The Birthday Celebration

We celebrated Les' birthday the entire day. We were home most of the day and it was wonderfully relaxing. About mid-afternoon, he received this cute picture:

The four Wearings are getting SO big!
Galina is 7, Leksi will be 7 in November, Wes will be 13 next month, and Reece will be 10 in November.

We went to Buca di Beppo for dinner. While we were being seated we were asked, "Any special occasion tonight?" I quickly replied, "It's his birthday!" This little sign then appeared on our table:


We enjoyed our "usual" ~ Apple Gorgonzola Salad and Quatro Al Forno, with enough left over for Saturday night's dinner, too. Our server then came and sang "Happy Birthday" in Italian.


You may have heard it other Italian restaurants. Here are the words in case you want to try it at home!

Tanti auguri a te,
tanti auguri a te,
tanti auguri (and the name of the person),
tanti auguri a te

When we got home, Les opened cards he had received in the mail. Including a musical one from his parents:


There were a few other gifts from me, and finally, the one I'd been hiding for a month...


It was a bound picture book of our cruise!


I was so pleased with how it turned out and Les loved it! Which made me very happy!


Since all of our pictures were digital, it was relatively easy to upload and format.


There are almost 400 pictures that represent so many memories!


I created it on the Walgreens website and it was delivered in less than a week.


We ended the evening with homemade cannoli. A very happy birthday, indeed!

Earliest Snow in Tennessee Since 1917!

We received these pictures from Les' sister, Lisa. Wouldn't this be the perfect Christmas card?


Snow angels...









This one makes me SO cold!


On another weather related note, Les rode 100 miles on Saturday and got a sunburn because it was in the 80s!

Another Girl With a Purple Bike

Our niece, Galina, has learned to ride a bike. I love the fact that it is purple! I think she and I could go riding together...

50th Anniversary Celebration Pictures

We received the formal pictures of Bill and Dolly's 50th anniversary celebration this week. Fellow blogger, Tammy Batson, took them and did a great job! It's a challenge getting two people looking at the camera and smiling at the same time, so fourteen is nearly impossible, but she did it!! The fact that we came from three states and actually managed to match (pastels with khaki) is also a miracle! Here's a sample:

We started outside:


With just their kids:

With just the grandkids:


Moved inside for a few more. Notice the free advertising we're giving Gaylord...

Meet the Kids

It's so interesting observing siblings and cousins. Of course boys and girls are different, but none of them are alike! Here is a snapshot of what they're like right now. I know they'll change in the years ahead - not just in looks!

Claire is the oldest grandchild. We were thrilled that she received the Holy Ghost this year at Youth Camp and was baptized on Father's Day! She's growing by leaps and bounds, physically, mentally and spiritually. She and I can now share shoes! (Yep, Leesh, "Little Feet" is an appropriate nickname for me!) She told me, "I love taking pictures of flowers." When I downloaded all my pictures, there were lots of flowers in the mix!

Wesley is the oldest Wearing. He's definitely all boy, but he's a thinker, too. I have Sudoku on my iPhone and Claire and Hannah were playing it. Wes had his own solution, "it would be easiest if you could just start with a blank screen."

Hannah is an incredible swimmer, but I was sorry to hear her say, "I don't really like going shopping!!" We're still praying for a conversion!!! She went on to say, "I'm just a homebody like my dad." She is always the first to ask if she can use my camera. I never know what the pictures will be, but she does a great job.
Reece is probably the funniest of the bunch, possibly without meaning to. He doesn't intentionally draw attention, but his quips are hilarious. While Wes was playing football on Saturday, Reece was on the playground with his friends. After about 45 minutes he came to his dad and said, "What I wouldn't give for a drink of water!" I didn't get many pictures of Reece, when I asked his mom if she had any she didn't either and said, "elusive little booger, isn't he?!"

Galina takes a little while to warm up to everyone. I think we can be a bit overwhelming for a 5 year old, all of us aunts, uncles and cousins that she sees only occasionally. But it doesn't take long until she finds my or Monica's lap and makes herself at home. Sunday at breakfast she sat between us and was on one of our laps except when she was eating.

Aleksi will come right to me, no matter how long it has been since we've seen her. She pretends to be camera shy, but really isn't! At breakfast on Saturday, I was asking how old she is. Are you three? four? Her response? "I don't have a number!" This first picture is her attempt at not having her picture taken!