Thanksgiving to Christmas 2016

Grandma and Grandpa took Madelyn to the Muskegon Museum of Art

to see all of their Christmas Tree decorations.

 Grandma and Grandpa took Mason out to Hoffmaster State Park in late November and he enjoyed hiking along the fallen trees.

 Mason had a great time playing in the waves. While the water was not

warm, he did not mind and the air temperature was in the upper 60s. We

really had a warm fall in Muskegon.

Then the next morning it was snowing and the highs were in the 20s. What a switch! 

Grandma visited Madelyn's pre-school class for their Thanksgiving party.

Look at these pilgrims!

We traveled to western Illinois to see Great Grandma Donna. Here

Madelyn rides the cart up to the room in Macomb.

 Madelyn camps out with the Kraft cousins in one of the motel rooms.

 One of the highlights of visiting Uncle Randy and Aunt Janice's Mower Shop is playing with

the kitty also named Mower.

 This is what we get when we ask the grandkids to smile...........

 Boy cousins playing a Lego game that Uncle Nick invented.

 Mason and Caleb in some deep discussion while playing with Mower.

Baby girl trying out the shifting on a new mower.

 We drove over to the Kendrick farm in eastern Illinois and Madelyn bent

over to let Stella slap her bottom with her tail.

The three three-year-old cousins at the farm. Madelyn, Nathan, and Natalie.

 Madelyn went to lunch with Grandpa Dave and showed him how to "color"

the nuggets box with catsup using a French fry as a brush......

Using Lego Duplo figures as finger puppets.



 More snowflake help in the woodshop. Mae must have her hand on her

boy's head.............She wore the blue gloves like a clothing accessary.

 Look at all the reindeer!

It was a Lego Minecraft Christmas for Mason.

 Mason bowled with Grandpa Dave and Daravia a couple times over the holidays and Mason

did real well one game bowling a 129 with a strike and 5 spares.

 

Fall Antics

Madelyn Mae multitasking in September with her phone, whistle toy, and

Lion puppet in grandpa and grandma's office

 Nice glasses and the sheep puppet has birthday cards!

Mae has bunches of stickers and a crown she made in her pre-school class.

 Madelyn is three and Mason is helping her open some surprise toys from mommy and daddy.

 Look at all the toy Everest Paw Patrol parts! Everest is our favorite character now.

 Mason gets to go with grandpa to the movies!

And Madelyn gets to go grocery shopping with grandma to pick out her

birthday cake. She got to use her own miniature shopping cart at Fruitport

Orchard Market.

 A Minnie Mouse cake grandma made for Madelyn's third birthday party.

 Madelyn in her Everest costume blows out the candles on her cake at the grandparent Armstongs.

 The pink frosting is wonderful!

 Madelyn opened a Playdoh kit.

Playdoh, coloring books, and Band-Aids. She wears Band-Aids like

jewelry of course.

Mason helped grandma put up her ghosts for Halloween.

Family picture at church in October. 

Madelyn dresses up in the kitty costume her mother wore when she was

three years old.

 And here is the 1982 photo of her mother and Aunt Colleen in

their costumes.

Madelyn insisted that grandma have whiskers, too!

Mason and Madelyn at Fellowship Church's "Trunk or Treat" playing

games in the Activity Center. Madelyn has her Everest costume on from

Paw Patrol.

Mason and his mom traveled with grandma and grandpa to Atlanta

to celebrate Aunt Colleen's 40th birthday and to do Halloween with

the Kraft family. Here Mason poses with a young Obi-Wan (Caleb) and

a Jawa (Hudson) from Star Wars.

In early November Mason and Madelyn help Daravia blow out her

21 candles while mommy and grandpa look on. We had a fish fry

birthday party for our college senior.

After the birthday party Madelyn and Mason help grandpa in the garage

with wooden snowflake construction. 

Of course this is a opportunity for Madelyn to wear Aunt Colleen's old indestructible yellow boots!

Madelyn still dresses herself frequently. This day we had McDonalds

Powder-puff Girl glasses, a pony winter hat, and a plug while she

is holding her panda bear.

August Summer Fun

 The six year old is losing teeth fast now.

Madelyn stands on the big field stone near grandma and

grandpa's driveway.

 Mason at the pool at Grace Adventure Camp at Silver Lake.

 Madelyn on water slide at the camp.

New T shirt for big girl shopping at Silver Lake.

Mason caught a couple pound catfish that bent the tip

of the perch rod right down to the water. We caught

7 or 8 catfish that day and this was the biggest.

Mason and Madelyn went with grandma and grandpa to a Sunday School party at the

Anderson's house and they had kitties.

Mason putting up canopy for camper at Silver Lake. Madelyn supervises.......

 Madelyn snugged up in camper bed. 

 Mason ready to ride in dune truck on Silver Lake dunes.

 A driftwood teepee.

 Cute girl!

 My water........

Mason running along Lake Michigan.

All the cousins' dune vehicles.