A Weekend with Kaylin

This is Andy and Madri's new house in Sherwood. It's just outside of Portland. It's on a full acre and we think of it as The Farm because they have so many fruit trees and vegetables in their garden.

We recently picked up Kaylin to spend a weekend with us in Corvallis. We took the Buena Vista Ferry to cross the Willamette River.

Kaylin and BaDa made tortilla pizza for dinner

Kaylin and Grandpa did an Exercise Bike challenge. (She won)

Kaylin usually does an art project of some kind when she visits us.

This visit she made Clay Beasts

She's good at puzzles. This was a tough one.

Kaylin and BaDa took in the Corvallis fall festival.  It's an art festival with all sorts of arts and crafts.

Kaylin tried out the various hammocks.

The Big Purchase was a Thumb Gourd. Now we have a pleasant ting ting sound throughout the house that reminds us of our great weekend with Kaylin.

She's Playing With Clay Again

     Sheryl stopped potting last spring when I went in for a new aorta.  She did a wonderful job of looking after me and I'm pleased to report I'm back 100%. (She says I'm 110% -she ought to be a coach.) Now that Dr. Sheryl is free of her patient she headed back to the pot shop as soon as Fall Term began at our community college where she plays in the clay.

    Last year she was very successful creating images of all sorts on her raku pots and this year she decided to try to create some of the iconic scenes of Corvallis on her pots.  It's very time consuming but she enjoys it and what the heck, we're retired! Her first project was to do a pot with the classic Benton County Courthouse on it.  She really struggled getting the desired colors on test tiles and then finally she threw it into the raku kiln and Wallah! Success!

     She also is attempting to throw some porcelain and making little bowls to test the various types of porcelain and the various glazes.  She's getting it worked out and the other day brought home a couple of mugs. I really like them so I'll show them off!

Another New Van Fleet

Welcome Collin Bryon Van Fleet

September 8, 2013

7 pounds, 11 ounces

Tyler called us Sunday morning as Meghan had gone into labor around 3 am. When they got to the hospital she was already dilated to 8cm and by 11:30 am Collin arrived. 

 Just like our three granddaughters were, Collin is a beautiful baby! Lots of dark hair, good lungs, and just as sweet as could be.  We shared a lot of tears of joy.

 

                         Collin gets his first diaper from Daddy

                  

Bada's Best Friends

     School has started!  In Eugene Andy is back to work as vice principal at Willamette High School and Madri has started back in her half time position with child care/nutrition.  Both Andy and Madri were extra busy so Madri's mother Lauren took Kaylin for a week and we got to have Brooklyn for a few days.
     These days Sheryl (Bada) has two best friends, Kaylin and Brooklyn (although Baby Lexi is soooooo sweet).  I quite enjoy our grandaughters but must admit that seeing Sheryl with these wonderful little girls is just so much fun.

        Here are a few of the activities we did in three days.

                                     They read books.                                                                

                                       They played games

                                     They rode bikes

                                  They carved up watermelons

                                    They picked flowers

                            They studied poop in the back yard
 

                                    They went to the beach

 

 They went fishing at the aquarium

                                 They checked out the tide pools

                                    They studied art

                                    Brooks studied it up close

             Back at the beach Brooklyn drew a self portrait in the sand

                         Self Portrait - age four "AND A HALF!"

                                           It was a great day

                                   We love the aquarium

A New Van Fleet

 

On June 16th 2013, Alexa Skye was born a happy healthy new addition to the Van Fleet clan.  Madri and the two big sisters, Kaylin and Brooklyn were thrilled to add this wonderful little sister to the family.  It sounds as if "Lexi" is going to be what we will call this beautiful little girl.

But nobody seemed happier than Andy who was celebrating June 16th as Fathers Day. What a perfect little gift.

 It was Fathers Day for all of us so I consider Lexi my special gift too.

And of course, Ba Dah is the one who most wants to hold and love this new little bundle of joy.  Three wonderful granddaughters. How lucky we are.

Puerto Rico

                             Happy Hour in the British Virgin Isles

                                          Our nice hotel

                                         Lovely water

                                  The Crew from Klamath

                                          Girls Gone Wild

     My heart surgery was to be in February but wait just a minute. We has already planned for Sheryl and I to spend two weeks in Puerto Rico, plus the Virgin Islands and then go on a Caribbean Cruise with all of our good Klamath friends. That was an easy call. We postponed the medical issue and had a ball, as we always do, with our great friends from Klamath falls.

Off to the Repair Shop.

Time to Catch Up!
During the Holidays it was determined that I had atrial fibrillation as well as an aortic aneurism that needed to be fixed. That was kinda scary and originally I was going to have a somewhat risky surgery to fix it here in Corvallis.  I was not confidant in the surgeon and managed to get a second opinion in Portland where they concluded I needed a somewhat less risky procedure and on April 30th I had a "Valve sparing aortic root replacement with a modified maze procedure." My support team of Sheryl and the boys stood by and all went well.  I  now have a manly 9inch scar up my chest and am on my way to a total recovery. Whew!  It was also determined that my coronary arteries are "clean as a whistle" which was good news for a 67 year old  overweight guy,