Caleb's ten trip

We take each of the grandkids on a weekend trip of their choosing (within reason) for their 10th birthday. The first went to the Cincinnati zoo; the second chose COSI in Columbus; and the third simply said, "Just somewhere in Ohio where we can stay in a hotel - and maybe play putt-putt." I don't know what it is about Ohio but I suppose after the first two it seemed like the place to go!  

So, this past weekend we took the youngest to Toledo from Friday evening until noon-ish Sunday. I had no idea it was such an easy trip now with the new 4-lane route 24 all the way. Traffic was light, it was right at 100 miles, and it only took 1 1/2 hours. 

We booked a room at the Courtyard Toledo Airport Holland on East Mall Drive, and made plans for Saturday to go to Sportway of Toledo on Angola Road for miniature golf, go-karts, and batting cages. 

The hotel wasn't the greatest (mostly because it was just older), but it was right next to oodles of restaurants and shopping centers, and just a hop and skip from Sportway. Some of the staff were very nice, and maybe the best thing: Caleb had the indoor swimming pool entirely to himself twice on Saturday and again Sunday morning! He took full advantage and swam for hours on end. There is also a McDonald's right across the street that has an indoor basketball court, so we had breakfast there both mornings.

Saturday we got to Sportway just after they opened at 10am, and while we weren't the only people there, there weren't many and we could basically do whatever we wanted. We started with a leisurely round of putt-putt, then we all three rode the go-karts (we were the only ones on the course), then we all hit softballs in the batting cage, then Caleb and I rode go-karts again... It was actually a pretty fun time and couldn't have gone any better!

Between the swimming and sportsing, Caleb and I also played catch with the football I brought, and then he was up for shopping at the Target, Walmart, and Dicks Sporting Goods right next to the hotel. He got a new shirt and some basketball cards and seemed pretty pleased. Other than that we mostly watched Nickelodeon in the room, ate, and slept.

I was honestly a little worried this third grand might not be too interested in spending the weekend with us on his own. Seems he usually likes to do things with his older brother. However, it turned out to be a really good weekend and I think he had a lot of fun. So did we!

So now we've got a 10-year gap until the next 10th birthday trip (coming October!). Hopefully we'll still be alive and kicking and he'll be willing to spend time with us too! 

Caleb turns 6

The youngest of the grandchildren had a birthday Wednesday (4/29). This is the card/picture I made for him with colored pencils (I think I can say that, right?).

Apparently, he was bummed because it would have been his first time being able to celebrate his birthday at school, and... school has to take place at home now because of the covid-19 quarantine. So his parents asked if people would send him birthday cards. We each made and sent one to him.

We did go out to the farm to celebrate with the fam that evening. We picked up his request of Wendy's food for supper on the way. Drew's dad was also there. It was a nice time of seeing his cards and presents, eating fast food, and chocolate cupcakes (that were awesome!), plus just getting to hang out with other people.

We got the boy an air-propelled rocket launcher thing with three foam rockets (which B seemed to enjoy more), a Hotwheels car, and a wallet (with a couple dollars in it). Rumor has it he was hoping for $1,000. It's a start.

His parents also took one of the giant tv's from the basement and put it in his bedroom so he could play video games from his bed for the day. I went up to tell him goodbye and this is where I found him - glued to a video game.

He's a pretty sweet kid and full of life. I hope he stays that way!

Caleb turns 4, and a trip back home

This bright-eyed guy turned four years old yesterday. Caleb is the youngest grandchild, and he is FULL of energy. He is one of the most carefree and comfortable-in-his-skin people I know. He smiles easy and can get mad just as quick, but most of the time he's happily taking in life. He's a good kid to be around and I like him much.

We have celebrated his last two birthdays back home in Buda, Illinois. That's where my parents still live, and his "far away friends" are. He refers to his cousins in Illinois as "far away friends." It was his idea, actually, to celebrate his day with them. That's just the kind of person he is. :)

Anyway, it was us two and the Feipel Five staying at my parent's house from Friday night through early Sunday afternoon. We didn't do much other than hang out at the house, play outside, and Saturday afternoon we had a party/cupcake-picnic at the Sheffield park with Dr. Tim's family (he and Elizabeth's kids are the "far away friends"). It was a pretty swell time all around.

