Parrot BEE at her party

Nate was asking for more parrot pictures of Bee. Well, Kristian shot a bunch at her party. So I thought I would like to share the costume that Annie made for her and more Bee pictures. She started in the living room...

crawled through the dining room....

and into the kitchen.

Bee explored the oven drawer....

then moved over to the stove cupboard.

Remember how much fun those pots and pans and plastic things were as a kid...well, things have not changed.

Maybe I can just go inside this one.....

No...Okay!

Think I can throw these lids on the floor.

Mess made...moving on!

Oh look...Micah's hat. This will be fun!

Wow...Micah holding Bee in 2 pictures. He is even smiling! Funny...I think he likes her!

I just want to take a minute to tell Annie how much I appreciate her creativity. This young momma is always amazing me with costumes, toys, decorations, etc. to create a fun life for our little Bee. Thanks Annie for all the fun things you do and share with others! You are amazing and I am very proud of you!

(Thanks Kristian Bringard for sharing your pictures and following Bee around to get such cute pictures!)

Bee's Last Days in Hanford

Last Sunday Bee was in very cute form. We finally remembered to take her picture by the Bee Shrine Fireplace! (It is amazing what you do to celebrate and decorate for your special treasures on the earth!) On the side you can see Papa Lyle making eyes at his special little lady. Given a little more time and an audience, she turned on the charm and the noises to let you know that she knew she was in the spotlight!
Later that day, she was sporting her pink with brown polka dots! She was looking out the window to see the dog. (Funny....I love those little fingerprints on the glass!...not any other baby's would I appreciate!)

Bouncing Bee! She almost learned to walk in Hanford. 10 wobbly steps was her max. It thrilled our souls to watch her let go and try, fall down, get up and go again! Babies are fun!

Although they were good friends, I got this shot of Dotty taking down the Bee! She did not cry!
Then Monday morning came and we had to say Goodbye. That little lady had no idea of the broken hearts she was leaving behind.

We were so grateful for the visit and the time we got to spend with Bee, Cory, and Annie. It was a Blessing we will never forget. Many memories were made in those 3 weeks and 3 days!

Here is Bee on her new ride from Auntie Tammy. We watched her learn to throw her leg over the seat to get on from both sides. We saw her ride it backwards and tip it over. She loved this fun toy!

Bee walking around her bike is fun to watch. Love seeing the crooked diaper! Cute bun!

Great memories! Still made me cry when I posted today. I miss her a lot! But I know she is loved and taken good care of by her mommy and daddy in NYC. Wish they were closer, but God has a different plan!

Love you guys! Bee's Mimi

Bee's 1st Birthday Party!

Saturday was Bee's 1st Birthday Party. It was an animal theme and several people wore costumes at the party. Of course, Cory, Annie, and Bee were a "Pride of Lions!" Annie worked hard to make her and Bee's costumes from fabric that they got at a stoop sale in NYC. Barbara was a darling Ladybug! (It was an act of love for this Pride of Lions to stay in costume for the hot humid weather we were having.) Later, Bee re-costumed to a colorful parrot that Annie made for her as well. You can't have enough costumes or looks for your 1st Birthday Party! Bee was in great form and did not cry at her 4 hour open house party. There were almost 50 people attending and moving through the house and back yard. She was a happy girl for everyone!
There was a variety of yummy cakes.

And the best cake of all was the one that Melissa and Jill made! This special cake was designed and made with special ingredients that Cory, Annie, and Bee would enjoy! Annie was thrilled that there would be a healthy cake at Bee's 1st Birthday!Cory found one of the boxes from a baby doll gift that seemed just the right comment to put Bee in the Box. "Starter Baby Doll!" Today I gathered up a few of the cute gifts that Bee got for her birthday. After posting, I noticed that the Monkey doll has his arm over the "Starter Baby's" face. Some of the gifts were not available for pictures, because Bee and Annie took them to Lemoore and spent the night. Thanks to all for all the thoughtful gifts for Bee.I loved the bright yellow bags that were perfect for our Bee's special day! I am amazed at all the cute Bee things I find and now look for when I shop. I love Bee's name!

I will close this blog with a short video of the end of the Happy Birthday song. I apologize for the quick pan of the guests and that I did not get more pictures of everyone. We had a great day and appreciate all the people who took the time to celebrate our Bee's 1st Birthday. Thank you!

Great Weekend with Grandbaby Bee!

What a fun weekend with Bee in our home! Papa and Mimi are loving this baby girl!

Yesterday was Bee's first Garage Sale. Cory and Annie are letting go of many of their stored items and they sold many of them at Grandma Lois' house yesterday morning. Even though it was not advertised, there was a great turn out with just 2 signs at each end of the street. Annie has Bee in the Ergo to have hands-free selling.

Uncle Nate came up from Anahiam for the weekend. He and Grandma Lois enjoyed watching the Garage Sale Show! Nate loaned Gma Lois his autographed cowboy hat for effect.

Annie called 2 girlfriends to come over toward the end of the sale. Cory is holding Bee. At the bottom of this picture you can see some VHS Movies. Cory had hundreds of these. He sold a fair number, then gave the rest away. We are very proud of him to let go of these saved treasures! Not pictured, but later on Saturday, Annie went to her High School Reunion Party. She had worked hard to make this happen. It is not easy to plan and get it all organized from NYC. But there was a great turn out and everyone had a great time!

Also, Jill, Annie's step-mom had a birthday party...so Cory, Lyle, and I attended the party while Uncle Nate and Annie baby setted Bee going to bed for the night ...until we got home. Then Cory, the German, and Nate crashed the Reunion for a little while.

