plans for the New Year

The Ashley's are coming for the weekend. This is good for two reasons; first I miss Betsy terribly and secondly, I get my hair cut. No, I still have not found a hairdresser down here (nor am I trying) This is no doubt inconvenient, but old people do not handle change well :-)

Susan and Matty took me to Red Lobster for lunch (this has become my Christmas bonus tradition) I love it. Which is especially good as I got two gift cards to Red Lobster for Christmas. :-) It really does not get any better than that. We had the ultimate bread dip appetizer. Crusty bread bowl filled with shrimp, lobster and crab in a warm cheese sauce.......I got the leftovers. Matty loves cheese and decided he could dip his french fries into the cheese sauce; after which he declared "cheese"!

I had PT today. I am improving despite what I may think. (I am frustrated thinking I am not making progress as quickly as I think I should be) Anyway, today I rode the bike for over a mile, ROM is now 119 degrees, (125 is normal ROM) I also opted to increase the weights another # from what I did on Wed. They are very pleased with my progress so who am I to argue.

I guess we will be sharing our New Year's dinner with the Ashley's, Susan, Tom and Matthew, and Uncle Roy. Josh and Jackie are taking the girls to her parents. I was blessed to have them for our Christmas celebration. Looking forward to our New Year's dinner with family and friends to share it with us.

family Christmas

I was very blessed to share our Christmas celebration with Susan, Tom and Matthew, Josh, Jackie, Lael and Alyssa. Uncle Roy and Wm. mother joined us also.

As is our tradition, there was an abundance of food, Christmas cookies, Italian Christmas cookies and cannoli.

I loved watching the girls with their little cousin and all three of them tearing into their gifts. My sweet little Alyssa exclaimed as she opened each gift "This is just what I always wanted". Most of the family walked down the street to see the way over decorated house in the next block. (Matty loves it and screams "go, go, go" when we go out on our porch) We did have one mishap as my adorable Lael slipped off the edge and into the mud filled ditch. Mommy brought extra clothes so a real catastrophe was averted.

Can't tell you how much I enjoyed my day. Now here are the pictures I promised to share.

Ramblings.........

After 2 nights with no sleep and my leg jumping (RLS) most of the night, I finally got some sleep last night. Not a lot mind you, but anything is better than nothing. I am much too old to try to run after a 16 mo. old baby on no sleep and sore leg. Yes, my leg is still giving me problems. It is still infected despite the change in antibiotics. (It can't stay bad forever can it???)

All the gifts are wrapped, got the last done when Matty was napping this morning. Cookies are baked and the tins for neighbors are distributed.
Last of my cards are in the mail. Sounds like I am all set, eh? Not quite. I need to shop for cold cuts for the meat tray, make up the bread dip (especially for my pregnant daughter in law) All that has to be done between tomorrow night and Sat. morning.

The church is having a living nativity again this year on Christmas eve. There will also be worship and refreshments.

Eager for Saturday! A special time when 3 of my 4 grandchildren and 2 of my 3 children will share a family Christmas. Jon and Donna usually come at Christmas but since they were here in June and because she is nearing the end of her pregnancy, they chose to spend Christmas at home. While I am sad I will not see my little southern princess (the other girls are the northern princesses) I am so anxious to be spending celebrating with family and grandchildren.
Stay tuned for my Christmas pics on Sunday!

Update

OK, just returned from the doctor appt. and PT. I have a Rx for a different antibiotic that she thinks will take care of the infection in my knee. She seems more pleased with my progress than I am. ROM has gone from 12% after the surgery to 95%, so if you look at it like that, yes, I am making progress. Not as much or as quickly as I would like......I know, I know, God's timing is perfect.

Snowing here, I actually do not mind it at all. It is enough to say it is snowing but it is melting when it hits the ground. Ya gotta love it.

Presents are all purchased and wrapped, with the exception of the ones still at Susan's house (remember all those she got for me on Black Friday) There is one thing to say about not continually shopping.......you stick to the list you made and don't over buy. Something I have always been guilty of. I see something special for one grandchild and then have to find 3 more special things for the others.

So looking forward to Saturday. Menu is planned and what we could buy already we have. The rest we will get closer to Sat. Will take advantage of not having the baby this afternoon and work on my baking.

Saturday night post

Found the perfect dryer sheets at Wegmans......they have no scent. I use Tide free so it never made sense to me to use some perfumey dryer sheet. Strange as this sounds, I am actually excited about a dryer sheet.

And speaking of excited, just one more week until Josh, Jackie and the girls come for our family Christmas. Matty is old enough to interact with the girls this year, which will really make it fun.

Still going to PT twice a week. I have infection in one of the incision sites though. Strange as the other 2 have nearly healed over. I go back to the doctor on Tues. morning.

We ventured out to Great Northern Mall at 4 pm; I was naive enough to think a lot of the crowds would be gone by then......Surprise! We went to Sears and Old Navy and the food court and were back home by 6:30. Just 2 more gifts to get. I am planning on doing that on the way home from church tomorrow.

new trials

I had Matty again this morning. Was not sure how that would work. There really was not a lot of choice. His other grandmother had been watching him but when she went to the doctor on Fri; her BP was 220 over something. They immediately hospitalized and kept her for 2 days until they got it down to 150.
We managed pretty well. I laid down when he napped. I was grateful to see Wm come home early as I needed to go to PT was not ready.

Part of my PT is electric stimulation. There were 2 of us hooked to same machine today. I was already hooked up when she tried to set the level for the other patient. He said he could not feel anything at all.......I however got the full jolt when she set mine up by mistake......oops.......that was one big oops let me tell you.

Needless to say, we are all missing our sweet Zoe. Matty looked all around for her today. We found some pictures of her when came to Syr. nine years ago to pick her up (0f course they would turn up now).

We are now looking forward to Dec. 23 when Josh and Jackie and the girls are coming down for our family Christmas. This is the first time we have not gone to them but with all the problems I had with my knee healing, they decided to come down this year. PTL

updates and ramblings

This will be a hard update for me to write. We had to have Zoe put down yesterday. She had been at the vets for 3 days and her condition only seemed to deteriorate even with the IV antibiotics and steroids. A red blood count level of at least 15 is needed to sustain life......Zoe's had dropped to 12 yesterday. They had run out of options and we could not bear to see her suffer anymore. We had nine years with her and she brought us much joy......it will definitely be a loss. My DH faithfully walked her at least twice a day so that in and of itself will be an adjustment for him. Besides her walks, she loved a scoop of ice cream every night. At about 9 pm every night she would come to the kitchen and Wm. would ask her what she wanted. He would say show me what you want and she would touch her nose to the fridge. He would say, ice cream and her tail would start wagging. Yes, she will be sorely missed.

I am still hobbling around, going to PT twice a week, but have not been up to having Matty here all day yet. He is coming tonight so Susan and Tom can go to the funeral home.

Today my baby turns 30. I know he is not happy about the end of an era but he will no doubt be even less happy when he sees that I have called him my baby. But it is the truth, he will always be my baby.......nothing can change that!
Happy Birthday sweetheart.

update on Zoe

Zoe is still in guarded condition today. She will remain at the vets where they can monitor her for another 24 hr; at which time they will do more blood work to see if the antibiotics and steroids they are giving her are helping her.
They have decided that she has autoimmune disease. This means that the immune system begins to attack and reject the body's own tissue as foreign; red blood cells in particular are affected.
I feel so bad for my baby. (she will be 9 this month, so I guess she is not a baby) I will keep you updated on her progress.

ramblings.......

