This has been a very busy week-end.  My son John Vincent arrived on Friday night.  He and a group of old friends do an annual desert jeep ride each spring.  So although I did not see as much of him as I would like to have, (Mothers always want more time with their kids,) but I did have time  late each evening when he came in from the back country and even more time over breakfast each morning before he headed out to the trails again. I took this photo of him with the puppies Friday morning.

On Sunday the puppies graduated from Beginners Class.  They actually did quite well on their “final exams” in spite of all the distractions at PetSmart.  We have already signed up for Intermediate Class which will begin in three weeks.  Meanwhile, I will continue taking them to our local club’s get-together at the park on Thursday evenings so they can practice their skills and socialize with some very nice people and their canine companions. I made this Graduation Announcement last night.

I want to thank Linda and Kristi for coming to the puppies’ graduation.  They brought little Danica with them, but Eric who still has a little cold, stayed home.  Linda, kindly took on the job of photographer and therefore we have these great photos by which to remember this auspicious occasion.   Although our visit was extremely brief, it was great to see the three of them.

And finally, I completed the Memory Book pages for Our Easter Adventure. Click on the title and it will link you to a slide show of them. The wording on the pages is a little difficult to read on screen, but it is the same as what is in my post An Awesome Week-end.

Our big Easter adventure is over.  We have met the Bunny.  We have conquered the park, We have more or less successfully hunted for those bright colored eggs.  I am presently working on Memory Book pages and promise a photo album later, but right now while I have this wonderful glowing feeling, I want to share my Easter  with all of you. 

It was a delightful week-end.  Kristi and the twins arrived in time for lunch with Poppa Bob at the Texas Cattle Company.  The Texas Cattle Company is known in town for their humongous hamburgers.  A short visit back at the house and we were on our way up highway 395.  The weather was beautiful and warm.  Perfect Spring weather for an Easter week-end adventure. Bishop is about three hours from Ridgecrest.  Eric and Danica slept most of the way and when we arrived they were ready to explore the Creekside Inn’s Gardens.  They waved to the ducks and admired the flowers and I took photos of it all.   

At the Inn, there are always freshly baked cookies served at 5 PM.  Kristi and I indulged in more cookies than I want to admit to eating.  The twins seemed satisfied with only one a piece.  They were having too much fun exploring the lobby, the hall, and our room. Early evening found us across the street at the park where Danica and Eric played on the playground equipment and I aimed my camera and acted like a goofy grandma. 

Soon we headed back to the hotel where Kristi  fed the babies dinner, While she bathed Danica and Eric and made them ready for bed in the two cribs provided by the Inn, I ducked out to the local fast food restaurant for Santa Fe Chicken sandwiches and brought them back hoping the little ones would be fast asleep.  NOT!  They had just caught those famous second breaths and were ready to run and jump.  We ate our sandwiches while gleefully chasing twins around the motel room.   It took a little while to settle them down, but soon they were back in their cribs and quiet.  Kristi and I watched a little television. . . very little and were soon off to sleep.  The good thing about being the Nana is that I slept right through Danica’s restless night.   

Morning found us bright and cheery and ready to conquer Easter Sunday activities.  Kristi and I had a breakfast of cinnamon rolls and coffee.  The cinnamon rolls were from Schats bakery next door to the Inn and they were scrumptious.  She fed the twins, dressed them, and we packed up the car before heading back to the park to visit the ducks and to play again at the playground. 

The Big Easter Egg Hunt was at another park a few miles away and it did not start until one o’clock. The twins were showing signs of needing naps so we packed them into their car seats knowing they would soon be asleep. We took a drive out toward the Sierras and Lake Sabrina.  The snow on the mountains was unbelievably beautiful: pristine and white against an azure blue sky.  Eric and Danica slept while we drove slowly enjoying the scenery and the shamrock shakes we picked up at the local Mc Donalds. Soon it was time to turn around and head to the Hunt. 

We arrived a little early which gave Erica and Danica time to explore before meeting the Easter Bunny who arrived with an assistant who passed out candy.  Oh my, both of the twins have the proverbial sweet tooth.  They loved the idea of the candy so much that when the egg hunt began, Eric was way too busy eating a gooey chocolate egg to get very much involved.  Between the two of them and with lots of help from Mom, they each managed to put two eggs in their basket.  Danica however, decided she preferred the eggs in another little girl’s basket and Eric was ready to trade his in on a small plastic Frisbee that an older girl had in her hand.  Perhaps the twins were a little young for collecting eggs, but they will be all the wiser and clever next year.

