Thomas the Train, Andy's 2nd Birthday, Pumpkin Patch in Belton, Texas October 2010

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The month of October has been a lot of fun visiting with the grandchildren and attending a number of activities with them.

In early October we went to Temple and rode with Josh, Amy, Noah and Andy to Bertram to ride Thomas the Train.  It was a very nice day and Noah and Andy were so excited. They had so much fun and continue to talk about it weeks later.

  

 Andy turned two this month, hard to believe that two years has already gone by since he was born. Amy and Josh had a great party for him and he had so much fun. One of Amy's high school friends, Beth from Arizona, surprised her with a visit. Her two children Carter and Sarah came with her and it was a real treat for them to be at the party and join everyone at the pumpkin patch.

 Andy enjoyed going to the inflated games place.  He and Noah really enjoyed climbing and sliding on the giant slides.

  

 Andy's Birthday cake for his party made by his Dad Josh.  He had this Buzz Lightyear cake for his party and the below cupcakes were made for his actual birthday. 

This was the second year in a row that they were able to enjoy the pumpkin patch in Belton, Texas.   Activities inclued a duck race using an old antique water pump, horse riding, pet zoo, pumpkin decorating and riding in a wagon pulled by a tractor. 

  

                                                                           Noah

                                                                          

                                                                          Andy

                                                                   Carter & Noah

                                            Below: L to R: Andy, Carter holding Sarah, Noah

Noah riding a horse

Andy holding on his saddle, enjoying the ride

Carter from Arizona riding a Texas horse

                                                Andy and Noah painting their pumpkins

Andy in the petting zoo

This next week end we will be headed back to Temple for Halloween and celebrating Josh's birthday.  Before you know it we will be at Thanksgiving and then Susie and I will leave for a cruise in Hawaii and a be there during Pearl Harbor Day activities December 7,8,9, a marlin fishing trip and then back home.

Summer of 2010 - Camping, Boating, Fishing, Parades, Carnivals, Rodeo, Birthdays

The above slide show provides a number of pictures taken during the summer some of which are displayed in the below posting.  Click on the picture and you will be taken to a larger screen..

It has been a while since I posted anything to my blog.  We have been very busy this summer traveling, enjoying grandchildren, spending time with family and friends,  dealing with damage to our home as a result of a water leak and the most stressful,  but good outcome, Susie had a heart attack and spent a number of days in and out of the hospital and is currently doing fine, thanks to God and the great Doctors at St  Luke's Houston Hospital.


In May we had a great time celebrating my son in law's Mother's birthday camping and boating on Lake Belton.  Both grandsons and our daughter weren't feeling well but as the weekend progressed they were better.  It was a fun time and even greater and more fun once they began to feel better and were able to join us at the lake.  Judy and Darren rented a pontoon boat, I launched my boat and we strolled around the lake taking in some time to do a little fishing.  The boys really enjoyed getting to go for a boat ride.  We had great food and enjoyed a wonderful birthday cake.

Lake Belton in May Josh, Noah and Rob

Our Family - Father's Day June 2010

  In June we spent time with family and friends.  We had a great father's day weekend with Josh, Amy, Noah, Andy and Josh's Mom and Dad Judy and Darren.  The weather in June was very mild this year and we spent a number of days enjoying our RV camping on Lake Belton.  Amy, Noah, Josh and Andy were able to come down to our home on a weekend in June.


In July we celebrated July 4th  camping on Lake Belton, attended the Belton Rodeo ,which was fantastic and watched the 2 hour Belton parade in downtown Belton.  We had not attended the Parade before, it was really great,  bands, clowns, old cars, fire trucks, tractors, horses, wagons, dancers, motorcycles and politicians(unfortunately),  were all part of the parade.  We all  enjoyed the parade, Noah and Andy really had a great time waving their hands and waving the American Flag at parade participants. The following weekend we celebrated my birthday with them and attended a Round Rock Express Baseball game and dinner at Salt Lick Barbecue, mmm great place to eat.

