Precious Ayla turns ONE!!!

I'm looking at a MIRACLE,

God sent to bring us pleasure;

Another chapter in life's book, 

Bringing JOY beyond all measure.

There's nothing like a Grandchild,

Especially a little girl;

She wraps your heart with HEARTSTRINGS,

And CAPTIVATES your world.

She dances into your very SOUL,

All ruffles, dollies, and lace;

You MELT into a puddle,

With one look from that little face.

She wraps you 'round' her finger,

And plays with you like a toy;

But that's the reason God gave her,

To bring her grandpa (Pappa) JOY.

This heritage of our heritage,

This BLESSING all giggles and fun;

Was sent by God as a SPECIAL GIFT,

Our PRECIOUS little one.

Happy 1st Birthday Precious Ayla!!!

- Love Pappa (2013.03.04)

Sid (aka Power Ranger) Turns 4

Where has the time gone ... Sid is now 4 years old and is the "bestest" grandson that anyone could ask for.  Mema and Papa did their best to get the house decorated up in a Power Ranger fashion.  

I think Sid really liked all of the decorations, but most importantly he loved all of his gifts!  He would go from one gift to the next, and if the gift was "soft" he knew it was something to wear and therefore something he didn't want to waste his time on.

May God continue to bless Sid and his beautiful family!!!

- Love Papa

Happy Birthday Baby Andrew Lindsay Farmer

Our precious baby Andrew Lindsay's birthday is today.  This year baby Andrew gets a Buzz Light Year toy and a squirt gun!

I figured as hot as its been, having a squirt gun would be alot of fun :)

You can never go wrong with a Buzz Light Year as he will always be there to save the day!

May God continue to hold you close and know that you are never forgotten....until we meet again.

Love,

Papa Dar

Not Peter Parker (aka Spiderman)

Sid learned about Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish at vacation bible school today.  When Sid went to the sitter's later that afternoon, the sitter asked about Peter and Sid informed the sitter it was not Peter Parker (aka Spiderman) it was Peter the fisherman!!!

My grandson is one smart cookie.

- Love Papa

2012 Memorial Weekend - Mall Of America

MeMa, Lindsay, Andrew, Sid, Ayla and PaPa went to the Mall of America to enjoy some indoor fun, shopping, and swimming!

Sid said "I;m just having crazy fun"!

Sid went down this "huge" slide all by himself and was not scared at all!  I don't think you would catch PaPa going down that slide!

Ayla is going to be a shopper just like her Mom and MeMa, she bought some clothes and of course we had to buy some toys!!!

It was a very special weekend and Sid saved PaPa at least 5 times when we were in the pool...Sid is my HERO!

- Love PaPa

Mother's Day May 13, 2012

What a wonderful day it was.  It was such a joy and pleasure to have our two beautiful grandkids with us on Mother's day!!!  Mary had gotten Sid a Zoo park to play with and it only took Mary and Andrew about an hour to put it together!

Ayla loves just looking at her Mema and smiling.  She had the most beautiful dress on and looked so adorable!

Sid, Mema, and Papa played hard the whole day.  We went to the park and I was Joey and Mary was Brock!  We played on the big bed, we played baseball, we fed the frogs, and had just one of the best days ever!!!

I am the luckiest guy ever as I have the bestest wife in the world who is the bestest Mom for our kids!!!  I am truely blessed to have such a wonderful and loving family!!!

- Papa Dar

Ayla Mary Farmer: Born March 4, 2012: 6lbs 10 ounces 19 inches

Sid Starts Pre-School 2012.01.12

Sid started pre-school today 2012.01.12....I can't believe that my 3 year old grandson is going to pre-school! He of course is ready for it, but his old Grandpa Dar is not ready for it as he is growing up way too fast. Sid is the smartest 3 year old kid that I have ever seen, his imagination, his memory, and his gift for talking will keep his teachers on their toes!

We are driving to Chicago tomorrow to see Uncle Grant and Tiffany! Mary, Lindsay, Andrew, and Sid! We are going to celebrate Lindsay & Andrew's wedding anniversary and celebrate Grant's birthday! I can't wait to have the whole family together as it makes this old man's heart swell with pride and joy!

- Grandpa Dar

Once A Hawk, Always A Hawk

Just like his Uncle Grant, Sid too is a HAWK!