Well, now we are well into December. The gorgeous weather of last week has given way to snow and cold. (like I should be surprised for Upstate NY). My Christmas shopping has so far been limited to what Susan graciously got for me on Black Fri. and what I ordered online. On Sat. we did venture out to the Great Northern Mall to pick up pajamas for all the grandchildren (a long standing family tradition that everyone gets new PJs on Christmas Eve) at Old Navy and a Lands End dress for Morrigan at Sears. I have Josh's birthday gifts here, but I should get them in the mail. I had hoped they would venture down this weekend but with the concert being postponed, I guess that is out :-(

Just in case you are wondering, I am still hobbling around here. Not happy with the progress I am making,(or not making). I am going to PT 2xs a week.
Since I only began this last week, I do not see a lot of progress here either. I am doing exercises here at home on my own the rest of the time. Matty's other grandmother has been watching Matty and I am very blessed by that.

Zoe went to the vets last week. They ran some tests and said they thought it was some kind of infection; other than the ear infection they diagnosed. They called back a few days later to say her bilirubin was high and her red count low. They thought it may be a tumor in her liver. She has gone down hill over the weekend and will go back to the vet tomorrow morning.

Lights and garland decorate the porch and our little tree we had inside last year (which got knocked over twice) is on the porch. The little tree in the garden is lit. (I do love little white lights!)

edit: Zoe went back to the vet this morning. They now think it is her immune system. They are keeping her over night and giving her IV antibiotics, etc. We should know more tomorrow morning.

Tues. update

OK, I will try again. I typed out a post only to have it disappear when I hit publish.

During the night Sat. (about 2am) I woke up in excruciating pain. My knee pain was and still remains minimal. The real pain is in my shin bone and on the opposite side of my knee from the repair. By Mon, I was still unable to put any weight on my right leg and just getting to the bathroom has proved a big trial.

Monday afternoon, on my DH insistence, I called the doctor who assured me what I was feeling was to be expected. She told me that they shoot novocaine into the knee during surgery and then again when surgery is over. What I was feeling was just the novocaine wearing off. She also called in another pain prescription to be used in between the doses of the original pain med. It is helping some but the pain is still more than I had anticipated.

On a lighter note, I did manage to take a shower this morning. My DH will be making Thanksgiving dinner on Thurs for the two of us and Uncle Roy. Yes, he is definitely a keeper. He has decided to take the week off from work as his vacation.......we were planning on using it when Max is born.

update

Well, surgery is over and I must admit that I am definitely feeling all your prayers. For the first time, I had no nausea after anesthesia (yes, I had a local in my knee but also IV so I was asleep for the entire procedure). Another blessing is the pain in my knee and hip are gone. I have pain meds that they gave me but I can manage very nicely with OTC meds. Remember I said I had to get a ice brace for my knee that was $85? Well, that is wonderful. It keeps the ice in place and secured to my knee at all times. There is an extra gel pack to keep in the freezer while one is in use. Right now I must keep it elevated except when I walk to the bathroom. I can walk with no crutches and NO pain. This has been a blessing in disguise. Thank you all again for your prayers.

surgery scheduled for tomorrow

Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:45am. While I am very eager to have my knee repaired, I am beginning to get a little anxious and concerned. I have to feel better, I certainly can not feel worse than I do now but I know that I will have to feel worse (something I did not really consider until lately) before I feel better. It is definitely time to do something. I walked at noon with Matty and my knee went out and I thought I would never get back home. I was in tears when we got here; but I did get here. PTL

Thanks to all who have said they would pray......I really aprreciate your prayers.

update from Matthew.com

Matthew had his 15 mo. check up yesterday. He is "off the charts" as far as height is concerned. He is 33 in. tall and weighs 27#. (I actually thought he was looking thinner lately but he gained 2# and grew an inch in 3 mo.) Yes, he is one big boy. He and Anthony are wearing the same size now so there is not much hand-me-down anymore. (Anthony is 6 mo older than Matty)

I did manage to make Wm. a birthday cake yesterday :-)

edit: here is a picture of Matty enjoying Grampa's birthday cake (I made another one Sat. morning.)
Oh, and did I mention I took it on my new razr camera phone Susan got for me?????? Pretty nice, eh?

Happy Birthday to my sweet William

Happy Birthday to my sweet William. He is 60 yr. old today. Wow, I find that very hard to believe! Seems like just yesterday we were our kids age with little kids running around. While I absolutely love being a grandparent, 60 sounds old. Yes, I know that "you are only as old as you feel" (I feel 106, I can barely walk anymore) and "age is relative" (relative to what may I ask) But this is not about me. It is about my DH whom God has blessed me with 30+ yr. ago.

My sister, Susan's birthday was also today and for most of our married life we always shared Wm. and Susan's birthday. She died Christmas day 2002 of a brain aneurysm.

I have not been out shopping to even get a card (this is the first time in 30+ yr. that I did not get one and have it on the table when he got up) and because there is cell group tonight, I am planning to celebrate Wm. birthday on Saturday.

On another note, I never thought I would be actually be looking forward to surgery. I can barely walk anymore. I would just like to be able to walk with Matty or make it though the grocery store in one trip or even just be able to walk around the house without holding on to the walls and cringing with every step I take on my right foot. (just 8 more days)

Alyssa's party

Yesterday was Alyssa's party. Susan, Tom and Matty rode with us. I tend to forget from year to year how bad the weather can be in the snowbelt. Granted I have seen it much worse but I was still surprised at the amount of lake effect snow through there. Having lived in Pulaski for seven years this should not really take me off guard like that.

It was so good to see the girls and the 3 hr. drive each way through the snow belt was definitely worth it. Alyssa seemed to have been pleased with all her gifts. She got quite a mix of toys and clothes. One of the gifts Grampa and I got her was a Bible and a Bible bag that said "God's Girl" on it. I fell in love with it the minute I saw it and could not wait to give it to her.

Jackie made her an adorable cake (Pablo from the Backyardigans). It had blue frosting and we all were sporting blue lips :-) She did an excellent job with the cake (allergy free) as well as the decorating.

Matthew was checking out Princess Lael's earrings in the fist picture . (Grampa too) The second picture is Lael, Matthew and the birthday girl.

Thought you might think this was as cute as I did. No, he did not go out Trick or Treating......just came to see both sets of grandparents.

Another whirlwind day

This has been another whirlwind day. First, I can not believe I can be so tired with extra sleep but I can barely get out of my own way.
Wm. came home at 1 and went along with Matty and me to my doctor's appt. Now, I was supposed to be there to go over the MRI report on my neck. The nurse told me on the phone it was unremarkable with the exception of the left side of my thyroid being larger than my right. Seeing I had a partial thyroidectomy and all of the right side and part of the left was gone, that did not seem too alarming. To make a long story short, I have a cyst on my lymph node over the carotid artery which looks to be benign. (how can they tell that from an MRI?) The doctor was all set to start the wheels in motion to have that taken care of. I told him I did not even want to think about it until after the surgery on my knee. (in case you haven't noticed, I am absolutely falling apart) I am going to start a round of antibiotics to see if some of the swelling in the gland goes down.

Poor Matty, I put him in the high chair when we got home so I could make him some lunch. When I turned back around, he was throwing up (mostly phlegm; gross I know). He is sleeping now. He fell asleep while I was cleaning up the kitchen and washing his clothes. He looked like he was falling asleep when he was in the car.

