LeNae Grandma

Easter Dinner

2009-04-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

Then we went out to dinner to
"Maggiano's". we had a wonderful
meal and great time! Here are Isaac
& Lauryn with their dad!

Easter in Vegas

2009-04-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here are our 2 little Easter presents! Yes, it's Isaac & Lauryn on our way to church Easter Sunday to Community Lutheran in Las Vegas.

I didn't even cry this year! The first year we went to church with Jen & Dennis for Easter after they had moved out to Vegas (more than 10 years ago now), I was so moved by the beautiful sancutary and music- I wept all though the service! Now I'm used to their wonderful services, the music and pastors. We call it the best show in town!

Pretty Baby

2009-02-24T19:01:00.000-08:00

Isn't this one beautiful photo! Thanks to one of Nate's friends for taking it. It's one I'll always cherish :) What a sweety our little Lilia is.

Tag I'm It

2009-01-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

I'm "it"-here I am getting kisses from Isaac & Lauryn before bed last summer while was at their house!! It's nice to beloved :)
Now you are "it" Jerolyn, Susan, Lisa and Jen (back at you!)

Lilia's 1st Birthday

2009-01-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

Here is Lilia having her birthday cupcake! Nice blue lips huh!? She'll love this when she's about 16 :)

"Rubba Dub Dub" look who's in the sink!

2009-01-08T15:45:00.000-08:00

Since we don't have a bath tub at the lake this is the next best thing! Here's Lilia getting her turn.

Tea Party

2009-01-08T15:43:00.000-08:00

Here are Lauryn and Isaac having a tea party in the loft at the lake during Christmas vacation 2008. We had a fun time but it was too cold to play outdoor :(

Getting Ready for Christmas!

2008-12-17T13:32:00.000-08:00

Lauryn & I stopped at a friends house on an errand one day, and boy did they have their house decorated! Here is Lauryn in the sled! Also, since everyone at home in Las Vegas got to open gifts early-Lauryn thought she should get to open 1 too! The last picture is Lauryn helping make muffins. :)

Grandma's Helper

2008-12-04T17:53:00.000-08:00

Here is Isaac and I making Kringles for Thanksgiving. He's quite a lot help baking. Has his own apron and everything.

Turkey Day at the Allen's

2008-12-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

Life doesn't get any better than this! Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, smelling the turkey roasting in the oven and waiting for the fun to begin :(

2008-12-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

"Over the River and through the woods, to Grandmothers House"
Lauryn traveled home to Williston with G'ma & G'pa after Thanksgiving. She was a great traveler too. Didn't even shed a tear as her mom waved good-bye at the airport. The rest of her family will join her for Christmas in ND.
Jen has returned to teaching and this will give her alittle more time to adjust. I know her family all miss her but we are having a great time!
Lauryn aka Cindy (short for Cinderella) is VERY busy because I have made her work very hard here. She must put her own toothpaste on her pink "princess" toothbrush; clean her newly pierced ears by herself; start the gas fireplace on cold mornings; move wet clothes from the washer to the dryer; put her dirty clothes in the hamper; decorate Christmas trees and set up the Christmas village! Work here is never done :)

Lake Tahoe

2008-09-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

Here is just a sneak peak at how beautiful Lake Tahoe is!
Gary had a week long seminar there and I went along for some R & R
-lucky me :) It was a great week. We took a dinner cruise on a yacht,
rode the gondola to the top of Heavenly Ski Resort, sat on the beach and
ate lots of good food! I took a trolly tour of the area, hiked to a mansion,
shopped, got a pedicure & manisure,
read my book, sat in the hot tub and sat on the beach too long (brought
home a little sunburn!) Did I mention some R & R ?

Lauryn singing

2008-09-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

Lauryn likes to sing with gamma, here she is doing "Ca Sera Sera" and "The Skunk Song"

The 4th of July!

2008-07-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Washington, DC-celebrating the 4th of July with Nate, Dee & Lilia.
Gary & I spent a week with Nate & family, touring our nation's capital. My sister Karen and her son Diesel (short for Damaria` ?) came to stay with us for a few days as well! We had a great time! Lots of sightseeing-the monuments, the wars memorials, National Cathedral, Arlington Cemetery, the Holocaust Museum and several of the Smithsonian buildings. Not to mention the 4th of July parade and the fireworks! You can't get it all in, in such a short period of time :(

Nate once again got to play one of the leads, Bill Austin the Aussie in "Mamma Mia" while we were there-so we went again!
Lilia has grown so much, it was really fun to see how much she'd changed in 6 weeks.
Dee, the great photographer, has some great new pics of Lilia on their blog ( check it out @ miaandyoua.blogspot.com/ )

My Littlest Sweetheart

2008-06-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

Isn't she adorable?! Here is our newest source of joy :) Lilia is already 1/2 year old! My how time flies. She can sit up by herself and does roll over, so we know it won't be long before she crawls as well. We are anxious to see her, as we'll be in Washington, DC over the 4th of July with Lilia and her parents for a week-can't wait!

