I'm a little teapot

:: I have a teapot collection. No, I didn't decide to become a collector, I just had a few from my mother, my grandmothers, and my aunt. I had them in a hutch in Canton and when people got to know me, the would bring me new and unusual teapots. I must be up to about 18+ now. When we moved to this house, there was no place to put the hutch. I was at a loss as to what to do with my teapots. I found that I had room enough for 12 to sit on top of the kitchen cabinets. Only 12, well that would be OK, I could rotate from the collection and still have a nice display. Lately, I have been regretting that I was able to fit 12 up there. No, they look great. The problem is that I had been teaching Matty some of the songs like "itsy, bitsy spider", "pat a cake" and yes, I'm a little teapot. You guessed it! Now every time we go into the kitchen, I have to "do" I' a little teapot with each of the 12 pots. Now, who is the smart one in this picture?????? certainly not Gramma. But he does love it and laughs and does the actions himself now.

:: Certainly looked like my girls had a wonderful time at the water park in Canada yesterday. There are pictures on the flickr and/or Jackie's blog. I do miss them so. I can not wait until next week when we come for the wedding so I can see them if only for a little while.

:: We have been rethinking the trip to NC. Yes, we are still going.......with both the new baby and Morrigan's birthday we really have no choice but to go and we would not want to miss either anyway! What we decided is that with Max being only a few days old, Donna's parents and family being there, not to mention Morrigan's birthday party, that it may be a bit too hectic to take Matty along this time. We have decided to stay only 4 days (remember I said that fish and house guests both start to stink after 5 days). Morrigan really wanted Grampa to come down for her birthday, he has never missed one until now. However, this job is not like the others he has had. He used up his vacation and taking time off, even without pay, is frowned upon. Personal days......surely you jest......not here!

"Got anymore chocolate pudding left, Gramma?"

more ramblings from an old fat grandmother

:: The weather has changed here for the worse, like everywhere else. Yes, it probably could be worse precipitation wise, but we have the corner on the blowing. I thought we were very cold until Will told me that it was -31 windchill in Canton. No, that is one thing I do not miss.

:: My sweet boy is doing better since his shots, swelling and fever have subsided. He has learned to open one of the gates.....so much for my idea of corralling him in the LR. He opens the gate, runs down the hall to the bathroom and wants to brush his teeth, even more often than before. Not much gets by him anymore. The first 3 times this morning I put his toothpaste on his brush but then I thought I would just wet it for him. Well, he immediately knew the difference and climbed up on the toilet to reach the shelf where I keep his toothpaste. So much for me trying to outsmart an 18 mo. old.

::This morning he wanted an egg for breakfast.....how did I know you ask when he has a limited vocabulary? He got out a frying pan, then opened the fridge and handed me an egg......was that clear enough for you? Yeah, me too! I thought I could give him an oatmeal bar and cheerios and give him an egg for lunch. Ha! He ate the oatmeal bar and the cheerios, drank his milk.....this just may work, I thought when he got out the frying pan and the egg and pushed me towards the stove. Yes, I gave in (hey, I am a grandmother, that is my job) So, he ate his second breakfast, brushed his teeth yet again, and is now napping. That was a plus, no tears at nap time.

:: Liz's wedding is the 17th. I just finished the tray with her invitation . Not sure I am happy with it. Also made a blanket for Matty (he has been carrying around Uncle Josh's afghan from when he was a baby, so I thought this would be easier for him to carry, not so bulky......you guessed it, he carries them both around. He wants to rock in the afternoon while we read and both the blanket and afghan are between he and I!

News from Matthew.com

:: Matthew had his 18 mo. check up this afternoon. He will be 18 mo. on Sun. He now weighs 28# 10 1/2 oz. and he is 34 1/2" tall. Giving my little Alyssa a run for her money. He also had to have 2 shots; that was traumatic, crocodile tears even! Doctor said she thought we could start potty training if we wanted to. I have known for a while now that he knows when he is wet as he tries to get me to change him (he pats his diaper and takes my hand to lead me down the hall to the nursery) However, he hides when he poops his pants, behind the rocking chair or behind the door to the armoire. Dr. also said once the infant Tylenol was gone, we should switch him to children's. (now he should get 2 droppers of the infant when needed)

:: Not really that cold here but all the snow we got in the last few days has blown around so that at times we could not see across the street. Wind seems to have died down and the sun is shining. However, there was an accident and a pole was down and our electricity went out. At first it was just for a few minutes and came back on just in time for the Backyardigans. Half way through the theme song, and Matty's dance, it went off again. He was very upset. Climbed up in the chair to get the remote and kept pushing the power button. He finally gave up and we read and played and watched the birds but every few minutes he would pick up the remote and try to turn it on again. I told him it was broken and everytime he tried to turn it on, he would shake his head and tell me "broke".

