Here it is October 2014 and we are doing some much needed updating to our blog.  Above is a mixture of summer events that needed to be included on our blog.  The top picture represents our lovely September trip and cruise down the St. Lawrence River.  We spent 2 days in both Boston and Quebec City with a 7 day cruise in between.  The next photo is of our wonderful Houghton family who spent a week with us in June!  We had the best time ever--hiking, water rafting, horseback riding and eating ice-cream!! In July, Matt, Janelle and Camille spent the 4th with us--we had a grand time.  And finally, at the end of July, all of the Allens were here at a family reunion in Lake Wenatchee!  A good time was had by all!!! It has been the best summer.

I haven't loaded photos and comments for quite some time--so here is a brief update series of pics with short explanations!  In August 2014, the Nelsons and Weavers took a one day jaunt to Stehekan.  We rode a ferry from Chelan and stayed over night.  We did a bit of walking, ate some excellent food and enjoyed the beautiful island.  In September, Amy, John, Oly and Minna came for a weekend visit.  We went to the beach, had a pancake breakfast, went to a playground and played with the fam!  Later in September, Strode and I went on a lovely cruise down the St. Lawrence River with our friends, Dan and Mary Nelson.  We spent 2 days in Boston, sailed for 7 days and then spent 2 days in Quebec City.  It was a grand adventure!

On May 14, 2014 Minna Kristine Weaver arrived on the scene.  Amy and John are the proud parents.  Nana and Papa spent 5 days in Seattle helping out with big brother Oly.  We also got in some time with Matt and his family.  We had a great time at the park with Oly and Camille.  They are best buddies.  We are so happy for Amy and John!  Minna is beautiful!!

What a wonderful way to end March 2014!  First we spent a week in Des Moines with Michelle and her family.  We had a great time hanging out with Lori, Sara, Michelle and John.  We had fun shopping, cheering at a basketball game, playing games and eating yummy meals (plus ice-cream)! We followed that visit with a breeze through the Seattle area to spend some time with our boys and their families--reading, shopping, laughing, eating and playing.  Aren't we blessed!?

Birthdays all around!  Grandson Oly celebrated his second birthday with a Micky Mouse theme.  Several family members and friends joined in the celebration.  His birthday was on January 15th.  Granddaughter Camille celebrated her 3rd birthday with Hello Kitty decorations.  Her birthday was on February 17th. Again, friends and family were present to honor Camille turning 3!  Camille's parents, Janelle and Matt, were also celebrating the completion of phase I of their remodel.   The remodel looks wonderful:-).

Well it has been awhile since I added some photos and information to our blog.  So here is a very short update.  From top to bottom...Thanksgiving 2013 was spent in Seattle.  Amy and John hosted a family dinner.  We also celebrated Matt's 40th birthday during the same weekend.  Then early in the month of December Janelle, Matt and Camille came to spend a night with us and to see the Christmas lights here in Leavenworth.  We had a grand time! 

We spent Christmas in Iowa with the Houghtons.  We had a wonderful time although it was very cold and icy!  We had lots of fun with a variety of activities: baking, shopping, going to church, celebrating Christmas and more! 

Our most recent trip was in Sept./Oct. 2013--to the East Coast.  We traveled with dear friends--Maddens and Allens.  We call ourselves the WAMs:-)  We toured Charleston, Savannah, Ashville, and Nashville!  We learned a lot about the Civil War, Country music and more!  Strode and I also spent time with his sibs:  Pat and Walt.  It was a wonderful 18 day adventure. 

In September 2013--Strode and I made one of our trips to Des Moines to play with our Houghton family.  We had such a good time.  The highlight of the trip may have been our outing to go bowling--it was great fun.  I love these photos of this happy family.  They even wore the perfect colors so the photos are particularly nice.  Love the smiles!

What a crazy few weeks we have had!  First, a couple of trips to the Northwest to visit our too cute babies and their families and then to both Des Moines and Glenwood Springs to spend time with two more cute grandgirls.  We are so blessed and are just filled with joy.  Love this family!

What a treat to have the Des Moines Houghtons join us for their spring break 2013 here in Denver! We had such a grand time: eating at the Triangle Restaurant, building and launching rockets, shopping, visiting John's family, touring the Denver Museum of Science and History and cheering on the Nuggets!  A bonus was having Maisey along for the trip.  She was a great addition to our family time together.

