Lori's Visit April 2008

We miss you Matthew!!!! We've had some super weather since Lori's visit began last Thursday.

This photo of the tree was taken when Lori got too tired and laid down on the grass.

Photo turned out really nice.

On Saturday we were full of high hopes


to get some work done on the house. We got an early start and worked in the garden but were done in by noon. I asked if Neal could pull out the Azalia plant for me. It had died during the winter. I suggested that the roots probably went pretty deep.

He was going to attach the rope to the plant and the bumper of the van and just pull it out.

When he couldn't find a rope he just yanked it out by hand and we all got a good laugh. You can see by the angle of the photo that Lori is still sitting on the lawn.


The trees are mostly full of leaves now and the neighborhood still smells of the sweet blossoms. Really lovely.

My walks are even more pleasant than before. Many neighbors have begun their annual yard repairs. There are lots of flowers being planted. Several new lawns and some new landscaping have been completed already.
Lori and Neal are having way too much fun.

Neal bought us donuts for our breakfast and we just had an awful lot of fun being together again.


After Church on Sunday we all got together for another ham dinner. (It was on sale).


We had fun chatting and getting caught up on each other's lives.

Great Grandma brought fresh cauliflower that I forgot to put on the table.

She also baked a berry pie and an apricot pie. Both, as usual, were very tasty.



Emma was given the honor of being the family photographer for the evening.

Lori and I enjoyed downloading the photos and seeing what Emma's perspective is like.

She frequently lowered the camera just as she was pushing the button for the shutter.


Consequently, the tops of people's heads were often cut off.

I liked this picture that she took of her Grandpa.


Neal is always a good sport about having his picture taken.

Emma would snap a shot and then say, "Oh, this one is really cute". It didn't matter what she was focused on she thought all her shots were "cute".

Aunt Lori posed and was "So cute", according to Emma.


Though the house was just as noisy as ever, the noise was in separate rooms this time.

Lori, Stuart, Teresa, Gaylynne, and Great Grandma were in the dining room and just as noisy as any other group.

I was with Neal, Don, Melanie, and part of the time with Dayton and Emma. We were all upstairs talking about the move, Don's computer problems, and computer games. Emma had a picnic in the attic while Dayton played with a car and Melanie played with my palm computer.
Audrey and Courtney kept themselves busy with a game of chess.









Dayton kind of floated between the rooms .










Aunt Lori is shown here helping to clean up after dinner.

Emma documented our food storage.

Look at my broom closet from her vantage point. It just makes me laugh.

This photo she took is just adorable! Dayton managed to get his hands on Melanie's palm computer and you can see he is having a blast.

This sketch is hanging on our refrigerator door. So cute!

This photo didn't even get her eyes!

Great Grandma posed for her name sake. She had a wonderful time and we envy a little how she has the ability to tone down the noise just by turning down her hearing aid. Whoa! My ears were just ringing after everyone left. I loved it!

We don't know how Emma got the special effects but the photo turned out pretty cute.

Poor Teresa. Look at that sunburn! This she got from a trip to Seattle.

This is Stuart though he has no eyes!

Melanie is sticking out her tongue at the camera. Aunt Lori did it too.

Audrey looks deep in thought as she makes her move while Courtney posed for Emma.

Again, Emma documents our belongings.

Ha Ha.

The pantry. Level at about 3 feet.

Umm. Mr. Dayton are you supposed to be in that display closet? I don't think so.

Miss Emma. Are you supposed to be in the display closet? I don't think so.

I think that Stuart was getting a little weary of having his picture taken so many times. But he was a good sport.

So this is how our back porch looks to a 5 year old. Hmm. Interesting.

Baw Ha Ha. Lori frequently refers to herself as Crazy Aunt Lori. Yeah, well...

And could this picture Emma took of her feet be any cuter?


A great big thank you to all of you for spending Sunday with us. Matthew and Brian, we missed you.