Soren taking care of Grandma and Grandpa

We have needed lots of extra help this winter.   

Dan broke his right wrist a few months ago while we were hiking.  Then six weeks ago I slipped on a patch of ice and fell and broke my arm and wrist while walking together in Leisure World.

I had to have surgery to fix my arm and wrist.  The same week my Danny had surgery to get a pacemaker inserted in his chest.  For six weeks he hasn’t been allowed to lift anything more than 10 pounds with his left arm, or raise it above his shoulder.  Fortunately, Candice came stayed with us the week that we both had surgery and she waited on us both hand and foot….even got me dressed and braided my hair.

But we still can’t do very much on our own, or even together.  Although we have completed many tasks using my good left hand and Dan’s sort of ok right hand where he had broken his wrist and has arthritis.

Every year during his Spring Break Soren has come to stay with us for a week.  This year he insisted that he would only visit us if we would let him do EVERYTHING for us.  

He’s right, we really did need him—not just because he’s fun and entertaining and we love him, but we also did need his help.

He was constantly asking, “What else can I do.”  Or he scolded us and took things from our arms if he saw us carrying anything.  He was a huge help and added joy to each day that he was here.

Thank you, Soren, for all you did for us—and always cheerfully.  To add to the fun, he was often joking with Grandpa.  We think Soren is an apprentice of Grandpa’s ….learning the art of “old man humor,” from the best.

The following is a list of just a few of the ways that Soren helped us:

Completed getting our trikes ready for us to ride when the doctors give us the ok….

Tested out our trikes….

Swept the patios and walkways at both our home in Mesa and our Cabin in Pine….

Loaded the truck for the trip to our cabin….

And unloaded everything all by himself at the cabin!

Loaded our 80 pound e-bikes  onto our truck….

Willingly carried all our belongings out of the cabin for our trip back to Nuestra Casa….

We know that when we get back to Nuestra Casa that Soren will send us into our home and unload the entire truck by himself.

We could not have done this trip up to our cabin without Soren taking over and doing all the light and heavy lifting.

Thank you for being our uninhibited, curious, kind, and generous Soren.  We love you.

Not only is Soren a giving grandson, but he is also awfully sweet and loving.  How many 16-year-old teenagers will spontaneously take their Grandma’s hand while they’re walking together?  We know one—Soren!

Our youngest granddaughter, Hannah, is five years old

We have been blessed with fourteen grandchildren. They range in ages from twenty to six months.  Each one is unique and special.   And we love every one of them with all our heart.  

The grandsons outnumber the granddaughters nine to five.  Hey children, better get going, we need more granddaughters….or grandsons, we don’t care.  We have an unlimited amount of love for all the grandchildren that we are given!

Our dear little granddaughter, Hannah, turned five today.  

As you can see in her photos through the years that she is full of spunk in addition to having a sweet, charming personality….

One year old….

Two years old….

Hannah is a very loving big sister….

Four years old…

Hannah loves her brothers, but she has asked for a baby sister….who knows, we might get another grandchild to love.

Owen, Mila, Hannah, Vernon, and Robert are visiting us in ten days, so we get to celebrate Hannah’s birthday all over again….and of course, we have lots of presents and gifts for Robert and Vernon too.

As Hannah said when she was little, “Presents, presents….”

She doesn’t understand yet, but Grandpa's and my present every day is her, her brothers, and all of our grandchildren and children!

We took Soren to the Arizona Renaissance Fair!

 For real….

You may ask, “What is a Renaissance Fair?” 

So did we.  Here is the answer:

The next question you will likely ask is:  "In Arizona?"

The Arizona Renaissance Fair has been happening for 37 years, and we just heard about it this year?  Amazing, but it seems that everyone else in Arizona knew about it.  There was a five-mile line of traffic backed up on US 60 trying to get to the fair….and this was at 9:40 a.m.  When we left at 1 p.m., traffic was still stop and go to get into the fair.

But it was worth it.  We had a ton of fun, and most fun of all was watching Soren having fun, talking to all the shop owners and curious about everything.  His positive energy was infectious, as it always is for Grandpa and me.

About a third of all the people at the fair came to enjoy the day dressed in Renaissance apparel.  It was a hoot to be part of this fun-filled two-month long event!

Here we are at the 16th century fair with our dear grandson, Soren….

Look at the toddler in the wagon dressed as a pirate with his sword.  

Through numerous conversations that Soren had with the shopkeepers, we found out that there are Renaissance Fairs all over our country, and most of the owners of the booths take their wares from fair to fair.

Don’t miss this great sign on the wall….

As you can see, everything with a blade was a great hit with Soren!

Look at the tree that is actually a building in this photo.

Finally, after three hours of shopping and watching stage shows of juggling, belly dancers, jousting, Renaissance music, and much more, we were exhausted and had to corral Soren.  Under threats of dire punishment, he agreed to leave the 16th century and come back to the 21st century with us.

But our 16-year-old grandson is taking a nap!