Happy 83rd Birthday Dad .. Grandpa .. Great-Grandpa!

This month my Dad turned 83 years old so we gave him a surprise birthday party.

 

He was happy to share barbecue with his granddaughter Dawn. 

(I forgot to take a picture of the birthday cake!)

 

Youngest great-grandson, Caleb, enjoyed lunching with his dad.

 

 

Some Dad's presents were pots and tomato plants.  All three great grandsons had to assist with the planting.  The plants are still recovering from the ordeal.

 

Then, there was a little picture taking session followed by generous amounts of kissing and hugging.

 

It's not every day you turn 83 years of age, and, Dad enjoyed his special day!  (Although, I suspect Mom and Dad enjoyed the peace and quiet once all the grandkids went back home too.)

 



Camping at Lake Pleasant

I keep so busy, now that we're at home for a while, I have trouble finding time to blog.  We took our oldest grandson, Jacob, camping not long after we got home from Alabama so we had to give our second oldest grandson, Joshua, a camping experience of his own.  (The youngest, Caleb, is only one year old so he'll have to wait for his turn.)

 

Traveling dog Maggie was happy to have someone to share the back seat with.

 

We chose Lake Pleasant Regional Park for Joshua's first camping trip.  It's located a few miles north of Phoenix.

 

Once we arrived, the first order of business was to set up camp and Joshua pitched right in!

 

 

 

With camp set up, we headed out for a short hike to the visitor's center.

 

They had some interesting exhibits at the center.

 

How'd you like to meet up with this fellow?

 

The center even loaned out binoculars to get a better view of the lake.

 

 

Hubby impressed Joshua with his gold panning skills.

 

Finally, it was back to the trailer for story time and a snack.

 

Before long Joshua was back at work gathering firewood.

  

He was thrilled with his very first campfire.

 

The next morning there was time for a quick hike before heading back to the city.

 

We had a great time and look forward to many more camping trips with the grandsons!