Pretty in Pink

Labor Day weekend we went off to Idaho to visit family and to help bless our newest addition to the McLean clan - little Charlotte Ann Bradley. It was a great trip and we had lots of fun. We got to spend time with 7 grandchildren, 3 children, 2 son-in-laws, and a soon to be sister-in-law. It was also very busy. You know you can't get Mom and 2 daughters together without there being a shopping experience, and that started on Saturday at 8 am (that would be 7 am Las Vegas time and JoAnn is not a morning person). Each evening ended with an extended family get together, talking, laughing, keeping track of the kids, and on Saturday the BYU football game (Go BYU!).

Little Charlotte (above) has lots of pink, hence the title, and I could not resist a shot of her in her pink pajamas on top of her pink pillow. Of course she is a McLean/Bradley and has an attitude, but a good one. One of the great joys of a grandparent is holding new borns. You realize just what a miracle life is, and what a joy it is to bring little children into the world.

On Sunday afternoon we were off to Church (you can read Sally and Suzanne's blogs on this) to bless Charlotte. We took up almost 2 rows with all of the family present. It is exciting to see how many family members show up for special events.

Sally and Charlotte were beautiful in their preparation for Church and the blessing. Mom and Charlotte Ann are below, all dressed up for Church and Charlotte in her blessing dress. When she was blessed she was a perfect angel. It is always a great weekend when we can spend them with our family.

On Being a Grandpa - again!

One of the nice things about technology is you get to know quickly, or moderately quickly, when you have a new granddaughter. That happened today, sometime early afternoon. We are proud grandparents of a baby girl who is 8 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches long. Small for a Bradley, but above average for our other grandchildren. We have talked to the new Mom and she is doing well, although the hospital was full and she had to wait for a room following the delivery. We are proud of her and new Dad is off to get Bonnie and Chas to see their new little sister. And no, we don't know the name yet.

So, about being a Grandpa, it is great. On Monday afternoon we will see our new young lady. We are excited. I'll post a photo when I get one. It's not the highest priority with the kids right now.

Sister's Weekend Has Officially Ended - Sort of. . .

I received the following graphic from daughter number 3 with daughters 4 and 5 in the photo. Now at least I know where my car is parked when I get home tomorrow. That makes things good. I carried on periodic text messages with daughters (JoAnn doesn't do text messaging) so I feel as if I know 2% of what went on and that is probably all I want to know.

Yet, it was a good weekend. Two days in a row we exhausted the kids - Bakes and Bradleys. At least I thought we did. Yesterday Deano came home exhausted and slept. Then both boys went down later without a peep - okay, after an hour of talking. But then I remember that my brother and I would talk into the evening after we were put to bed, so it must be in their genes. Daughter number 3 may need a week to readjust her 4 to family life again. I'm sure I've run them a little ragged.

After Church today the girls needed to go out and feed the chickens and ducks. They work pretty well as a team most of the time, as depicted by the photo below.


My heart goes out to those grandparents who raise their grandchildren. I know I'm not cut out for it. I love coming home to JoAnn and a nice quiet home. We enjoy our family, but we also enjoy our time together and we think we have earned it. We have great kids with great families and they do well. We are proud of them. Did I fail to mention that Mike was an awesome help this weekend and I could not have done it without him? It's true! Thanks Mike.

A Day at the Park

We had a busy morning getting Ellen off to school and Dean off to Mexico, then Alexis, Danny, Deano & I were off for donuts and back for a little relaxation. By 11:30 am we'd had enough relaxation and we decided we were hungry. So it was off to the Bradley's to pick up the family, some food, and hit the park. We did just that. A dad, grandpa, and 5 children under 8. More appropriately an 8 year old and 4 under 4. We are brave or stupid and I haen't decided which just yet.

Nothing like lunch in the park.

I just picked out a few of the cuter photos for here and put most of the photos on my flickr account.

Come on, does it get any cuter than this?

The kids had a great time. About 2:30 pm we noted they were moving awfully slowly. At that point Jay and I figured it was time to take them home. Sure enough Deano slept all the way home and Danny is asleep now. These are the experiences memories are built of. I'm sure glad I have this time in Idaho while the daughters converge in Las Vegas.

Bonnie moving from the end of the slide to her next adventure.

Alexis showing off!

Cousins having great fun! Lookout world!