Although the surgery on my knee is not scheduled until the 17th, I have to have tests on the 7th, a physical on the 13th. YUCK

Grateful that we are going to Canton on Saturday for Alyssa's birthday so I can see the girls and Matty together, that should pick up my spirits.

Inspiration

The other autumn pictures were an inspiration for this. Matty loves being outside but I really dislike him eating the leaves.
Guess we should rake them up!

Update

I had my surgical consult this morning. I need to have arthroscopic surgery on my knee to repair the torn meniscus in my right knee. Surprise.......like they were going to say "no surgery necessary, just go home and it will heal on it's own. No date yet. They will call me tomorrow.
As for the other MRI I had on my neck. Nothing remarkable. I do have to return to my family physician on Monday.

Next Saturday is Miss Alyssa's birthday party. We are all going up. Grampa, Susan, Tom, Matty and I. Uncle Roy is not sure yet.

edit: my surgery is scheduled for Nov. 17th.

Finally..........

PTL.....the laundry center is in upstairs! No more going to the cellar to do the laundry. Tom and Susan came after work and after we had dinner (ok, a small bribe) Tom helped Wm. put it in. I was surprised at all the maneuvering in order to get it through the sliding door in the kitchen. (the door looked big than it is I guess)
Matty was not happy with the roast beef and southwestern corn but he loved the mashed potatoes, crescents and adored the marble cake with chocolate glaze. He started out eating off his parents' cake plates but ended up with his own piece. This morning when he got here he ran right for the kitchen and pointed at the cake! Must be he really liked it :-)

Speaking of Matty, he got more teeth this week.

Well, I have my MRI (open) of my neck tomorrow and then my surgical consult on Tues. Glad to finally be getting this taken care of.......I can barely walk around the house anymore which is putting a real crimp in our daily walks around the neighborhood.

Did you see the pictures Jackie took of the girls in the leaves? Aren't they adorable? Not just because I am their gramma, who wouldn't think they were cute???

The church is starting a new 4 week series in small groups. It is called "walk across the room".
Hopefully by next week things will be back to normal at work and Wm. will not be working overtime every night.

Quite a week

Well, this has been quite a week so far.

Sunday morning, we went to Canton, (I was missing the girls so very much and Alyssa's party got pushed back another weekend) Now, spontaneity is not one of Wm.'s strong suits, so this was exciting. We called ahead and the girls were waiting for us. We went to Ponderosa, Lael's favorite and Jackie can always find something there for Alyssa to eat.

When we got home I had a message on the machine saying that my half sister, Dawn had passed away. Now this is going to sound strange to most of you.....we really had no kind of a relationship with each other......growing up our families wanted it that way. It was not until my father died that we actually sat down and talked. Even as old as we were, her mother asked her not to have a relationship with us (at that time, my sister Susan was still alive). Dawn respected her mother's wishes. Wm and I went to the funeral home on Mon. night and to the funeral on Tues. This is the good part. We had to take Matty with us to the funeral (long story) and part way through, Wm. took him outside so he could walk around. The woman sitting behind me said that someone had gone to pray with Dawn every few days since she became sick. (she had Lupus and was bedridden at the end) She said that Dawn was so pleased for people to come and pray with her and for her. I was very encouraged by this and other things the woman shared.

Yesterday, I had an appointment at the Imaging clinic on Taft Rd. I was to have 2 MRI's done. They had closed MRI's! I was shocked.......even up in rural SLC, the MRI's were open. Now I had a horrid migraine most of the night Tuesday and when I got up on Wed. it really was no better. The banging from the machine did not help matters. (It sounded like a jack hammer and they even gave you ear plugs) I was to get one of my neck also. Now there was absolutely no way I intended to stick my head in there. I prayed all through the one of my knee and when the time came for my neck, I had the courage to tell them I was refusing. (I am not one to "make waves") So I am waiting for another appointment at an open MRI and an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. They seem to think that the cartilage in my knee is gone and the pain in my back and hip are from favoring my knee when I walk.

edit: The doctor's office just called and the results of the MRI was a meniscus tear. They still have no appt. for the orthopedic surgeon. I do, however, have an appt. for an open MRI of my neck on Thurs. Oct. 19th.

bits and pieces

I don't really have a lot to say here.

I can not believe that Lael has started CFA today. When did she get to be that old, or rather when did I get that old. The time just seems to fly by. I remember my mother saying that when my children were young, and in her words "what goes around comes around". I guess.

Matty is drooling more than I have ever seen a baby do before.......actually, more like the slobbering Zoe has been doing lately. I can see that Matty is getting more teeth. As far as Zoe is concerned, I have no idea why she is slobbering so. When we lived in Canton and she was very young, we had a neighbor who had a basset, an older on, who slobbered so that he had to carry a roll of paper towels on their walk. Now I thought this was just Beau but maybe bassets get to be even more wet mouthed dogs the older they become. Who knows? Well, not me but maybe I should research this. Zoe has been even more laid back than usual, choosing to sleep the day away on our bed (out of Matty's reach) Don't misunderstand, Matty is good with Zoe and she is with him, but I think Zoe is just too old to have Matty chase her through the house.

On another note, our washer/dryer is still not hooked up , upstairs here. The water and dryer vent is in and the laminate is down. Wm. has been working over nearly every night and even going in on Sat. and earlier than usual on a few mornings this week. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Wm. has been so good to take the laundry down and do it for me since my back, hip and knee are getting worse instead of better.

Matty has discovered the little broom that the girls had in the toy box at our house. He is sweeping up a storm. (better with that than the swiffer he was using). Not only does enjoy his sweeping, he uses it as a weapon to ward off old fat grammas who think it is time for a nap!

Talked to Morrigan last night who is looking forward to the birth of her new brother and her birthday both within days of each other in Feb. She told me of what is going on in her life in Raleigh and wanted me to tell her about Lael and Alyssa and Matty. When asked if her mommy was getting fatter, she answered "she's just perfect". She wanted to know when Aunt Jackie was going to have her new baby and if we knew what it was going to be. She told me all about what they were planning for the nursery for Max. Exciting stuff !

Guess I had more to say than I thought!

"I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast.
I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made.

I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure.

I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees,
colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.
I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded.

I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.

My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven.
My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.

I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back,deluded or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary.

I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up,prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus!

I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!"

(author unknown)

Where is the baby?

Matty doesn't look like a baby any more. It has only been a year, isn't it too early for him to look like a big kid?

He wanted me to hold him yesterday and rock. It was so good to hold him and rock him; to smell his hair that still has that baby smell and to feel his breath on my cheek. I should have put him in the crib for his nap but instead I held him and we rocked. Soon he won't want me to rock him anymore. I am so grateful for the opportunity to watch him everyday while Susan is at work.
That said, it makes me realize how much I miss seeing the girls. We shall see Lael and Alyssa in Oct. for Alyssa's birthday (if not before) but we will not see Morrigan until her birthday which is in February. By that time the new baby will be here. Donna would like for us to come for his birth and stay until Morrigan's birthday but as it looks now, we will not make it down until Morrigan's birthday and he will be 2 weeks old by then. (If you are wondering how I can be so precise about the date, Donna makes an appt. and they induce her).

Then in March, J&J's new baby will be here.......we are truly blessed grandparents!

Another post from Matthew.com

Finally, the other bottom tooth came in yesterday. I thought I saw it just beginning to break through and when I checked, sure enough, it's coming in.