My parents are doing about the same. Dad sleeps a lot, but has progressed from the walker to just needing a cane. He has not progressed mentally at all, and never will. Mom still gets around pretty good for being 80. Jane and Carrie took her to Princeton Saturday, and they test-drove a new car with her. She wants to buy a new vehicle - her first one on her own - and I am glad she's starting to make some independent decisions. Of course, they also went clothes shopping. :)

I mowed the lawn Saturday while Drew took the kids out to the Mautino State Park (at least I think that's what it is). We had discussed maybe going to the Psycho Silo - since it was their "soft opening" weekend - but it was a bit chilly and it just didn't seem to work out. I'm sort of finding myself feeling less and less like seeing old friends from back home. I don't really know if there's a reason... I'm simply... not interested. I don't have anything to say, and then it just gets awkward. So..........

That's about all there is to say about this. We are preparing for the Indy Mini this coming weekend so I won't be running much this week. Tincaps games start up again tomorrow night so I will be 'parking-lot-busy.' The grass is getting greener and the sun warmer, so life seems to be moving right along.

Peace out; and, as always, in.

Benny starts preschool

Benny's first day of preschool 9/7/16

The middle grandchild started preschool today. Oh my. I can't believe how Bennett has grown. Carrie said he was very excited to be starting "school" and went to his first day without a hitch. He is attending the same one Anna attended.

Currently he likes to be called Benny or Bennett, but no longer just B. He is a super-easygoing kid who laughs easy and likes to have fun. He can also be very serious about his cars and building towers. He's always been good about playing by himself, and he and Caleb play really well together. So I don't anticipate school being much of an issue for him. Caleb, on the other hand, did not handle things so well this morning - as you can see from the picture below. Poor kid. I'm sure he will adjust soon enough.

Bennett and Caleb 9/7/16

Just for kicks I looked back and wondered how Anna's first day of preschool picture compared. I'm surprised how much taller Bennett is, because Anna seems to be so tall now. They are both pretty darn cute in my opinion.

Anna's 1st day of preschool 9/3/14

Caleb turns 2

Today is grandson Caleb's 2nd birthday. And he has totally embraced the attitude that goes with it. :)

These two pictures capture his personality pretty well. In the top photo he shows his spunk and all around love for life. In the bottom photo he displays the stubborn streak that will hopefully keep him from going along with the crowd for a long time. He can be both the sweetest, cutest kid in the room, as well as the holiest of terrors. All in all he has always been good at playing by himself and standing up for himself. He really is a good kid, and as usual with the youngest of three (I think) seems mature for his age. He's a fun person.

He is all boy and loves playing with cars, trucks, drums, or anything that makes noise, and he loves to play outside. He also does his best to keep up with his older two siblings. I look forward to seeing the kind of youth and man he turns into.

There was a small party for him last Saturday, and we are keeping all three kids overnight tomorrow, so I'm sure we will do some more celebrating.

Out on the weekend

We enjoyed a nice weekend after what seemed like a rather long week.

On Saturday we celebrated grandson Caleb's 2nd birthday - even though the actual day isn't until Friday. There was a small party at Drew Carrie's and the kids seemed to have fun. Poor Caleb didn't understand that he was the one who was supposed to open the presents. He kept trying to give them to other people. We just got him a book that makes truck noises and a little car to play with. He seemed pretty happy.

After the party we headed directly to Takaoka to have Japanese food with a group of friends. Once again we managed to fill out a table with 8 of us. Mike, Greg, Dave, Joni, Jeremy, Lisa, Jane and myself. It was fun as usual, and Jane didn't even get sick this time.

Sunday we decided to re-try C2G for church again. We've recently decided to open back up the church search again. We will probably always hold a spot at Grace as long as the grandkids are there, but we've been debating between a couple others. C2G "feels" really good to us. Their service is almost identical to the services I used to plan, plus they serve communion every week. Which is totally weird, because I was never very into communion before, but now it just seems very right to have that be sort of the culmination of things. It would be nice if we knew some people there, but I like the liturgy - group confession of sin and praying the Lord's prayer - and it's a crowd that seems a little more like us. I dunno. We'll see. It was a nice morning though.

