Tag Archives: Aunt Kellie

August 12th, 2018

August 12, 2018 shreffler

On Sunday’s, we eat quiche (or occasionally at Culprit anyway)

Beautiful morning for a trip to the zoo

Ten minutes. These two watched those two, without moving much, for ten minutes. Dad just kinda waited to see how it played out

Mom successfully wooed a budgie and Ella was enthralled

Walking in water is tricky, best to hold a hand

The zoo gang.

SPLASH PARK!

Eleanor was a bit timid around the water spouts, but quickly acclimated to running through it all

Slapping sprayed water, as you do

The family that shucks corn together…

Going through the car wash with the buddy system

The world’s longest game of “Shoots and Ladders”

Fourth of July 2018

July 4, 2018 shreffler

The Field Club neighborhood has a reputation for a great Independence Day parade and it did not disappoint

Friends with the Omaha Jitterbugs performed as well

Special post-nap ice cream field trip

The sugar appears to be setting in…

Aunt Kellie identifying aloud each object Eleanor points to in 100 First Words, a household favorite (apparently)

Thinking something profound, or just recalling what was on the moss-covered log down by the pond (a little green frog)?

Dance party with grandma

Eleanor displaying her trademark persistence trying to get the snaps to “snap”

Celebrating with a few low-noise, mostly ground-dwellng fireworks, Des holds his first “sparkler” at a safe and cautious distance

Ok, a few parachutes went up

A bit more arm motion with his sophomore effort

His curiosity grew however as the evening wore on

With both children in bed, clearly up later than recent memory, the urban warfare across midtown came to an abrupt finale as the perfectly-timed rainstorm fell. A summer miracle.

June 9th, 2018

June 9, 2018 shreffler

Visiting the children’s fair during the Omaha Summer Arts Festival despite the sweltering morning heat

She may be a bit ways off from playing harmonica yet

Decorating a cookie and immediately eating it in the shade, summer goodness

Des got inked [get it?] with a Pirate Octopus

Eleanor swinging for the fences with the bubble wand while brother is making some spin art

What is it about summer arts festivals and the cool relief of snow cones?

Snow cones are a messy sport

A very generous mounted officer walked his horse over so Eleanor could pet “horsey!” Overjoyed was an understatement.

Now for some food to go along with all of ice and sugar water

Calvin and Des reading the Star Wars book

The boys clearly impressing Aunt Kellie with “the force” factoids

A (vegetarian) Ethiopian feast for grandma’s birthday

Practicing her kiss blowing

Group engineering

Des wanted a photo of his (hand-me-down) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pajamas to show Cal

Mother’s Day 2018

May 13, 2018 shreffler

Starting with a mini-adventure for Mother’s Day to the Wildlife Safari Park, Eleanor meets face-to-beak with a bald eagle

Ella scoping the picnic tables for things to pick at

Des sporting his new “safari” sunglasses (dad’s a sucker during the impromptu “Hmm Des feels unusually warm, but surely it’s nothing” Walgreens/Tylenol stop)

The drive back was too long for some, as Eleanor blows bubbles in her sleep

Nap party continues

Celebrating the generosity and love that is Team Llama’s mother

Unwrapping a special new bedtime book with mom, Where the Sidewalk Ends

After several attempts, an open restaurant was found. When exiting, Ella assumed a gap between two fence segments were a movable gate of sorts rather than steel fixed in cement. She is fierce and persistent.

Eleanor does her best The Sound of Music reenactment through Turner Park

The grandkids celebrating their mothers’ mother’s day

Easter 2018

April 1, 2018 shreffler

Easter is a spring celebration for Team LLama, and while there were a few treats, it was mostly an opportunity to gift springtime necessities to the kids

Ok, and one indoor/outdoor activity for “exercise”

Cool baby found a pouch almost instantaneously

Des models this spring’s rain fashion

Can only assume her grunting and gesturing was an attempt to say, “Mom, there appears to be treats hidden in these egg-shaped contraptions. Can you open this, please?”

Let the egg hunt begin!

Des spots an egg up above

Taking a craisin break

After plowing through her own craisins, Eleanor begins scavenging for more elsewhere. “PLEASE BROTHER! I need just four more!!”

Ella celebrating her dunk

She was, and continues to be, a big fan of her rain boots

So much so that Ella begins handing out footwear to everyone in the vacinity

Easter bunny did well with the stuffed dinosaur

Snack time with Ella and one of her many BFFs

Yup, wind-up chicks are hilarious!

In addition to coming over for dinner with ma and pa, aunt Megan brings over a basket of Liam and Viv’s old children books. Liam and Des go right for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles book.

Everyone has a book they’re waiting to be read

Eventually the kids self-organize their own book clubs

Eleanor is getting to the age where she usually picks out her own books to read before nap/bed time. Originally from great-aunt Molly to Desmond, Duck & Goose, It’s Time for Christmas is still in regular rotation.

March 24th, 2018

March 24, 2018 shreffler

Before running a few errands, dad asked Desmond what he wanted for breakfast: pancakes (Leo’s), doughnuts (Gerda’s) or salmon bagel. Here we are at the deli, sharing a lox and roe bagel.