My back has been bothering me a lot the last few days. Thurs. and Fri. I decided that I would have Matthew walk to his room and then I would put him on the changing table to change him. I was not certain how this would work, but all I had to say was "time to change your pants", and he would take my hand and walk to the other room with me. Stopping only to be sure the gate was shut behind us. (this is so much like his father) So I was amazed that with his limited vocabulary, he does understand what we are saying to him.

On another note, we (OK, Wm.) is putting in the new washer/dryer. Well, right now he is running the new water lines and drain for it. I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. No more going down stairs to do the wash. If it was just going down, that would be bad enough, but I need to get the laundry down there too. Things are looking up!

Back in the saddle again

Well, my vacation is over and I am back to work (sometimes I think that you can hardly call that work and then at other times, he really runs me ragged)
I finished my painting over vacation but I did not get the sewing project or the scrapbooking done. But, let us not forget the boxes I went through to find the pictures and hang them in the kitchen. (that should be worth something, after all, it had been a year they sat in the cellar). Having a chance to see the girls was definitely a plus for me.

Matty is running now.....great for him, the jury is still out for Gramma. He has learned a few new words, but has not gotten the other tooth on the bottom.
Susan said while they were up at camp (Old Forge) they saw an Explorer that looked like ours and he got very excited, hollering and waving at what he thought was Grampa!

The little garden we put in at the beginning of the summer still looks pretty good. I am amazed, seeing it has pretty much taken care of itself. The salmon colored impatiens in the front were the ones they gave away on Mother's day at Faith Chapel. Impressive, eh?

How I spent my vacation ?????

In retrospect, I had been looking forward to this vacation for a while and had big plans of all I would accomplish with 10 days to myself. Well, my big plans fell short of my goal.
*I did get the kitchen cupboards cleaned and de-cluttered. I finally went to the cellar and found the boxes with the fruit and vegetable pictures for the kitchen and got them hung up (I know it has been a year since the move, and when Sheri got things on her wall, I felt compelled to do likewise)
* I got some painting done (bar stools from terra cotta to white) that I had wanted to do since we moved but never seemed to find the time. OK, there was more painting I wanted to do but it was damp and rainy there for part of the week and I knew the paint would never dry.
*Yesterday was the highlight of my week. I went to Canton with Uncle Roy. He was gracious enough to let me drive his car and go with me as long as I stopped in Cracker Barrel in Watertown on the way there. I got my hair cut and highlighted while the girls had school. After my hair appt we went to see the girls. Did I mention how my much I miss them? It was sooo good to see them and listen to Lael's stories of homeschool and Alyssa's horror stories of the hospital. They both told us how excited they are that Mommy is having another baby. Alyssa said now she will be a big sister! Having to leave them was tearing at my heart.
*I had wanted to get some scrapbooking done as well as some sewing. I do still have 3 more days of vacation, counting what is left of today. I guess I had better get moving here.

Now, I am looking forward to having Matty back. I did not think I would miss him as much as I do. Susan, Tom and Matty have gone to camp up at Old Forge for vacation. Because the weather was so cold and wet, I had imagined them coming home. Alas, they didn't. I guess I can wait until tomorrow to see them.

Strange thoughts

I was thinking about how I find myself doing some of the same things my mother did (despite promising myself I would never do that). Anyway, I was thinking about Matthew and how I see him doing things that his father would do. Now at 13 months, this can not possibly be learned behavior but more like inherited. Example? OK: Whenever he gets out of the stroller he has to go back and put the tray back straight. (His father always has to have everything perfect too) Another example is the container of wipes on the changing table. If I do not close the top as soon as I get the wipe out, he feels it necessary to stand up (in the middle of getting his pants changed) and close the top. After he puts the tray back or the top on the wipes, he gives me one of his huge grins, just so I know that everything is OK now.

A few more hours and Susan and Tom will start their vacation. That also means I will start mine too! Unfortunately, my poor Wm. has to work next week. Susan and Tom have been taking this week for vacation for the last 15 yr; their anniversary is Sept. 14th. I would love to go somewhere but with Wm. working I guess I will be waiting until his vacation in Oct.

On our walks Matty has been pointing and telling me car or truck (cuck) when one goes by. Yesterday he brought Susan a picture of Tom and Lael and pointed to his father and said DaDa. I was hoping for Gramma but so far nothing. If you ask him where Gramma is, he knows. He likes to feed Zoe from the high chair and on the rare occasion she is not there I tell him he has to call her. I called "Zoe, Zoe".......he called "we, we".

Now this may not seem blog worthy to you; but I love it every time I see or hear him doing new and different things.

Maybe with vacation, I will get a chance to see "my girls" OK, Josh and Jackie's girls!

Newsflash from Matthew.com

Matthew finally got another tooth. He has had 6 for months and the doctors told us that more were getting ready to push through. We were playing on the floor, he got laughing and threw his head back and sure enough, another tooth on the bottom, can the one on the right be far off?

Three day weekend

I do love these three day weekends. It was so nice to have the extra day accomplish things.

Matthew went to the doctor's on Thurs. for his check up and shots. He had a great check up. He is 32 3/4 in. tall and weighs 25#. They said he could have a reaction to the shots in 3 weeks and get a rash. He also had a very sore thoat, which would account for his not eating. On Fri morning, during our walk, I noticed he had a rash on the back of his neck. When I changed his pants, the rash had spread to his stomach. I called Susan, who called his dr. They looked at him and said it was a virus. Symptoms are sore throat, rash and sleeping a lot.

On Sat. Susan and I went to the Christmas Tree Shop and then to the Super Wal*Mart. I got really sick and had to come home and go to bed.

Sunday was Uncle Roy's birthday. We took him to Cracker Barrel for his birthday dinner. We went to Susan's house for cake and cookies, etc. Stephanie, Michael and Anthony as well as Uncle Jim came for cake.
*note: Matthew and Anthony are the same height and Matty weighs 3 oz. more. Anthony is 6 mo. older.

Today we finished the grocery shopping,put up the copper star on the porch, Wm. worked on the closet where we plan to put the washer/dryer, made some macaroni and cheese. Yep, the weather is definitely changing. It is cooling down next week.

News Flash: Jon and Donna are having a boy. Donna had a level II ultrasound on Fri. and the sex was determined : male. Josh and Jackie's baby will either balance the scale or throw it over to the other side.

Everything old is new again

It seems like yesterday that Jon Christian was running around "being" spiderman; and in love with anything spiderman. Fast forward 30+ yr. and the next generation takes the baton. Here is
Matty in his new spiderman sneakers and he is off and running with his old fat gramma trying to keep up. Jon never had spiderman sneakers like these......Matty's have lights!
No sooner did I mention how he hates shoes than he has proved me wrong.
"Dogs and kids will prove you wrong every time"

Productive weekend

Weekend started off very well with Wm. coming home from work early. We took Matty to see Wm.'s mother. She will be moving to the "HOME" sometime next week. (this was her choice). It is not as bad as it sounds as Wm. sister, Karen, started working there as the bookkeeper so they will be able to visit everyday.

Saturday, we met Susan and Matty at the mall so we could go to Sears. We got a stackable washer/dryer. I had one when we lived in Canton and loved it. We have our washer and dryer in the basement here. Since it is extremely hard on me to go up and down the steps with the laundry basket, poor Wm. has been carrying it down for me and most of the time he just feels it is easier to do the laundry. Anyway, because we will be putting it in the linen closet just outside the bathroom, we had to find a new place for everything that was in there. This afternoon, we decided to move the contents of the hall closet to the empty closet in the guest room/nursery and put shelves in the hall closet and make that the linen closet. OK, that is done now and the old linen closet is empty awaiting the washer/dryer which we are getting next Saturday.

