KC CREW ARRIVE

DAY 5----------------------------Michelle and family arrived and the cousins went to swim in our neighborhood pool after eating grilled hot dogs for dinner.

DAY 6---------------------------The entire family went to Frontier City minus me.  The heat index was at least 100,  maybe more.

Cousins and best buds.  They look so hot and I know they were glad when they made it to the water park part of the amusement park.

You can just see Karlie's eyes in the log ride picture.  Karlie said she was trying to get in the picture but Abby was in her way.LOL

DAY 7----------------Kim and Abby left to go back home.  The rest of the family hung out at our pool and that night went downtown to eat at Chelino's Mexican restaurant on the canal to celebrate Michelle's birthday.

GRAND-DAUGHTER'S VISIT

DAY ONE..............................We had intended to take Abby ice skating but when we got to the ice skating place, it was closing in 20 minutes, so we had a sad little girl on our hands.

So, Tracy then decided to take her to a place called Main Event, not exactly what we thought it would be.   Not a lot for little kids.  She played games and tried to climb on a ropes course.  That didn't go over too well and had to have help getting back down.  She told Tracy she shouldn't have let her tried it. LOL

After dinner that night she rode her scooter in Momo and Pap-pas big driveway  She is pretty good at riding it.

DAY 2...............................We took her ice skating but she didn't seem to enjoy it as much as she did on her birthday.  The ice skating rink was outside on her birthday and this was inside.  That may have made a difference.  It was so cold.

 DAY 3...........................One of Tracy's friends brought over her little girl and they played and went swimming in Tracy's neighborhood pool.  Tracy was kitten sitting for this friend's little kitten so Abby had a kitten to play with for several days of her visit.

Abby and Loki

Also when Abby got bored she had Izzy, Tracy's cat, to play with.

DAY 4..............................We took her to Stillwater, about an hour away to eat at Eskimo Joe's (an Oklahoma icon) and to meet characters Joe and Buffy.  She told us before we went that she didn't think it would be that exciting.  But, when we got ready to leave she said that it was exciting.

She sure enjoyed the chocolate milkshake.  But thought the cheese fries looked a little weird.  Even though she told Tracy she liked fries and cheese.

Abby and Tracy.   She loves her Aunt Tracy.                                                                                        

Meeting the characters.

Playing friz-by with Pap-pa after getting back home.

Not sure who won.

OUR FOURTH

Kim and Abby arrived on Friday before the fourth. We went to Brick-town Brewery to eat that night. On the 4th we had a cookout and then went to watch fireworks in our city. Then everyone came home and Abby went out back and lit sparklers. Kim left to go home on Monday and Abby spent the week with Aunt Tracy and her Momo and Pap-pa.  We kept Abby busy that week.  To be continued.............

BACKYARD/BEFORE AND AFTER

When we moved into our house almost 6 years ago(hard to believe it has been 6 years) I didn't see the house until we closed and moved in. I saw lots of pictures and the only thing I didn't like was the backyard. It looked like a backyard where no one even lived in the house.  It was just depressing looking at it.  It had one tree that the top half was dead and another puny tree.

We had the privacy fence stained the first few weeks after we moved in.We had three trees planted the 2nd year after we moved in(a River Birch and two Autumn Blaze Maples) and also had a tree and shrubs transplanted  from the front yard to the back yard.  The puny tree has really grown.  We had both patios stained this winter and plan to have a pergola installed over the 2nd patio this next winter.

We bought a permanent grill for the patio also.  We lost our first grill not long after we moved in.  The wind blew it into the yard and flipped it several times.  It could not be fixed.  The 2nd grill also was blown into the yard and flipped but it survived.  Never underestimate the Oklahoma wind.  I looked up and saw it tumbling by the window.  I told hubby when he got home and he went and brought it back onto the patio and turned around off it blew again.

We are not there yet, but it at least is beginning to look like a backyard where someone lives in the house now.

This is what the backyard looked like when we closed on the house 6 years ago.

This is the puny tree that is not so puny anymore.

 My sweet potato vine did really good this year.  It is about the only plants we can grow when it turns off so hot and dry.  It has to be watered every day when it gets close to 100 every day.

Hubby grilling back in 1986.

We have advanced in our grilling a little over the years.

MY FIRST SCHOOL

This is the school I attended from 1st grade through 4th grade.  I think I am in this picture.  Far left row,  4th one back.  My mother cut my hair and she always got my bangs crooked. This picture would have been when I was in 1st grade.  My aunt was my  1st grade teacher and she was very strict.  I had to sit on the wall one time for misbehaving.  That she was my aunt didn't get me any privileges. The book on the teacher's desk most likely was Fun With Dick and Jane.

A picture of the school.  The building  on the left was the elementary school. Down the hill on the left was the playground.

This was the cafeteria.  On the far left with the door and steps was a school store.  We could buy candy, cokes, milk and school supplies.  I went in there every day to buy a carton of chocolate milk for lunch,  to eat with my homemade pimento and cheese sandwich that I brought from home. I remember one morning my mother was late for work and didn't have time to make it.  I was sure that meant she didn't love me anymore.  I tried to make it myself but it was not good and my day at school was horrible because I  did not have my mom's homemade pimento and cheese sandwich for lunch.

Before I stumbled across these pictures, I didn't even remember exactly what the cafeteria looked like.  I cannot believe it was that small.  The picture below is the inside of the cafeteria. We went to school during the summer months because it was a country school and we got out during the fall months to help our parents harvest the crops.  During the summer the cafeteria only served sandwiches, hot dogs and hamburgers.  They were already made and wrapped in wax paper.  During the winter they served regular meals.  I cannot believe after 60 years I can still remember this.

This is the auditorium. I was in this auditorium many times.  I attended two graduations here, my older brother and older sister's and also attended many plays.  I sat on my mother's lap through most of them because all the seats were occupied.  It was a country school, but always had a big turnout for every event.  Everyone knew each other.  We were like one big family.  My aunt was my 1st grade teacher and my 3rd grade teacher had at one time been engaged to my uncle.  Many years later they got together again and married.  Also,  I cannot believed the auditorium was so small, it seemed so big to me as a child.

This is the gym.  My brother played basketball in this gym and I don't think we ever missed a game.  We would also go to cakewalks in it.  I won a cake once.  It was heated in the winter with a pot bellied stove.  Which also reminds me, that we were still using an outhouse when the school consolidated in 1961.  Sorry no picture of the outhouse.LOL

 

This house was located on the school's property and was where the Superintendent of Center  School lived. When my mother was 16 her father died and she left home and became a nanny for the family that lived in the house at that time.  So, she lived in this house for a couple of years. Across the gravel road about a mile down a field road is where my mother grew up.  She also was a member of the church that can be seen to the side of the house.  I have a lot of memories of this school.

HOUSE DOWN THE STREET

This is the house down the street in our neighborhood.  Her part time job is landscaping.  Can you tell?

This is her backyard.

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PRE-SCHOOL AND KINDERGARTEN GRADUATIONS

Karlie graduated from pre-school a couple a weeks ago and Abby graduated from kindergarten last week. Hubby, Tracy and I had intended to go to Abby's graduation but something came up and hubby wasn't going to be able to go and then I found out I couldn't go. So, it ended up just Tracy going.   I know Abby enjoyed having Tracy there.