Big Brother

Nathan loves being a big brother!

And Levi has learned to open his eyes at grandma's house!

Ladybug and Croquet

Ladybug! Ladybug! Fly away home.

Your house is on fire.

And your children are all gone.

All except one, and that’s little Ann,

For she’s hiding under the frying pan.

---Children’s Nursery Rhyme, author unknown

Monday morning Oscar, Spencer and Jared came over after taking Nathan to school. While David and Oscar added some freon to the Delgado's suburban, the boys and I enjoyed a little outdoor fun. Spencer found a ladybug and made friends. He said, "Grandma, mom and dad think I'm just a kid, but I'm a ladybug collector too." We also resurrected the croquet set that was banned last year after the kids tried maiming each other and redesigning the landscaping with it.


It was Jared's first time to play croquet and he tried out each color ball. He learned very quickly how to connect with the ball and they both had a good time until crying when dad said it was time to go home.

Sweet Babies

Levi and Jessie, looking sweet on their Sunday visit.

Grandbaby # 8

What better way is there to start a day than with the birth of a new grandbaby? Today has been a great day and it began with the debut of Levi Henry Delgado at 4:43 this morning. Nathan, Spencer, Jared and I had a sleepover last night because Jocelyn had been having contractions on and off yesderday. At around 1:30 she called to tell me they were heading to the hospital. Another call shortly after 5 announced the arrival of this sweety. We got everybody dressed and fed and headed off to the hospital a little later. The first thing I noticed was his georgeous hair and then, that oh, so soft, double chin. Let's just say he's quite chunky. I guess the first comment from the nurse was, " His hands are big" He weighed in at 9 pounds 10 ounces and is 22 inches long. He has a very sweet, quiet disposition.

Here is the first Delgado family portrait with him:

Having a new baby made daddy very sleepy. Jocelyn, however, was freshly showered and ready to go home when the boys and I arrived to see Levi. We hung around the hospital hoping to see his open his eyes, but no luck.
So,we headed over to Grandma J's to say, "Hi", and the boys tried out her lift chair.

Then, it was off to the park, lunch, ice cream cones, and to buy a new movie for our second sleepover tonight. They won't let Jocelyn out until 12 hours after giving birth, so she'll be home this evening.

Birthday Wishes

This wish goes out to Oscar,

who turned 34 yesterday,

and to Katie who is slightly younger, 29 today.

Here is Oscar, happy to help out, as usual.

He's assisting David with the Casita insulation.

This is Katie, cozy in her sweatshirt, at our family reunion at Morro Bay.

C.A.L.M.

Friday I hopped on the bus with the First Grader's from Nathan's school and spent the day at C.A.L.M., California Living Museum. I was assigned to the "green group" which was Nathan, Victoria, Jocelyn (not my daughter) and Cynthia. It was quite a change from nursery. These kids actually listen when you talk and follow directions:

We began the day by meeting some of our "neighbors" who came to be at the museum because they are dependent on humans and can't be in the wild (around Kern County) by themselves anymore. We met Desert Tortoise, a snake and Red Tailed Hawk up close and personal:

After the introduction, we went out to explore the exhibits, passing the "stinky duck pond" which was being cleaned by 5 or 6 men in rubber boots: We saw lots of cool animals, including this really pretty barn owl. He had beautiful feathers with spots and a white face: Here, Nathan is practicing his paleontology skills at an indoor exhibit. He said his favorite thing was the crystals he saw in the geology area. I liked the brown bears and the hawks. I can't remember what this little animal is called, but I have never seen one before. He looks and feels like a rock in order to be camouflaged and can puff himself up in crevasses.

The kids really liked the Birds of Prey Exhibit which had different kinds of owls, hawks, crows and eagles.

Between each exhibit we found a nice place to sit so the kids could write about what they saw and draw pictures in their journals. The whole class sat in the eagle's nest with Mr. Lopez. In the background is the window for viewing the eagles. Mr. Lopez is a sub, since Nathan's regular teacher is currently out on maternity leave.

On the way out we passed the "stinky duck pond" again. It was being refilled with fresh water, which the ducks had returned to enjoy.It was a great day, but everyone was tired and happy to return to the bus. They all loved riding on the bus together.