Elijah Franklin

 

Elijah is my final child post from our trip. I already covered baby Bronwyn when I started these. It feels like so much time has passed already, it's taken me quite a while to complete everyone. Eli is quite the little charmer, and both his Papa and Grammie were taken with him. For one thing, he's adorable with his blond hair and big blue eyes. He doesn't say much, but you do know what he wants!

On our rather long driving trip to Williamsburg, this was one way Elijah kept himself entertained.

 

When we were doing our singing around the piano, he joined right in.

 He isn't old enough to know that he can't play the piano, so he just played right along with me. What a fun time, with him cuddled on the bench with me, playing right along with Puff the Magic Dragon, and Millie and others singing on the other side. Usually toddlers like to pound the piano, but Eli just quietly played....I think we have a budding musician in our midst.

 

As we were driving to Williamsburg, we stopped one day for a cupcake break. Eli was right in the middle of that, and they were just at his level.

 Only the crumbs remain to tell the story......

Until his Papa got hold of him to help wipe away those crumbs!

 

 I didn't get too many photos of Elijah...as he was in some one's arms or the stroller most of the trip. It helped to keep him contained for his own safety. Although he really is such a good boy, and takes pretty good care of himself. Here being in the safety of his Daddy's arms, he's free to interact with one of the sailors on board a ship at Jamestown.

 

At Amelia's birthday breakfast, Elijah appreciated the special fare. He is still sitting in the high chair at meals, but his food is generally on the table, so he uses the high chair just to get him high enough to reach it.

 We are in the maze here, and Elijah wants to forge his own path, so Grammie keeps an eye on him. He didn't really understand the 'maze part', but it was a pretty cool jungle for him.

 Elijah likes to give good night kisses...

so sweet, too bad that phase doesn't last long enough!

 

 Here's Elijah playing with some Revolutionary war metal soldiers. He really liked that part.

 

And Elijah got his turn at trying out the big feather bed mattress, although it didn't make him want to take a nap.

 

 Elijah was the perfect age for doing our family rhyme 'Ida Peek, Peek-a-Roo, Rooey Whistle, Mary Hostle, and Old Tumblybundle.' (Done with the toes as in This Little Pig)

 He never tired of it, and we got to hold him a little longer because of it.

 

We truly delighted in getting to know Elijah, and marveled at the Little Man he is. That was my nickname for him, 'Little Man'. He is fairly sober, and you can just see the wheels going round, as he has some really good reasoning skills developed. He also seems very athletic with good physical abilities which pleased his Papa. He will play for hours by himself, just puttering around the house outside, or putting together puzzles. Even after having eight children, it's amazing how unique, special and different each one is. I hope you know them each a little better now too.

Cecily Mae

 

After a brief trip to see Joy and family, I am back.... to finish up my posts on our trip to Williamsburg. This post is about grandchild #6 in the Jones family....Cecily. It was delightful to get to know this little girl better while we were there. She has the distinction of having blond hair and a very small, petite size.

 

 While we were in Williamsburg, she used some letter 'dice' to make up her name. Very clever!

 I love the fact that there are paths and gates and gardens everywhere in Williamsburg, and that they are mostly very child-sized. Cecily is going along this path to a wonderful maze behind the Governor's Palace and gardens. A wonderful place to have fun, whether you are a little one of a big one.

 In the house we toured, Cecily found some Colonial style dolls and clothes to play with.

 Cecily and Ben are the two horse-lovers in the family. She got to get up close with these two horses, and enjoyed herself.

 Here she is in a laundry of the house we toured....

 and here she found a hat to try on. Just perfect to shade that hot Virginia sun!

 She was a little tired out one morning, and hitched a ride from her Grandpa....

and finally even found a bed to snuggle in on a boat in Jamestown. It was just right for a little one, but I don't know how a full-sized sailor could have made it work.

Cecily is a dear girl, and like all the children has a God-given unique personality all her own. At age 4, we enjoyed her a lot.

Clementine

Here's a little glimpse of the fun we enjoyed together in West Virginia.  We sure do love it that Grammy plays the piano!

Millie Sue

 

AMELIA

 

 As I started to upload photos of the next grandchild in line, I noticed that I have more photos of the girls. It's probably because I spent more time with them, as the boys are out doing 'manly' things together.

 

 Millie and I did lots of fun things together, including a first crochet lesson. I helped her make a chain, and now she will have to practice a bit. It's hard to figure out how to hold your hands 'just right'.

 

 We sang songs together, and Millie likes to memorize the words and learn songs. She now knows 'My Grandfathers' Clock' and 'High Hopes'.

 

 In Williamsburg, Millie helped to fluff up the big feather mattress on this bed, and was invited to try it out! She thought it was pretty comfy.