The washer/dryer was not the only thing we got. OK, that I got. Wm. bought me the stand mixer (stainless steel) that I have been asking for, for as long as I can remember.

Today on the way home from church, we stopped at Marshall's Mega store to see if we could find something for Susan's birthday. I found a few small things and I also found something for Alyssa's birthday ( which is not for another few months, but my DH suggested I get it now while they still had it.)

Yesterday in Sears, Susan got Matthew some spiderman sneakers, complete with lights. At first, he didn't like them but has managed to get used to them and is walking and running better than ever.......look out Gramma!

worth a thousand words?

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words....if that is true all I would really need to do would be share these pictures.

I felt the need to put in both pictures with the dog and her boy (and Grampa). In the first Zoe turned her head, in the second, Matty did. Poor Zoe is really beginning to show her age. Lots of gray around her mouth. Not bad for almost 8 though, I guess She still can't get enough walking time.

In the picture of Matty alone, he had goulash for lunch. He didn't care for the plate but once he dumped it on the tray, he ate all he didn't end up wearing.

the latest from matthew.com

Matthew is walking all over now, running when outside and trying to outsmart Gramma at every turn: He loves it when Grampa takes both him and Zoe for a walk, before and after work. He was trying to pull himself up on the window seat this morning. I told him no and sat down with a pouty look and then the wheels began turning again. In no time he pushed the barn over to the window seat, stepped on the barn and easily climbed onto the window seat. Then he stood up and looked down at me with that grin of his, as much as to say, "how do you like me now, Gramma".

I was eating a piece of zucchini bread for breakfast yesterday. He wanted some so I let him try it. After he sucked off the butter, he ate it and was back for more. This morning for breakfast I made a piece of cinnamon bread toast. I broke a bite off one half and handed it to him. He reached past it and helped himself to the half piece.

He hates shoes (just like his Gramma). He takes off his sandals but actually sits down and cries when Susan puts regular shoes on him. Hope he has a change of heart before winter!

I did make Amanda's raspberry oatmeal bars yesterday. Wm. took some to work as did Susan and I gave some to Uncle Roy. They were delicious. Honestly, everyone who tried them loved them as well. I enjoy baking when the weather is not too warm but I am especially grateful to send things off to work with Wm. and Susan. I like making chocolate chip cookies because I don't eat them.

just more ramblings

* Well, Matthew is on the run now. I have had to make his area smaller in order to stay on top of things. We put a gate between the kitchen and living room and now another between the living room and hall. He loves to go down the hall to the office and get under the desk, jiggle the cords until the screen saver comes on. The screen saver is a picture of him. All of my grandchildren have had their turn as the screen saver. He loves seeing himself on the screen almost as much as he does in the mirror.

* On Friday he was trying to get a little travel clock off the table in the LR. He could not reach it; so he sat back down on the floor and you could almost see the wheels turning. He got up went over to the couch, got a pillow and brought it back and put it on the floor in front of the table. Do I need to tell you he got the clock and gave me one of his huge grins.

* Susan was gone to set up the retail store and warehouse in Rochester on Thurs. and Fri. Tom brought Matty and picked him up both days. On Fri. Tom had his own car checked as it was having a hard time starting. The consensus was that he needed a new battery. He got one and put it in. Susan, Matty and I took Tom's car to Kohl's this afternoon. When we came out after
snagging up some wonderful deals, the car would not start and we ended up calling Tom for assistance. He could not get it started either, so we all loaded in the other car and came home. I feel the need to share the deals at Kohl's with you.......everything was on sale; clearance items had another 70% off the clearance price and because Susan has a Kohl's charge, she got another 30% off the entire total. When she got out her charge card, a gift card from Kohl's fell out and it was more than all the purchases. Definitely worth the trip.

*I just made 5 loaves of zucchini bread and this is the first time I can ever remember having to buy the zucchini. :-( Wm. and I went to the vegetable market yesterday when we were out getting groceries. Tomorrow I am planning to make Amanda's Raspberry Oatmeal bars!

"The infamous sneakers"

OK, here are the infamous sneakers. Lael's are "big girl" sneakers that have to be tied (no velcro here) Black Skeechers with hot pink trim and laces! If that is not enough they came with an extra pair of laces and a watch!!! Alyssa's are Dora sneakers, but not just Dora, Princess Dora and Knight Boots, velcro for little hands and did I mention they light up? And the best part???? We found them on the clearance table. Don't you just love a bargain?

edit: forgot to mention Lael's sneakers also had zippered pockets!

Home again.....home again, jiggity jig

Back from our weekend in Canton with the sweet little girls. Sorry that Jackie's mom could not babysit, but glad we could help out.
We had a good time with the girls. Played, went to gas station for ice cream and slushies (Grampa and the girls special time) shopping at the mall, ate at Ponderosa (both Lael's request). Caught some sales at Sears and got new sneakers.
OK, I had a picture of the fantastic sneakers we got but for some reason, it will not show up on the blog.....it goes through the entire process but even though it says done, it never posts on the blog....bummer!

Matty is walking all over now, rarely does he crawl....what a difference 3 days has made. Grampa thinks I am really in for it now. :-)

On the move

::Tomorrow afternoon we leave for Canton for the weekend. Josh and Jackie are doing an Axis retreat and we are staying with the girls, Tom's mother is watching Matty tomorrow so we can go. Wm. asked for time off, but they are giving him a hard time. He has worked over the last few days and is going in early tomorrow and staying until noon. I have had a headache for past few days and am praying it will be gone by tomorrow.

::Enjoyed being with the family last weekend but it seems we never have enough time. Wonder what it is the girls have in store for us this weekend. I guess Susan will keep Zoe as she and Maxwell feel the need to struggle for the alpha position. Zoe is extremely laid back except when it comes to showing she is the alpha dog, she is old and doesn't want to play and Max loves too. (Zoe never played when she was a puppy either though)

:: Betsy and Kenny, as well as Bub and Deb, are camping up at Higley. They want us to go up with the girls to help celebrate Kenny's birthday. Not sure how that will play out......the girls get car sick, especially on the roads like in Higley and Alyssa can hardly eat anything, not sure I want to take the chance. (better see what J&J think about it first I guess)

:: OK, probably won't get a chance to see anyone while we are up there. We will be going to church in Ogdensburg on Sunday though when we take the girls to meet their parents who are returning from the retreat then.

Playing with Grampa

The kids had one last chance to play with Grampa just before the girls had to take off for the north country. Josh, Jackie and girls as well as Susan and Matty went to church with us yesterday, then we went to eat at Country Buffet . (the glazed shrimp were fantastic)

My beautiful grand-babies

The first picture is of the 2 beautiful Princesses. We went to the Christmas Tree Shop after the party to stock up on princess essentials :-)

The next is of Matty and Anthony in the wagon Gramma and Grampa got him for his birthday. The kids all had a wonderful time riding and pulling each other in the wagon. Even Anthony was pulling.....He pulled Alyssa around. This was all done under the expert direction of Lael.

Has it really been a year?

:Yes, it was just one year ago today that we closed on this house and it was also the day that our sweet little Matthew was born. Where does the time go?

:I find it hard to believe we have been in this house for a year but even harder to think that Matty has been a big part of our lives for a year too.

:Thank you Lord for this wonderful little blessing who was so long waited for.

