Indoor Soccer

G-pa and Jaimee Madison, bored and creative on a recent winter day, played an indoor soccer game in our kitchen. Maggie, the unoffical floating team player, was a great help. Her quick, experienced assists gave Jaimee the win at 10 to 7.

Deck the Halls

Jessie, Chris and Hannah, our 10-yr. old neighbor across the street, decked out Lois bushes with Christmas lights. Hannah is the good fairy who puts Lois's newspaper up on her porch each school morning. It took a lot of giggles and team work, with Jessie on the roof, Hannah testing and untangling the bundles of lights, and Chris stumbling around in the dark. Thankfully we got the job done just a day before the weather turned frigid.





Hannah and Chris toss the lights up and over the bush using the "jump rope" method of decorating. Jessie's job was to the rearrange the lights evenly.












Hannah and Jessie all a'glow.







Jess, Chris and Lois enjoy
the festive, Christmas display.



Jessie, Chris and Hannah.
Good Job!

James First Christmas

James is making every effort to learn to crawl now that the Christmas tree is set up. Army crawling, he makes his way almost to the tree, before mom intercepts him. Determined, he starts his quest again. Amy is hoping he doesn't figure out how to crawl until after Christmas. Wonder what will happen when there are presents under the tree? Of course, for the sake of cute photos, he was allowed to explore all the decorations. Sandy is waiting for a lick of James' candy cane.

Kelly and Her Girls

Kelly and girls recently took new family photos. Aren't they cuties? The girls were full of smiles and cute poses for Aunt Amy, the photographer. It's hard to believe that Jessica and Jenna have both finished high school, that Jaimee (formerly Madi) is a second grader, AND...that Kelly is a senior at Texas A & M, Commerce. Way to go, Kelly! Keep plugging away, it is worth it. It is fun having them live close by; they pop in and out, and come to Sunday dinner often.



l-r: Jaimee, Jessie, Jenna

4 Boys and A Girl

"Da Boys"
James, Collin and Race
July 2007





Walker and Gracen

That's the count for the 2007 grandbabies. All, in all, that makes 24 boys and 19 girls. James joined our family in April. Race and cousin Collin arrived in May, just a day apart. Then in October the twins, Walker and Gracen were born just minutes apart. Gracie is the "older" sister. 4 of the 5 are local families, so we are getting lots of snuggle time. I think we've set a record for the number of photos taken this year. The little furrows on their foreheads are caused from squinting when the camera flashes.

Family Fun 2007

As our Indian Summer came to a close, our family gathered at a local park for fun, food and fellowship. Being outdoors certainly cut down on the noise level and the congestion. The older grand kids were a great help with the new little ones, and each parent took their turn helping to supervise the gang as they ran from one piece of play equipment to the next. Some of the adults actually got to visit with one another. Grand kids on the picnic table are: Front row, l-r: Jessica w/ Madison, Austin w/James and Madi (Jaimee). Back row, l-r: Greta, Clara, Alex and Jonas.

Go Austin! Good job!








Clara, Madison, Jaimee(Madi),Greta, & Alex

Up, Up and Away!

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Up, up and away, is not nearly as easy as down, down, crash the ground!

Bruce's newest hobby is radio control airplanes, a joy that he shares with Bryan. A rogue airfield is just 3 miles from our home, allowing Bruce to head there when it's a good day to fly. One of his earlier flights ended with a crash, and he spent the next four months reconstructing the plane, piece by piece, oftentimes fabricating the new parts himself. Actually he got almost as much enjoyment from rebuilding as the actual flying. He came to realize the value of a "experienced flyer" to coach him until he got his wings again. He changed the name of his plane from Aveastar to Halfastar after he rebuilt the entire front end. Bryan holds Bruce's plane back as Bruce revs the engine for pre-flight testing.

Flight Conditions favorable: dry, low wind, good visibility and low air traffic. Bryan and Bruce await their turn for the runway. Sometimes there are as many as five planes in the air at a time, but they are usually experienced pilots. Chris named this activity "The Good Old Boys Club" since there is an unspoken rule to not invite the wife and kids. Plane etiquette dictates that if someone crashes, no one laughs. A comment like, "It's a good thing I remembered to bring a bag!" or "Cool, did you see that huge cloud of dust where he hit?" are not acceptable.



Bryan's maiden flight with a flight coach. He has yet to crash his plane. (Bruce says, "He has yet to land his his plane by himself either.")It's a well-ordered group of flyers ranging in age from 12-70+. Notice that Bryan's coach is a "Bruce-Wanna-Be" - he is wearing suspenders too....AND they don't match either!

Halloween 2007

Clara, a pretty fairy princess. She is all girl: loves pink, purple, make-up, and jewelry.










Jonas as Harry Potter and Greta as Minnie Mouse



Clara, Madison & Jaimee (AKA Madi) The kids had great fun at our church's annual Trunk or Treat. Needless to say, they loaded up on candy. Jamie's was sporting a new boo-boo. She had cut her elbow as she reached for a bowl up in the cupboard and then brought her arm down on top of a ragged lid from an opened can of Spaghetti-Os sitting on the counter below. Ouch!


Jared is wishing he was done with his residency...AND that his bag had more candy, especially chocolate! What do you wanna bet that he and Dawn "robbed" Alex and Madison's stash once the kids were in bed.



Alex, our first red-headed grandchild out of 42. His dark brown eyes and great smile add to his charm and good looks.

Jaimee and Chelsea(Jessica's friend) Two cute creatures!

Grandma and James "The Great". Wonder what he was thinking as he saw all these strange-looking people. He appeared to enjoy the day even though he didn't get to eat any candy. By next year he'll have this all figured out.

Visited by a Monarch Butterfly

When Chris went out to pick blackberries, she happened upon this butterfly seeking refuge from a light, misty rain. He hung below the leaves, using them as an umbrella.

Maggie Mae

Six year old Maggie is difficult to photograph, since she is so black. Her hobby is hunting. She chases and corners the occasional possum that wanders through our backyard at night. When the backdoor opens, her keen sense of smell instantly alerts her to their presence. She'll charge out the door, and the chase is on! What a racket her shriek barking makes; it is very distinctive bark used only for this occassion. Her "language" also incudes a different yelp-bark to chase the squirrels that tease her from the rooftop and trees. All this exercise keeps her trim and healthy. Her best friends are Squeaky, our cat and Molly, Baranie and Mike's dog. draft

Bicknell Morning taken by Chris

Arizona Visit Sep 2007

Bruce and Chris just returned from a long week-end in Arizona where we stayed busy keeping up with all the grandkids activities. The first night we joined in for Marissa's 5th birthday party at Peter Piper Pizza with church friends, Daniel's family and co-workers. Maryssa's little friends were quite taken by the High School Musical theme, and fun was had by all. Nana Julie did a great job of planning and hosting the event. Ben and friend, Taylor, sported their prizes from the arcade games. Chris caught Daniel and his brother Richard shared an amusing moment.