Above – Maya had lunch at Hugo’s with Amma & Pappa before helping put up Great Grandma’s outdoor Christmas lights.

Maya was a big help moving ornaments from the garage to the front yard. We had to load them up in the car and drive them around.

Jamie was a big help (& obstacle) too. Here we are on the roof. It’s very cool up there!

Couldn’t resist this one!

View from the roof of Maya helping Pappa on the ladder.

Robb and the kids took a trolley ride while they were here.

My guess is they all shared one Slurpee, and even that could create a urinary emergency!

A stop on the way back to the Bay Area. These two little ones have a lot of energy, probably requiring multiple food and potty breaks.

Home at last, a little wild and hungry!

Actually, Robb and the boys left the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I’m just hanging onto the memories of having them here. We had a lot of fun. The boys are smart, very well behaved and BIG eaters (Robb too. LOL). It’s always a pleasure to have them here.

Here’re some photos from the family photo shoot I scheduled for when all the kids were here.

These are just some of the “gems.” I love these kids!

Oh, I almost forgot to add the photo of the Christmas lights we put up. This was my first rodeo doing this and I think we did a damn good job!

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone X with LOVE & gratitude!

Above – No, Santa Ana winds did not blow this OB Holiday Tree over. For the second year in a row the OB Town Council managed to find a tree that bends considerably.

Below – Monette’s homemade apple pie. It was a masterpiece and tasted awesome. They get better every year!

Every Thanksgiving needs a pilgrim.

Yoga studio turned playroom.

… and group photo venue.

Notice someone missing in the group photo? Maya was sick so Ron stayed home with her. Don’t worry, they received home delivery Thanksgiving dinner.

Evening moon over the ocean at Ladera Street.

Cousins at Balboa Park.

These two cousins learned that the train isn’t necessarily built for two adults in one seat.

One of these trees was planted in memory of my dad way back in 1977. Since I couldn’t remember which one, we took a group photo at both trees. I tend to believe it was the the tree in the first photo.

It’s hard to believe Christmas is only a couple weeks away. Where did the time go? This weekend will be dedicated to sifting through digital pictures for the family calendar, an annual project that takes me a very long time.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone X with LOVE!

Above – The sky yesterday looking up over Pt. Loma Nazarene from Ladera Street.

Below – the swat team.

The morning after our trip to the Campo Railroad Museum Maya rides her bike around the house blowing her whistle.

After a lunch at Natis last week, Robb, the boys and I took a walk to the OB Pier. Below is Papa Bill’s very worn out cement medallion at the foot of Newport.

Alo and Kando eat octopus.

Below – a sneak preview of our family photo shoot. I haven’t seen or gotten the pictures yet but expect to see them in the days to come. I took this one of Maya in the tree from my phone. Below that is a selfie at Hugo’s during lunch after the photo shoot.

I put this cooler in Hogan’s yard for Thanksgiving, and he didn’t waste any time climbing and hanging out on it.

Catching up with photos here and also catching up on work I put on the back burner for a week.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone X with LOVE!

Above – What I came downstairs to this morning.

Below – Three little cakes from Azucar Bruce got for me.

Looking good!

Blogged a year older on Amma’s iPhone X with LOVE!

Above – here we are!

Tuesday was Legoland day with Robb and the boys.

Alo was tall enough to drive the cars. The first thing he did was take a sharp left straight toward the curb. He got the hang of it after a while, but by far the hardest thing was to keep his eyes on the road …

The boys made it home safely last night. We woke up missing those little ones greeting us in the morning. We had some good times – Campo Railroad, Legoland, family photo shoot, Balboa Park Train Museum. More photos to come!

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone X with LOVE!

Above – early morning a couple days ago before the heat wave. An eerie sight over OB.

Below – Sunday trip to the Campo Railroad Museum with all the grandkids. We all had a blast! We took a short ride on a small old relic of a train, played and climbed all over a bunch of old trains in the back of the train museum, had a picnic lunch and played on the swing set.

I am thankful for this awesome family.

Blogged on Amma’s NEW iPhone X with LOVE!

Above – Kando and Alo brushing teeth wearing their new pajamas.

Robb and the boys arrived last night. We’ve got a week planned with all sorts of fun beginning today with a reunion of cousins, a train ride and dinner with the whole family.

Below – a record checkout at Costco Friday. We bought a ton of food for the week and lots of toys, some new ones for the house and some Christmas gifts.

Cousin reunion!

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone with LOVE!

Above – Beautiful bride, Lindsay, with her lucky husband, Seth. Yesterday we were honored to witness their exchange of wedding vows. Lindsay is the daughter of our good friends, Gail & John. It was a nice afternoon with Mission Bay in the background and a lovely reception at the Mission Bay Women’s Club that followed.

Below – Having popscicles with the painting aprons on.

Below – Ron & the kids on a field trip.

Below – Robb and the boys having a sick day.

Below – Halloween 2017 for Maya & Sparty at Mommy’s.

Too much trick or treat? This kid doesn’t fall asleep easily.

I thought this might help get the toys cleaned up:

After all that, Maya ended up picking up the toys by herself.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone with LOVE!

Above – 2013 Amma with Alo and Maya.

This Halloween brings a new era of a time when grandkids are being shared between Mommies and Daddies, this year being their mommies’ turn. As a grandparent, it takes some getting used to, but in this world where co-parenting has become a common occurrence in households all around the world, we’re happy whenever we have the opportunity to spend time with the grandkids, whether in person or by Skype.

With many memories of Halloweens past, here are some “throw backs” from Maya’s first Halloween (2012), to Alo’s first Halloween (2013), to Sparty’s first Halloween (2014), to Kando’s first Halloween (2015), and more.

Enjoy!

2012

2013

2014

Bonus clip:

2015

2016

2017 – Pumpkins!

Alo’s & Kando’s

Maya’s

Sparty’s

May your Ghosts of Halloween past and present bring you many fond memories.

Happy Halloween!

Blogged on Amma’s iMac with LOVE!

Above – There is something seriously wrong with this photo. LOL!

I made this last week on the Traeger Wood Fired BBQ.

What is it, you ask … ?? A huckleberry cobbler! Thanks to Jamie for the huckleberries she hand picked up on the mountain in Idaho. Warm with vanilla ice cream … Yummy!

And this (below) is smoked salmon Bruce made. It sure looks like a lot when it’s on the bbq but it shrinks up considerably.

This is what it looked like after it was taken off the grill. It’s so good!

Then Wednesday Maya and Sparty helped me make cheesy garlic bread to go with our spaghetti dinner. They sat on the counter and watched the dough mix until the it was done rising, proving that yes, dough will rise if you stare at it.

I’m in LA this weekend for a workshop with Manouso Manos (Sr. Iyengar Yoga teacher). Yesterday’s class was all about the low back. I thought for sure I’d wake up very sore, but that’s not the case. I do have a sore throat however, thanks I’m sure to a couple half pints I’ve spent time with.

Blogged on Amma’s iPad from a nice little Airbnb in LA with LOVE!