Thanksgiving Point Gardens now Ashton Gardens

Oscar had a rolling good time at the newly named Ashton Gardens this fall.

We stopped by after a birthday party in Draper to see the newly installed bronze statues depicting the life of Christ which had recently been added.

I felt like they had done a very good job of staging with the large blocks of stone and landscaping.

These statues have been brought to full size.  The smaller size bronzes earlier gave the public a glimpse of what was to be.

 I loved this piece!  It was as if one was there at the rising of Lazarus.

There are several statues of Jesus teaching and succoring the women.

Each statue retold a story.

Gethsemane, where He suffered for us all.

And his lonely walk to the end of His mortal life.  It was definitely a worthwhile experience.

These grasses have replaced the concentric circles of blooming flowers as the entrance to the exhibit.  It was a fitting choice.

I loved the glass tulips with the colorful mums.

We had to make a stop in the Secret Garden where the water feature has been redone.  A bit of grandpa/grandson tussle.

And they were off to feed the fish.

So many fish and grandpa had so many quarters in his pocket.

 Oscar decided that he liked close up and personal better.  It was a fun short visit.

The Little Opera

The Utah Arts Council visits elementary schools and helps classes to write, stage, and costume their own little opera.  On the big day, other students, parents, and grandmas like myself are invited to come watch the final production.

The Arts Council brings in the baby grand piano and a  great sound system with a screen with the words of the students so that we can follow along as they act and sing their hearts out.

My sister went with me and we enjoyed every minute!

 

That is my grandson with the beautiful Beatle's hair cut.

 

Keep in mind that these are kindergartners!  They were so engaged in this project that they had worked so hard to bring about.  Thank you Utah Arts Council!

The Stars Wars birthday

Some moms throw the best birthday parties.  They make magic happen for the younger crowd.

My grandson is lucky enough to have one of those moms and my son is lucky enough to have her for his wife.

This year she made Star Wars come alive.  She made simple pull over costumes for the boys and girls and found some inflatable light sabers.  Lots of "sabering" went on in the jump house they had rented for the evening.

She recreated R2D2 from a stack of round layer cakes and decorated it with fondant.  Later, some guests couldn't resist giving R2D2 a hug.

Grandpa also brought his bubble machine for a bit more atmosphere.  They also had a great time "sabering" the bubbles.

This lucky boy has lots of friends and a wonderful San Diego grandma who had that new trampoline you can see in the background delivered on his birthday.

There was excitement and wind at the lighting of the candles.

It has been a rainy, stormy May but luckily the rain held off for most the party.

They just kept trying to keep it lit.

And finally he gave it his best. . . .

To  his and his friends great satisfaction.

I was on baby sister watch which turned out to be very easy.  She slept through all the noise and excitement.

Grandpa helped keep everything going.  Little Jedi Knight enjoyed every minute of his birthday party.

Pretty in Pink

 

Exciting things happened this week.  This boy became a big brother.

His baby sister is my 13th grand child and 7th grand girl.  I couldn't be happier.

It has been so fun to watch my son with his baby girl.

Now it was Oscar's turn to hold the baby.

It was fun to see his reactions and to hear his many questions.

 Such a sweetie!  Her cousin born a bit over a year ago, had a similar picture with his tongue out but he also looked like he had purposely put his fingers in his ears and waggled them.

Now she is at home and is almost 2 days old in the next pictures.

I pulled up a picture of her father' as a baby to compare.  There are some commonalities.

Awe!  We also enjoyed a bit of eye contact.

Just look at all that hair.

I cocooned her in the pink knit blanket that I made.  Isn't she pretty in pink?

I am a blessed grandma who now has a "Baker's Dozen" of grandchildren.  Welcome Cecilia Ruth!