Grandbaby #3 is here!!!!

Adelynn Sophia Williams

7 pounds 11 ounces

June 24, 2010 8:04 am (11 days late!)

Happy Nana.

Daphne just loves her new cousin!

It was a long night for Jenny and Trevor but worth every minute of it (easy for me to say!). Adelynn is perfect and absolutely beautiful. Trevor was there for Jenny every second of the labor and delivery. I offered to sit with Jenny so he could go play golf (very early, before real labor) but he wanted to stay with Jenny. So after I dropped them off at the hospital I did what every waiting grandmother did, I went shopping!

The 24th is a common number in our family: Kirsten was born on the 24th, Ava was born on the 24th, Gary and Kirsten were married on the 24th and Michelle was born on the 24th.

Kohl Children's Museum

While I was in Chicago Michelle had a list of things to do for me. Having the list actually helps us decide what to do and it kept us from sitting around.

One of the places to go was the Kohl Children's Museum. I had never been there before and suggested I could just take the two by myself. Michelle had been there before and said Dayton & Daphne go in two different directions, and she was right.

As soon as we walked in they both went their different ways and we didn't see each other for quite a while. Every now and then they would be in the same exhibit, but only for about 3 minutes.

Dayton's first stop was the room with all the water toys. I think this was by far his favorite. I tried to put an apron on him to keep him dry but he didn't like it. He didn't seem to mind getting wet.

A bucket over Dayton has just filled with water and is dumping the water near him.

Dayton cranks the elevator to carry the balls to the top. There they dump into water and when the water level rises they go over the falls.

Then Dayton fishes them out and puts them back in the shoot. He spent a lot of time here.

Dayton working on the engine of a car.

When he pedalled air would fill up a big balloon overhead.

Painting a house.



In the music room. You put the puzzle together and when you get it in the right order it plays a song.



Dayton playing with the drums and cymbal.



Shopping. Look at all those cookies!

Dayton getting Nana lots of treats at the bakery.

Dayton ran out of money at the grocery store and had to stop at the ATM.



Just like a married couple. Mommy with the baby and daddy reading.



Heavy Equipment Operator



Sitting down for a spot of tea.



Dayton is starting to read.

I was exhausted by the end of our visit, and we had only been there a couple of hours. I will definitely go back there again. It was awesome. The exhibits change every few months so it keeps the adventure going. Dayton and I didn't make it through the entire place. We will have to bring grandpa through with us next time so he can explain how it all works.

I know Michelle has the same post, I just wanted to beat her! She had Daphne and I had Dayton which is why most of my pictures were of Dayton. So keep an eye on Michelle's blog for part 2 of this incredible museum trip.

Cleaning carpets for Jenny

Jenny & Trevor have the babies room all set up and ready to go. Now, it just needs a baby!

Jenny asked if we could bring the steam carpet cleaner up and clean the carpets. Unfortunately when it comes to projects, it always takes Gary a lot longer than planned. We got up to their condo in Kirkland, had lunch, cleaned the carpets, went out to dinner and came back and put things away. It took about 8 hours! In the end the upstairs carpets are beautiful and we got a couple rugs downstairs cleaned as well.

The first pass of cleaning really showed how clean we were getting them. What I was surprised was how much more we got out in a second pass. We went through about 1 1/2 gallons of cleaning solution and lots if water. Gary turned the hot water heater all the way up to make sure the water was hot.

Trevor kept a bucket filled with solution so as soon as the tank was filled with dirty water he could empty it and fill the solution tank up. It made the process go a lot faster. he worked his tail off.

Joey supervising.

Jenny supervising.

Laura's boyfriend TJ lives in a condo outside the back of Jenny & Trevor. Her good friend was married on Sunday and she was in the wedding. She stopped by to say hi and check on her pregnant sister.

Happy Birthday Old Man!

Gary 11 days old

Gary as a teenager



Gary 1985

Changing a tire on the way home from Utah.

Happy Birthday Gary! Today Gary is..., well I can't tell you how old is is. That would be rude. I can say it is the same number as Tim Shaw a linebacker for the Chicago Bears; the atomic number of Cerium on the Periodic Table of Elements; 3(2+9) + 5(5); the number of the Single Check rebate from Rite Aid for a Wartner Wart Remover Kit for the month of June; LVIII, it is the fifteenth discreet tri-prime and the ninth in the (4.q) family; the number of the Aberdeen, WA school district; the sum of the first seven prime numbers; the name of the Tour Eiffel Restaurant in France; and the number of the day in the Gregorian Calendar for February 27.

His request for dinner is lasagna and pecan pie for dessert. I hope you have a wonderful birthday sweetheart.

Ashton

My 3 1/2 year old grandson Dayton has a friend named Ashton. They are Sunbeams together at Church. A couple of weeks ago it was discovered that Ashton had a tumor.

Surgery was scheduled and a cantaloupe sized tumor was removed frpm her abdomen. It's hard for me to imagine such a large tumor in a tiny 3 year old girl. Surgery removed the entire tumor and it was sent in to pathology.

Ashton has been diagnosed with Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma, which is a form of cancer. She has had a Port-a-Cath inserted and later this week she starts chemo therapy. Her treatments are expected to last one year.

Last week they had a tour of the Oncology area where Ashton will receive her treatments. It must have been a lot to absorb for everyone. It was also a little scary for Ashton to see all the bald people. After discussing this with the staff they suggested to have her around this environment more so she can get used to it.

So what do you suppose they did? Dad went home and let Ashton shave all his hair off! What an awesome dad. Now seriously think about this for a moment. If your little child had cancer and would loose all their hair, would you be willing to shave all your hair off? (Kurt your answer doesn't count!) I have to admit it would be hard for me.

So if you would like to follow Ashton's journey her moms blog is here. Every night Michelle & her family remember Ashton in their prayers. When they pray that Ashton will feel better, Dayton tries to correct them saying that she is better. To him being sick is not feeling well, staying home and laying in bed.

So please remember Ashton and her family in your prayers, and remember the kind and caring doctors and nurses that care for her. Pray that their hands will be guided to give the best care and that she can be healed of this illness.

For some reason this little girl's story has captured my heart. I am not sure why, maybe because she is Dayton's friend and her mom is Michelle's friend. And I also find myself asking the spiritual question "Why?"