"This is Why I Became a Grandma"

2008-06-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

These are the newest pictures of Isaac & Lauryn. They came with their parents to "Nor-Koda" (as Isaac calls it) for a 2 week vacation. They attended a wedding in Minot for a niece of Dennis'. They spent time with us both at the lake and in Williston. We had a wonderful time golfing, fishing, mini golfing, swimming/hot tubing, playing Old Maid, Domino's, singing silly songs, reading books, bird watching, Jeep rides and making S'mores!

Latest family picture!

2008-04-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo taken last week while Nate & family were in Sacramento. They are on the set of "Mamma Mia". Lilia looks scared to death! But it sounds like she's doing fine :) Their travels are going well. They have been up and down the west coast the past couple of months, from Vancouver,BC,Washington, California and will go back up to Oregon. They will drive though Las Vegas in May and spend a few days with Jen & family there. Then they will come on to ND for Memorial Day weekend. Dee & Lilia will have an extended stay of 2 weeks! Can't wait to see them all!!!!

Reading the News

2008-04-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

This is the way Grandpa reads the paper everyday! It's not enough that Jackson sleeps with us then he gets up and sits on top of the paper as Grandpa tries to read. This is actually better than most days, and of cousre by the time I got the camera out Jackson had moved somewhat. But I thought Isaac would like to see a picture of his beloved JackJack !

It Is Finished!

2008-04-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

We've been in our new house almost a year now! I finally had a plan for our bedroom, as luck would have it our local quilt store was having a sale on all fabric :) After purchasing a colliage of pictures with a leaf motif for inspiration-this is the end result! I also ordered new read lamps to be hung on the wall and will spray paint the headboard and curtain rod an oil bronze to complete the room

Our Athelete!

2008-03-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Here's Isaac playing T ball. I got to see 3 of his practices while I was in Vegas last week. He's pretty good- if I do say so myself! He's long legged and is a good runner for his age. So many of the other kids just trot along looking for the bases while Isaac is on 2nd base in no time! He can throw well and catch too. His dad works with him and you can tell it!
Isaac is a great kid; he always wants to go for a walk, play a game or bake cookies! He really can carry on a conversation with an adult, which is fun too. I got to see him sing in church on Sunday too, so it was a pretty full/fun week!

Our Little Lady

2008-03-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

Here is Lauryn all dressed up for a day of shopping. She LOVES this dress, leggings, necklace & braclet and always a purse (filled with goodies and a cell phone!) She's a girl with her own mind-that will come in handy when she's a teenager!

Favorite Vegas Grandkids!

2008-03-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

Thank you Allegiant airlines! You made it possible for me to make a quick trip to Vegas last week to see our Vegas grand kids :)
On very short notice & for $19 for 1 leg of the trip, I throw my clothes in the suitcase and surprised Isaac when I rang their door bell ( this was lost on Lauryn of course, as she's only 2.)
Note the paint (lavender) and new border in the photo-this was our home improvement job for the week. Lauryn loved it; upon seeing for the first time-with big eyes, she slapped her cheeks, she gasped and said "butterflies"!

2008-03-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

Lila and Dee came back to ND when I did on Feb.18th. She's been meeting family
and friends. This past week they have spent in Williston. We sure enjoyed our
time together!

"To grandmother's house we go"

2008-03-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

Here Lilia is getting cuddled and rocked by Great grandma Joanne.

Meet the newset member of the Johnson family!

2008-02-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

Lilia Ann Johnson was born 12/25/07-yes, a Christmas baby! She was born in Chicago to our son Nathan and his wife DeeAnn and weighed in at 7 lb. 4oz.

Gary and I (LeNae Grandma) went to Chicago the end of Janurary to get acquainted with her. She's beautiful of course! Grandpa had to go back to ND while I got to stay and help out for 2 more weeks! Lilia's dad went back on tour with "Mamma Mia" at that time, and Dee had to resume work as well-so Grandma to the rescue! It's been a wonderful time of bonding. Now Lilia knows all my silly songs and funny sayings :)