We're Back!

Steve and I returned from Phoenix Wednesday evening after spending a week with Emily, Franz, Madeline, and Katie. Highlights included the Forman Motorsport Grand Opening Car Show, time with all four of Franz's grandparents and his parents, an ice cream social at Madeline's school, observing the girls' swimming lessons, making and decorating jack o lantern cookies with the girls, and having a tea party with Emily's family and the grandparents.

We were also treated to duets by Madeline and Katie as we rode in the car. Both girls can sing very well and do a nice job of staying together. They have quite a repertoire of songs including such favorites as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "Mary Had a Little Lamb", "ABC Song", "Ring Around the Rosie", and "Jesus Loves Me." It is too cute!!!

Here are some pictures of some of the highlights of our trip:

Madeline and Grandma Forman cut out pumpkin cookies.

Madeline and the cookies she and I decorated for our tea party.

Her favorite was a kitty cat on the upper left of the plate.

Katie decorated a couple of cookies, too. She was quite pleased with herself!

Katie rinsing her fingertips, which she considers washing her hands.

We left Halloween morning, so didn't get to go trick-or-treating with the girls. They modeled their matching pink poodle costumes for us. They were so excited they could hardly stand still for Papa to take their picture.

Poodle tails.

The front of the new Forman Motorsport showroom.

Nine Lamborghinis lined the front of the dealership on Open House day.

Lamborghini row.

A custom paint was mixed in Europe for this Lamborghini. No other one like it in the world. The owner (in the baseball cap on the left) stayed close by during most of the show.

A Jim Nasi Custom Chopper in front of the reception desk as you enter the front door. Jim Nasi was at the Open House/Car Show. The facility where he designs and builds his choppers is just down the road from Forman Motorsport.

This Aston Martin is sitting inside the front windows to the left of the entrance. Behind it is the Jim Nasi Chopper area.

A dynamic red Ferrari in the front window.

Franz deals in wheels, too, ...

... and boats.

That's one big, fast boat!

Franz's mom Joan, his grandmother, and I had a couple of jobs. One was picking up, transporting, and placing 38 balloon bouquets. We had to make two trips and we laughed as we stuffed bouquet after bouquet into the Suburban. It took 1/2 hour to disentangle the ribbons at the store so that we could transport them!

Our main job was keeping the food table full as guests helped themselves to an assortment of goodies. Notice our classy black Forman Motorsport shirts. Frank came to the rescue by creating extra temporary refrigeration space with ice and large plastic bags. It worked very well. The day was beautiful, but became very warm...100 degrees or so. The band was great, in spite of being outside in the sun for several hours! Really nice people, as well as wonderful musicians!

Madeline loved having so many of her grandparents join her at the ice cream social at school. We drove there in two cars. The four great grandparents rode with Frank and arrived ahead of us. As we walked toward the school among the crowd, Madeline spied her great grandparents ahead of us by several yards. Unsure in the dark if it was really them, she asked, "Are those the greater grandparents over there?" Joan immediately wondered what that made the rest of us --the "lesser" grandparents?

Joan asked Steve to take a Forman family picture Sunday after church, since everyone was there. A great group! We had a wonderful time!

We are still recovering from jet lag due to the three-hour time difference, but we would go again in a minute! Want to come along?