Summer Fun

Towards the end of July, I went and picked up M & M and brought them home with me for six days.  Pawpa and I had a lot of fun while they were here.

Maddie finally got her own scooter and had fun practicing riding on the downtown sidewalks.  Mason is a pro by now.

We went swimming lots of times and both kids had a blast jumping off the diving board for the first time.

Eating corn on the cob was yummy.

A trip to the Fort Worth Science Museum was in order,  as well as a trip to their Omni Theater to see the movie about the Monarch Butterflys.

I took them back to Denver.  Now we are home, waiting for the arrival of their little brother who is due any day now.  I'll update when he arrives!

A Birthday For 2

This last weekend, we flew to Denver for Maddie's second birthday.  We did lots of other things as well.  Charlie helped Matt install a new screen door for Linz -- she hates bugs flying in the house when the door is left open if the kids are playing outside.

We also went with them to take the kids swimming.  Mason is doing much better and Maddie is fearless.  On Friday, we took them to the movie to see Monsters University while Matt and Linz got the house ready for the Saturday party.

Maddie had a cute new dress that was perfect for twirling and had a great time at her party with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents and Great Grandparents.

Matt grilled burgers and hot dogs and Linz made all the fixings.  The food was great!

The bubble machine and Slip and Slide was a hit with all the kids.

A birthday cupcake and ice cream for the birthday girl.

Presents were opened (with a little instruction and help from big brother).

I think everyone had a great time.  Happy Birthday Maddie!

Knit a Little

I have managed to do a little knitting this past year.  I've knit  a couple of shawls, a couple of vests, at least three baby blankets and a sweater for me.  I'm sure there are other things I've forgotten.  I have a lot of projects that I've started but not finished and have managed to finally complete a few of those as well.  I don't have photos of it all, but will show you a few things.

One of my most recent projects is this shawl.  The pattern was in a recent Vogue Knitting Magazine.  I wanted something neutral that I could just grab to take to the movie or a restaurant for those super air-conditioned buildings.

I also knit this shawl using a pattern and yarn that I picked up in Taos last December.

 This is a pattern that I've knit before from a Vogue Knitting Magazine from a few years ago.  I made a few adjustments to the pattern and like it a little better that the first one.

I'm currently working on a baby blanket for a nephew and a Christmas sweater for Mason.  I'll try to post photos when I'm done.

Shoes

I love shoes.  All kinds of shoes - and I have a closet full of them, even after giving away at least half of them when we moved.  I also love sandels and flip flops.  But lately, I have one foot that has been giving me fits.  Painful heel and arch issuses.  As a result, I have found the most comfortable shoes ever.  Oofos.  I love them.  They are not too expensive, are really soft and supportive, are machine washable and come in several colors. I can walk all day without my foot hurting in these.

I just bought a second pair in another color. ;)

Catching Up

So, I haven't posted in quite a while.  I think it's time to do a little catch up.

This past year we decided to sell the house we had lived in for the past 32 years and move to a highrise condo in downtown Fort Worth.  We had been talking about it for a long time and thought if we were ever going to do it, this was the time.  We went through everything in out 3000 sq. foot house and sorted all our things into three catagories.  Stuff to keep, stuff to sell and stuff to donate or give away.  We had a huge moving/estate sale, bought a few new furniture pieces and moved what was left.
Our new place is half the size of our old house - we love it!

We have a terrific view from the 22 floor of out building.
This is a photo of a recent sunset taken from our balcony.

The grandkids (M & M) have been to visit several times.  Mason thinks we live in a castle.  He had a birthday recently and turned 4.  I think this is the first year that he really "got" the birthday thing and he had a great time at his party. 

 Maddie will be 2 in a couple of weeks.  She recently came and spent 5 days with us in her first "all by herself" visit.  We had a great time going to the park,

 riding the train in Trinity Park,

and swimming in the pool here at our building.

We will be traveling to Denver for her birthday in a week or so and then back to Denver again for the arrival of a new "M" baby boy in mid August.

I've done quite a bit of knitting since we moved.  I'll try to do a post on that soon.

Getting Big

Linz and the grandkids came to visit.  Madelyn is getting big and wants to do everything her big brother does.

I know that my brother really likes this and he can go fast.

Standing on it is fun.

 I know that there is some way to make it move.

 Maybe if I turn this handle...

Come on guys, help me out here!

 Guys?

 Mom?

 Weeeeee!!!!  I knew this would be fun!

That was fun!  Can we do it again?

 I don't have to get off now, do I?

The pro!

What a Spring!

I know, it's been a while.  A LOT has happened since my last post.  We had been thinking for a long time, that we would like to move to a highrise condo in downtown Fort Worth.  In February, Doc20 and I decided to put our house up for sale and see what would happen.  We spent a few weeks making a few repairs, painting, cleaning and de-cluttering and the house was for sale as of March 1.  We had an open house and several showings, lowered the price a bit after about 6 weeks and by the end of April we had a contract.  We found a condo we liked (on the 22nd floor) and made an offer.  We closed May 23rd on both properties and moved the next day. 

WOW!  What a spring!

We moved from a 3000 sq ft house to a 1550 sq ft condo.  Before we moved we had a big moving/estate sale and sold more that half our stuff.  It's kind of amazing how much stuff you have that isn't really needed.  We have on order several new pieces of furniture to better fit our new place, and had the Container Store come out and redo our closet with their Elfa system.  It just about tripled the amount of storage in the closet.  The kitchen has been a challenge, but I'm about to figure it out.

We now have a great view of the city and we're having a blast checking out new restaurants and shops here in downtown.

We also managed to fit in a big 3 year old birthday party for Toddler M.  He had a blast at his Cinco de Mayo party.  (He's on the left in the yellow shirt.)

 

We'll be going back for his little sister's first birthday in a month or so. 

She has been walking for about a month now and loves to play with her big brother.  No teeth yet, but she can gum anything!