Does Calvin miss his crib?

Well, again my boy was caught being cute. I got Calvin up from an afternoon nap and I could tell he was still sleepy. He found an old bottle and headed fof the TV room. There he got into Amanda's doll crib and finished up the bottle in the cozy small space. I was just lucky he was too tired to jump out when he saw the camera.

Great-Grandmothers Hands

Amanda has a special relationship with Great-Grandmother Fern. I suppose it's because she is her only one still living. She calls her the grandma with the wrinkly hands. She enjoys writing her letters and when grandma writes back, she often tapes some money coins to her letter. Amanda has just figured out that she can buy "stuff" with money ( I suppose it time for an allowance).

Amanda is my girl with all the questions. During our Utah trip this year, she was questioning how Grandpa Gardner fit in her tiny tummy. Grandma Fern is a tiny framed lady who is always polished and fully of stories. She has a soft spoken voice that is full of love. I love to see how Amanda and Fern interact together. Amanda is forced to focus on the words and really listen. She also must speak loud and clear for her to hear. They truly have a special relationship. I wish we lived closer to spend more time with her.

Amanda enjoyed counting to 90 (Fern's age) with her great-grandmother. Fern has a picture of herself at the age of four (Amanda's age). She enjoyed seeing what she looked like at her age.

Below is a picture of Amanda's and Great-Grandma's hands. I couldn't resist!

Box Fun!

Why do we even buy toys? We had a trip to Utah to see Grandpa & Grandma when they returned from Oakland. Paul & Mignonne's youngest was also baptized. Since we stayed with Grandpa & Grandma, they were busy unpacking (hence the empty boxes). Their home was not set up with television, phone or internet. We had some good old fashioned FUN!

Amanda's Trip to Oakland

Amanda went on a wonderful trip to Oakland to see her Grandpa & Grandma Gardner. It was her first Daddy-Daughter trip and she felt like a princess! She wanted to pack her own bags (but her controlling mom stepped in to help).

Grandma and Gradpa were in Oakland serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They worked in the mission home. We wanted to all come out before they returned home but were happy that Ben and Amanda got to go and see the sights.

Amanda loved all the personal attention and fun times. Here are some photos.