January 2013 and we are in Seattle again! We are there to celebrate Oly's first birthday and to spend time with our boys and their families.  We celebrated Oly's birthday first at the daycare and then we celebrated again with friends and family with the McWeavers.  We watched a lot of football and were in despair when both the Broncos and the Seahawks lost in their playoff games:-(.  We had some nice meals together and, as always, enjoyed being with our sons.  They continue to make us so proud.

Christmas 2012 and New Year's 2013 was celebrated in Des Moines, Iowa with the Hougtons.  What a celebration we had with Christmas festivities, bowling, basketball game, swimming, exercising, gymnastics, eating out (Tasty Taco), church,  and shopping.  Even with the chilly weather we enjoyed every moment of our time together.  The photo above is of Sara and Lori opening their gymnastics mat from Grandma Patty and Grandpa Charlie.  What a delight to watch those 2 excited girls.  We are so blessed to have such a special family.  This was definitely a memory making holiday.

 Whew! What a fall this has been. On Oct. 28, we left Denver and headed north to Seattle in a Penski truck.  We picked up furniture in Idaho Falls to deliver to the McWeavers.  We had a great time in Seattle celebrating Halloween, attending football and soccer games, and celebrating Strode's retirement.  We saw so many friends and family members.  It was a great trip.

That was followed by a flight home via Des Moines to check in with the Houghtons.  We had a lovely time visiting with the grand girls -Sara and Lori.  Of course, when we can, we take a trip to the Omaha Zoo to check in with all of the animals there.  What a wonderful time we had there.

A few short days after we returned home, the Shoreline Weavers: Matt, Janelle and Camille, arrived to share Thanksgiving week with us.  We had more extended and quality time with the three of them.  We were able to take in the Denver Zoo, several parks, the Children's Museum and, of course, a meal at the Triangle Restaurant to celebrate Matt's Birthday.

As always, we feel incredibly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family!

We have returned from our wonderful cruise up the Rhine River.  We shared our experience with friends the Allens and Maddens.  We were able to spend a few days in Amsterdam and then cruised the Rhine visiting in Germany, France and ending in Switzerland.  There were so many highlights of the trip:  lovely ship, good tours, castles galore, great food. laughs with friends, new sights and sounds...and so much more.  We are so blessed!

The Weavers joined Mary and Dan Nelson for three days of exploring the Jackson Hole valley in Wyoming.  The weather was terrific and the trees had started to show all sorts of color.  Although the wild fires filled the valley with smoke for some of the time, it lifted just enough for us to enjoy the fabulous views of the lakes, mountains, and the wildlife (moose made several appearances, osprey were nesting, and elk, coyote and deer were sighted).  Laughter was the order of the day for our enjoyable time together.

Well here we are after another wonderful trip to Des Moines (8/12).  We had such a grand time eating lots of ice cream, celebrating Sara's 10th birthday, working in the Houghton's garden, shopping, and watching the girls doing their various activities.  We feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family.  In addition to a great visit this was an extension to Strode's retirement from UCH.  It was a great way to continue his celebration.  Next stop....Jackson, Wyoming.

Could we have had a better time with our sons and their families.  I don't think so!  We ate together, hugged a lot, toured the zoo on a perfect day, had a fabulous barbecue in Janelle and Matt's backyard with the Allens, and had a wonderful taco salad buffet dinner at Amy and John's home.  We mostly watched our two adorable grandbabies--Camille and Oly.  We mowed lawns, washed and vacuumed cars, did laundry and stained a play house--all of it was fun!

This past weekend the Denver Units escaped to the mountains for cooler weather.  We had an absolutely grand time walking through some wonderful areas in the Rocky Mountain National Park.  We got rained on a bit, which was quite refreshing.  We stopped in several spots to walk, absorb and savor our beautiful Colorado.  We followed our Park expedition with lunch and stroll through Estes Park--one of our favorite mountain communities.  A perfect place to get cool!!

The Weavers, Allens, and Maddens had a great 4th of July weekend in Flagstaff Arizona - Judy's 50th High School reunion in Winslow, memory lane tour taking pictures of the houses she lived in growing up - numerous high school friends, Bearazona, head and foot, and the Flagstaff 4th of July parade through town.  Doesn't get any better.

Our grandbabies are changing and growing so fast.  On top is Oly with his dad, John.  And then there is Matt and Grandpa Strode with our sweet Camille.  We are so blessed to have such darling grandchildren (and wonderful sons).  Great visit!