Ellie comes for a visit!

Elizabeth and Laura came into town for a very quick, short weekend, but we were so glad that we got to see them. Grandpa and Grandma Ellsworth came down from Globe and we got some cute pictures. Ellie was all smiles, as usual. She warms right up to everyone. We took her over to Great Granddad and Grandma's house, too. Everyone loved seeing her and thought she was beautiful. All said they thought she looked alot like "daddy". She took a long nap (unfortunately for us!), but was very happy again when she woke up. Grandpa got out the Lightening McQueen push car and she loved that. It made lots of noise and she enjoyed sitting on it. She tried beeping the horn (with the help of Grandpa) and laughed the whole time. We had lunch and Laura and I made a quick run to AJ's to get some chocolate mouse for dessert. It was too short of a visit, but looking forward when they will be here again for about 6 weeks the end of December.

Sweet Elizabeth

Gary and I were able to travel to Rochester for a few days to see Marc, Laura and Elizabeth. She has gotten so big! She is the best little, happy girl. She had her first cold while we were there, but you would not have known it. She smiled the entire time! Gary and I were able to "babysit" the night we got there because both Marc and Laura had to work. We were concerned because she was sick and didn't know us very well. You never would have known it. She warmed right up to us and was such a sweetheart. She loves having her picture taken and I did take many! Grandpa bought her a Halloween sucker that she loved! It was funny to watch her eat it. She was so "lady like". It was so good to see all of them.

Halloween Party!

During Fall break, Rachel, Amy, Kate and Ryan were able to come over for a sleep-over. While they were here, we did lots of Halloween activities. We ate spider sandwiches and mummy pizzas, hid eyeballs and played "pin the stem on the pumpkin". We made centipedes, ghost hands and spider cookies. We read Halloween books, worked on Halloween activity pages and watched Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin. There was not a spare moment and we had a great time. At least, I did!

Kasey's Baby Shower!

I was not going to be able to go back to West Virginia for Kasey's baby shower, so I took McKinley's presents with me and we had our own personal baby shower while I was in Cleveland. We spent an evening opening presents and Matthew modeled them for us. I had made some blankets and bought some cute clothes. Gary had purchased some darling little shoes.

When I was pregnant with Matthew, I had purchased a cute little white dress for the blessing if he was going to be a girl. Well, surprise! Back in those days, we didn't know what we were going to have beforehand, so I just kept the dress all of these years. It is simple, but very beautiful. It is hand stitched and embroidered. It looks antique, but not just because it is old! I knew that Matthew and Kasey had been looking at antique shops for a dress, but didn't purchase one because it didn't have any special meaning to them. I always felt that I wanted to give the dress to Matthew if he ever had a little girl. They were so surprised and just loved it!! I didn't want them to feel obligated to use it, but they couldn't have been more thrilled. Matthew had no idea that I had the dress, let alone kept it all of these years. I can't wait to see McKinley in it! She will be precious.

Visiting Matthew and Kasey

After Carson's baptism, I drove up to Cleveland with Matthew and Kasey and stayed for several days. Matthew had some time off, so they invited me to come and have some fun.

Our week was filled with lots of activities. We walked the Metro Parks several times, took rides and day trips, picked blackberries and raspberries and Matthew made some frozen custard with our berries. One day while Matthew and Kasey were working, I rented a car and drove to Kirtland and the John Johnson farm in Hiram. I picked up some tomatoes and corn at a road side farm. When I toured the temple, I was the only there, so that made it extra special. Of course, I took lots of pictures.

Everyday, we did something exciting. When Kasey had a day off, we wrote down to a little town that was an Amish village. We saw many buggies and horses. All of the stores had Amish people in them. We went to really neat Country Store and bought some goodies. We also stopped by a huge farm. We saw some Amish riding in vans and pick-ups instead of their buggies. We didn't think they were supposed to do that. Matthew commented that they must be "Jack-Amish"!

There was never a dull moment or any lack of activities or good food and hospitality. Thanks for showing me a great time, Matt and Kasey!

Carson's Baptism

Carson was baptized on August 27th by his father. It was a simple, very beautiful baptism and we were so glad that we could be there. Uncle Matthew and Aunt Kasey came down, along with Jen's mom and Heather's children. Carson looked like an angel and we were so proud of him. He is such a sensitive, caring boy and we could tell that he was feeling something very special that day. I was able to give the talk on "Baptism" and Jen's mom talked on the "Holy Ghost". Afterwards, Jen fixed a huge spread for all that attended. We were so grateful to be a part of Carson's very special day. That is what makes it all worth while for "Grandparents"!

Putting on a Show!!

Uncle Matthew and Aunt Kasey saw this lion Halloween costume and couldn't resist. They bought it for Cameron. We put it on him to try it out and then we all sat around for half an hour and watched as Cameron put on a show and entertained us! It was hilarious. The costume fit perfectly and he looked adorable. It has cute lion feet for shoes and a long tail with a red ribbon on it - like the lion from "Wizard of Oz". We laughed and laughed until our sides ached. The more we laughed, the more he showed off!!