Happy 67th birthday to the one and only Steve Smith.
You have made my heart sing for forty-two years.
After a busy weekend, my heart tank is full and my energy tank is empty.
The weekend started with this bit of loveliness waiting for me when I came home from work. Steve gave it to me early since the grandkids were staying overnight and we wanted to share the cookie with them.
After dinner and some fun with the kids, the grands started getting ready for bed. They started with a normal tooth-brushing session but it quickly turned into a disco toothbrush party.
They didn’t have light-up toothbrushes when I was a kid! (How did I ever survive?)
I remembered how much I liked Etch-a-Sketch when I was growing up and figured the grands might enjoy it as well. I snagged one of Ebay and had it ready and waiting for them.
I was right! They all loved it.
Before I fell off to sleep, I got to snuggle with these two. They’re trying to figure out the remote control for the bed foundation. (It puts the head and feet up and down.)
I got just a tad upset with Madison. And what did she do that was so distressing?
Well, she got out of bed looking like this.
Lovely, curly hair, with her face looking refreshed and dewy. It’s just not fair for someone to look that good five minutes after opening her eyes. I work for hours and never achieve that sort of youthful glow. Sigh.
Madi, Noah, and I spent part of our Saturday together making treats with Rice Krispies, marshmallows, and homemade caramel sauce.
The snacks didn’t look quite like a Pinterest picture, but it was fun to do a project together.
Andrew, the youngest, embarked on his own creative project and stuck with it for over two hours which is pretty amazing considering how young he is!
This particular project required him to spend a lot of time on his tippy toes.
The easiest way to describe his undertaking is to say that he was writing the Great American Novel, one Post-it note at a time. He would “write” something down and then run over to me and say, “Grandma! What does this say?” I would make up something and he would chortle happily and then go stick it to the refrigerator. And then it was back to tiptoes and the next Post it.
When I say Great American novel, I wasn’t kidding. This kid was focused.
I must say, I had quite the challenge trying to come up with fifty different things that his notes said. He was always so pleased with everything I “interpreted” and he nodded solemnly as though he could hardly believe he had come up with such profundities. Once I said something funny about one of his notes which caused him to lie on the kitchen floor and roll around and guffaw. Great fun.
Andrew Smith. Author extraordinaire.
He finally gave his brain a break (and mine, too) and went and played with his brother.
came over about 1 pm on Saturday to spend some time with the kids. The three boys gravitated right to Gage.
And Madi went straight to Sarah.
And what did Steve and I do? We took a nap, of course. In fact, when Sarah and Gage pulled up I ran out and said, “Tag, you’re it!”
Gage and Sarah stayed overnight Saturday with us since we were having a Mother’s Day meal the next day. Steve and I left after dinner to take the kids back to their house; when we saw this sight, we both started laughing.
If you’ve been reading here for a few years, you probably remember the photos I have posted of Ken and Vernie standing in that very spot and waving. A new generation of wavers is arising!
the grandkids returned, this time with their mom and dad in tow.
When Nathan walked into the house, Steve told him, “Before lunch, we are doing a song for the ladies and I need you to play bass.” Never mind that Nathan had never played bass before; he jumped right in there.
Such fun!
One of our lunch dishes was fruit salad with sour cream mixed in. Gage said that had been a regular dish at his house growing up and none the rest of us had ever had it. It was quite good because as Gage describes it, the sour cream takes on the sweetness of the fruit. It was a big hit!
And speaking of Gage, he wrote in the Happy Mother’s Day line free hand, matching exactly the font of the words above. His talents know no end.
I’d been promising the kids we’d color some eggs using whipped cream but hadn’t gotten to it during the Easter season. So after lunch, we did a little egg decorating.
The messier it got, the better time they had.
we went outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.
Steve is laughing in this photo because a favorite item of his had gone missing; it turns out one of the Littles had put it down the laundry chute. Gage found it there and put it up in the living room for Steve to find. However, one of the kids saw it first, knew Steve was looking, and brought it down to him.
Much merriment ensued due to Steve’s dramatic reaction.
I love this photo of Gage with the guitar strapped over his back. (He’s been having trouble with some leg pain; hence the temporary cane.)
hanging a new tree swing while Meagan got a blanket to provide a place to lie on the grass. After Nathan had spent an hour laboring with Steve in the sun to complete the swing-hanging task, he laid down on the blanket and said the words that every young dad can relate to, “If someone would just bring me a pillow, I could sleep for hours.”
and all young parents who run on caffeine, patience, prayer, and grit. I’m so thankful he married a woman like Meagan who is such a great mother to our four grands.
I know for some people, Mother’s Day is a joyful day, and for others, it is bittersweet. In whatever situation this Mother’s Day found you in, I hope you were (and are) aware that you are loved and you make a difference.
What about you?
Have you ever put sour cream on fruit?