We went to lunch with the Feipel 5 at Munchies, and then we headed home. We actually got quite a bit done around the house Sunday afternoon. Jane painted our patio furniture. It used to be green, and she spray painted it black. We also put a round table top where the in-ground grill used to be. Jane painted the "stem" bright green, the table top purple, and put a dab of yellow in the center to make it like a flower. I started on another children's picnic table, as well as a wine rack. Oh, and I also mowed the lawn.

It seems like we did some other things, but all in all it was a nice weekend. So, that's about all there is today.

Parental visit

My parents were out this weekend. They came Saturday and left this morning. We celebrated Caleb's 1st birthday, as well as just the mere existence of the other two, with a party at Drew Carrie's Saturday afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and I'm glad my mom and dad were able to make it out again. You never know when the last one might be.

Unfortunately all three grandkids were suffering cold/allergy type symptoms all weekend. They still gave it a good go, as long as they could. The weather was nice all weekend, and we all played outside quite a bit. We even got the wagon out of storage at our house.

One thing of note at the party at Drew Carries was that I backed their Malibu into their garage door. I was trying to do them a favor and pull the car around back. It's a tricky area, but there was still no excuse to back into the door. It broke apart the two bottom sections. Drew and I were able to get it back together, and it's just a little bent now, but I think it will work okay. I felt pretty stupid. Such is life.

ADDED LATER: On my parent's way home they blew a tire in Watseka, IL. As they were just entering town an ambulance came flying up behind them, and my mom swung the car over and hit the curb, and it blew their tire. Fortunately they have roadside service, so a guy came and put their donut tire on. Then they drove to a tire place and got a new one put on. I think it took them about 3 hours altogether.

Caleb turns 1

Today is grandson #2 (and grandchild #3), Caleb's, 1st birthday. He is at a really fun stage. He still thinks life is good - other than when his big brother doesn't want to share toys with him - and he smiles easily at just about anything. He is clearly the happiest of the 3 to see us whenever we're around. You just need to say his name and he gives a big ol' grin. He is also walking pretty good now - even though it's a bit of a sideways shuffle. He also likes to play with cars, and to eat. He likes cramming a lot of food in his mouth at the same time.

Unfortunately Anna had to have a dental procedure done today so his parents weren't home when he woke up. I'm sure he didn't mind that Grandma Jane was there though. Anna had to be put to sleep so she will likely be a bit groggy all day. They are having a party for him this Saturday though. My parents are even going to make it out.

I think this pic is from Easter Sunday. He clearly looks just like Drew's dad. I hope he holds onto that happiness for a long time!

Babysitting overnight

We kept the kids overnight again Saturday-Sunday. It was much nicer this time since they were all three healthy. We were at the Feipel's on Saturday afternoon, and just brought them home with us in their van. They came over Sunday morning before church and we all left about 10:30 for that.

Anna is such a sweetie when she feels good. She was feeling good this weekend. She is so long and tall now, and quite the jumper. She also talks really well now. She's a big help with the boys. She will always hold a special place in my heart.

Bennett is growing up, but he can still be pretty goofy at times. He talks a lot, but I can't for the life of me understand most of what he says yet. He can be an excitable boy, though. He's funny when he gets excited about something. He is also very sensitive (as is his sister). It was fun watching him when he got in bed, before he went to sleep. I laid down with him in the big bed at first. He's like a little man. He finally asked if he could sleep in the crib - which made me glad, because I was sure he would have fallen out of bed otherwise, he flops around so much - so he ended up sleeping in the crib all night.

Caleb is still not a real good sleeper. We put the pak-n-play in our room. He went to sleep good, but he woke up during the night. Eventually we put him between us in the bed. A lot of times he had his eyes closed, but his arms and hands were constantly reaching for our faces. He also grunts and groans quite a bit. He's kind of goofy too.

Anna goes to sleep early, and wakes up early. A little after 6 am she came bounding down the hallway with a smile on her face to announce she was hungry. Of course grandma made her pancakes and bacon - one of her favorites. Bennett stays up late, and sleeps a little later. It takes him awhile to wake up, but if you just let him be he's eventually okay. Caleb seems to always look tired, but for some reason resists the sleep as much as he can. He's a big smiler though.