Andy and Noah waving the flags and watching the Parade, Belton, Texas

Uncle Sam Wants You!

Andy rode the Merry Go Round a number of times, the Giraffe was his favorite.

The following day, Noah and Amy weren't feeling well, we took Andy to a Carnival.  He had so much fun riding the rides.

Andy loved the train especially riding  in the engine.

After my birthday celebration we headed home, we were looking forward to a relaxing week ahead of just doing nothing.  Well, when we opened the door and walked in we saw the following:

Upstairs bedroom floor, the ceiling had collapsed, the yellow is insulation, the white is sheet rock.

The air conditioner pan drain line to outside the house had broken and leaked into the attic, through the upstairs ceiling, down through the floor, through the first floor ceiling and down to the floor downstairs.  What a mess and a surprise.  Unfortunately later that day I received a phone call that one of my Aunts had passed away and that her funeral would be in two days.  We were able to get some people in to start cleaning up and drying out the house the next day and then on the following day I went to my Aunt's funeral.  Susie didn't. go with me as she wasn't feeling well and wanted to stay back to get some things done around the house due to the damage from the water leak.

I drove up to San Marcos where the funeral was held and then spent the night with my Mother, planning on going back home later that next day.  My Mom and I headed for breakfast and I called my brother to come join us.  As we were visiting his phone rang and it was one of my sisters, she said that our daughter was trying to get a hold of me as my wife was on the way to the hospital in an ambulance.  I left immediately and arrived at the hospital in Tomball, Susie was stable but had been complaining of chest pains and was having a hard time breathing.  Over a period of a couple of days, they ran all kinds of test that did not show anything conclusive.  The doctor said there was a possibility that she might have blockage to the heart but that he needed to perform a Heart Cath.  Susie chose to be released as she wanted to get to the Medical center downtown St Luke[s Hospital where she and I both felt she would get much better care.  We went home and Susie was able to get in contact with a nurse who had handled some of our daughters hospitalization in previous years.  She was very helpful and the next day called back and said the Dr in charge of the Heart transplant team would take on her case.  We went for an appointment and the Dr immediately had Susie admitted and they performed numerous tests with a diagnosis of Heart attack.  They implanted a stint in the main artery in front of the heart successfully.  During and after her recuperation from the stint procedure she has been able to get a complete physical from head to toe resulting in other minor issues that should be addressed, fortunately nothing serious at this point.  She has done well, is feeling good and has quit smoking, cold turkey.  I am so proud of her, it has been an emotional roller coaster, she is doing fine.

each and every day just being together.  We went to the beach a number of times, went to Schlitterbaun on her birthday, rode the ferry, ate at a number of great restaurants and enjoyed grilled hamburgers that Amy wanted for her birthday dinner.    Susie was feeling well and was able to enjoy the weekend, very fortunate considering what the previous 3 weeks had brought her.

When we first arrived, Noah had to lead the way into the water.  A fantastic feeling and so much fun.

It was  so much fun seeing the grandsons enjoying the beach.  We all enjoyed the sand and water, the

weather was great and the RV park was extremely nice.  We stayed at the Jamaica Beach RV Resort on the West side of the Island.  We had a very nice spot on the end giving us a lot of room to spread out.  The park had a miniature golf course that we enjoyed, a water balloon and swimming pool.  Everyone enjoyed the beach so much we did not use the pool.

The RV spot we rented had a real nice lawn area surrounded by beautiful flowers.  We were on the corner which gave us this private area to enjoy, directly across the road from the RV office.  This picture was taken from the 3rd floor deck of the RV office, providing a great view of the Gulf of Mexico.

We walked aboard the ferry and rode it across and back from Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula  It took about an hour and we saw a number of Dolphin.  Josh is carrying Andy with Noah walking beside going on board.  Amy and Susie and I were following behind them. .

