Texas Visit

My visit to Texas began with taking a photo of Baby Bibb. We so look forward to being able to hold him, hug him, and just plain love him. Actually we already do love him. Isn't he growing nicely? The doctor said he weighs 4 lbs now, and we can expect him to arrive a week or two early according to his measurements. We are so excited!!

Doesn't his momma look good? She is simply glowing.

Part of the reason for my visit was to attend a baby shower for Heather & Joe. It was held in Heather's brother's home and hosted by them, Karen (Heather's mom), and a friend from church. They asked if the quilt made by my mom could be used as a backdrop, and of course, I said I would be delighted to have them do so. Isn't it beautiful? Great job by my mom who is about to turn 81!

Heather was surprised the quilt was at the shower. She didn't know that I was bringing it with me. My mom just finished the bumper pads and bed skirt. That will be delivered next week by Eric. Then the room will be almost ready for Baby Bibb.

Tammy and Karen did a super job (along with Amanda) hosting the shower.

This is one of those diaper cakes. Karen made two of them for the shower. It is such a neat idea. You wrap diapers around a bottle and continue with the design. They looked great.

Karen with about half of the food the ladies prepared. Everyone enjoyed the food, and the fountain was wonderful for us chocolate lovers.

The tiered cake was just gorgeous. Especially neat were the baby booties on the top made with large marshmallows and then iced to cover and make the toe section. It tasted as great as it looked. It had a chocolate layer and an orange layer. Yummy, best describes it.

An outside shot of the happy parents with some of the guests.

Michelle did a unique thing to wrap her gift. She hung her things on a clothesline and then placed them in a laundry basket and covered it all with tissue paper. Very clever.

Jean made Baby Bibb a hooded towel...

...and 'daddy' couldn't resist placing it on 'mommys' head!!

And of course we had to go back and see how the quilt looked in the nursery. Great job, mom! It is a priceless keepsake that will be treasured by Heather, Joe, and Baby Bibb.

Christmas - I know that was 3 months ago!!!

Indianapolis Children's Museum
The day before Christmas 2008 was free admission to the museum. Grandpa had the day off, and Uncle Bobby had to work. So it was a great day to load the grandkids up in grandma's van and take off for the museum. Yes, it was a zoo. The parking was the worst. And we had to run to the museum in the rain (no, not snow!). But we had a terrific day where we made lots of memories. The kids were super, and we all had a lot of fun. We started out our fun here in Dinosaur Land. Fun was had by all three.

Kayla enjoyed playing with the dinosaurs as much as Luke.

And Krista had to have one to hold too. Grandma didn't want to let her out of the stroller since we had just gotten started. I didn't want her to think she could run around the entire place. It was very crowded, and we didn't want one of them to get lost.

We had to have a little instruction from big brother.

Krista needed a little snack, so grandpa took the older two into this section to view the many types of underwater life. They came out of there with lots to tell grandma.

From the underwater life section, we went on to enter Playscape. We only had to wait about 5 minutes to enter. That was pretty amazing considering the crowd, and the kids were very patient to wait their turn.

Fun was had by all.. #3 Missy was out of her stroller and delighted to have some hands-on fun.

Water is such an attraction.

Now, let's see what I can catch!

And what I can crawl through...

.... wait for me!!

Not to be outdone by her older siblings, she climbs on the plane. AND doesn't want to get off.

Luke could do this by himself. It took a lot of arm muscle, which he showed us that he has!! I had a great front loader picture here too, but somehow I deleted it.

And not to be outdone by little miss, Kayla climbs on too.

Oh, a race car!! Can I ride that, grandpa?

And before going home, some fun on the carousal by Luke, and...

... Kayla ...

... and Krista. This is the same one their daddy rode on when he was little!

After a wonderul day at the museum, we picked up Uncle Bobby from work and went to Eric and Jean's home for a lovely dinner prepared by them. It was so much fun to spend time with the kids knowing that dinner was being lovingly prepared for us.

This doesn't do the table justice. They put a lot of work into the meal and the decorations. Thanks you two!

Amazing what you can do with water and a loaf pan!

Jean being the cupbearer! (A cupbearer is the person tasting the food first so the king doesn't die. Wasn't that nice of her to do that for us?)

Then it was present time - youngest to oldest is our tradition.

Dress up clothes - Kayla loves it. But sister wants to see too!!

And try them on.

Luke loved his Purdue sweats set.

And so does Josh!

And now for Uncle Bobby!!

No more he/she

Of course it has been determined since the beginning of time, but we have just found out. Our next priceless grandchild to make its appearance in June will be a boy! We are so delighted. We have another boy to carry on the Bibby name. And it is so nice to have a boy first. They can be so much fun and such rascals. So now grandma can begin her shopping in the right direction for this little GEM. And little it is; after all he has only been in formation for about four months. We so look forward to how he will look and the character that is being built inside him by the Lord. HE already knows his steps, and we can't wait to see them. We are already praying for him and the way the Lord will use him in our lives and the lives of others. Congratulations Joe and Heather, it is a BOY!

Catch Up Time.......

I know, I know it has been a while again since I have posted. You will have lots of pictures below and some descriptions. This will catch you up and allow you to see all of the family.