Blessed

Feeling incredibly blessed: this week I am very blessed to have central air.
Blessed: to have 4 healthy, beautiful grandchildren with two more on the way (due within a month of each other) Guess it is OK to say that now that she has told you all on her blog.
Blessed: to spend the weekend with 3 of my 4 grandchildren. Matty's birthday party is on Saturday so Josh and Jackie are bringing the girls down for the weekend.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love being a gramma?

*************************************************************

Wm. and I both had to go for blood work this morning. On the way back home we stopped at a Dunkin Donuts (come on; it was fasting) and got some donut holes. We gave Matty one; when I looked back a couple of minutes later, he had jelly all over his face and a huge grin. (Yes, he often has a huge grin on his face; he is a very happy baby) This afternoon at lunch I gave him his cheese and bologna........I then was cutting his potato into bite size pieces and when I turned back around, he had a piece of bologna sticking out of his ear. Yep, he was grinning again!

I am sure there are those of you who do not feel this stuff is blog worthy, but......

Hazy, Hot, Humid..........Downpours

With the weather unseasonably hot and humid and no real signs of relief even after the rains......not a lot is getting accomplished. I am unable to walk in this heat, despite the fact that Matty goes to the door several times a day, pounds on it and keeps repeating, "go, go". Today, however, Wm. did get most of the front porch painted/stained before the torrential rains.

Susan and I took Matty and went to BJ's. We did not renew our card when it expired. Wm. was not sure we got enough there to make it worth it. Susan has one as that is where she gets the diapers, etc. On the way there, we were driving in a thunder and lightning storm. Parts of the city lost power. (Stephanie had invited us all over for cake and ice cream to celebrate Michael's birthday and Jay (her brother and his fiance were coming from Burlington) She was one of homes to loose power.

Matthew will turn one on Thurs. It is so hard for me to believe this is the same little 5# baby that was born 5 weeks early. Now he weighs more than 25# and is over 29" tall. He is such a blessing and was well worth the wait of close to 15 yr. I do miss the north country and the life we had there, but I am not sure I can even imagine my life without him.

Because of Matty's birthday, Josh and Jackie will bring the girls down. Susan is so looking forward to seeing them......ha, like I'm not! They are back from vacation now and I can not wait to hear all about it from the girls.

The church was packed last week. Now it is smaller because of the construction for the viewing nursery but in all fairness, a lot of people were there for the healing. I do not know how many received healings.
Speaking of the church, here is something you may not be aware of. Eric Trelease and his wife, Jen, have been coming to Faith Chapel. They are living in Marcellus and Eric is working at Handheld in Skaneateles.

Sit and Spin

:: Sit and spin has become a new favorite for Matthew of late. I am sure you are conjuring up pictures of him sitting on the sit and spin and laughing as he spins round and round. Well, you would be half right. He giggles as he sits and spins but he just sits and spins on his bottom on the floor or porch or wherever he might be when he decides to do it. I must admit, I have never seen a child do this before, but it does make me laugh to watch him. We thought once about getting him a sit and spin for his birthday, but why? Obviously, he has just as much fun without one.

:: Saturday has become the only day I have to get groceries, and check out the stores around here. Last week, I told Wm. that I wanted to go to the tent sale. So, he drove to the Syroco plant tent sale. I have always wanted to go to this. It is only one weekend a yr. that they have their tent sale. We got there in the afternoon and all the tan Adirondack chairs like what we had on our porch were gone. They had a lot of other colors and styles though. I ended up getting 3 Bentwood chairs in the same tan color with 2 side tables to match. Now for the best part.......the chairs were $7 each and the tables were $4 each. I was not done with tent sales and after we loaded the car, we ventured on to the tent sale at the Syracuse China factory outlet. Now the prices at the outlet are excellent but the tent sale is unbelievable.....I got some glasses to replace some that we broke in the move for 25 and 49 cents each (depending on the size). If you love hunting for what you want and don't mind picking through a ton of boxes before you find what you are looking for, then this is the sale for you. Their sale is actually the whole month of July.

:: Well, I am very disappointed not to be attending CFC tomorrow when Andrew, Kathy and John Eastmond will be there. I love them and we have been friends since we lived in Pulaski and they stayed with us. I thought that we may be able to see them when they were in Syracuse but just learned that this year they are not scheduled to be here. :-(

:: Faith Chapel is having a healing service with Mark Swiger tomorrow. He is an Evangelist who has served as missionary to India for many years. More on that later.

Dinner at Gramma's

I made lasagna yesterday (because it is always better the next day). Tom, Susan and Matty stayed and ate with us tonight. Actually, Tom's favorite is my lasagna and I guess from the looks of the picture, Matty kinda likes it too.
I was not the one to give him whipped cream (in my defense, it was light) but he loved that too. After all if you can't do it at Gramma's, you can't do it.

Yesterday after church, we had a book signing by Rob Vanderwerf who wrote and illustrated the book "THE CRAFTSMAN" (a picture book teaching God's plan of salvation). The book was written for children 5-8 but I got one for the girls and for Matty. (eventually they will be that age).

Speaking of Faith Chapel, we have begun our construction project. We are building a new "viewing nursery" and a new foyer. We are doing this without borrowing any money and with the church family doing the work. They built the church 6 yr. ago in this same way.

We met the Ashleys and the Regans at Red Lobster in Watertown yesterday evening to celebrate Debbie's birthday. She told everyone she was 25. Well, they say the mind is the first to go! We had a fabulous dinner, however all Debbie could talk about was Carina's performance as well as repeating Louise's lines. :-)

How high's the water?????

Well, it started raining last night, and rained the entire day. Not only did it mean we could not walk but it rained so hard that parts of the city were flooded. Actually, I looked out the back door at 2 and it was raining quite hard. When I looked out again at 4, the back yard was flooded. It was almost like an island where the house was and there was water running down both sides of the yard and out into the street. Some of the streets in Seneca Knolls were flooded, (as well as the 690 off ramp near our house) not ours but there was enough water in them that the teenage boys in the neighborhood were hydroplaning their cars. By the time we got back for dinner, the water in and around our yard had subsided.

Because of all the water, we decided to just go to Kirby's to celebrate our anniversary. We had an excellent dinner and a good time just talking. We will be meeting the Regans and Ashleys at Red Lobster in Watertown on Sunday afternoon for Deb's birthday. I mentioned that because Wm. is not that fond of seafood so even if I did not have it today, I can have it Sunday.

The pictures of Matthew and Morrigan were great (spoken like a true gramma, eh) I am having some difficulties scanning them into the computer .

Please pray for Donna. She is working a lot , working harder and with this baby she is not feeling the best.

More Ramblings.........

Wednesday will be our anniversary; 32 yr. just in case you were wondering. I am very blessed to be celebrating such a milestone with the man God intended for me.

On a lighter note, Wednesday is also the day that Susan gets the pictures we had taken of Matthew and Morrigan at Wal*Mart. Susan had some taken of Matthew alone before we got there with Morrigan. Jon and Donna did get some taken of Morrigan alone too. That was not the plan when we started out; but the sales girl was very persuasive and in all the fairness, the pictures were just so darn cute. This was Matty's first formal sitting. Now anyone who knows our family knows that Susan is the family photographer for all the birthdays and holidays and just whenever the family gets together. She takes her camera bags with her and is prepared for anything!

Not much news here for this post; funny all day I had been thinking about things I could write about and now that I sit down, my mind has gone blank.

Perfect ending

Well, I started last week with Morrigan still here, had Matthew all week long and on Saturday, Lael called and asked us to meet them in Watertown; making a perfect ending to the week. Anytime I can see all four of my grandchildren in one week, it is terrific. Uncle Roy came over to go to breakfast with Wm. so he went along with us. It had been a while since he had seen the girls. He was recovering from surgery to his knee at Lael's birthday and didn't go.