:: My intention for this afternoon was for me to make a roast, do some laundry and work on the other blanket for Lauren. So much for good intentions. The power is on now, the laundry started and the roast is in. I will work on the blanket when I finish here.

This is one of the blankets I am making for Lauren Jessa. It is 45" x 45" so it works well for nursing. I made Alyssa 2 when she was born but back then there was no pink. Anyway, I am happy with the way it came out and I love the little rosebuds. (so glad Jackie changed her mind about no pink)

worth a thousand words????

I think the pictures of Anthony's party will speak for themselves.



Here is Anthony's Bob the Builder cake.
(like you needed me to tell you)








Yes, he did get golf clubs and these are not plastic toy ones.....they came from Dick's (from Grandpa and Uncle Roy)













Matty at the party. No big smiles but taking it all in!

rambling on and on

:: All I seem to do is ramble on about my corner of the world. I am no doubt boring everyone. I am considering not blogging for a while.

:: Matty is obsessed with brushing his teeth. I moved the wooden stool out of the bathroom and into the hallway next to the washer/dryer. He picks it up and carries it back in so the can reach the sink and brush his teeth. It does not have to be just after he eats anymore......it is every time he walks down the hall to the nursery to get his pants changed or take a nap. I am sure this will wear off after a while but until then ................

:: We got quite a bit of snow in the last few days and it has become much colder.....OK, not NNY colder but cold nonetheless. I am so looking forward to spring....yes, I am aware we just got our winter weather, doesn't mean I like it. They had snow in Raleigh last week and it was gone by 10am. (sigh)

:: Tomorrow is Anthony's second birthday party. This year it is for the family (you will remember that last year, they invited 40 people besides family and had it catered) .

:: We are doing a financial series through church. Wm. has also been reading a book called Money Road Map. We were never on a strict budget before. I know it is what God has been speaking to us, but I can tell you I am not sure I like it. Yes, I am aware that I need to be able to listen to Him and change my life accordingly and I will be stretched in the process. I know this is a good thing. I was a little surprised when he began speaking to me about giving up my coolatas last week and then an example Pastor Lee used in church was about lattes and how having one a day meant you were spending $1200 in a yr. Ooh, that is eyeopening.

Edit: forgot to mention that I went to the doctors for my 8 week check up on my knee. He pronounced me "healed". That seemed like the longest 8 wk. of my life. (OK, maybe a slight exaggeration)

more musings

:: It is snowing again, here......surprise, surprise. I knew the time would come when it would stay on the ground; but there always was that glimmer of hope. I've said it before, I always thought we would retire to somewhere it was warmer than this in the winter. Wm. keeps saying we are done moving.



:: I guess it would not be my post if I did not mention Matty. (Well he is the only one I am with all day 5 out of 7). His new "thing" is brushing his teeth. I remember how Lael loved to brush hers too. Anyway, he brushed them after breakfast and after lunch, then any time he ate anything, he wanted to brush again. (we are talking after every cheerio, and no we did not)



"Look guys, I think I may have found another purpose for these pull-ups. What do ya think?"

You know your're in trouble when........

:: You know you're in trouble when your 17 month old grandchild gets down on his hands and knees, looks under the armoire for the TV and then under the couch only to announce "ooh, kaka" and proceeds to get a toy broom, get back down and sweeps out the dust. (we moved both the armoire and couch last week when we cleaned the laminate floor)

:: You know you're in trouble when the only song that keeps running through your head is the theme song from the Backyardigans.

::Yes, I'm in trouble. My defense? Matty is Mr. Clean's son and we do put the Backyardigans on after lunch......he loves to dance with them. Not much of a defense I know. Like I said.....I am in trouble!

musings

:: The weather was sunny and warmer today and a lot of our snow melted. Tomorrow, however, more lake effect snow is predicted for the area. :-(
No, I am not any more pleased with the fact that we actually have to endure winter than I was.

::Work is slow for my DH, so he has decided to stay home tomorrow unless they call with a big job. Usually they have more work on Friday's than any other day but there is nothing on the schedule for tomorrow. (selfishly, I am glad he will be home)

::Susan is back from NJ where she went to meetings and training for her new job......they still have not found someone they wanted to hire for her old one.
She is currently covering both.

::My sweet Matty has been wild the last few days......not playing with anything for more than a couple of minutes, short or no naps and drooling up a storm. Hopefully his eye teeth will finally come in. He has some premolars and spaces where his eye teeth should be. I don't remember this with the other kids, but maybe I just don't remember and this is absolutely normal.
Yes, I know every child is different.

::Well, just about a month until grandbaby # 5 makes an appearance. His due date is Feb. 15th. Jackie will give us grandbaby #6 soon after that. Oh, so exciting, I love being a grandmother.