We played quite a bit in the basement. They are all pretty good to just sit and play with toys now. Caleb is not quite able to stand on his own yet, but he manages to get around pretty good. Anna likes to help in the kitchen, and she can help pick up now too. I bought one of those Bop Bag things that you blow up with air. You're supposed to be able to hit it and it pops right back up. It didn't work exactly like that, but the kids had fun with it.

All in all it was a good weekend. We were still plenty tired, but I can't imagine not having the little one's around. They're growing up so fast.

Safehaven, sleepover, snowstorm, superbowl

My it was a busy weekend. Quite a lot going on. Jane has a cold, but we survived. Here is the rundown of the transition from January to February...

SAFE HAVEN
We served and ate lunch with the veterans of the Safe Haven home on Saturday. This was the 2nd time I have helped out with this group, and Jane's 3rd. It is a 25-bed facility for homeless veterans on Fairfield. Our involvement started when Jane's branch office did a lunch for them. She told a friend, and her office started doing monthly lunches. Apparently we are involved in it with them. They actually get very little help here, so it seems like a good place to pitch in. Jane made 10 lbs of mashed potatoes. I kind of just hung around and chatted and ate with the veterans. It was a little odd in that I actually knew one of them. He didn't remember us though.

SLEEPOVER
We had all 3 grandkids for a sleepover on Saturday night. Drew Carrie had a date night (Komets game), so we watched the kids from around 5 pm Saturday until church Sunday morning. They had all been sick last week and still had sniffles, but they were all really good. Caleb didn't sleep so well, but A & B did. Caleb now likes to pull himself up on things, he just can't get down so well. Anna was a big help, and big eater. Bennett was a little grumpier than usual. I think he is still sickest of all three. It was fun, but boy does it wear us out. :)

SNOWSTORM
We had quite a lot of snow this weekend. I don't know yet officially, but I'd say from Saturday night through Sunday night we probably have around a foot of snow. It was really wet and heavy too. I used the snowblower on the driveway Sunday morning, again Sunday evening, and I need to go do it again this morning before leaving for work. Everything looks very pretty outside. I believe there is just a travel warning though - meaning you shouldn't travel unless going to work or for an emergency.

SUPER BOWL
Super Bowl 49 was last night. With all the snow we did not make it to Mike's party. Jane made pulled pork and we bought a veggie tray and cheese assortment. So we had our own party in the basement. It was a good game, but the Patriots beat the Seahawks 28-24 with a last second interception at the goal line. I was rooting for the Seahawks, but was satisfied that it was a great game.

Now it's Monday, so back to the old grind. I am not looking forward to going to work and dealing with all this snow. Life goes on...

Anna's birthday - pt. 2

We went to Cebolla's Mexican Grill on Jefferson for Anna's 4th birthday. It was her request to have tacos - which she loves - and we all thought this might be better than her favorite... Taco Bell. It was. Unfortunately the poor girl felt horrible. She was running a fever all day, and her nose was dripping like a faucet. So she didn't enjoy herself too much, but it was still a nice time. They also come and sing 'happy birthday' to you at this restaurant, and put a big sombrero on you. I suppose it was partly because she didn't feel good, and partly because she is pretty shy, that she was kind of freaked out about the whole thing. We all thought it was nice though - especially Bennett and Caleb.

Anyway, we gave Anna the dress we got her, as well as the snow shovels I got for her and Bennett (red/pink for her, blue for B). Drew Carrie had her open the Hello Kitty cd player they got her. She also wore her birthday crown and brought a bouquet of flowers for the table (such a nice gesture for such a little person). The poor thing tried to enjoy it as much as possible.

I had 2 tacos and a side of rice, and a coke. Anna chowed a taco. Bennett had a quesadilla and rice, and we discovered that Caleb really likes avocado. Of course we sat right beside the big fountain, but the kids maintained their curiosity pretty well. It was fun. It was also pretty inexpensive.

I'm not sure about the party that was planned for Anna for tomorrow (for family). Carrie took her to Redi-Med today, and they weren't sure if she had a cold or the flu. If there's a chance it's the flu then we don't really want her great-grandparents around her. So we'll see. Here are some pics from last night.

Christmas pj's

I think this first pic is perhaps my favorite of all time. Followed closely by the second one. Christmas 2014 was a good one. Three of my favorite things.

All 3 kids all weekend

There was no time for blogging this past weekend. We babysat all 3 grandkids - Anna, Bennett, and Caleb - from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. And we lived to tell about it!

