Sunday Celebration

Here's a multi-tasking mother holding the baby and blowing out her birthday candle at the same time before the cream melted. Jocelyn ordered barbecued ribs, "funeral" potatoes and strawberry shortcake for her 28th birthday dinner. We were happy to comply, since she is such a terrific daughter. Plus, we like that stuff, too.
Our day began with a ride up Kern Canyon to visit Kern Vally Ward for Jessie's blessing (see Karrie's blog). It was great to all be together in church and I always like to see Ryan use the priesthood. Jessie is now officially named on the records of the church. She is such a SWEETIE!
After we arrived home, I drove west to pick up my mom to join us for dinner. I had all the food ready and the table set and I left David in charge. Here's what I found upon returning:

I leaned in and called him a slacker, but he redeemed himself by saying Karrie, Ryan and kids would be arriving later. So, I put all the food on hold and took a few pictures of the calm before the storm:

Grandma J took the opportunity to hold Levi.
It's a good thing I took a few pictures then, because after everyone arrived I was busy making sure everyone was fed and no one got in too much trouble. Today every thing is back to normal, but Papa David wants to know if anyone out there knows where the memory chips he left on the computer table yesterday are located. And Karrie, you left George' s ribs, so I put them in the freezer. And Barry, your's are in the freezer too, but if it takes you too long to come for them, I can't guarantee they'll still be there. And, Brandon and Lenna, I was thinking it's about time you came for another visit, so we have an excuse to barbecue again. We'll be calling. And Clement Clan, how's sometime the middle of June when you're all here? But we'll have to do it without David, 'cause he'll be fishing in Alaska. Let's pick a date so Ryan can be off.

Oh, I took this picture of Karrie's garden area all ready to plant after it is "decritterized". I'm sure she'll have more to say about that.

Mustang Tune-up and Dismantle

Barry came to town Thursday to stay for a few days while Lee is visiting her new grand baby in Korea. He and David have been working on Barry's Mustang, which he brought along for the ride. (Actually THAT was the reason for the trip.) The first day they tuned it up:

Then, they listened to it. Still didn't sound right.
So, they dismantled the engine.

They decided there's not enough time on this trip to complete the overhaul, so they stowed it in Bunting's Mustang corral.

Now Barry has more time to dream

about all the cool stuff he can do to it.

Current project: Barbecue ribs for Jocelyn's birthday celebration tomorrow. Ribs are one of her favorite foods. The grill is heating as I type. David says this is the first time he's cooked ribs without a schedule to meet. We are cooking today and re-heating tomorrow. It's actually a double celebration, since Ryan is blessing Jessie tomorrow at church.

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.

Easter

Easter is such a wonderful holiday! I love the springtime. And, I am so grateful for the time set aside to remember the atonement. We had good speakers at church and the choir sang "Consider The Lilies", one of my favorites. The kids in nursery were great. We talked about the Savior, decorated some cookies for our snack time and glued some pretty flowers on our activity projects. After church, we gathered together for dinner with our kids and grand kids. We also had David's mom, my mom, Leo, Vickie, Mariah, John, Becky and Sarah (Vickie's mom) join us for dinner this year. Jocelyn brought a honey baked ham , Sarah brought a jello salad and we added a turkey, fruit salad, party potatoes, asparagus, and rolls. For dessert, fresh strawberry and razzleberry pie.

After dinner Karl stopped in before heading off to work, so we sang "Happy Birthday" and the EASTER EGG HUNT was on...

The granny's enjoyed sitting in the shade and watching the kids find eggs.

Some of the small ones needed a little help.

Nathan adding to his collection.

Pink eggs are great for boys too!

Jared loved it! He looked completely tuckered out when the day was over.

Kacy had no trouble finding her share.

Will found some in the geraniums.

1 Ed caught on fast!

After all the eggs were found, we went to the back yard and played with the bubbles and play dough.Ed's trying to figure out how the bubbles come out.

Jessie was too little to hunt eggs this year, but I bet she'll be joining in next year! She weighs about as much as the ham. She contributed to the fun by just being soft and cute. Lindsay, David, Jimmy, and Gaye joined us later in the evening for pie and the decorating of the cookies.

Karl's Birthday

Karl turned 60 this year ! His birthday was on Easter, but Gaye planned a surprise party for him Saturday evening. While Karl was welcoming their usual dinner group , the rest of the guests gathered at Faulkner's and then marched down to Karl and Gaye's house bearing gifts, food, tables and igloos full of drinks to join in the fun. It was a great party, and we continued the celebration on Sunday with the traditional fresh strawberry pie for Karl.