Kurt's Family's Camper

Just before we left on vacation, Kurt called and told us they had bought a camper at the campground between Edgerton & Bryan. It is a 5th wheel camper. I was anxious to see it, so we went over Sunday after lunch. Kurt called and invited us out for lunch with them, but we alrealy had meat on the grill. So we went as soon as we were finished eating. They have a really nice big lot with lots of room behind the camper. A great place for a campfire and a nice place outside for their table. All the girls got their haircut while we were gone. Chloe let me take her picture. She got the most cut off. All were cute. We had a nice visit with them and Christy's parents. They have a camper there too, just down the road a little ways. It will really be fun for their family. They have all types of activities going on there on the weekends. The family that plays together-stays together they say. They always have fun as a family no matter where they are.

South Carolina Vacation 2008

Well, we went to Westminster, South Carolina again this year for our vacation. I posted the pictures out of order. We stopped to see Kevin's family on the way home. Let's start with Keith at the Pickens Flea Market. We look forward to this every year and try to get there earlier every year. We went to several flea market on our vacation. We went to a historical site this year instead of a waterfall. The next picture is a stagecoach stop that was built in 1815. It was really interesting. Anybody know what kind of flowers are in the next picture?? They grow on a big bush and I had never seen anything like them. The next picture is the back of our unit. Ours is the one on the far left. I really like the decks. Then a picture of Kevin's family when we stopped for a couple hours on our way home Saturday. OK then back to the top of the pictures, Keith & I with Libby on her one month birthday. Sarah's Dad, Stan and Candy were there for a visit so we got to visit with them too. Katie, Matt and Casey came over as they were all going to a pumpkin patch. So of course, I had to take a few family pictures before we left. We had a good relaxing time, but I was really anxious to get home this year. THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!

My visit with Miss Libby

I drove down to Cincinnati Tuesday morning and stayed with Kevin, Sarah and Libby till Friday morning. I had a great time. Spent a lot of time just holding Libby. I babysat with her so that Kevin & Sarah could go grocery shopping together. I fixed supper Thursday night while they took Libby and Gilmore on a walk. They really made me feel at home and I got time to bond with Libby. I told her that someday she will be sitting on her front porch waiting for that yellow mustang to come up the street and I will be waiting to see her. In the one picture, she is holding my finger with one hand and my thumb with the other. The bath time pictures are neat too. I can't wait to see them again. Today we had Christy's birthday party. We had Grandma Engler and Grandma Whitman come too. It is always good to see all the grandchildren and look forward to spending time with the whole family. It was great to see them all.

Kraig's First Football Game

Saturday was Kraig's first football game at Eastside. He played a good game but unfortunately they lost. 13 to 7. They almost won on the last play, but the clock ran out. I am posting a few pictures from the game. Kraig is number 73. You will have to try to pick him out. I tried to put pictures in that you could see his number. I had to use my zoom lens as we were pretty far away. He has one next Saturday at Churebusco. Then Fremont, Garrett and then his last game is at home. I will try to make as many as possible, but we will be in South Carolina when they play in Fremont. After the game Kurt had a cookout to celebrate Christy's birthday. Happy Birthday Christy!!

Whitman's Sampler

This is not as good a picture as I had hoped for, but this is the sampler that I made for Libby. I finished it and framed it and sent it down with Linda when she was up this weekend. If you double click on the picture, it will enlarge and you can read it better.

If you go to visit her, you can see it for yourself. I am going down on Monday afternoon and I get to spend some time with the new family. I am REALLY looking forward to it.

Kraig has his first football game Saturday at Butler. Of course we will be there cheering him on.

New Pictures

This is the new frame I bought in Bellville while I was there for a meeting Thursday. I got the pictures put in it this morning and hung it in the living room. I just talked to Kevin and Sarah and Libby are doing great. They are scheduled to come home from the hospital tomorrow.

Wish I could be there, but they need some time to get into a schedule and spend some quality time together.

Kevin will keep us posted.

OLIVIA MAE HAS ARRIVED!

Kevin called me at work Tuesday around noon and said that Sarah was in the hospital and that the baby was on it's way. I called Keith and he was in Columbus with Brent Wilson. Brent had flown them there. I left work and had to stop and do Mom's grocery shopping, fill the car with gas and stop at the bank to get some cash. Then I went home and packed some bags and started to Cincinnati. Brent flew Keith to Dayton and I picked him up there. We got to the hospital at 7:30 and I was afraid we would miss her arrival. But she wasn't born until 3:47 a.m. Some of these pictures were taken when she was only a little over an hour hold. The others were taken when she was around seven hours old. She is perfect!! And beautiful!! She weighed 6 pounds and 7 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. Keith & I went to Kevin & Sarah's around 5 am and crashed for awhile. We went back to the hospital around 11 a.m. We visited awhile and then had to go to Bellville as I had a meeting there on Thursday at 8 a.m. We just got home and I wanted to get these pictures on right away.