Did you play with an Etch-a-sketch when you were a kid? What other games did you play with back in the day that you especially loved? I’m always looking for vintage game/toy ideas for the grands
Tell us one thing about your Mom (or a mom figure in your life) that you admire or appreciate.
I just love all of the wonderful things that you do with those grands when they are with you. Our first grandson was born in September, so he is a little young for egg coloring, but I am excited to try some of your ingenious ideas when our turn comes.
Etch-a-sketch frustrates me to no end! I had one as a child and ended up throwing it so many times that it quit working. Well, like it ever worked for me. It takes a very patient and creative mind to make one of those things do what they are supposed to do… Whatever that is.
Mother’s Day is always bittersweet as we are always missing someone in our lives. I smile when I think that our Sarah is spending Mother’s Day and all the holidays with all of her grandparents in Heaven now.
We put sour cream in lots of things in our family. I love the way it picks up the flavors of other foods and adds a richness that is hard to match. I think I have that same fruit salad recipe except that mine has poppy seeds sprinkled on top.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful pictures with us. It looks like you all had a blessed Mother’s Day.
Lisa,
Poppy seeds sound like a good addition to that fruit salad!
When I used to play with an Etch a Sketch I would make a big square around the whole thing and then make smaller and smaller squares before I got to the very middle. Not sure why I enjoyed that so much but that’s about the only thing I could do with it.
Yes, there is a bittersweet joy in knowing your sweet Sarah is safe at Home with all of her grandparents. I’m sure she’s gotten extra, EXTRA spoiled with all that love going around.
I think my younger brother had an Etch-a-Sketch. I don’t think it was mine. He also had GI Joe and Lincoln Logs. I remember playing Connect 4 with my grandmother. My brother also had a Battleship game but I think my mom and I played it more than he did.
We used to make a five cup salad that was mandarin oranges, pineapple, coconut, marshmallows and sour cream. But I don’t think I’ve ever just put sour cream on fruit.
Happy birthday to Steve.
Those rice Krispie treats look delicious. I love anything caramel.
Phyllis,
We’ve been playing some Connect 4 lately. I used to LOVE Lincoln Logs. Need to get a set for the kids–and myself.
The Rice Krispie treats were good! I probably wouldn’t make them again but I enjoyed my few servings of them.
I’ve never had sour cream on fruit, but it does sound intriguing. I too was an Etch-A-Sketch fan as a child. I still remember getting one from Santa at our church supper/Santa visit. I’m glad you enjoyed such a wonderful weekend with those you love most! And Happy Happy Birthday Steve!!
SueEllen,
It’s amazing to me how long Etch-A-Sketches have been around. That’s a sign of a really good kid’s toy!
Yes, definitely try the sour cream some time. It was really good!
What a wonderful Mother’s Day you had. I have had that salad and am not a fan. If it is the one I am thinking about – is there coconut in it? That dish has made many a church pot luck. I don’t mind sour cream but not with fruit. That instrument of Gage’s – it looks like he needs the other half. Those guys did a great job. Can understand why you would be running out of things to say on those notes – it was ALOT – not sure how he missed the sides?
Speaking of clothes chutes – when our son was about 3 years old – he thought it would be fun to see if coke bottles would break when you throw them down the chute – Yes, they do!
Sharyn,
Thank goodness our grands haven’t thought about glass items yet. Yikes. What a mess that must have made!
Yeah, I’d never seen a guitar stick before I saw Gage’s. Definitely a very portable instrument.
The fruit dish we had was just fruit and sour cream; no coconut. But when you put the sour cream with the fruit, you can’t even tell it’s sour cream. Very interesting to try.
Sounds like a great Mothers Day.
I also grew up having sour cream on fruit salad. My husband just had cut up fruit for fruit salad. I will sometimes add the sour cream to my portion. It accents and blends all the flavors.
I did love etch a sketch. Another toy I loved was called Play Tiles. Plastic tiles of various color and shape that fit onto a board with holes like a pegboard. There were designs pictured that you could make or you could create your own.
I appreciate my mom for all the work she did to keep us fed and clothed.
Patti,
I had never heard of Play Tiles so had to Google them. They look like good creative fun!
Yes, our mothers just managing to keep their kids fed and clothed was a major accomplishment. So much of what a mother does is unseen and taken for granted, like when the clean clothes appear in drawers and dinner appears on the table. I sure appreciated my mom doing all that important “invisible” work, especially with six kids!
Happy Mother’s Day! Steve is quite the performer, I love it! And, the post-it notes 🙂 I would have a very hard time removing them, its right up my alley. So glad you had a wonderful weekend. Time to rest up and go to work haha.
Lesley,
I told someone at work yesterday that I came back to work so I could rest. And they thought I was kidding!!
Yes, those Post-it notes were definitely a huge accomplishment. If he does become a famous author, we’ll have pictures to share of his very first efforts. (Co-written by Grandma.) 🙂