Family in the fall

It is fall here in the mitten and right now we are just starting to get some color. We have had a dank, wet fall so far this year. A lot of the trees are losing the leaves before they are turning colors. I thought this one was cool because it is half and half.

So on Sunday we all met in Cali for a cyclocross race. Both Jesse and our friend Tom were there to participate. The day started out at 29 degrees and sunny. The temps warmed up but we lost the sun as the day went on. As you can see Lukas was dressed for the occasion. Love the hat and great aunt Janet found a great buy on a winter coat last spring that kept him warm and cute.

We have been going to bike races for quite a few years but I have to say this was a first for me!!! This guy played those drums for the entire 3 hours we were there.

Lukas was mesmerized by the drums.......that is until he saw the trail markers to play with, or the bikers riding by. So many things to distract!!

This is a shot of Tom as he participated in the race. There are barriers that they have to go over. This forces them to have to run with the bikes and then get back on and ride. Makes for a really tough go!!!

The guy in the red is Jesse. He had a cold all week and had never done one of these before,but went ahead and started with the A group. At one point he came around and said "this may not have been the smartest thing to do!!" But he had a great time and even Dave wants to try one next time!!!

While we had the family together and the weather was not too bad we wanted to get some family photos. Before we headed outside Aunt Sarah practiced keeping Lukas happy. He LOVED it when she had this hat on. He was not interested when she took it off, he preferred it on her head!!


We tried for the money shot, and we were able to get this. I think Dave was worried that everyone was getting cold because he only took 3......yep 3 pictures!!!

We also got a nice picture of great grandma and grandpa with Lukas. They will be heading back home in a week so it was nice we could take time together. We will miss them till they are back next spring.

We wanted to get a picture of the Elliotts together. Not only is this a 4 generation picture,but every one's middle names are Elliott. What a handsome group of guys!!

While we were out with all the camera's we were able to get this.............

But we also got a LOT of this........

And although we just couldn't get aunt Sarah to cooperate we still were able to get this!!!!

And while we weren't watching we got this one.....LOVE IT!!!!

We were very diligent and we were able to coax this one out of Lukas.....

But we have many more of these!!!!!!!


So we settled for one of these!!! And we loved that too.

And if trying to get Lukas to hold still, not eat the leaves, try to grab the pumpkin, crawl in the woods, or eat sassafras leaves wasn't hard enough, I had to deal with these two!!!

Since it is close to Halloween I had to buy a treat for the big kids in the family!!!!


How quickly you can loose control of the situation!!!

I know I have said this many times before but, I LOVE ALL THESE PEOPLE!!!!

We have so much fun when we are together and I feel very blessed that we all still enjoy each others company. Mom and dad are going to be missed and it never seems like we have enough time. At least we can look back at all the great pictures and remember........

This and that!!!

So Dave was home sick for 2 days this week. One of those wonderful fall colds that always seem to make the rounds. It sure doesn't help when the weather is so cold and nasty. For those of you that know Dave you will appreciate this picture. He is making sure to squash the Germs with some Clorox wipes!!!!! Thank you honey for being concerned.

It has been a while since I posted a father - son shot of Lukas and Jesse. I believe the picture of Jes was at 7 months and this one of Lukas is 8 months. Does anyone see a resemblance???

And on the ArtPrize front I mentioned my dear uncle Joe was an artist and that one of the pieces reminded me of his work. This is one that was hanging in one of Jesse's apartment. It is also all done in shaded circles and he did this more that 30 years ago......maybe even longer. He would have been so excited to see the city and all the art.

Well, that's it for me. Just wanted to put these up while I was thinking about it, and could locate the pics.

Guest blog!!!

Hi all, Lukas here. Once again g-ma came down to hang with me while mom and dad headed off to work. I like to be as much help as I can be so I tried to bring in her overnight bag.......Notice I said OVERNIGHT!?? How much stuff does she need for crying out loud? That bag was heavy!!

My second tooth is trying to make an appearance and it has been causing me a few problems. I have a runny nose, some red cheeks and a little bit of drool. Hey, I am still little you have to cut me some slack. I try to keep it clean, but it's a lot of work when there are so many other things going on.

G-ma says I am such a good fellow. Even though I have been a little fussy I still try REALLY hard to keep a good attitude. See what I mean, this is me when I woke up from my nap.

So I am experimenting with some new sounds. For some reason this one really made g-ma giggle. I use it ALOT!!! It feels good on my tooth also. I am getting around really well now. Everyone says it is amazing how much I am doing in just a week. I am crawling all over the place and there isn't anywhere I haven't tried to stand.

Later that evening we had a visit from Mr. Bumbo head. He is funny!!! Mommy let me try out sitting on his head. He is a little unsteady so I asked her not to let me go.