Brothers: Noah and Andy on the Galveston Island beach 

Amy's birthday party celebrated in the RV at Galveston Island, Texas

Amy, Josh, Noah and Andy had to head home the day after her birthday.  Susie and I stayed an extra day.  We decided we would enjoy the morning on the Island and drive over to Lake Charles, Louisiana for one night.

Sunrise on Galveston Island August 10th, 2010

Galveston Island, Texas sea wall at sunrise, statue commemorates the 1900 storm.

Lake Charles was fun, we would have been better off going home instead of going into the casino, oh well it was an enjoyable visit and we did get to enjoy a wonderful meal the evening we were there.

RV  park beside Lake Charles, Louisiana casino

  After our visit in Lake Charles we headed back to Belton to store the RV and visit with Amy, Josh, Noah and Andy before we headed home.  On the way back, we chose to stop and spend the night in an RV park in Cut N Shoot, Texas.  It was a very pretty park, very peaceful and quiet.

Cut N Shoot, Texas RV park

 The last weekend in August we went back to Temple, Josh and I stayed with the boys and had a great time together enjoying Chucky Cheese, watching movies and playing with toys.  Amy and Susie took a couple of days and went to Granbury where they enjoyed a play and stayed at a nice bed and breakfast.  They also visited Susie's uncle in Fort Worth to celebrate his 90th birthday.  After coming home on Sunday evening, I drove up and visited him on Monday celebrating his birthday.  We came home the next day.


We stayed home labor day weekend, enjoying just doing nothing and visiting with friends over a nice dinner and football game.

We spent a number of days looking at stone, cabinets, granite and other items in order to get the house back in shape from the damage done by the water leak.

This past weekend we went back to Temple, Josh and I picked up his Dad, Darren and went Dove hunting in Luling, Texas.  We had a great time and brought home 37 dove.

We are back home for a few days.  Next known trip will be to celebrate Andy's birthday in early October and Josh's birthday in November. 

Our next planned long trip will be a Hawaii cruise, flying to Hawaii the day after Thanksgiving, starting the cruise for 7 days visiting 5 Islands, ending the trip being at Pearl Harbor on Pearl Harbor Day visiting the memorials and activities in memory of that horrible event and the last day fishing for Marlin.  We have the opportunity to go on the trip with one of my sisters and her husband and son  as well as other members of my brother in law's family, one of which is his uncle Clarence who was serving on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1942.  We are looking forward to the trip and will enjoy getting to be with Clarence and hear about his memories of that day..

The beauty of Easter and Blue Bell & Blue bonnets - no where but Texas

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Every spring one of the most look forward to activities for our family is the annual Easter egg hunt hosted for several years by my sister Janet and brother in law Ray.  We were able to attend a few of them while our children were growing up.  This last couple of years has created so much excitement toward this event again now that we have two grandsons to participate.    The sheer excitement and laughter of all of the children on this day is so heart warming and a great tribute to Janet and Ray for consistent opening of their home for all of us, not only on this day but many different family activites throughout the years. Thank you Janet and Ray for creating so many fond memories for all of us at your home.

Noah and Andy having a picnic.  Noah sat down in the middle of the yard while the egg hunt was still going on and he told his Mom, I am having a picnic, Andy came over and joined him. 

Another event that I wanted to share is a trip to Washington County, Texas in and around Brenham, Bellville and Chapel Hill.  The bluebonnets and other wild flowers are especially vibrant this year. Some friends of ours, Barbara and Don are building their retirement home in this area and Don called to let me know that the blue bonnets were blooming and we were welcome to come see the flowers and their new home being built.  Our daughter and two grandsons were coming to see us on Thursday and it just so happened that they would be within 8 miles of Don and Barbara.  With Don and Barbara's kindness we met the 3 of them there Thursday morning.  Wow, I have never seen such beautiful flowers growing wild in one place.  We left there and toured the Blue Bell Ice Cream factory.  Blue Bell and Blue Bonnets, no where but Texas.  Thanks Don and Barbara, you have a wonderful place and it was so kind of you to drive us around your property and create such a memorable day for us.