Happy 4th Birthday baby Andrew Lindsay Farmer

Baby Andrew Lindsay Farmer - 08.08.2007

Grandson #1 birthday is Monday August 8, 2011:

I feel a warmth around me
like your presence is so near,
And I close my eyes to visualize
your face when you were here,
I endure the times we spent together
and they are locked inside my heart,
For as long as I have those memories
we will never be apart,
Even though we cannot speak no more
my voice is always there,
Because every night before I sleep
I have you in my prayer.

Monday August 8th is a day to celebrate the life of Andrew Lindsay. Despite only being with us for a short period of time, he will ALWAYS be my #1 Grandson.

Happy Birthday baby Andrew Lindsay!!! May God continue to hold you and your other unborn sibling close and know that one day we will be there with you to hold you ourselves.....

Sid's bat DARLIN

Sid for being only 2 years old is an unbelievable hitter when it comes to baseball. He will hit the ball of the tee and it will go along way. Word on the street is when he does this in his neighborhood, older kids will be heard saying "WOW"!

Sid calls his bat "darlin", guess this is what Babe Ruth use to call his bat! It is just adorable as Sid will ask where "darlin" is and once he finds her he will then proceed and go out and hit home run after home run.

Sid will take requests for who to hit home runs for. He hits the longest home runs when you say Grant or Tiffy!!!

I have a feeling that my grandson is going to be a really good ball player!!! Of course whatever Sid does he will be good at as my Grandson can do NO wrong!!!

Love,

Papa

Sid continues to weave his WEB!!!

Sid the Spiderman, go web, fly up, up, and away web! Shazam! Go! Go! Go web go! Tally ho!

Sid just loves Spiderman and loves to shoot his web. Andrew and Sid went to the boy's state basketball tournament to watch Ankeny play. Sid was shooting his web to the Hoover boy's basketball team who was sitting behind them. It sounds like Sid and the Hoover boys basketball team were having fun and I am sure Sid entertained them!

Sometimes Sid will shoot his web at MeMa and Papa and we will be frozen until Spiderman un-freezes us. I think MeMa wishes Sid the Spiderman would keep Papa frozen for awhile :)

I just love Sid's imagination and how sometimes he will be wearing his Spiderman pajamas and just run around shooting his webs.

This being a Grandpa is the most wonderful experience there is as I just love to see the world through the eyes of a child.

Sid, I hope the webs you weave are always STRONG and that your webs take you wherever you want to go.

Love,

Papa

Ticket to Polar Express and to Chicago

My second grandson Sid just loves the movie Polar Express. Sid has such a wonderful imagination and will use anything as his "ticket" and pretend that the ticket is for the Polar Express. He will run around with the ticket and pretend to stop the train in case his ticket blows away. It is such a pleasure and joy and my heart just melts when he gives me a ticket and says: Papa you can come too!!!

This past weekend Sid had a ticket to go to Chicago to see Uncle Grant for his 25th birthday. Sidnee, Lindsay, Andrew, MeMa, and PaPa all went to see Grant and Tiffany in Chicago. Sid was such a joy and was just a super traveler. Sid got a ticket to go to the Shedd Acquarium where he saw: fish, a huge lobster, sharks, penguins, frogs, whales, etc.

It is just a wonderful blessing to see Sid and his imagination, he is truely one special grandson and I hope and pray that he uses that imagination so he can take his "ticket" anywhere he wants to as he gets older!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Sid - 2010.11.01

Sidnee,

I can't wait to go to your Shark birthday party! You will have many people there to help you celebrate as they all love you so dearly.

I hope you get some: sharks, trucks, semi's, bull-dozers, tractors, candy, football, hope you are able to go outside, maybe MeMa will make you some spaghetti, maybe Uncle Grant and Tiffy-poo will call so you can see them on the phone, maybe we can play tackle football, maybe we can watch the blue movie, maybe we can play on the big bed, maybe you can play with the toys you have in your garage, maybe we can go downstairs and play, maybe we can go in Grant's room and play with the footballs and helmets, maybe you can take a nap at Papa's and MeMa's...most importantly Sid, I hope you have the BESTEST BIRTHDAY PARTY EVER!!!

Grandson, on this occasion these words are sent to say
You bring a ray of sunshine into the world each day.

For having you as a Grandson is a gift to closely hold
Always and forever to treasure just like gold.

For you are always there like a light that shines so bright
And you spread rainbows of happiness over everything in sight.

