Happy Birthday Grandma!

We went to Grandma Martinsen's 86th birthday this year. Mom and Dad threw a huge party - tons of great food, as always, decorations, a family tree chart that everyone put their pictures on and wrote their names, etc. Lots of his Dad's family came to celebrate, so it was great to meet and catch up with cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. It was really fun to hear stories about her childhood and to visit with Grandma. What an amazing lady!

Miraculous that Mom still had a voice after our visit. She read so many stories to Olivia - for nap/bedtime and in between. I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, how many times Mom - 27? 34? You're a great sport!

Between cousins, the hose, swimming pool, and eating ice from the tub of sodas, Brooky kept herself very occupied, and very happy. Vigilance was required to keep her away from the tub after I observed Brutus (the 150 pound English Mastiff) drinking the water and washing his face in it.

Mom had a great time doing the granddaughters' hair all fancy and making them smell like cucumbers:)

The first thing Olivia says in most of her prayers is how thankful she is for her cousins. She just has the grandest time and gets so excited when she finds out she gets to play with them. I love this picture of her and Halle.

Liv still does the strained face smile when you say cheese - so cute and funny.

Still timid in the presence of such a large creature, standing in the background, yet wanting to be a part of bathing Brutus. Oh, what a dog!

Enjoying Mom and Dad's fancy expanded patio! We were a bit worried about how hot it would be in Arizona, but the weather was perfect. Rob had a great time bonding with cousins he hadn't seen forever. Fun trip to AZ as always!