Celebrating a well-lived life!

My Grandpa has been part of a lot of this summer's events. We helped close the chapter in his life this summer by finishing up a long project of parcing out 60 years of living on the farm in Ohio. He was an amazing farmer - just ask any of the people from around where he spent a good deal of his life working the soil and making it work just as hard for him. We've also been blessed to spend a lot of time with him when we visit my folks - so when the calendar said that his birthday was this past Sunday - we went to visit and share time with Grandpa. Most of our family were able to gather on State Road and eat cake and share ice cream. What do you get for an 85 year old? Well - we decided on making cards and just giving him the gift of our time and smiles. Of course that also meant time to be with family and cousins... and since we can't just seem to get enough of that - the camera's were clicking and rolling.

special birthday kisses...

Grandpa did mention that he thought I had taken enough pictures... this coming from a man who has seen most of Europe and all 50 states in his lifetime! He's got slides to prove it too! If you ever get to read this post Grandpa - I love you so much.

all the cousins - hanging out watching the setting sun and the combine

By the way - I think that farmer rich blood has gotten into the veins of some of your family too - the kids sat for hours watching the combine across the road taking off the beans from his field... and who can forget the sun setting on a well enjoyed day!

August - Selfridge Air National Guard Air Show

Simeon has said when he grows up he wants to be a 'spaceman,' a 'football guy' a fireman and maybe a soccer guy... we laugh when he says that these are just the things he wants to be... but somehow since he's been making these declarations he always comes back to the spaceman or the outer-space guy or the astronaut. We've only heard about the Air Show but never been able to go to it... except this year, we made it... the kids had a great time. We learned a ton of things - and Simeon got to talk to some people that work for NASA and we also got to explore a lot of different air planes. It was fun to experience a first time thing for our kids through their eyes. And, I must say - that even weeks after the experience, Sim hasn't stopped mentioning things that he learned... just maybe God has impressed on his little boy heart what he was made to do - explore the heavens.

a robot used to detect and un-arm an IED in Iraq -
they are maneuvered by a gameboy control... so there is a purpose for all those silly games!

Inside an army helicopter - we did have to remind him to not touch anything!

the girls were exploring just as much as Simeon was - this was their first time in an airplane... and it had a movie screen in the seat in front!

August - A Fort-tuituos Weekend

As a little girl I loved going to historical sites with my family. I remember several trips to the site of Fort Miami (Fort Wayne, IN) which in the 1750s was one of the furthest outposts of the "west." As fortune would have it - or maybe just a girls dream... I spent some fun Friday evenings and Saturdays as well in the early 90s (circa. 1900s) 'playing' at the same Fort that I adventured to as a child. Sadly, the Fort closed in the 90s due to lack of funding... and so I packed up my clothes and figured that days of play had passed.

Major Whistler's Kitchen was a fun time to enjoy fire cooked foods and retrieve some skills of cooking that aren't often used!

Then, a friend of mine Catherine invited my family of now 5 to come and play at the fort during the weekend in August... amidst a flurry of sewing for 4... and outfitting 4 others and updating my clothes (time is merciless) we made it a weekend of much fun exploring a lot of new things for each of us in our house it was a different memory - but one thing has remained consistent... we all fell in love some for the first time and for me a renewed love of history... and being a part of sharing it.our borrowed quarters for the weekend

Sophie running across the parade ground... notice her barefeet!

Needless to say - there will be more memories for the family spent around 'playing' at history. George Santanya said, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it”... hopefully my children will learn from these glimpses of our American hertitage passed and bring some valuable lessons into the 21st century.

the world through the 21st century eyes of lovely children...
playing dress up in the 18th century

the newest powder monkey and his 3 lovely children -
no man ever had such a cheering section!

Backtracking a few weeks...

Apparently it's been a few err... months since I've posted on my blog. I'm not excusing myself just drawing attention to the fact that I've noticed! So... let me update the blog for those that read!

And, BTW - Sophie is sitting on my lap pretending that she is reading what I am typing. We've become quite the pals since her sister and brother are in school all day!