So thank you so much Sidnee for all the things you do
For all the kindness in your heart and fun and laughter too!

Love,

Papa Dar

Baby Andrew Lindsay Farmer - 08.08.2007

Grandson #1 birthday is Sunday August 8, 2010.

It will be 3 years on Sunday August 8th since we were able to see you and hold you. Since that day there is not a day that goes by where you are not in my thoughts.

I look forward to the day when I can hold my grandson again and to be able to experience the joy and pride of holding you close once again.

Sunday August 8th is a day to celebrate the life of Andrew Lindsay. Despite only being with us for a short period of time, he will ALWAYS be my #1 Grandson.

Happy Birthday baby Andrew Lindsay and know that Grandpa Dar is sending hugs and kisses your way.

emi,car,trK,dozer...HAND

Sid loves his emi(semi), cars, trK(trucks), and dozer! Sid, MeMa, and Papa can play with these toys for hours. We have a small carton of different vehicles that use to be Grant's and Sid just loves dumping out the whole thing and just starts playing!

Sid took his dozer and truck and we moved some dirt at MeMa and Papa's house. Sid is all boy and loves to be outside.

We can even do the "Sid Dance" with one of his monster trucks as it has music to it. Sid definately dances just like his MeMa!!! That grandsone of mine sure likes music and can dance up a storm!

Sid is so smart and is talking up a storm. He just had his Doctor's appointment yesterday and the Doctor could not believe how smart he was!!! Sid has grown 3 inches and now weighs 25 lbs. Most important, Sid is healthy.

When Sid wants to show you something or do something he will say HAND...Wow, that is so powerful to hear him say that as my heart just melts. To hold my grandson's hand is just an unbelievable feeling and to see him reach out for you is something that I just treasure.

When I have his hand in mind, I fully realize just how precious and what a miracle it is to have such a special blessing as a grandson is. I treasure these moments so much and wish these days could last for ever.

Sid also likes to jump of MeMa's chair or couch. He will take my hand before he jumps, look over to see if MeMa is watching and then just SMILE as he jumps off :)

- Grandpa Dar

ABC, 123, baby Sid and Me

Wow, my grandson Sid already knows part of his ABC's!!! Sid is only 15 months old and is able to say the correct letter of the alphabet if you hold the letter in fron of him.

To me, the is totally unbelievable. Obvsiously, Sidnee does NOT get his smarts from his Grandpa Dar as I still have a difficult time spelling my name correctly!

Just had to share this with everyone as I am extremely PROUD!

"PaPa" - Music to my ears!

Yesterday was the first time I heard Sid say "PaPa"! My heart just melted and I felt like I was sitting on top of the world.

Man, being a Grandparent and hearing my grandson call out to me was such a blessing and something I will always remember.

I use to remember when my own kids called me Dad and the proud feelings I had. Now of course, my kids hardly talk to me anymore :)

I am PaPa!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Sid!!!

Sidnee Andrew Farmer is one year old today!

Let's just say that Sid had a "ball" on his 1st birthday!

Everything centered around a ball theme from Mary's cookies to bread balls, it was a wonderful occassion with family.

Thanks to all who attended as it is family who makes things so special.

Sid, thanks for a wonderful year as I could not ask for a better second grandson!

Love,

Grandpa Dar

No mountain (stairs) are to high for "Never Give Up Sid"

Lindsay and Andrew's house has a pretty significant set of stairs going from their main level to their upstairs.

Lindsay, Mia, and Sid were upstairs with the gate locked. All of a sudden Lindsay heard "thump, thump, thump" and Lindsay rushed to the stairs and saw where Sid had fallen down at least 10 steps.

Lindsay rushed down to get Sid and after Sid was picked up all he wanted to do was to be let go so he could try and climb that mountain again without falling.

Lindsay was behind Sid as he proceeded to climb up the stairs again and once he was at the top stairs, Sid turned around and went down two steps and turned around and looked at Lindsay and gave her the look that said: "Mom, I can do this and I'm not afraid".

Wow, I am not making this up and if this does not sound like some family members I know then I don't know what does. Some people I know you can tell them you can't do this and they will turn right arnound and show you that they can. The determination and desire that Sid displayed will be a cornerstone of his life going forward.

I know, this is all Grandpa Dar just bragging on his grandson, which I MAY do occassionaly :), but some of the stuff that my grandson can do is truely amazing!!!

- Grandpa Dar