Family changes...

For the past few months, Ron has been "retired" again.  He had been working for a company that had a government contract to teach a software program to the soldiers. And, as often happens to contractors, they were underbid when it was time for a new contract.  Ron enjoyed a short hiatus from work, but tomorrow he goes back.  The company that won the new contract offered him a position doing the same thing, so he took it.  While short-lived; I loved having him around so much.

One of the highlights of my week is family dinner.  Ron and I get together with my parents, our children, and the grandkids each Wednesday evening to share a meal and enjoy one another's company.  Sadly, this past week will be the last one that we will share with Ryan for quite a while. He has been waiting for a year now for the petroleum industry to recover in this disastrous economy and begin hiring again. Ryan finally got a position with Quality Logging in Midland, Texas and left on Thursday. While I know this past year has been hard for him, I have loved having him around for a change.  Luckily, Midland is only about a 6 hour drive. Hopefully, we will see him often.

My grandson, Seth, turned 9 today.  It amazes me that he has remained such a sweet, gentle, and loving little boy.  I know that he isn't always perfect, but he sure is close.  It amazes me that simple things bring him such pleasure.  When Becca asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, he just wanted to go out to dinner at his favorite restaurant with the family.  Here are a few pictures I took while we were there.

Seth has never been a big fan of sweets, but he sure loves beans in any form so Mexican food is always a hit with him.  Scott had his National Guard Drill weekend, but his assignment is in Gatesville so he was able to join us for dinner.  

Aunt B gave Sophie her first taste of lemon, and I think she actually liked it. Sophie is growing so fast! She is crawling all over the place, babbling like crazy, and has the cutest little teeth!While Sophie was enjoying the lemon, Maggie chomped down some chips and queso.  Her impish smile always delights me.  She didn't quite understand why Seth didn't have a birthday cake.  What Seth lacks in the sweet tooth area, she more than makes up for it!

As the family continues to grow and changes occur, I am truly thankful for these precious moments of togetherness.