Our Magical Weekend in LA

Pierce and Stacy have been planning a trip to Bulgaria to visit Stacy's parents on their mission. While they were sooo close, they added a few days in Greece.  They had three friends who were going to watch their little ones and then Dick and I got to come on Thursday for the last few days.  Thursday, We arrived early in the morning and took an UBER ride to the LA Thiot’s lovely home on McDonald Street.  We had to wait for Rebecca to bring Adelaide and Jackson over to us.  I finally got too impatient and went out front to wait.  Not 3 minutes later, a van drove up and two darling grandchildren jumped out of the van and came running into my arms.  Graypa heard me screaming with excitement and came running out too.  Oh we loved those first hugs!  

We loved the Welcome Grammy and Graypa banner in the entry hall.  SOOOOO Fun! 

We painted and played for a while and then after Jackson’s snoozer we went to the Splash Park to Zander’s Birthday Party.  Talk about a fun park.  The kidos loved playing in the dancing waters and then playing in the sand and then back to the dancing waters to wash off  the sand.  So fun.  Zanders mom made a VOLCANO cake.  WOWSERS!  It was nummy and amazing.  She also makes the very best ham sandwiches in all the world.  Adelaide kept having seconds and even had several to bring home with us.  YUM!

We came home and watched Sleeping Beauty after a nice bubble bath.  Sweet Dreams!

Friday, we voted on going to see the Space Shuttle and got ready and left for the California ScienCenter.  We all loved it.  Maybe Graypa the most!  We got to watch the Volcano 3D movie and eat popcorn.  SOOOOOOO Good!  We loved the weather reporting room too and Adelaide and Jackson were able to appear on the news and did a fabulous job!

We stopped for Happy Meals on the drive home and headed home for Jackson to take a snoozer before Gymnastics class.  Oh how we loved watching both of these gymnists at the gym.  We loved getting to blow kisses through the window at them. What fun!

On the way home, we stopped by Marios’s Pizza for a yummy pizza dinner.  Oh my goodness, we loved the apple juice and fries and pizza.  Lots of laughing and fun.  We were the only ones there and so it was like having our own private pizza place. 

Saturday we voted for the Alondra Park which has a splash park and we loved it except that it was slippery and Adelaide tripped and had a hurt knee.  She was so brave and we were so glad we could call her mama when she needed her to give her courage.  Graypa bandaged her up like a great EMT.  We stayed and played a bit longer and played on the playground too.  We loved it.

We went to In and Out burgers for lunch and YES, we watched LOTS of big planes take off and land.  Oh we loved it and the noise didn’t even bother us.  The milk shake was a bit disappointing but the pickels were great! Don’t order the grilled cheesers,  they are disappointing. 

We spent the afternoon DO A DOT ART Paining.  We loved having the display above Adelaide’s flower garden to display our beautiful artwork. 

We voted to watch the sunset at the playground across from the beach but went on a very busy evening and couldn’t find a place to park.  We still saw the beach and the sunset, but didn’t get to swing.  

Don’t you worry, we had lots of swinging time right on the back porch.  WOW, that green swing can really swing.  We all loved it!

Sunday we got to go to church and we loved getting to visit their happy ward.  We snapped a photo as we went in where Jackson loves to have a picture every Sunday.  We loved it too.  We had the funnest thing to play with at church.  They were long stretchy tubes.  Oh my are they fun.  We loved sitting right behind Miss Grace.  She was so kind to us and we all loved her.  When we got home from church, Miss Angela stopped by and invited Adelaide to take a walk with her and her dogs.  Adelaide loved getting to hold the leash of Rocky.  We all loved that.  Jackson took a nice snooze and when he woke up we went to see the Temple and walk around the visitors center.  They have a new treasure hunt there and we got to find out interesting things about the statues there.  Oh how we loved getting to run back and forth and practice our counting.  When we were done, both Adelaide and Jackson got to pick a treasure from the treasure box.  Jackson got a nifty brush and Adelaide got a Pencil Sharpener, just what she had been needing and wishing for to sharpen up her new smelly colored pencils Graypa treated her to on their trip to target!  PERFECT! 

After the temple, it was time for a Pasta dinner and then off to the airport to pick up Mommy and Daddy!  We had worked earlier to make a Welcome Home Banner for them.  We were so happy to have them come home.  We loved getting to spend time together this weekend.  What a lot of fun memories we made together. 

