A Getaway With Grandpa

Zeke "making tracks." He likes the feel of the sand:)

On Saturday, Sarah went to a wedding shower, Johnny had coaching responsibilities and I had to work(overtime), so Jim watched Zeke. He decided to take him to the "secret beach" for the day. Zeke loves the beach and Saturday was no exception. The deserted, wide beach was the perfect place for Zeke to run around and expend toddler energy!
He had a lot of fun throwing the stick for Riley...she will retrieve it relentlessly! Well, she is a Labrador Retriever:) and she looooves the water!
Zeke likes the ocean too, unfazed by the chilly temperature...
Zeke in his element:) What a happy camper!!! Isn't he cute?!
By the end of the day, Zeke was so tired that he walked over to the backpack and wanted to get in... "All done!" That's what Zeke says when he is finished with something, whether it's a nap or a meal or he wants off of the swing:) Those two words come in handy!
Grandpa and Zeke stopped to check out the elephant seals on the way home...By the time Zeke arrived home he was worn out and sound asleep! :)

P.S. Doesn't Zeke have a handsome grandpa? :)

Canine Companions:)

Lately, about three times in as many weeks, Willy(the chocolate lab) has come "knocking" at our door, "asking" to play with Riley. He doesn't really knock(though sometimes he scratches), but he does patiently sit at our doorstep and when we notice him, he doesn't actually ask, but we know exactly what he wants:) Riley and Willy became acquainted when we went on a couple of hikes together with him and his owner. Willy lives a few blocks away, but whenever he gets out, he makes a beeline for our door:) As soon as he gets here, Riley is so excited that she digs a big hole in the dirt and goes cuckoo!
Over the years Riley has received many compliments on her beautiful, shiny coat, but within two minutes of playing with Willy, she is FILTHY! Of course, the dog slobber mixed with dirt doesn't help!
As you can see, he's pretty filthy too!
Worn out and covered in dirt, it's time to call Willy's owner to come and fetch him!
Ah, MUCH better! Riley is clean and shiny again after her bath!

A happy little Zeke playing in the sprinklers while Riley looks over his shoulder giving him "goo goo eyes." :)

Just Sittin' Around!

I was tinkering around the backyard the other day, and Zeke was with me. He loves roaming around and exploring. We had been outside for only a short while when I glanced over and spotted Zeke sitting in the hose pot(a perfect fit) as happy as can be:) So cute!

Easter

Sarah(with her cute new 'do) and Zeke in their Easter duds:)

After church(which was great!) we had a total of 13 people at our home for Easter dinner... dad, nephew, niece, 3 great nieces, brother, sis.-in-law, daughter, son-in-law, grandson and us:) I was so busy, busy, busy that I didn't take photos of everyone...I had really wanted to get one of my dad with his great-grandson! Oh well, next time. My dad stayed with us for a week and it was great to be able to visit with him one on one. Usually when I see him there are two dozen others around and I don't get much individual time to talk to him, so it was nice:)
Though Zeke had never hunted for Easter eggs before he quickly got into the swing of things and was excited to discover the eggs and add them to his basket...I wish his other little cousins had been here to join him!!!

We had a traditional ham dinner and it was pretty good with everyone bringing a dish to share:) For dessert I made a cream cheese bundt cake with strawberry sauce and whipped cream-It was yummy! I also made some sugary Easter egg cookies:)-See my other blog.
Sarah and Kada helped me do ALL(there were plenty) of the dishes! THANK YOU!!!

I had a very pleasant day and hope everyone else did too!

P.S. I gave all the kids in our Primary(Sunday school) class a bunny bread and they loved them!

Of Buddies, Bandits and Blogs

Zeke and Riley are buddies:) Whenever Zeke visits our home I immediately give him a big hug and kiss, but he does not pay attention to grandma... instead he looks over my shoulder calling to Riley with his signature doggie sounds, ready to romp with his canine friend!
And romp they do! Zeke was actually enjoying this affectionate little nibble on his arm:)
"C'mon, Riley, let's roughhouse!!!" "Ho Hum," says Riley:)
Zeke giving Riley some sweet love pats..."Good doggie." SO CUTE!
Later on, Zeke was being way too quiet, so I went into the kitchen and found the refrigerator door open, but no Zeke. Hmmm...where could he be? I spotted him, quiet as a mouse, behind the butcher block, with his finger in the pilfered object,(of all things) a bottle of mustard:) Yep, he was caught "red-handed," or should I say "yellow-fingered?!" Turns out he loves the stuff straight out of the bottle!? :)

Lastly, FYI...I have another blog, devoted to food:) www.munchkinmunchies.blogspot.com
Come visit sometime! It's listed on my blogroll:)