Noah had so much fun running through the flowers.  He picked some for his mother and took them to her, it was  special to watch how carefully he selected each flower for her. 

Andy was a little apprehensive and unsure of being out in the wild like this.  Every step was calculated to ensure that he didn't fall.  This is unusual for him as he typically tends to approach things aggressively, especially climbing and lifting himself into or out of different situations.

Amy and her two boys, unfortunately Josh was working and couldn't be with us.  We are so proud of the 4 of them. 

As we were leaving Don and Barbara's property I took this picture, you can see the home being built on top of the hill.

Next stop Blue Bell Creamery, Brenham, Washington County, Texas

The Blue Bell Cremery tour was very informative.  I was amazed how attentive Noah was, watching and listening during the whole tour.  Then to top it all, at the end of the tour, we were served some ice cream, flavor of our choice. 

Noah holding hands with the Blue Bell girl leading the Blue Bell cow, you can see the Blue Bell logo on the truck in the picture above.

A rose at the Blue Bell Creamery

More flowers at the Blue Bell Creamery

The next  few pictures were taken on the way back to Houston off the old Chappel Hill Road between Brenham and Chappel Hill. (North of Highway 290)

I end this post with a picture of Andy, taken by my niece Erika at the Easter Egg hunt. This is a cute picture especially since his Mom and Dad are Texas A&M graduates and his Granny and I are Aggie fans.   

University of Texas Quaterback year 2029?

Live Oak Ridge Park Lake Belton, Texas

We have been using our Travel Trailer a lot lately. After our trip to Phildelphia, Virginia, Washington D C and Maryland (didnt take the travel trailer) we went to visit Amy, Josh, Noah and Andy for Andy's first birthday. We left there after a few days and went to Kyle, Texas for our family reunion at an RV park on the San Marcos River and then the following weekend we were celebrating the Kyle High School Reunion. After the reunion we were back to Temple for Halloween and Josh's 30th birthday.

September and October have been full of traveling and we really had a great time at every activity and function we attended. Our trip was a lot of fun, the family reunion was relaxing and fun, the High School reunion was a lot of work but it turned out great, Andy's birthday was a sheer joy, Halloween was a blast watching Noah Trick or Treating as a Pirate Captain and Andy as a Scare Crow. Enoyed Josh's birthday party on Friday evening, having lunch and dinner with him and his family on Monday his birthday.

Our next planned activities are a visit from Amy, Josh, Noah and Andy this next weekend and going back to Belton Lake to store the Travel Trailer, Boat and a Truck in two storage units we rented last week. It will be nice having the toys there as this is our home away from home. I have posted a few pictures of the RV Park we stay at when we are visiting the children. It is a very pretty, clean and quite park just a few miles from the children's home.

Other planned trips will be to Kyle to enjoy Thanksgiving with my Mother and brothers and sisters and their families,camping in Canton, Texas the first week in December with Sharon and Danny and then celebrating Christmas enjoying the two grandsons on Christmas morning.

We haven't stopped since mid September and we will be busy toward the end of the year.

Early morning at Live Oak Ridge Park on Lake Belton, Texas, our home away from home.

We enjoy the same spot each time we go as the play ground is directly behind us. Noah and Andy really enjoy the slides and swing.

Another real nice feature is that the sites are far apart from each other. Each site has a paved slab for the Travel Trailer, a covered concrete picnic table and benches, a fire pit and barbecue pit. The public showers and restrooms are a short walk from this site.

The roads are wide and paved and the park is extremely clean and well kept.

The view of the lake from the site is beautiful and is directly across the road from the site. While there are sites available across the road, we like site number 9 , the view isnt blocked by another camper. Another reason we like to park on this side of the road is that the park sits on a bluff and the drop to the water is about 30 feet straight down .