordan back home…in fact he followed both of us back to the scene of the crime.

The twins and their sister live far aways now and have two dogs of their own.

 

Far Side had a photo shoot with them and I got to supervise…in this photo I am off in the woods and have every ones attention! 

After the photos they got out my tennis ball launcher and took turns launching balls just for me.

One of the twins asked “How old is Chance?”  Far Side replied “Almost eleven.”  The twins said at the same time  “Same as us!”

Watery Sunday

Sunday we helped celebrate the twins birthday..they are eight.  Hard to believe that they are that old!

This is the neighborhood gang.  They ride their bikes by and holler Hi! They all adore Chance and sometimes stop by to play ball with him.  The twins were very afraid of Chance for a long time..then they learned to throw the ball for him..it was the bridge that they need to form a friendship with Chance to get over their fear of dogs.

We had a water balloon fight…it was great fun.  Katie gave me a bucket to fill with balloons so I would have lots of ammo.  The kids really had a good time.  Some of the best placed balloons would just bounce off and splash on the ground.  HOWEVER I did get wet!

This is “the eight”  all Grands of my brother and “she who sees robins first” who live next door.  I can’t believe I got all of them in the same photo while they were having a squirt gun fight.

Our weather turned really warm and humid. It was 100 degrees on Monday. In the evening we had a storm breeze through and we got 1 3/4 inches of rain in just a little while.  North of us at Bemidji the winds were 80 mph..our daughter has a tree down in her yard.  We lost power for five hours.  We went for a ride and then read by book light and Kindle and slept until the power came back on.

It looks like a very warm week.  However at least we have power unlike many people out east..and now we got rain, which I wish the west would get to put out the wildfires:(

Puppy Sitting

We puppy sat on Saturday.  Putzer  an Australian Shepherd who lives just down the road and his sister Odda.

I made Putz a new toy and he loved it.

A pop bottle in a sock makes a great toy for a puppy.

We took him out to the Fire hall Open House and he saw lots of people and had his first walk on a leash.

Later in the day he was exhausted so I took him back home to spend some quality nap time with Odda.

At supper time I went and got him and took him over to the neighbors.

Aubrey and Putzer

Kids and dogs..what a great combination!

Puppies need lots of socialization when they are little..the more people and situations they are exposed to the better.  He got great exposure to kids with their little hands, quick movements and excited voices.

Chance did real well with the pup..of course the puppy followed him everywhere.  Chance was patient and even laid by the outdoor kennel when I asked him to keep the puppy company while I swept out my garage. Ever tried sweeping with a puppy attached to a broom?

I am reminded that although I like puppies I don’t want to have one everyday..luckily I can just go to the neighbors and play with theirs:)

Armed and Dangerous

The neighborhood is undergoing some changes.  The boys are getting bigger, and turning older, three of them will go to school this fall.  Recently the twins were given guns for their sixth birthday.  They loaded them up and began to shoot almost everything in sight.  I cannot believe that they are six already, it seems only yesterday that they were born and so very tiny.

The re-loader kept hollering "No fair shooting anyone over six."  

No one was safe..I survived, they were pretty poor shots, it was almost impossible for them to aim while running and giggling.

Aubrey was armed with a bucket, I was rewarded with a huge smile when I turned on the hydrant to give her some ammo..which she promptly dumped on my foot.

They also beheaded a cow, they whopped her with a stick until she lost her head and spilled out candy into the yard.

 Yup it is a pretty exciting neighborhood, I am thankful to just be the old Great Aunt watching from afar:)

Chance : Double Fun

Hi, it is I Chance the wonder blogging dog..it is my turn!

Far Side called the next door neighbors..the two boys ( great-nephews) are almost alike but different.   They are five years old.  I adore them, Far Side says they are double the fun.   They are old enough now to meet us half way on our walk.  One of them wanted to come to our house and play trains.  Far Side said "Not today" he is a little stubborn..and started to cry.  Far Side told him "Tears don't work on me dude."  (She is one tough cookie.)   The other is one of my best buds..I have kidnapped him twice over the years..Far Guy and Far Side always return him home.  I never get to keep him.

 He is a great ball player...

 He does all kinds of interesting stuff, climbing huge snowbanks and splashing in puddles..his twin brother finally came to check out the puddle.

 .

I had a drink, this made my first favorite boy giggle. All little boys should know how to get their own drink.


I got to see their little sister who is now big enough to open the screen door to let me in the house..twice.  Far Side said "Out" twice.  I was trapped on their deck..the little munchkins before they went inside blocked off the steps with long stick with an electrical cord looped over it.  Of course, I could have moved the stick, but I didn't.  Those little twerps had me trapped.. Ingenious for five almost six years old.  I get along with both of them just fine, they were born the summer before I was..we are almost the same age. When they were one and two years old..they looked at me and screamed and shook in fear. When they were three they started throwing the ball for me...after that we became good friends..they are no longer afraid of me.

One of them asked Far Side where her glasses were and if the Doctors were all done cutting on her eyes.  She showed him her cheap Wally World reading glasses.  He said "Oh, you are so beautiful."  No wonder she loves visiting over there:)