John is going home ~!

John is getting ready to go home and Ben took the picture. Ben is starting to like camera's and my camera on my phone. This is taken with my phone. I think it takes really good pictures even thou John's hand is blurred.. Ben is 3 1/2 and after he takes the picture he grins and then he looks to see if his picture is O.K. Just like GranAnnie does..
John and I went to JC Penney's and he got his clothes to start school. We got some really good buys there. Most of everything he bought was 50% off. The flat hat he has on his head was not on sale. When I was his age I wore a sailor's cap everywhere I went. I'm sure my grandma smiled or chuckled everytime she saw me with that hat on.. What is it with hats? Every generation has it's own way of dressing, wearing hats, shoes.. Now they have the flat bottom shoes that cost a lot~! They are used for skate boarding.. John and Kelly both have skate boards and they get around pretty good. No place to use a skate board here on the farm so they didn't bring them.


Ben taking picture of John in the car. Silly boy. It took us 2 hours to get to Stockton, Illinois and Ben was getting pretty bored sitting in his chair.. John likes to have his seat back a little ways and Ben started doing his high energy arm and leg swinging. He got John on the shoulder with his foot. John says "Ben, no kicking~!".. Ben says "How did you like that John?" Oh my. Ben did pretty good on the trip, he only spilled his water, his popcorn and his peanuts. I have a little square plastic tub that I put Ben's food and drink in and all he has to do is reach over and grab whatever he wants. On the other side of him is another tub and that holds books, catologs of John Deere toy tractors, games, activities to keep him busy. When traveling with Ben you have to be prepared ~! like a Girl Scout. That is the G.S. motto "Be Prepared". Then we have to have his music from the "Wiggles". He loves the wiggles music. He doesn't watch them on TV anymore but he loves the songs that they sing. I always look where there is a elementary school or a park , I always know they have playground equipment for him to play on and get some of that energy spent getting out of the car and running and going on the highest slides. Thank goodness for playground equipment..

Here's Ben with Kelly's hat on that she left at the house. He loves these flat hats.. While John and Kelly were here Ben learned how to do the controls for my Super Nintendo game. He loves to play Donkey Kong.. He calls it the monkey game. He does good going forward, backwards and jumping. He hasn't learned yet how to pick up anything and throw it.. This is a very old game and it's hanging in there and still working. When we got home yesterday from taking John to meet his Dad, Rich in Illinois Ben wanted to come to my house to play monkey.. So we came and played for an 1/2 hour and then I packed it up and told him he could take it to his Mommy's house and play it with Mommy. He was very excited..

He likes to watch Curious George right now. When he was a baby, Aunt Joelyn got him a Curious George stuffed animal.. He never paid much attention to it until now.. NOW George sits on the couch next to him and they watch the DVD together along with his pal "Nibbles".. Nibbles is a stuffed rabbit that we don't dare lose..

This morning the house is quiet and it's rather different after the flurry of having grandchildren here for the last 3 weeks. They are all home now getting ready for school to start. Our school here in Springville had to close after the first day of school.. The elementary had a big mold problem with all the rain and humidity we had this summer. I worked there as a custodian for 15 years and that school has had a huge problem with mold. There were 5 schools in our area that had to close their schools.. Good to get the mold cleaned up and the school be safe for kids that have allergies to mold.

Nice day here in Iowa, 72 degrees this morning and sunny.. Going to Belmond , Iowa for the State Plowing Matches, that will be held on Saturday.. It's a competition where a plot of ground is plowed with tractors. The competitor is judged on staightness, going into the area that is being plowed and coming out has to be even each time, can only plow 7" into the soil, everything has to be plowed under, no weeds or stubble can be showing, only have a certain amount of time to start to finish.. Lots of things to be considered in the whole plowing section . At the end of the day the judges tally up their scores and then trophies are given out. Over labor day week-end we will be going to Pennslyvania for the National Plowing Matches. 7 states will be there competing. If you have never seen a plowing competition, it's hard to imagine what I've just described.. One doesn't just go to the field and plow it up.. There is a skill one has to have to be good and to win.

It's Friday and today is Dave's birthday~! August 20.. He is 1/2 way to 134.. I think that sounds better than being 67. We don't get older we get more valuable.. I don't think of myself old ~ I have so much I want to do in my life and I just refuse to sit down for very long.

Ta Ta For Now~! Have a Tiggeriffic Day~!~!