a huge surprise and a baby shower!

 Saturday morning:  I woke up bright and early, because I'm 60 now, and that's what we do.  The house was rather clean, and sometimes when it's clean, it's nice to clean it even more!  The girls got up and helped out.  We went outside in the heat, smotheringly humid and sunny, just so hot.  We filled the little pool on the deck, I went and got into my swim suit, and sprayed myself with the hose...turned it on "mist", and ahh.  Well.  Kathryn texted she might come over.  It's very hot here on the deck, I told her.  Then Sonja and Oscar came...Margaret and Adrian pulled in....Emily and Mariel...then my niece Katie was walking across the lawn...wait a minute.  They pulled a surprise party for me!  Molly and Josh came, and Ben and Ashley, then Suzanne and Zech.  Evelyn and Nate.  13 of the kids and spouses, and all 16 grandkids were here, with our friend Annetta too.  (Abigail, Aaron, and Jonathan were the only ones not here!).  I realized how all the grandkids were present, and I said It would be a great time to get a picture of all the grandchildren!  Well.  They said to open my present first, and would you believe, it was a picture of ALL the grandchildren?  They got together and took it a few weeks ago, and didn't tell me.  

16 grandkids, the oldest one is 11.  There is one two year old, and three that are turning two this summer.  They are my pride and joy, the sunshine in my life.  They turn a clean quiet house upside down, but oh are they amazing.  I remember years ago, someone asked my mother which grandchild was her favorite, she said, "Whichever one I'm with."  That sums it up.  :)

Ruth and Rhys

Grant, Wulf in the green chair, Tenny, Declan, Blythe

Maeve getting in the pool

Newton likes all the activity.

I love this picture, Benjamin and three of his sisters, Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne

The boys...

Miss Char with some little ones...

Molly Rose and her Denzel

Uncle Nate with baby Ellis

Rhys, Jamie, Blythe

Rhys and Ruth picking berries

Maeve and Jamison

Jamie and Declan

Ben in my comfy chair, Oscar, Zech, Sam, and Darius enjoying the cool.

Darius smoked two briskets, brisket is my favorite...it was so good...the kids brought over all the food!

Josh gets the prize for the best uncle, playing with the kids

How many grandchildren can fit in Grandpa's truck?

It was a good day, crazy and fun and hot, but cool in the house, thankfully!  The kids had water balloons and squirt guns and they ran wild.  There were 41 of us here!

This fine morning, I got up and watered the garden in bare feet, one of my favorite things...then got the meatballs in the crockpot with Stubbs barbecue sauce, then started on the buttercream frosting for the cake and cupcakes for the shower.  

Marble cake...(I used my wedding cake recipe, took two cups of batter out, added 1/2 cup melted chocolate chips, then 4 tablespoons of baking cocoa bloomed in hot water, and used to marble in the vanilla cake). The cake wasn't the neatest...but the frosting has 5 sticks of butter, and is amazing.

The cupcakes!

The finished cake.

Ms. Sonja Kathleen...

The food!  Ashley made the fruit kabobs, Emily grilled lemon pepper chicken and had all the fixings for some amazing chicken wraps.  She also had huge lettuce leaves for the low carbers.

Camille with baby Ellis, Elise with Rhys, and Charlotte Claire with Sonja

Elise and Rhys, cousins.

Sonja was showered with so many adorable baby gifts, clothes and dresses and bibs and pacifiers and a bath and a baby monitor and and and...Oscar came to help open the gifts, and he's so excited too.  Babies are blessings, straight from heaven!

Now I'm home, had to wash up the mess I left this morning, the frosting bowls ect.  Here I sit enjoying the nice cool air in here, ahhh.  It's been a busy weekend, but just lovely.  Paul has not taken a break.  He has most of the bead board installed in the bathroom, Darius so nicely came over this morning with his table saw.  It's not quite finished yet, but looks nice.  

Tomorrow, the pool then to the store with the girls to get snacks for their trip to Norway this week.  Paul and I are going camping on Wednesday, Ben and Ashley and family have a site too.  Maybe some of the kids will come up to visit us, and enjoy the beach.  I hope the weather is nice and hot and not rainy.  Anyway, you all have a nice evening!