A few minutes later and I heard a lot of commotion behind me. I stopped what I was doing to get a look at the action.......

What do I see.....daddy(who looked alot like Mr. Bumbohead if you ask me)holding mommy on his shoulders......hey, can I get in on this?????!!!

After a good night sleep, despite the fact we had winds gust up to 60 miles per hour last night and a brief power outage, I got to hang out with daddy for a few in the morning!!! Dad what is all that stuff on your face? Are you trying to be g-pa!!!!!!??????

This is now one of my most favorite places to hang out. I can see all the goings on in the neighborhood and I can keep an eye out for the parental units to return!!! If you are walking by I apologize for the messy window. It has a few finger prints and it is nice and cold on my mouth too!!

I was hangin with my Yertle the Turtle for a bit today. It was a gift from my great aunt Janet and it is really good for holding and chewing on!! Thanks aunt Janny!!!

Grandma says I can be REALLY LOUD. I am not too sure what she means by that?



Remember I mentioned we had a windy evening last night? Well, when g-ma got home she had a surprise waiting for her. G-pa was home sick and he told her he had a surprise for her, this was not what she was hoping for!!! This is where they used to park the old trailer. It is a tree from the neighbors house that came through the fence. G-ma said it is the ones with the dogs who are not too friendly.....I guess it is just a good thing the new trailer won't fit in the spot!



In closing for now I will say SO LONG...could you hear me?????

Thank you again Lukas,I had such a great time with the Ward family V-burg edition again. I can not get over how much Lukas is growing. He is already 8 months old. It seems like just yesterday we were in a hospital room anxiously awaiting his arrival. It has been so much fun. I had a friend tell me the other day that I am THAT ga ga grandma you always hear about. PHssssssssssssssh......I don't think that is true, do you?????

ArtPrize

On Friday night Dave, our friends Ann and Tom and I went downtown to check out ArtPrize. For those of you not from this area it is a HUGE art competition being held downtown. It was a DeVos sponsored event. Say what you want, they sure do support this city. I usually avoid the downtown area like the plague. I am SO GLAD I went. Not only that but on Saturday Sarah and I headed down again. There was art inside restaurants.

Hanging on buildings.

Honestly who knew. It was a rainy, drizzly day, and the town was bustling. It was nice to see young and old, enjoying themselves regardless of the conditions. It has been years since I have wondered around down here and I was so surprised at all the improvement to the city. The walkway along the river was really nice.

Here I am enjoying the moment of sun.

Here are 3 of the entries in the competition. In fact all 3 are in the top 10. Table and chairs on the bridge (these are huge), Nessie, and the sculpture in the river.

Sarah posing along the river with Nessie keeping watch.

As you can see the sky's were a little precarious, but the suns reflection on the buildings was beautiful.

We explored buildings, streets, and little nooks and cranny's all around town. One of the painting was this one. It was laying on the ground in a ally along with a few other pieces. It reminded me of the work my dear uncle Joe used to do. It was a series of dots shaded to make this image. Sarah and I both commented that he so would have LOVED this kind of art exhibit. I am sure he would have loved to participate.

This was one of my favorites. It is hanging on the side of the building called the BoB!!

Outside the BoB was a large display of many different artists. Some of the top 10 were on display here also. A moose made out of all nails, wooden figures, a interactive puzzle, iron structures and one I would take home in a second.....this bench.

In one of the restaurants hung a work of art submitted by an former-high school friend, Jane (Kessler) Pettijean. She has her own studio in Toledo and I have been so impressed with the works I have seen on her web site. What a talent. The colors are beautiful and it is a definite thumbs up!!

In the old art museum were many displays. This was in 2 rooms, floor to ceiling, with a chair and a tape recording with someone reading the many signs. You could also write a response or comment on them.

Another of the top 10 that we both liked very much. It is done entirely with push pins. Red, yellow, blue, white and black only!?!?! Truely impressive and the artist was there answering questions and meeting the people. He said he had worked in this medium for 4 years except for the time he took off to make duct tape portraits!!!

Another top 10 competitor, "the reeds". They move as if they were blowing in the wind. You can also get a sense of the number of people that were out on a wet weekend.

This was my favorite entry. Sarah and I both agreed that of the top 10 finalists we liked this one. It looked like you could just touch it and feel the water. It was so real looking, it looked translucent. AWESOME !!

Sarah lighting up the lantern in Calder Plaza. Structure is all tires.

One of the most touching and thought provoking entries was this one at the Devos Place. It told the story of a women who had ALS and was in Hospice. While most people had forgotten about her, one aid talked to her and allowed her to throw pillows to help her express her anger. People had written messages on the pillows and then threw them on the pile. So many messages were heartfelt and sad reminders of those they had lost.

We came away with a new appreciation for our city and I think, that was some of the purpose for this competition. I can't wait for the next one.