Today at church Bee got to meet baby Carson. She loved seeing this little guy!

Robert, Annie's dad, posed with his daughter and granddaughter. You see, we go to the same church, South Valley Community Church in Lemoore, but different services. So Bee got to church early enough to meet our friends as they were leaving, and be with Robert and his family for the 2nd service. Great Planning! Well after church, Annie, Cory, and Bee attended Annie's 10th Lemoore High School Reunion Picnic. This was a picnic in the park for the families to get together. They had a great time!

Still loving this baby! Birthday on Tuesday...Party on Saturday! Fun Fun Fun!

Bee Flies to California and Brings Cory & Annie

When your only granddaughter wakes you up at 5:00 AM,

you get up and play!

It doesn't matter what you look like,

you just laugh and have fun!

Bee is a happy and busy girl in the morning.

We go from toys to books to kitchen cupboards.

It is a good time!
I made a little play area for Bee in the family room.

It seems to be the place to gather.
Mallory, Annie, Cory, Dotty and Bee having a good time on Sunday afternoon after church.
This morning, Papa, Mimi, Dotty, and Bee played with the kitchen things on the kitchen floor.
It really doesn't take much to have fun with an 11 1/2 year old!

Bee has had a lot of fun with this talking box.

Push the button and it talks.

Open and close the lid. Pound and make a drum.

She started to even climb in.

Boxes and babies...good time!
The weather was beautiful today.

Walkers on driveways are the best...

lots of room to go backward and forward,

talk to the dog, and enjoy the sun.

Bee enjoyed her stroller rides. 3 times around the cult-u-sack.

Bee is definitely a stroller baby.

That is her main ride in NYC next to being carried.

(Grandparents love strollers! Her 25 lbs. gets heavy after awhile!)

Pushing your 11 month old grandbaby in a stroller............ PRICELESS! Can't wait until Tuesday.... when I can say.... 1 year old!

It will be Bee's birthday!

Here's a little video of Bee going forward in the walker.

She started this ride only going backward,

but finally she got the idea of going forward.

(Sorry you hear my voice so much behind the camera,

but I was really glad that she figured it out!)

YEA BEE!!!!!

Dotty Dog

Our Rat Terrier, Dotty, thinks she owns our yard. As a matter of fact, she thinks she owns our house and us. And in a way, I guess she does. Here she is at one of her favorite knot holes watching to see if anyone is going to get too close to her yard. She will give them that vicious bark that says, "this is my house, I'm here, come closer, let me smell you!" She runs up and down the fence to attract any attention she can get.

Dotty heard a noise. She is very alert to frogs, birds, bugs, cats, etc. She will investigate and take care of any matter that she deems a problem in her yard.

She roams freely in the flowerbeds and paths to make sure everything is in order.

There are many frogs under the logs. She is listening for them. Not pictured, but she will stand for minutes on top to the log pile with her head turning her ears to the sounds. It drives her crazy that she cannot get to the little frogs. She digs at the boards, sniffs, goes from one end to the other, trying to figure out how to get those little frogs.

Oh, a distraction from the logs! What could it be?
In the house, she is the food hunter. She listens for cupboards, refrigerator, drawer, and bag sounds. She knows when it is interesting enough to station herself in the proximity of getting a handout. She does not beg with her voice, just stares you down or nudges you with her nose.

She owns the couch. This is her favorite sleeping place. This day she had gone to the SPCA Doggie Day Spa for bath, nails, and ears. They gave her the bandana. She is feeling pretty special now that it is over! There was no part of the spa that she loved while it was happening. She was not thinking...Wow, I'm a lucky dog, but when it is over, she thinks she's hot stuff! She was even famous in Sunday's Hanford Sentinal, because she was pictured getting her bath. But I don't think it has changed her attitude any.

Not pictured are the 2 videos that I made of her playing with her little Black Rock. She is fascinated with this rock. She loves to paw, nose, flip, swat, and stare at this silly rock. You would enjoy these, but after 4 download tries, I gave up...I didn't think the videos were corrupted! Oh well.

As you can see, nothing much is happening around here other than both Lyle and I have been sick almost 2 weeks and that is a boring blog.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Catching up on August

Lyle has been working in the backyard. I has needed refreshing.

Even though the grass does not need to be mowed anymore, there still is a lot of upkeep. Dottie is Lyle's faithful companion and takes care of barking at people behind the fence, sniffing out the frogs, and chasing the birds.

He is making some raised flower beds by recycling the logs from our old bench and arbor. It is a lot of work!

Changing topic....Here is Grandma Lois on her 84th birthday. By her count, she got 29 cards from family and friends! She had a good day.

Aug. 18 - 20, Nate came up to visit. We always enjoy his help and company. Grandpa Clayton and Grandma Lois are always thrilled to see him. He takes a lot of time to chat and listen to them. Here he is visiting Clayton at Hacienda Nursing Home.

Last week's Farmer's Market got a "Fly Over" from the Lemoore Naval Air Station Jets. Look closely to see the specks in the blue sky. That is as good as I can get as a photographer...sorry!
Some people we talked with....Maria Silva, mother to Mike and Holly, and grandmother to 1.

David Dibble, film maker and really nice guy! David's Fort Roosevelt's film has been accepted to a southern California Film Festival. We wish him well! He is currently working on a western for a commercial. It will be shot locally.

And Stephen Abbas, fantastic photographer and really funny guy! In a good way! That's our latest. Hope you enjoyed!