Grandkids & their activities

Every so often, one of the grandkids & I will have "special Gigi time". That just means I have some time alone with each of them where we will do something together & it usually includes a special treat! Elliot chose to go to Tim's this time & have a donut & hot chocolate.

I think if you look closely, you can still see a few sprinkles, evidence of a sprinkled chocolate donut!

I included this picture because it's not often you see a BIG smile on Elliot's face!

Elliot is starting to enjoy coloring and especially more so in the last few weeks. This is probably due in part to Jonas starting school & being consumed with coloring, crafts, mazes, etc.

Sadie is a bit of a solemn soul, but she can also be very expressive. She is not using a lot of words, but she can definitely let her needs & wants be understood! Who needs words when a few well-placed grunts & syllables are combined with perfect pictionary gestures!

Like any other girl she loves chatting on the phone. She has speed-dialed our number a few times!

Big brother Jonas can pull the smiles out of her quite easily.

And goofy... she wrote the book!

Hannah's little character is sure showing itself! She is a friendly, outgoing little girl who has a ready, winning smile for everyone!

She cruises along at Mach speed & has a keen interest in her surroundings.

We thought she would be walking by now. She is so sturdy & strong on her feet, but there is a cautiousness in her that prevents her from simply taking off and walking. We keep encouraging her, but at the same time, we know when she does she'll be into things that much more quickly!

Hannah loves to eat - isn't that a typical Eidse trait?

Birthday celebrations

We celebrated Jody's birthday on a beautiful Sunday afternoon during the Thanksgiving weekend. Instead of the usual pumpkin pie or birthday cake, we had a combination of the two, a pumpkin cheesecake.

I'm not sure if it's the candles or the cake but the boys' anticipation is clearly evident on their faces!

Ah, the candles are out, now for the cake!

Hannah ignores all the drama!

Jonas turned five this year! He is loving kindergarten and learning lots. He sits at the table for long periods of time, doing crafts, coloring, cutting and pasting. He is learning the alphabet sounds and has a keen interest in words. I expect it won't be long before he is reading on his own.

Peter Pan made it home from the library in the last couple of weeks and so playing pirates, Captain Hook and Tinkerbell has been all the rage at home, at the park and wherever the boys go! So that's how Peter became the star of the show!

Sitting in his new camping chair and "reading" his cards.

Books are always great presents and are treasured.

Halloween antics

The kids attended at family fun nite at church which is held every year. Dressing up is always a fun thing to do! Sadie went as a happy lady bug. She loves the sweets!

Jonas was a scary dinosaur!

Elliot was a soldier, though you can't really see much of his costume! Jonas wore this two years ago and somewhere the helmet has gone missing.

To get all three of them to sit still and look at me is well nigh impossible! I realize now I could have bribed them with some Halloween candy! Ah, next time!

Part of our birthday present to Jonas was an evening out with Papa and Gigi. He really wanted to go to Boston Pizza for his birthday supper, so here we are.

Next on the agenda is bowling. The ball is a bit big but with bumper pads in place, Jonas did just fine. Actually, we all did fine!

He managed to roll the ball down the long lane, albeit ever so slowly!

Jonas in high speed motion.

Hannah

I've taken lots of pictures this summer, but so far few have made it onto the blog. It seems they don't get there without some assistance! So, here's Hannah - going for her first wagon ride. She was quite intrigued by the flowers...

...and had to get a closer look.

She did very well in the wagon - by that I mean she didn't attempt to climb out until almost the end of the ride!

She loves being outside and Andrea takes her on lots of walks in the stroller. She is a very good-natured active baby, and we enjoy her immensely.

Breakfast at the clubhouse

We've enjoyed many a breakfast on the deck at the Timbers this summer. Usually, only Grandma D accompanies us but on this day Grandma Eidse made the trip from Rosenort to join us as well.

Elliot was in a fine frame of mind, hence the happy smile!

Here's Hannah with her two great-grandmas!

Sadie wasn't quite so happy - she had a miserable summer cold. But she was still very cute in her little summer frock.

Kiddie Rides at the Corn & Apple

The highlight of the summer for many Mordenites is the Corn & Apple Festival. The boys looked forward to the rides and used their wristbands to the fullest extent! Friday is the day they chose to go because the crowds hit their peak on Saturday & Sunday. This was kind of an "entry level" ride, not too fast or scary!

The carousel is always a favorite with all kinds of animals to ride on.

This one was a little more exciting & the boys loved it. The highlight of the weekend was riding the ferris wheel at sunset! I was sorry I missed that one, but the entire Haines family took up the seat! I'm sure each successive year will see more daring riders!