::Speaking of grandchildren, did you all check out the latest video of my northern princesses on Jackie's blog? If not it is definitely worth a look!

ice and sleet

:: We got some snow on Thurs. that turned to rain on Fri. By Saturday evening the rain had turned to sleet and ice. Driving was treacherous (NO, we did not go out) and there was 30 car pile up on 81 yesterday. Most of the schools in the area were closed today for MLK day but those that were not were closed because of the weather.

:: Susan has gone to NJ through work for a few days. Tom is the #1 care giver......he brought Matty over and picked him up (as he will for the next few days)

:: Uncle Roy is having surgery on January 23rd. I am asking that you would all put this on your prayer lists. (thanks)

:: Susan has graciously agreed to take Matty and fly with me to Raleigh in Feb. Wm. was planning to go but he used up his vacation when I had my surgery. We are only going for a long weekend. (thinking about Fri - Mon). Morrigan's birthday party is Feb. 24th and Max will be born on the 15th.
We have always gone down for Morrigan's birthday and she is looking forward to it. (Did I mention how much I hate to fly?)

Matthew.com

It has been a while since I just posted about Matty. (Josh this is just for you as I know how you think every post is Matty oriented) I only have a few minutes here but I wanted you see a couple of new pictures.




Here he is after his new haircut.
Where did the baby go? He looks like
a big boy.









He loves books, for which I am very grateful. Here is a picture his mama snapped at home of him reading in his new chair. Anthony got a recliner for Christmas and Matty liked it, so Tom wanted him to have his own. He sits in it quite a bit. It is much easier than trying to climb up on the couch.

Winter wonderland?

Well we finally got our share of the snow over the last 24 hr. Not really a winter wonderland, more of a huge nuisance (OK, that is my opinion) I told you I was happy with the green grass and felt no need to stand on tradition that central and northern NY should have snow. All the area schools were closed as well as other services.....you would think we had never seen snow before.

On a lighter note, Wm. was home today and he watched Matty so I could make cookies. Matthew kept standing on the gate and calling me and when I asked him what he wanted, he said cookie, cookie!

Here he is trying to fill Grampa's shoes.

He was supposed to get a haircut tonight but that got changed to tomorrow

more ramblings........

No sooner than I am able to see some progress with my knee than I come down with this cold. Until yesterday it was just a head cold but now it has moved to my chest. YUCK. I feel horrid. I did not have Matthew today, his other grandmother did. Susan, Tom and Matthew had this cold between Christmas and New Year's (while on vacation) Wm. had it last week, so I knew it was inevitable that I would come down with it. I just seem to go from one thing to another. It always bothered me that my mother always seemed to go from one thing to another. My sister and I used to think she was a hypochondriac. Maybe not! I don't want to think I am one......so, family, please do not comment on whether or not you think I am. I can live without that information.

Snow has been coming down to the north and south of us......we, however, are still seeing the green grass. Not for much longer I guess but every day without snow is a bonus in my eyes.

randomness

I thought I would put a few more of the Christmas pictures up. These are better as Susan and/or Tom took them. They have been the family photographers since I can remember.


Yes, you are seeing what you think you are.

Matty is sitting in the fridge.

(cooling his jets)

Alyssa is
excited with this ,
eh?

Matty got reindeer jammies for his Christmas Eve tradition from Gramma and Grampa. The girls jammie pictures are in with the Flickr photos.










Princess Lael (Aurora) opening some books.

check it out

Matty doesn't have a huge vocabulary but he is constantly adding new words.

Cheese, cookie, cracker, and his new one today popcorn. (are you beginning to see a pattern to his vocabulary?) :-)

This afternoon he wanted popcorn. He loves popcorn. OK, I know he got that from me but it could be worse, I could be a chocoholic. Here is a picture we took today when he realized that once the popcorn was nearly gone, he could stick his head in the bucket and talk and create an echo......I love this job!

Happy New Year

Well another year has slipped away. 2007 is here. We did manage to stay up until the "ball dropped", but by a little after midnight we were all scrambling to our beds.

Betsy and Kenny came down for the weekend. That was great. It was like old times. I got a haircut too. We had a chance to chat and catch up, something we used to do every week and since moving down here......well, there are trade offs. We went to Red Lobster on New Year's eve. It was very crowded. When we were being seated, they were telling people coming in that it would be at least a 1 1/2hr. wait. (and they were waiting) They went to church with us too. We went to just the morning service. A New Year's Eve service at Faith Chapel......well, it wasn't like CFC. They went bowling at 6pm and had a worship service at 9:30.

Today we had dinner here before the Ashley's left for home. Susan, Tom and Matty and Uncle Roy joined us. Weather here was fantastic today. In the 50's; not bad for upstate NY in Jan. We talked to Jon, Donna and Morrigan today and it was 68 in Raleigh! Hey, they expect that kind of weather there in Jan. I really am liking that the temps are in the 50's and there is green grass where we would normally have snow. I am not so naive to think this will last; but I am enjoying it while I can.

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......