We had lunch in the mall and then did a little shopping. We found some Little House cups at Gander Mt. What are Little House cups you ask? Why enamelware cups like what Mary and Laura used in Little House series.
We also found some cute shirts for the girls at Old Navy. We weren't quite shopped out so we left the mall and made our way to Kohls.

News from Matthew.com : Today Matty was 11 mo. old. He is walking a lot more. He walks holding on to things but then lets go and walks a few steps, stops and realizes what he is doing and gets down and crawls. His new favorite thing is to go into the bathroom and hold his head over the vent and let the air conditioning blow his hair. He can be playing away and once he hears the air come on, he crawls as fast as he can into the bathroom. We have a lot of others but he seems to have some fascination with the one in the bathroom.

Weather here has been very hot and humid. Even though it has rained periodically, it has done little for the humidity. We did not even walk today. The humidity was 93% before 9am. I opted to stay inside where it was cool.

More Ramblings.........

Jon and his family have gone back home to Raleigh, our little house is quiet once more and Matthew and I are trying to get back into our routine.

I dislike having only one bathroom, difficult when there are 2 families here but not impossible.

Loved having them here.....seeing them only twice a year is not nearly enough. Morrigan got to the Zoo and she had her picture taken with Matthew at Wal*Mart. The only things she really wanted to do was to have her picture taken with Lael and Alyssa and she wanted to spend time with them. Guess there is always next year. I really wanted my grandchildren to know each other but with Jon's family in Raleigh and Josh's in Canton their time together is rare at best.

We did have a family get together at Stephanie and Michael's house. Her house is only a little bigger than ours and it was packed. It was fun to see the kids (Matthew, Morrigan and Anthony ) together.

Thanks to Jackie and Danica, I now know what the plants are. I had no idea where to even look for the answer.

They're here.........

Jon, Donna and my little southern princess arrived last night. Today I had Matty, and Morrigan was big help with him. We had lunch at Dinosaur BBQ; wow, that is the best BBQ. Matthew was excellent and a hit with the waitresses.
Donna's sister and nephews joined us for lunch. After lunch I had the opportunity of touring Terry's home and giving her some decorating suggestions; something I have not had the opportunity to do for a while. Although, some people from church have asked me if they could hire me. :-)

The trip to the zoo is scheduled for tomorrow. No, I am not going. It is supposed to rain and I am not one for treking through the zoo in the rain. Susan took the day off so she and Matty can go as did Stephanie so she can take Anthony. Matthew and Morrigan are getting their picture taken together tomorrow morning.

This is a picture of Morrigan and Matty when they took their tubby this afternoon.

Three out of four ain't bad......

We went to Lael's party on Saturday. When did she get so grown up.....5 yr. old, where did the time go? It seems like yesterday we were at the hospital waiting for her arrival.

It was a very nice party....at Jonesy's Ranch in Ogdensburg. We rode on the wagon over some very rough and muddy ground. We got to see some new baby elk. The kids got to ride on a horse too. I am posting the pictures as I know everyone is waiting with bated breath to see three of my four grandchildren riding the horse (OK, Matty did not ride, but it made for a great photo op)

The grandparents from both sides were there as well as Jackie's brother and his twin boys, and Josh's sister Susan (and Tom) and our sweet little Matty. (who by the way, did quite well on the three hour trip despite not sleeping on the way up)

Over for another year........

Well, I got a lot of calls and cards today wishing me a happy birthday. That was very nice, and some were very unexpected.

We went to Kirby's tonight for dinner. Susan, Tom, Matty and Uncle Roy went with us. I chose Kirby's because you can get a free steak dinner if you eat there on your actual birthday. Don't care for steak???? You can have something else if you prefer. I had chicken parm. I love it, can never finish it but Zoe always can. She must be an Italian basset hound as she loves lasagna, spaghetti etc.

Matty was very good, eating off of everyone's plate. At one point he reached over and took his mother's entire steak. :-) No, he didn't eat any but it was good for a laugh.

We all came back here for cake, ice cream and singing, as Wm. had made a carrot cake last night.

Thanks to everyone who called, emailed or blogged their birthday greetings. It is good to feel loved.

Anyone know?

This is a part of the new bed we put in at the front of our house. Does anyone know what the plant is that is next to the rock and in front of the pink impatiens? I have three of them that were in the back yard that we transplanted to this new bed in front. I really like the way they look, just wondered what they were.

I received a birthday card from my girls this afternoon. Am looking forward to seeing them on Saturday! Just a few more days.

Baptism

Aren't we all glad I learned how to download pictures to my blog?

Yesterday Matthew Thomas Hubbard was baptized. He was such a good boy. After he was baptized, the pastor carried him around the church so everyone could meet him.......he just smiled and waved. It really was cute. (maybe it was a location thing, as in you had to be there)

Perhaps I should pack my camera now for the weekend so I do not forget it..

FANTASTIC NEWS

Fantastic news! I am going to be a gramma again. :-) Jon just called and Donna is pregnant. This is a special blessing as she "lost" a baby earlier this year. Jon, Donna and Morrigan will be here next week for Donna's nephew's high school graduation.

More later, this was just such exciting news, I wanted to get it right out!

Matthew.com.........

Where has the time gone?

Very difficult to believe that it is nearly the middle of June. Well, Jackie is not happy with being 28.......try turning 59......now that is old! My birthday is the day after Jackie and Lael's. I am so excited about going up for Lael's party next Saturday. You can not possibly realize how much I miss those girls. We saw them nearly every day when we lived in Madrid and now months go by without seeing them. I realize this was trade off and it was my choice to move here and as I said before, every time I look into Matty's little face, I know I made a good choice. I still miss the girls.

All of Lael's birthday gifts are wrapped and waiting to go. Aunt Susan and Uncle Tom are bringing Matthew up. Stephanie wants to come with Anthony but is not sure she can afford the gas her Expedition would use. I would like for them to come as I feel it is important for families to stay in touch.

Now just in case you are waiting for an update from Matthew.com........ :-)
He is very vocal now; especially screaming and squealing with delight. He has crawling down pat and is walking around holding on to things. He is happiest when Grampa holds his hands and lets him walk through the house. There were workmen out in front of our house yesterday. He was at the window most of the time they were here (when we were not on the front porch). He was hollering and waving at the workmen and they were waving back. When we came out on the porch, they came up to talk to him.

I am very impressed with the fund raiser that Jackie's mom group did at Wal* Mart today......good job, Jackie.

Another week

Well, Josh and Jackie were bringing the girls down this weekend but had to cancel :-( That is most disappointing. On the other hand, Lael's birthday is in just a little over 2 weeks and we will see the girls then. I found a really neat gift. The Christmas Tree Shop has wooden adirondak chairs for kids, the one I am getting for Lael is pink with a princess painted on the back. I will get it tomorrow after I get my hair cut. (yes, I am getting 2, that kinda goes without saying) Betsy and Kenny came down to open Betsy's sister's pool this weekend. We all went to dinner tonight at Red Lobster and tomorrow she will cut my hair. I know, I should find a hairdresser down here but hey, don't rush me, it has only been 10 mo.

Wm. came home from work early today. We took Matty to Skaneateles to see Wm's mother. She was very happy to see us, and was eager to watch Matty run through his repertoire. His sister Karen came in and Matty has only seen her once before but he crawled over to her and put up his hands, she picked him up and he hugged her and then gave her a kiss!

