What a Weekend!

I keep forgetting that I need to load the pictures in backwards order, but here they are, from the end to the beginning of our weekend! The ongoing process of cooking and snapping pictures... we never eat the same thing twice! This is Slow Cooked Spiced Chicken with Carrots, and tastes great! 

At the end of Grandma's birthday cake party, David and Heather and children arrived, after completing their drive from Olympia, WA. They'll be staying with mom and dad for the week, and we had a nice visit with them. Since Espen quit blogging, I haven't known the details of what they're up to!

It's always great to catch up with family!

Philip, Heather and Abby with my pretty mommy and her birthday cake. (She helped me out by making her own carrot cake, but I made the lemon sauce and cream cheese topping. Thanks, Mom!) Also, my first bouquet of nasturtiums of the season!

Anders stayed with us Thursday through Sunday and couldn't get enough of the train videos (YouTube) that you can hook into when you watch the train video on GGs blog. Finally on Sunday morning I just let him sit on my lap and watch them till he lost interest, for probably 30 minutes!

Here's the dear sweet child navigating the stairs with his little lamby. He's quite careful and holds the rail. Grandpa awaits at the bottom.

Saturday night David was on duty with Anders while I went to Commitment Ceremony for the Nursing Department. I'm in charge of helping the students put it on, so I wanted to see how it turned out. Except for the candles almost refusing to light, it was perfect. Next year we'll look into battery candles!

Saturday morning we went for a drive to Redondo Beach to see David's mom. I've been making meals and putting them in the freezer for her, for her Christmas present, so it was time to deliver them! Also a perfect chance for Anders to see her, and vice versa. Then we left and went up into Palos Verdes to look at this wonderful view and get a scone and coffee at the Lunada Bay Cafe. Anders threw bits of food to the birds, who were scared of us and stayed away. After we got home we all took real naps! These grandparents aren't quite as perky as they used to be! I got tired when I was a young mom, but I get tireder now that I'm an 'old grandma'.

Anders loves cambric tea and had it for almost every meal. It's a half cup of hot decaf tea, and the other half milk. We enjoyed our tea together. GG and Chris have taught him to say "No Thank You" instead of the more traditional two year old "NO," so it has a charming ring to it, even when it's yelled, as in, "NO THANK YOU, GRANDMA!"

We love Anders and are so glad we got to spend a nice hunk of time with him! He's talking so much and I always love to know what a child is thinking! Anders and Grandpa had fun putting balls in the living room and we watched 'Cars' with him, and discussed it. He's a good eater and scrambles right up into his high chair and wants the tray put on. He enjoys being read to and liked the idea that he was "on vacation" at our house! He and his parents both had their vacation and are now happily back as they were! A good time was had by all.