DrewCarrie were celebrating their upcoming 5th wedding anniversary with a weekend getaway to South Haven, MI. That was the longest Carrie has been away from her kiddles and we were proud of her for staying away as long as she did. Everyone did just fine.

Jane took off work at noon on Friday and they brought the kids over around 2 or so. I picked up a couple child-size sleeping bags for Anna and Bennett, and they were pretty excited when I got home. The sleeping bags were a big hit. We mostly just played and watched movies Friday. As for sleeping, B slept in the crib in the guest room, we set up the portable crib for C in the middle room, and A fell asleep on the couch (early). So I slept in the living room and Jane tried to grab a wink wherever she could. C was up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours that first night. You could tell he didn't feel good. He coughed quite a bit. A and B just woke up once during the night. B went right back to sleep, and A went in and crawled in bed with "Mama Jane." Everyone woke up in a good mood Saturday, but Jane and I were kinda tired (and realized just how out of practice we were).

Saturday was a good day. We all hung around the house and played - in the basement, upstairs, outside - and C's cough was better. B and C both took good naps. In the evening we went to Walmart because we were running out of fruit snacks, juice, and chocolate milk. That was a chore, but the kids were really good in the store. We were going to get supper at Taco Bell but there was a bit of a meltdown over carseats, so we just went through the drive-up and brought it home. Everyone got another bath (the kids anyway), ate supper, and we all went to bed at a decent time Saturday night. Everyone slept pretty good - even Caleb. I got smart, and instead of sleeping on the floor or couch, I brought the mattress from the twin bed out and put it in front of the couch in the living room. That way when A fell off the couch (which she did both nights - and didn't wake up), she would fall on the mattress instead of the floor. Plus it was a little better on my back.

We ALL got a pretty good night's sleep and woke up Sunday in a good mood. The kids thought the mattress in the living room was a good idea, so we left it there most of the day. We even managed to get everyone ready and make it to church. Someone had to show us how to check the kids into their respective rooms. It was a little complicated since we'd never done it before. We finally got their stickers, stuck them on the back of their shirts, and transported them to their classes. They were all pretty happy to go. They were even happier when we picked them up afterward. Sounded like they were all 3 good. After church they all fell asleep on the way home, so we just ordered Spyro's food to go and came home and ate. When we got home Anna started crying and we couldn't figure out what was wrong. Later that night we learned that she was told her mom and dad would be home after church - and she took it literally - so she was sad that they weren't here. I thought it interesting that she talked about them and missed them more than the other 2 seemed to. :)

They were all pretty happy when their mom and dad did arrive home Sunday afternoon. I have to admit, it was pretty nice to sleep in my own bed again last night. :) All in all, it was a pretty good weekend for everyone, I think. Now it's back to work...

Rat race 5k and trunk or treat

I ran another 5k yesterday. Jane, Carrie and I ran in the 15th annual River City Rat Race in downtown Fort Wayne (their Facebook page). It was a gorgeous day, temps were in the upper 60's, it was sunny, and we ran through some fantastically beautiful areas of the city along the rivergreenway and through some neighborhoods. I have no idea what place we finished in, because, at this point, who cares. I think Jane and I ran around a 34-minute 5k, and Carrie was a minute or two ahead of us. I forgot my knee brace, and it didn't really bother me.

Later in the evening we went to a trunk-or-treat event at the church where Anna's preschool is. Holy cow, I could not believe how many people there were. I wanted to get a crowd picture, but there was simply no way to take one that would have done it justice. Anyway, they had quite a few people passing out candy, and they also had several 'bounce house' toys there. The kids had a blast.

Calebcake

I guess I don't have too many pictures of grandchild #3 on here. We had our first overnighter with all 3 of them last night... and lived to tell about it. I just awoke from a 3-hour nap if that tells you anything though. Anyway, here is the young lad - I believe he is 5 months old now - with a teeny tiny chocolate chip pancake on his forehead. He's a goofy guy.

By the way, my favorite daughter started a new blog a few weeks ago. It's just personal stuff... sort of a family scrapbook... but it's pretty good. At least I think so. It's called ABC Feipel (http://carriefeipel.wordpress.com/). Ha! As I went to copy the link, I noticed this very picture is already there. :)