Cincinnati Visit

Keith had an auction in Dayton Thursday, so I rode down with the auction crew and went to his auction Thursday evening. We stayed at a motel and then started down to Cincinnati in the morning. We stopped at IKEA. We got there around noon. I gave them a gift that Jeanne Caryer (my assistant at work) had sent for them and also a couple things I had picked up for them. One was a Pat the Bunny book and I took a picture of Sarah reading it to us. Will post a picture . We went out to lunch with Kevin & Sarah at Skyline. Keith & Kevin went shopping at Harbor Freight and Lowe's. We had them take us (Sarah & I) back to their house first. Sarah and I had a nice visit. When they got back, Sarah went upstairs to rest and Keith took a nap. Kevin and I looked at the photo albums he has been working on. Brought back lots of memories. Then we went to dinner at Red Lobster. We took some pictures outside on their

deck. Will post them. Then we went over to Greg and Lynn's. We stayed up and watch the Olympics. We stayed all night and then Lynn made us breakfast. We went shopping a Bass Pro and Keith spent the rest of a gift certificate he had. We also shopped at the Old Time Pottery or aleast I think that was the name of it. We went out to lunch at Frisch's. We stayed and visited with Greg & Lynn till around four and then started home as there was no news of a baby coming today. We had a nice weekend, but it was good to get back home.

Kids over for the weekend

Kurt & Christy went with Neil & Nicki Balser for a little weekend vacation. Tom & Karla had the kids Friday and Saturday and we got them Sunday and Monday. Grandpa helped them fix up one of the little red buildings for a play house. I took the kids to school Monday and picked them up after school. Kraig had football practice in Butler and I picked him up after that. Kurt and Christy picked the kids up Monday night. We had a good time and I will post a few pictures.

Conference at Grand Rapids, Michigan

I went to the annual conference of the Public Treasurers of the United States and Canada held in Grand Rapids, Michigan August 9th through the 13th. Keith went with me. It was a good conference and we also had a good time. Keith got some relaxing in while I was in the meetings and classes. Sunday Night National City Bank sponsored an outing at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. It was interesting and it had a huge carousel. I haven't rode on one for years but we did Sunday. I will post some pictures. Also one from the outside of the museum showing the building that is over the river and houses the carousel. Monday night another vendor sponsored an event at a micro brewery and had kareoke. We did not participate!! Tuesday afternoon we had some free time and went to Robinette's Winery. We had a very interesting talk with the owner who feels we are relation and invited us to their family reunion which is held every two years! Tuesday night another vendor sponsored an event at a dueling piano bar. That was the most fun. Wednesday night 5/3 Bank sponsored the banquet, but we had to leave Wednesday afternoon as Keith had an auction. The featured speaker was Frank Abagnale. (Movie Catch Me If You Can was based on his life). After he got out of prison, he has worked for the FBI for 30 years. He speaks on fraud, counterfieting and safety measures on checks, and identity theft. I bought one of his books and he signed it for me. Keith's Mom got home from the re-hab for her broken hip yesterday and my brother, Denny, got home from the nursing home Wednesday. Now everyone is home and happy!!

A Day with Kraig

We picked Kraig up Saturday, August 2, when we took Casey home. As Keith had set up an appointment to show our cottage to someone interested in buying it, we went up to Story Lake first. Kriag and I went inside the cottage and he noticed the Super Nintendo we had up there so we unhooked everything and brought it home. Then we went to Angola and did a little shopping. We went out to lunch at Bob Evans. We checked the movies uptown, but nothing was playing that Kraig wanted to see. We stopped at Montpelier to visit Keith's mom in the hospital rehab unit. Then we went to Bryan and checked the movies there. The only one he wanted to see had started ten minutes before we got there, so he said he didn't want to go. We shopped at the Goodwill store and got a Clue game. He said he would like to come home and go fishing with Grandpa so we went home. Keith was exhausted and took a nap, but first he hooked up the Nintendo game on the tv in my bedroom. He sat down to read the paper and went to sleep, so I watched Kraig play games on the Nintendo I asked how he knew what to do, but he just knew!!! All the games were made before he was even born. Then we played Clue and Kraig won every game we played!! About nine p.m. Keith said let's go fishing. They went out, but the mosquitoes were so bad they had to really spray themselves before they went out. They only caught three, but the mosquitoes were swarming so bad they came in and took showers. When we got up in the morning they went fishing again after breakfast. They kept 18. Keith was cleaning them when Kurts came to pick him up. They had a Mavis family swim party. We went to the Blosser Reunion. The only bad thing was Kraig didn't get to eat any of the fish. They will have to do it again. School starts August 12th.

A Day with our Miss Casey

Sorry this is so late. Friday, August 1st, I picked up Casey to spend the day together. Her birthday was July 29th and I didn't get her a gift as I wanted her to pick it out when we went shopping. First we went to Kohl's, then to Marshall's, then to Meijer's, and then to Wal-mart. She got a little something everywhere. Then we went to the Pet Smart and she helped me pick out some things for the canaries. We went to eat at Wendy's and had one of their new chicken salads. I wanted to take her picture while shopping but she asked me not to and as it was her day, I didn't. We then went to Kit Kitteridge, the American Girl movie. It was really good! Then we went back home and she got on the computer for awhile and then we watched the movie Saving Sarah Cain while we were waiting for Keith to get home. After supper, Keith asked her if she wanted to go to the truck pulls at the Edgerton Festival of Flags, but she said she just wanted to play some games with both of us. So we played Win Lose or Draw till bedtime. I took her home in the morning and picked up Kraig. I told her in the morning it wasn't her day anymore, it was Kraigs, so she had to have a picture taken. I will post the only picture taken from my precious time with Casey.