The weather today was much better than the forcast. It rained early on but was very warm and muggy here most of the day. We were able to get in a walk.

On June 4th, the church (Faith Chapel) is having their 17th anniversary. The service will be outside under a tent followed by barbque (pulled pork, chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, salads and desserts galore) There will be special music, games, bounce house, pony rides and here is something you may want to put into practice at CFC this summer, a dunking booth for the pastors and deacons!
This is a FRANtastic event which stands for Friends,Relatives, Associates, Neighbors, (who we invite to share it with us.) This is all provided at no charge. So if you are planning to be in Syracuse on June 4th, feel free to come! Wish the girls could be here (I know, I am whining again. I will see them in few short weeks)

I am hoping to get a chance to get some of the things I wanted to work on outside, done this weekend. I want to get the porch and deck pressure washed and painted or stained, some landscaping done etc. While Wm. hates to shop, going to Lowes and Home Depot are easily tolerated. He won't even mind going to Christmas Tree Store as we will be getting things for his girls. I did some shopping for Miss Lael last weekend with Susan and Matty.

Update: just returned from the Christmas Tree Shop; actually had to fight for the last pink princess adirondak chair. The one for Alyssa is pale green with a butterfly on the back.

a lot about nothing.........

Well, today I hit a new low. Matty and I were actually out walking at 8:30am. I am not a morning person, never have been. I was grateful that Susan brings the baby here and I that I can stay in my pajamas until a more reasonable hour. That is much too early but I knew it would be raining this afternoon and did not want to miss out on walking. It actually stayed sunny long enough for us to get 2 of our usual 3 walks in before the thunder storms came.

IMS (Immediate Mail Service) initiated an employee of the month today at their picnic lunch. In case you haven't guessed by now, Wm. was the employee of the month. He got a gift card to Tully's and the bosses from upstairs came down to tell him that his work had not gone unnoticed. Wm. told us during dinner tonight....just matter of fact. He is really not phased by this at all. I am. I think it is significant and shows that he still gives 100% in his job.

Just in case you were hoping for an update of matthew.com, here it is. Yesterday Matty learned to open the cupboard doors in the kitchen (I know, time to baby proof my house) He was in the walker and I went to change the paper in the printer so I could print out a picture and he did not follow me (very out of character for him) so by the time I got back into the kitchen( no more than 3 minutes) he was dragging a kitchen stool around the kitchen. Yes, he was in the walker, the 30" stool was tipped back and he was holding onto the ties of the seat cushion, dragging it around on the two back legs. He is still chasing poor Zoe around the house with his walker. He shreiks with delight as she runs through the house with him in hot pursuit. Susan has been trying to get him to wave and he wants no part of it. This morning when Grampa was leaving for work, he told Matty goodbye and waved to him. Matty waved back. Now, just to be sure it was not a fluke thing, Grampa waved again and so did Matty, grinning from ear to ear.

I wish the girls lived closer, I would like to take them to the zoo to see the penguin exhibit. Actually, there are a lot of places I would like to take them so I will just have to keep hoping they are able to come soon. It is hard, Syracuse and Canton are only 2 1/2 hr. apart.......so close and yet so far.

Special Mother's Day

My Mother's Day was excellent beginning with church. We are going to become members next Sunday. (we took the membership class last October) I have to tell this story here: When we arrived at church a CD was playing before the service started. Wm. went back to ask if the CD was Derek's and it was. I should not have been surprised as Faith Chapel is an Elim Church, but I was none the less.

Susan and Matty came over for dinner. Wm. cooked some steaks on the grill and we had baked potatoes, salad and strawberry shortcake. We opted for eating at home as we would have had a long wait no matter where we went for dinner as not only was it Mother's Day but SU graduation. Susan took us to Tassone's for dinner tonight instead for my Mother's Day gift. Monday night is all you can eat crab legs! Oh, I love crab legs.

Both my sons called me to wish me Happy Mother's Day. So, Morrigan, Lael and Alyssa wished me Happy Mother's Day. All three of the girls told me the four best words a grandmother can ever hear......."I love you, Gramma". 3 out of 4; and someday I will hear Matty say those words too!

Matty is crawling now and he has learned to move the walker in every direction. He spent a good part of the afternoon running up and down the hall after Zoe. Poor Zoe, it didn't take long to wear her out....after all, Bassets are not known for running (and she will be 8 in Dec.)

And the tradition continues

He started when Lael was little and he would take her for a walk around the block, stopping at the gas station where they would have ice cream. Later it was Lael, Alyssa and Grampa going for a walk everytime Grampa came over. It got so that when we came over Lael would say "Grampa, lets go for a walk".....which seemed to be a code for let's get some ice cream. :-)
Today, Grampa came home from work 15 minutes early and took Matthew for a walk. No, not to the gas station but the ice cream truck came through the neighborhood just then. I was on the back deck when I heard the music from the ice cream truck and by the time I got to the front porch, they were sitting out there having Lael's favorite: a push up. By the time his mother came to pick him up his face was covered in rainbow sherbet; with the biggest grin I ever saw.
And so the tradition continues.......

For the latest news from Matthew.com: Matty has 6 teeth now but is cutting his eye teeth and two more on the bottom, making for one cranky little boy. He was at the dr. office a week ago for his 9 mo. check up. He is 23# and 29 3/4". He weighs the same now as Anthony and is only a couple of inches shorter. Remember, Anthony is 6 mo. older than Matthew.

Got a Mother's Day card from my sweet girls today! Fantastic printing girls!!!

With all the talk of everyone working on their gardens and yards started me thinking that I would like to put in some landscaping around the yard. I have always had Jackie to tell me what to put in and to help show me which were flowers and which were weeds. No, I don't have a green thumb. I think mine is brown. Now with the weekend forcast calling for rain, I am not sure when I will be able to work on the yard. I was thinking today about how much I miss having a lilac bush when Jackie was talking about her's being overflowing with blooms; when the next door neighbor gave me a large bunch. That was an unexpected blessing.

Great Weekend

* It was a great weekend. We stopped to see the girls first and gave them their treasures. I needed to be at Betsy's so we could leave at 12:30 for the Red Hat event in Hanawa Falls. I was very pleasantly surprised at this. There were quite a few different chapters there. I think they said 114 red hatters. (including Potsdam's former mayor; and you will never beleive this: she was not wearing a hat!) It was very well organized and put together.

*I loved seeing the girls. Grampa spent the entire day with them while I went to the Red Hats. We did a little shopping when I came back and after church on Sunday we went to Ponderosa (at Lael's request). Grampa took the girls to Burger King for lunch on Saturday which was Alyssa's choice. I can not say enough how good it was to see the girls. They are growing so much and getting more adorable every time I see them.

*I was very happy to be back at CFC. You are very blessed to have Pastor Rick. It was so good seeing old friends. I have missed you all. The only trouble with coming back to the north country is there never seems to be enough time to see everyone and do everything I wanted to do. We were blessed to stay with the Ashley's; we do so miss them so.

*When I was telling a story about Matthew at dinner on Sunday, Josh told me he must have read it on Matthew.com. I did not realize I was talking so much about him. In my defense, I am with him 5 days a week from 7:30 - 5:30 and usually spend Saturdays with Susan and Matthew. (You know how Wm. hates toting me around and Susan does not seem to mind). When I told her what Josh said she laughed and said all my emails before I moved down here were about Lael and Alyssa.

*I told you I love being a grandmother!