Happy 1st Birthday, Caleb!

Caleb is a happy little guy that is interested in everything! He has recently had fun honing his skills with a soccer ball and loves the Dodgers:) He looks so cute(above) in his jacket! Caleb is an easy-going little guy and likes to "go with the flow." He likes to read and is quite a "talker" too!
He's a little bundle of love and we love him! So happy to have him in our family! We love you, Caleb! XOXO Grandma and Grandpa Sparks

Jake is Two!

I know you can't see his beautiful eyes, but I just couldn't resist this sweet photo of Jake taken a couple of weeks ago when we were in Nebraska. He fell asleep in the car and I carried him into the house and onto the couch where he slept for a couple of more hours, along with his sister, Megan. What a tuckered out little angel he is! Jake's a happy little guy and a ball of energy! He's very loving and loves to make people laugh. He's also very curious and if you utter an expression such as "Wow!" or "Uh oh" or even "Oops!", Jake wants to know why you said that!?! :)
Happy Birthday Jake! We love you!!! XOXO Grandma and Grandpa

Cousins

The two little Cookie Monsters had such a fun time together! They hadn't seen each other for over a year!

Brian, my son-in-law, was in town to inquire about dental work in the area(He graduates from dental school in May). Of course we would be beyond THRILLED to have them nearby, but know that they need to do what is best for their family, so we'll see:) Since Jake is under two years old we had the great idea to bring the little fella along since he flies for FREE! It was a short couple of days, but it was so wonderful to have them here!

Cute cousins:)

The two little guys had fun running around together, playing with Riley(the lab), jumping on the bed and playing on the swing set! They got along so well:) Great grandma and grandpa Sparks even came up for dinner one night too.
Oh, how I HOPE for many, many more days of the cousins playing together! Now, if we could just get the other three munchkins here...The other three big ones too!!! :)
Love you all!!!

Karaline is 5!!!

I can't believe that the first little munchkin is now five years old! I was so happy to finally be present on her birthday, thanks to Delta Airlines!
Karaline is such a big girl now! She took the initiative and made this meat sandwich for herself! She is a loving, fun, imaginative, smart girl! She even read to me when I was there! Karaline has a zest for life and is always on the go! She is lovable, helpful and a great big sister to her sister and brother:) We are so happy that she is our granddaughter and love her very much!

The first night I was in Nebraska I babysat for Summer and Brian so that they could go to a friend's "Nerdy Thirty" birthday party. See the nerdy couple below, ready to party!

The party's over... Whew, back to the Summer and Brian we know and love:)
For Karaline's birthday party she decided she wanted a cat theme...

Isn't she a cute kitten!?! Love that pose! Karaline helped me make this "pin the nose on the cat" game. Summer made cat ear headbands, and I made cat goody bags:)
The party is about to start...just waiting for the guests to arrive. Megan is excited too!
The birthday girl with her special birthday balloon and her new stuffed Valentine kitty.
Opening her gifts surrounded by her friends. Megan looks very interested...perhaps she can play with this toy too?!?
Happy Birthday dear Karaline, Happy Birthday to you!!! Ready to blow out the candles on her cat cake. It sure turned out to be a special birthday party for Karaline! XOXOXO
Megan is dressed up like a little mommy in her hat, holding her cell phone, with a purse on her arm:) She really IS a big girl because now she is officially potty trained!!! It's not always that easy...If playing in the playroom, Megan would have to dart up two flights of stairs to make it to the bathroom in time! She always did:) XOXOXO We love you, Megan!!!
And last, but not least, here's Jake enjoying his smoothie, using his straw as a spoon:) (Brian and Karaline made these smoothies for family night and they were so yummy!) Jake is a little comedian most of the time, making all of us laugh! So cute! We sure love him too! XOXO

I had such a FUN visit!

Good Job, Karaline!

Karaline with her grandpa and grandma(us) :)

Living states away from most of our grandchildren, we miss out on many events in their lives:( I realized today that I forgot to mention a highlight of our most recent trip(last month-post below). We were so happy to be able to see Karaline participate in her first Children's Sacrament Mtg. Program! She had her part completely memorized and spoke so clearly! She did such a GREAT job! We are so proud of her! XOXO!

October in Omaha

Merry little music makers in the Fontenelle Forest:)
Having fun in one of the many bounce houses at BOINGZ!
Megan loves her little "Bwudda Beh:)" (translation:Brother Bear), giving him many hugs a day!
All of us entering the Fontenelle Forest
Karaline striking her signature pose:)
Walking along the "Mighty Mo" (Missouri River)
Megan feeding the goats at the pumpkin patch
The fall colors are gorgeous in Omaha!!!
Walking on the beautiful, new pedestrian bridge spanning the Missouri river, connecting Iowa and Nebraska. Megan and Jake are in Iowa, Summer is in Nebraska, and Karaline has one foot in each state! Can you tell it was windy and freezing? It was!
Jim enjoying the bridge
Pumpkin #1 picking out her pumpkin from the patch
Pumpkin #2 picking out her pumpkin
Pumpkin #3 with his pumpkin (on the hayride)
Karaline on "Jelly Bean" :)
Jake on "Jake," hanging on for dear life (with mommy's help)!
Wheeeeeeeeeeee...Karaline flying down one of the BIG slides in downtown Omaha
Saying goodnight to their very own mini scarecrow:)

Jim and I had such a fun visit! Karaline, Megan and Jake are so sweet and so fun! We sure miss them, but are so happy that we were able to visit and get a supply of hugs and kisses to last us until we see them again! Thanks Summer and Brian for your hospitality! XOXOXOXOXO

Cousins, Come Play With Me!

Karaline, Megan, Jake and Caleb...Will you come and play with me? Grandma and grandpa put up a swing set for us!

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." :)

Special Delivery from Karaline:)

It's hard being a grandma from afar. I miss my distant grandchildren(and children!) so much! Thank goodness for the phone, blogs, email and skype! It makes it a little bit more bearable:) And thank goodness for the United States Postal Service that still delivers good old-fashioned mail!

In order to stay connected across the miles I have sent my grandchildren letters, postcards, cookies and small trinkets in the mail. And now that my oldest grandchild is four years old, I have received a few things in return, from her:) It melts my heart...I love being a grandma.
XOXOXOXOXO

Happy 1st Birthday, Jakerbug! May 29

We love you and miss you little guy!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Grandma and Grandpa

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!