 

 She picked a dandelion in the grass and one for her hair.

 

 At Jamestown, she is trying out a hollowed out tree trunk, made to be an Indian canoe.

 

 She thought she would try on some armor just like the boys. It fit too!

 

 Here she is trying on a new cap we bought in Williamsburg. Just right with long curls!

 

A little cuddly time with Bronwyn. 

 

 Trying on hats is always a fun thing for little girls.

 

 We had a great time in this little shop, with a lady from the 'old' country.

 

 In the furniture/cabinet making shop, they let her try out the harpsichord.

 

 And in the kitchen at one of the houses, they let Millie try peeling carrots with a spoon! (It works)

 

Two more sweet photos of both Millie and Cecily, before going on to Cecily....

 

 

Sweet girls, ready for a tea party!

A Posting about Calvin

 Grandson #4 is Calvin Haddon Jones, age 8. Calvin and Papa are just climbing up the long slope of their wooded land from the creek at the bottom of the hill. The boys took Papa down to the creek, and then followed it for about 1 1/2 miles to the big river it empties into. Here they are returning, and Calvin had a bit more energy than his Papa.

 This photo is from the birthday tea party we held for Millie's 6th birthday. It just happened to catch Calvin, who was about to enjoy his birthday cupcake.

 In Williamsburg, here is what Calvin was doing in the house we explored. Playing with the soldiers they provided. Thanks to Calvin's bright red hat, we were able to easily keep track of the him.

 Julie had signed Ben and Calvin up for a gym class, and I got to attend one with them. They both really enjoyed it, and Calvin is playing a game here.

 Calvin has a book that we have enjoyed together for several years now. He saves it for when I come. This is a great alphabet book, and we highly recommend it. Each page has lots of items cleverly drawn into a large illustration, and all the items begin with that letter of the alphabet. There can be up to maybe 30+ items, and we search together to find them all, and then figure out what they are.
This trip I brought along a copy of Puff the Magic Dragon, and taught it to the boys, especially Ben and Calvin. Calvin really enjoyed learning that song!

And finally, at Jamestown, the boy in the red cap is enjoying a little information from a park ranger (aka Indian) about the Indians who lived in that area. Calvin did enjoy the trip, and we enjoyed him.

Hooray for a Central Oregon Spring!

 

"The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his Heaven—
All's right with the world!"
-  Robert Browning, The Year's at the Spring

 

 

"'Tis like the birthday of the world,
When earth was born in bloom;
The light is made of many dyes,
The air is all perfume:
There's crimson buds, and white and blue,
The very rainbow showers
Have turned to blossoms where they fell,
And sown the earth with flowers."
-  Thomas Hood

 

 

We so seldom get a spring in Central Oregon, that this glorious year I am beside myself in wonder at the weather. This week all our trees and plants are leafing, budding, blooming and spreading their pollen. The sky is blue, the clouds are white puffs, and the temperature is a wondrous 78 degrees, with cool mornings and breezy evenings. I think one season of spring is enough to make up for the many I have lived without. It is truly glorious.

I was reading in 'The Magic Apple Tree' yesterday, a book about life in a small English village in the 1980's and saw a good description of May.

 

"In the spring, bit by bit, day by day, as the nights lengthen and the weather brightens, and as the gardens are sown and planted, the village comes to life again, and people come out into the open. There may be dark days still, and there is more rain and greyness, too, as the winter drags itself slowly away over the hill. But there are some fresh, clear mornings, with the dew on the grass, and balmy breezes on which the smells of grass and freshly-turned soil come, and in May there is real warmth in the sun and all things are burgeoning."

 

Benjamin Charles Jones

 Here is Ben, who turned 10 years old while we were there. Here, he was trying on a hat that fit just right. Ben is a whirling dervish most of the time, and it's hard to get him to hold still long enough for a good photo.

 Out in the yard of the house we visited in Williamsburg, they had several fun colonial type children's games to try out. All the kids tried rolling the hoop, but Ben really picked it up and ran with it. He is naturally coordinated, and had a fun time making this go with a short stick in his hand.

 Ben went with some of the adults on a couple of tours along with Cecily. I think he keeps her in good order. This particular tour was supposed to be about horses, but here we found a baby lamb and her mama.

 On another tour, a 'garden tour', they did find some horses and enjoyed getting close enough to pet them. Both Ben and Cecily love farms and especially horses.

At Jamestown, Ben tried on some more period clothing, and this was the armor that the colonist soldiers would have put on, only child size. I think he would have done well living back then, and being very physical and taming the land. I really enjoyed going on the tours with Ben and he behaved so gentlemanly to the other people on the tour. He made us proud.