Ma and Pa's Blog

Ben & Steph were there, too — but they evaded the camera.   Sorry, Ben, no pics of the brake job.

I’d not seen this before, and thought you’d enjoy it.   Kelly’s practice was named again among the Best Doctors in Cleveland Magazine (see Matt’s Facebook post) .   The video is featured on the practice’s homepage.

We really enjoyed watching Caleb’s game today.   Caleb had a couple shots reach the rim and did a great job on defense.   Good hustle!  Afterward we had a wonderful lunch at Lulu’s — Caleb’s choice.    Owen demonstrated his “tooth wiggle” — it’ll be coming out SOON!  The drive down was a little dicey due to the weather, but the return trip was much better.   In all, it was a very good day.   Thanks for having us, Mike, Jen, Caleb and Owen!

Thanks, Lyn and Bob, for another very special Christmas gathering. We really enjoyed seeing everyone and eating and drinking too much. Just wish I’d gone home with the yodeling pickle. ;D

We had a great, albeit brief, visit. Mike’s roast cow for dinner, “Despicable Me” with the grandsons, Kewpee burgers, Frontier (Lincoln-like) Logs, and Simon Says. We even learned about Harry S Truman, thanks to Caleb’s thorough research and excellent report writing. Thanks for having us, Mike and Jenn. You have so much to be thankful for and proud of in those boys.

In case Ma forgets her 2nd Kewpee:

From 2011

The Master Builders:

From 2011

From 2011

Improvisation on the cigar-box banjo, a coffee-can drum and a Fisher-Price xylophone. Enjoy.

Caleb and Owen “Rock Out” from Pa on Vimeo.

Hot and humid with plenty of rain, but I really enjoyed our time in The Hocking Hills. Having the family together in one place is the BEST. The grandsons’ enthusiasm and energy was contagious (well, maybe the enthusiasm to a greater degree than the energy). Hiking, cooking and eating, playing games, laughing and just hanging out together made for a great week. Mike and Jeff (and sometimes I) entertained and annoyed audiences with “canjo” music(?) — that’s music on a banjo made from a stick, a tin can, and a guitar string, which Mike and Jeff discovered at a local antique store. The grandsons built elaborate scenes and structures with dominoes and Jenga blocks. We team-cooked pizzas and Sebastian discovered Moon Pies. Owen ruled the kiddie swimming pool. Caleb lost his second tooth — deja vu all over again. We saw deer, wild turkey, and more butterflies than we’ve seen in decades. Anna-Marie and Mike caught fish (Anna-Marie’s first). Pa stunk up Lake Logan trying to clear a dead fish from the shore near our picnic table — which only stirred up more eau d’ dead fish. Sorry. Anyway, here are some snapshots from the week.

We had a great week. Let’s do it again soon.

Today we road on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Everyone had a good time and a good meal in Peninsula before returning to Akron. The only photos are using my phone . . . sorry ’bout the low quality. It was a beautiful day.

Shelby and Brenna took time from their girls’ weekend to visit the Saracenos and us this evening.   Their daughters, Bailey and Kayla, entertained everyone with a variety of activities — gardening, bird tending, bug watching, flirting (with Daniel), coloring and wrestling  (all while being adorable).   It was great to see everyone, to get updated on the Wisconsin clan, and to reminisce.     A few pictures from the visit are below.