CELEBRATING THREE BIRTHDAYS!!!

Last Saturday for the first tine in eleven years our family celebrated three birthdays together.
                                                ***Donovan 14TH birthday 1/13/2012
                                                 ***Paul 11TH birthday 1/23/2012
                                                ***Kayleigh 11TH birthday 2/05/2012
I thought the combining of the parties went really well. They took turns opening gifts one at a time by age order. For birthday cakes they each had their favorites.

James assists his cousin Donovan

Donovan continues his gift opening

Paul gets St Louis monopoly from us.

Kayleigh gets St Louis monopoly from us.

In the last year this has become their favorite game to play at grandparents home.

With help from Uncle Ed Paul opens bean bag chair from the Taylor's.

Grandma always has to buy clothes for Kayleigh and Kelsey.

They each picked their own type of birthday cake.

Nothing to do with the party. Kayleigh poses with the dress she is wearing tonight to a father, daughter affair.

The glasses Kayleigh is wearing are decorations and not real,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL!!!!!!!

Today Paul celebrates his 11TH birthday.

It was 1949 when I celebrated my 11Th birthday. My world was certainly different than your world.

*** I walked five blocks to school

*** I played sports but at age eleven

 they were the unorganized variety.

*** We rode streetcars and buses

*** We did not have television at my house.

A future running back

Paul summer of 2001

Our neighbor Tim's real fire truck

A home made car by Paul

Paul made his baseball league all star team in 2011

Paul grandma and I hope you have a great birthday. We love you and are very proud of you.
HAPPY 11TH birthday!!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS JoElla and Jason!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday afternoon found Nancy and I celebrating the wedding of our friends Jason and JoElla.
It was a private ceremony but a really nice reception to celebrate the wedding and joining together of two families into one family. There were a hundred are more family members and friends gathered together to celebrate this great occasion with Jason and joElla. 
A few words of wisdom from two with plus fifty years of marriage experience.
1---Work at becoming "Best Friends"!!!.
2---Communicate, communicate, communicate.
3---Put God first, family next and the rest of life will take care of itself.
It truly was a beautiful reception.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DONOVAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grandma and I hope you have a great fourteenth birthay.!!!!! I really cannot remember my actual fourteenth birthday but I had a lot happen that paticular year.

*** I started high school

*** I started my first job at $.35 per. hour at Davis Photo Supplies

Donovan August 2011

Donovan baptized at Camp Ne O Tez

Donovan at Grants Farm 2007

The 2006 Donovan
Grandma and  are very proud of you,and hope you have a great day and even better year.

The Shrewsbury MO Sherri

 I AM IN TROUBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On 12/30/2011 I forgot to do a happy birthday blog to my youngest daughter Sherri. However in my defense I did call her and was one of several family members that sent her a special picture of a pan of brownies with the middle of the Brownie pan gone.!!! {family joke}
In my defense on 12/30/2011 I was self diagnosed as DEPRESSED> I woke up that morning realizing that the day Sherri was born I was TWENTY FOUR years old. Where has the time gone? For whatever reason that hit me like a ton of bricks.

The Hale Ave Sherri

The Independence MO Sherri

One of our last photos from
Independence.

The Forman Rd. Sherri


Sherri I am sorry I forgot but I do hope you had a GREAT!!!!!!!!12/30/2011

OUR FIFTIETH YEAR OF CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS EVE

AT OUR HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!

After dinner Donovan started the festivities
by reading the birth of Jesus from the bible.

When Terri was born Nancy and I agreed we would stay home on Christmas Eve and Day and anyone could visit us. Looks like they are still coming to Grandma's on Christmas Eve. We did give up Christmas day about ten years ago.

In my home of origin I was dragged all of Christmas Holiday week from one relatives home and on to the next. I always felt it was the new year before I ever really got to play with my Christmas gifts.

Kayleigh trying to decide what
to open next.

Grandma and Paul

The roller skates were from the grandparents and were a big hit.

Paul shows one of his gifts

Not sure but I believe Paul took this picture
of James with my permission and my camera.

The erector set is from the grandparents. I always wanted an erector set as a boy but never received.

A little story behind this picture.
The harmonica is from Aunt Terri and is actually Jame's birthday present.

Kelsey shows her mom one of her presents.

Kelsey opening one of her presents.

It was a great evening with family and friends.
This week obviously a little busy as it took me
a week to post the Christmas Blog.!!!!!