On November 10 we flew to Texas to see our southern kids. Bobby did so great. I was so proud of him. He sat in the chair while I was patted down in security. The security people were so pleasant and kind to us all, but particularly to Bobby. We arrived safely and had a great time with Joe, Heather, and Baby Bib. No, we couldn't hold the little one. He didn't even have hands and feet then, but he is forming wonderfully in his mommy's tummy. We anticipate being able to hold him and love him like we do our northern grand-babies in a few months. We shopped for baby furniture while there. Bob did lots of odd jobs for Joe. Heather and I went to the Nutcracker Market and walked until we wanted to drop! It was a great time by all, and we look forward to our next trek in 2009.

Here is a back view of Joe & Heather's home. It backs up to an old golf course. We sat on the back porch a lot - it was a great place to play catch up for Bible study and eating lunch. Bobby just loved sitting out there. He would watch the kitty and all who walked on the paths.

Not all of our time was spent working or shopping. We found plenty of time to eat. After all, Joe gave me a list before coming of the meals he wanted his momma to make for him. It was long because he was hungry when he made it. I didn't make it to the bottom of the list, but I did leave the recipes for Heather. She has already made one of them. Here we are on Joe's birthday. We were having Thai food. It was delicious! I would definitely go there again.

Here is the birthday boy. He didn't want cake, so I made him the pumpkin pie off of his list. He enjoyed a piece of it. Actually, I believe it was the best pumpkin pie I have ever made. Tried to replicate it for Thanksgiving, but I don't think it was the same. Oh well.

PU/IU Game Day

Here is the Eric Bibby family on game day - all decked out in their Purdue attire. They came over to watch the game after we returned from Texas. It was a fun time. Of course, winning the game helped.


Granny Bib??
Jean decided to do something constructive during the game. We were winning by so much that we knew we wouldn't lose. I can't tell you what she is making because it is for Christmas. You may receive one, so just wait and see.

Old toys were brought out from Luke, and Krista had a blast. It was a toy purchased from Menards after Christmas. It was worth every penny spent on it. And it has held up wonderfully. Even Eric had to haul out some old toys - these used to be played by him and Joe when they were little. It is fun watching his kids play with them. Wait a minute - his kids or him? Who is having the most fun?!

Look Kayla!

Living proof of why we were not totally tuned into the game. It was a great way for Coach Tiller to end his career at Purdue. We hope the new coach does better though. A season of 5-8 is not really what we want repeated.

Thanksgiving Day 2008

Pam came down from Michigan to join us for a few days and to get in on the Thanksgiving celebration. She helped keep the kids occupied while we put dinner on the table. Fun was enjoyed by all. Way to go, Pam!! Luke probably won. He usually does.

Great-grandma had to get in on the fun too. They look pretty serious here. I think we ate before they were finished. This shot will be a great keepsake.

Josh came to live with Eric and Jean this summer. He is from Texas and Jean's cousin. Since the weather was pretty nice, they decided to get a photo shoot in that afternoon.

Eric was busy here doing what he does best on Thanksgiving Day. He gets the job of de-boning the turkey. This was an easy year for him. The meat fell right off the bone. He said he didn't have to cut it one bit. I guess the bag worked great. It sure beat the fire we had last year from the grease dripping all over the place. Now we have two wishbones. Tradition is for him and Joe to break them. We will keep them until they are once again together. The apron was made for me. It has all the grand-kids hands on it.

Here is a shot of most of us at the table. We were all happily eating the good food prepared by all. I was so thankful for those that could join us for a few days, but I was especially thankful my parents could be here. They are 80 & 82, and the Lord has richly blessed them. They have been married for 59 years! The weather held up for them until they returned back home in Michigan, and then the snow began. God is good!!

More dinner shots. My youngest brother Chuck is in the corner. He drove my folks down here. I was really thankful for his willingness to do that. We all had a great time. We talked, ate, played games (even great-grandpa!) and just enjoyed each other's company. Many memories were made with the four generations present.

Games were played even at the table! Grapes, Kayla?

My folks - Bill & Jo Van Den Toorn

After dinner some of the gang went down the street to feed the horses some apples. It was a bit chilly, but still nice to get out. Some of us stayed in to clean up the mess. The horses were glad to see them. You can see them running over. They knew what was to be had.

Kayla was cold, but she still had to feed them.

Pam really enjoyed herself. We were so glad that she was with us this year. She has such a great fun and crazy spirit. She made it fun for us all.

I needed to sit a while, so Krista and I decided to play with the peg board. She loves it. She was saying purple, blue, red, and grandpa that day. It was so much fun. I just LOVE having our grandchildren around. I just don't get tired of them. They truly are a delight. And just think someday we will have another, Lord willing. NO, not here. In Texas.

Grandma's Reward

This is what we all felt like doing after eating all that Thanksgiving dinner. Poor Pam! So tired, yet brother Bob won't leave her to a peaceful nap.

Let the bells ring! Thanksgiving is over, and now it is time to get ready for Christmas. At least that is what Krista thinks. Actually, she is playing with the only thing on my curio cabinet that is allowed. :-)