Monday, we went to the mall to get some school shoes.  Mom Mom loved shoes and loved children to have shoes that fit their feet.  Every year, on her birthday, she buys shoes for her grandchildren’s children.  We found some great Navy Blue boot shoes for Adelaide that we call her Old Navy shoes.  They even have ZIPPERS on the side.  So fun.  Jackson got some Black Nikes, like his daddy’s. He loved his too.  After the shoes, we got to ride the train and then go to the candy shop.  A bucket list item.  Jackson chose a mickey mouse fan and Adelaide found a beautiful sparkly mermaid that she loved too.  Then we went out and got to ride the animals.  Oh my, I have never seen anything so fun.  Graypa would have loved to ride them if he could have come.  SOOOOO Fun!

We loved driving through Del Taco and getting lunch for Adelaide's school picnic.  Steele came and stayed with Jackson so he could take a snoozer.  The picnic was fabulous and Adelaide loved wearing her mama’s vacation hat.  She looked darling.  We loved meeting Mister Z and seeing Adelaides new class room.  What a fun year it will be.

We came home and took a rest and then picked up Pierce and went to Café Rio for dinner per my request.  YUM!  Just as good as I remembered it was.  We stopped at the play ground by the beach which had a perfect parking spot and loved swinging on the swings until it got a little bit chilly.  Oh how good chilly felt. 

We went home and had the nicest thing happen.  Pierce and Graypa gave Adelaide a Back to School Fathers blessing.  It was so sweet to be there and see the Priesthood in action.  I loved listening to the beautiful promises Pierce felt prompted to give Adelaide.  He blessed her to be kind to everyone even if they weren’t kind to her.  What a wonderful blessing.  I’m so glad Graypa could also lay his hands on her sweet head and assist.  One of my very favorite moments of the trip.

Tuesday, I woke up early and made some cinnamon rolls.  I bought a different kind of yeast than I’ve ever had and it was supposed to be rapid rise, but guess what, it was SLOW rise.

Stacy got Adelaide all dressed in her first day of school outfit and packed her lunch and fed her breakfast.  Then we all hoped into the van and drove to her school.  We loved getting to see her march in to her first day.  She has lots of friends in her class and I’m sure is going to love being a kindergarten girl this year.

We came home and graypa and Pierce ran to the store to get butter to make the cinnamon rolls.  I found just enough in the fridge to make them work.  I rolled them out and had them almost ready to pop into the oven when they got home with butter, ice cream and strawberries.  Yes , Pierce made grandpa great milk shakes that were sooooooooooooooooooo good.  

Then while the rolls baked, we watched the slide show of their trip to Bulgaria and Greece.  WHAT A WONDERFUL ADVENTURE!  WE loved seeing all the beautiful photos.  Oh my goodness.  What a fun morning to eat cinnamon rolls and watch the slide show. 

Before we knew it it was time for Pierce to head to the office with a plate of rolls to share and then Jackson had a gymnastics class.  Graypa got some work done and I got busy packing up to get ready to go home.  That was a very fast five days in LA!  We loved spending time with our grands and loved that Pierce and Stacy came home on Sunday and we had two days with them.

We enjoyed TITOS Tacos for lunch and then off the airport!  Thank you for a wonderful weekender LA THIOTs!

Back to SCHOOL!!!

Our Mansfield Thiots
Ricky and Becky's girls were the first grandchildren to head back to school.  They started on the 14th and are already back into the swing of things.  I asked Brooklyn which of her classes was her best and she said that they were all really good.  That is a wonderful answer Brooklyn!  Way to go!   I was trying to figure out there back to school picture how they were all the same size and then I figured out it was three photos spliced together.  Well done photographers!  I'm looking forward to seeing these girls soon.  It's been a couple of weeks and that is too long!

Our Medford Granges
Tomorrow morning is Back to School in Medford.  Miss Penny, Max and even Oscar will start tomorrow.  They are all three so excited and can hardly wait!  It's been a very long summer and they love school and can't wait to be back on the bus in the morning.  Miss Penny will be in 3rd grade and is at the opposite end of the hall from Max in the 1st Grade.  Oscar will be joining the Pre-K team and has a new puppy back pack and Monday can't come fast enough for him.  Charlie boy has been in extensive Potty training School these last few weeks.  I'm happy to report that he is very successful and with a whole team of cheerleaders to cheer him on, has done great!  He loves wearing his new big boys and calls them his swim suits.  He thinks it's pretty amazing you get to wear swim suits all day.  Go Charlie Boy!

