Smiles that make me happy

Faye, Jules and Grandma Coral came over today for tea. I was trying to remember that rhyme for bouncing babies and Mom of course the better memory at 87 reminded me of how it goes. "This is the way the lady rides, trot a trot a trot a trot. This is the way the gentleman rides gallopy, gallopy, gallopy, gallopy. This is the way the farmer rides odeleop, odeleop odeleop all the way home." The bounces get higher and higher with each person and Jules loved it. Mom, you had to leave and missed her smiles from this and other songs so I send them to you with thanks via my blog. She has been smiling for sometime, but they haven't been caught on film till now.

We're riding like a lady here
This is the farmer riding. She was laughing out loud and having a great time
Here I'm singing Monkey's jumping on the bed and getting ready to wag my finger and sing, "no more monkey's jumping on the bed." Look at that level of concentration!
Papa Jules is doing pretty good. He and I have been concerned because he is still having trouble with fatigue and has not gained any weight since chemo and radiation. So, we went to a Naturopathic Oncologist last week. He is now taking supplements which he hates, but he has started to gain some weight and seems to have more energy so we shall see. He walked 2 miles this morning. He just took the worst tasting one after I doctored it up and said and I quote, "that wasn't bad".
Her eyes are still a dark beautiful blue
Uncle Ryan and Jules, she liked to be held facing out best so she doesn't miss anything. She is really fascinated by the world, colors and the great out doors. She loves a stroll around the garden. Talking of grandchildren, Kirsten, Rob, Rowan and Dilly have moved back to the states from India. Rob is flying for Delta and they will be living in Salt Lake City. The kids are already in school here, but they have every Friday off. Kirsten and the kids are going to hop a plane (they can fly free) to Phoenix soon on a 3 day weekend. We are so excited to have them back and look forward to seeing them soon!
Jules asleep under her heart blanket knitted lovingly by yours truely.
Faye and Jules looking at something at the beach.
Faye and Jules at the beach. Javier has started back to work and Faye has to start back next Tuesday. She will be staying with Julian and I one day a week and Heather,a friend of Faye's who has a baby boy a little older than Jules. I'm sure they will be good buds when they get a little older.
Here are some of my flowers that are blooming currently. It has been hot still in October, but we have mostly had the AC off and opened the windows. When it gets to 98 or 100 degrees we have to turn the AC on for a couple hours. It's just wonderful that it cools down at night and in the morning. I've been enjoying having time to work in my garden. I've been planting seeds: lettuce, snow peas, nasturtiums and larkspur. I've bought and planted tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and sweet pepper.

These are my saucy "Rio Samba" roses. They are very prolific, stand up in the heat and are a good cut rose. I just love the way each rose changes color from dark yellow to deep orange to pink to light pink.
I caught a bug peaking out from this rose
This is a spider lily given to me by Mom, given to her by someone else. All a part of our friendship gardens. I also have a spider lily which is a bright yellow/orange.
This is a rain lily which blooms this time of year after a rain. Even a trace amount of rain can bring a bloom the next day!
"That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet". Did I get that quote right?
We have been enjoying the parrots all summer. They other day there were 10 parrots on the sunflowers in the back and 5 or 6 more on the sunflowers and feeders in the front. They chomp on the old sunflowers and walk up and down on the stems causing the flowers to sway up and down.
I sometimes go out not thinking and startle the goldfinches and parrots. They fly up in the air and just for a second the sky around the sunflowers are filled with moving yellows, greens, and blues. It takes my breath away! This is as close as I've come to catching it, you can see the yellow/green of the goldfinches back.

Faye's baby shower, 6/19

Here's Faye with a crown on her head and baby Jules in her belly. Aren't they both so cute? Javier's sisters Letitia and Veronica were the main enthusiastic planners. They made a diaper cake, planned co-ed shower games, headed up the decorations, helped Norma and I and May plan the food etc. Hats off to them. It was a fun, magical evening for all!
Here are a few of the many presents
Niko with his big brother name badge, Mr Tough guy! Brothers, Grandmas, Grandpas, Aunts and Uncles all wore these pretty pink name tags. Nathan and Maceo refused to have their pictures taken with theirs
Faye and Javier's table under the arch with baby toys hanging down.
Overview of the party area at La Casa Gonzalez. This is a great place to have a party and they probably have every family get-together under these trees with magical fairy lights
One of the party games, who can drink lemonade out of a baby bottle the quickest. Javier was disqualified when he took the top off and drank it that way! May and I went to the dollar store before the party and bought prizes for the games, all in pink!
Another of the games the guys had to pretend they are pregnant ( balloons) and lean over and tie their shoes as fast as they can without breaking the balloon. A good time was had by all. We had more food than we could eat and it was all delicious. We were having so much fun. We looked down and it was 9pm so Faye and Javier decided to open all of the presents the next day.