 We left the Easter Bunny and all the excitement, strolled back to the car, and started for home.  The twins had not had lunch and we decided to stop in Independence to feed them.  I once lived there and I loved the quiet little completely fenced cemetery.  Years ago,  it had been a perfect place to read about the pioneers and the history of the area and I thought what a great place to let the twins picnic and run off a little of their energy.  It also gave Kristi and me a chance to visit John’s grave and the grave of our dear friend, Kathy.   

So there were the twins happily having lunch in the cemetery and then running up and down the road.  We showed them the reflection pool and the little creek that flows through it.   Eric loved the pool and before one could blink, had climbed over the rocks and into the water.  Not to worry, however, the pool wasn’t more than six inches deep.  It was only a brief moment before Danica joined him for a little splashing.  The quiet and solitude were broken with their delightful laughter. . . sound of life, that seemed so perfect.  Since there was no one else visiting, we allowed the twins their fun. 

Too soon, it was time to head back to Ridgecrest for me and to Palmdale for Kristi and the babies.  I am so glad that Kristi and I were able to share this time together. I am grateful to have a daughter who includes me in so many ways in her busy life.  The twins are a double blessing and I thank my Higher Power every day for the gift of grand-babies. For me, this Easter was more than wonderful.  It was AWESOME

“Hey Lucky, what did the bunny want to do when he grew up?”

“”I don’t know, LuAnn.”

“He wanted to join the Hare Force.”"

I know I just dressed the puppies up for their St. Patrick’s Day photos and posted a St. Patrick’s Day greeting and now it is time already for Easter Greetings.   Hardly time to turn around or even get in the mood for the Easter Bunny’s arrival.

As it turns out Lucky and LuAnn were very frisky bunnies when I tried to take their Easter photos They reminded me of my twin grandbabies who often go in opposite directions at the same time.  Fortunately, I caught this shot where LuAnn is whispering the riddle into Lucky’s ear or at least I think she is.  

The puppies graduate from Puppy Class the Sunday after Easter and then we will start them on the next series of classes.    We are almost finished with barriers.  Lucky and LuAnn now roam all rooms except our offices which have way too many electrical wires running to and from computers, printers, and fax machines to be considered puppy safe.   We have gates at the doors of these two rooms so they can see us working.

 Bob is pet sitting this week-end while my daughter Kristi and I take the twins to Bishop for the week-end.  We will drive up on Saturday and stay at the beautiful Creekside Inn across the street from the park and spend part of Easter morning feeding the ducks in the creek next to the Inn. Then in the afternoon, we will go to the City Park across the street for the annual Easter egg hunt before heading back home.

Like all mothers, I secretly relish the special times I have my daughter and her babies all to myself.  Selfish, maybe,. . . but oh so true 

Thinking of all of you and wishing you happiness as you celebrate Easter. I promise you lots of Easter photos of Kristi and the twins when we return from our Mother-Daughter week-end.

Faith and Begorrah! The big day is nearly here and Bob and I had such a fun time introducing LuAnn and Lucky to the “Wearing of the Green

All right, they may not really be Irish, but then on St. Patrick’s Day isn’t everyone just a wee bit Irish?

These are the best of the many shots we took of the puppies There are some wonderful brawling Irishmen pictures where they are attacking each other’s hats, faces, and if there had been a shillelagh handy, it would not have been pretty.

Our Sammi. . . well she is just about the sweetest, most patient, and most tolerant little Wiener Dog in the entire world. However, she has her paws crossed in the hope that none of her German canine friends see this photo. It would certainly make her the laughing stock at the next Oktoberfest.

As for Bob and me, we are planning to toast all our friends with green beer while chowing down on corn beef and cabbage.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all our friends and family and may you enjoy the luck of the Irish all year long.

Today the most wonderful e-mail came my way from my daughter’s life partner, Linda.  It contained the following photos of Danica and Eric and naturally, I needed to share as all Nana’s are prone to do.  When I look at these twin grandbabies I realize the magic of loving and the little miracles of life.  Heck, you guessed it, I am just grinning from ear to ear with Grandmotherly pride.