Our Carmichael Thiots
Back to school in Carmichael is well under way too.  Callum was off to a rough start and missed the first day back.  He's not felt well and I'm sure hoping and praying he will get feeling better and be able to enjoy 3rd grade this year too.  Keelie and Callum are both playing soccer and the heat has made it not as fun as some cooler fall weather will bring.  I hope.  Keelie, her friend Sophie and I have a text message group called Poodle Skirt Team.  I was able to find the supplies on Friday and now I just need a fun morning to cut them out and sew them together and get them in the mail to these cute girls.  The talent show is the end of September, but they need time to practice in those cute skirts I'm sure.

Our LA Thiots
Graypa and I spent last weekend with our LA Thiots and we loved every minute.  We packed a lot of fun into our five days and it was hard to say goodbye and come home.  I loved being with Adelaide for her first day of Kindergarten and we were even able to attend the Back to School picnic the day before school started.  We got to meet Mr. Z who looks like a very fun kindergarten teacher.  She has several friends in her class this year from last year and she is loving it already!  Jackson was excited about a LEGO Convention in Passadina this weekend.  The whole family went and had the very best time.  LEGO and THIOT seem to not only rhyme but they sure go together well. So glad you had a great time!

Baby Hippo and Mama at the zoo, close to the glass!

Our Oak Lawn Thiots
Kara's students came back to school this week and so life just got a lot more exciting.  She has two classes with over 40 students.  YIKES!  They promised to add another section of the course so she will be back to having enough desks in the room for everybody.  She said she wished she could pick the ones she would keep, but it doesn't work like that.  Miss Elie enrolled in her first Ballet Class this week.  It's actually called Creative Movement and boy is she loving it.  Skyler gets to watch from a window and he loved watching how serious she was about following directions and doing just what the teacher told her to do.  Way to go Elie!  Skyler was  our UBER driver when we got home on Tuesday night and he brought Miss Elie with him in her ballet outfit.  Oh my goodness, I could have eaten her right up.  Such a darling little tiny ballerina!  I loved when she ran to me and let me hug her and hug her!

We Plano Thiots
We Plano Thiots are HOME!  Remember how I told you about Tatia repainting my play house?  Well when it was all put back together, it was much to cute to be outside.  We have shuffled things around a bit and it now has a home in my family room.  I can't wait for some little people to come over and play in it.  It looks so cute with the bell on the front and the darling wreath and even it's own welcome mat.  Thank YOU Tatia!  You are a miracle worker.  I wish I had a before and after photo.  You may not believe it's the same play house. 
Dick got to play golf one afternoon this week and that made for a great day.  It was a nice hot day but Dick says no day is too hot for golf.  He's amazing!  We are preparing for our final week of our Starting and Growing My Business Self Reliance Class.  Our week 12 will be next Sunday as we had a couple of group members who could not attend this week.  Everyone gets to present about the their business and we have three business owners coming to give some advice and suggestions as to what their next steps for success might be.  We have three great people coming and I'm looking forward to being there.

My Seminary class had our first Movie Night last night.  We watched the movie called All Saints.  It took place in Smyrna Tennessee and was a great teaching example of what a congregation who truly focuses on the Savior can do. My team teacher and her husband visited the church this summer while they were on a cross country trip.   What a great class we have this year.  There are 11 students and they come on time and they come every day.  It's AMAZING!  I love being there with them too.  It's fun to wake up early in the morning to be with them. 

Five years ago, when my sweet mom passed away, my cousin Pammy brought me t his lovely planter.  At the time, it had a sweet angel standing in the garden instead of a chicken.  i've loved it and carred for it for five years and one by one the plants died all but one.  When Tatia was here, she reminded me that stores sold plants and that you could replace the plants with some new ones.  What a great idea Tatia.  It makes me smile to see it all beautiful again.  Thank  you Pammy and tatia!

My pots out front needed a little TLC too.  With the heat, nothing but crepe myrtles are very happy.  It looks a bit better.  Sure love ya'll, Robynn