What a wonderful Birthday!

I can hardly believe that 9 years ago, I flew into Idaho as a nervous wreck ...to help Amy with her delivery with Angie ( our first grand child ). I remember people saying ... that when you become a Grandmother, it will change your heart and life forever! Man, were they ever right. I love Miss Angie, she and all of the rest of the grand kids...have truly changed my life for the BETTER!

I love the photos that Amy did for her first 9 years of life!. She is soooo fun to have in our family!

I think I told you ever since she was little, she has always liked stuffed animals instead of dolls. I kept trying to sneak a doll in but...she and Jenny wouldn't have it! Then this past year, she decided that she would like to have an American Doll that looks like her. Since they are soooo expensive, her Mom and Dad told her and Jenny... that if they wanted to get a doll, they would have to earn half the money. So as of this past Saturday...Angie got all of her money earned! She is so excited and she and Jenny have worked hard to get their dolls. Jenny won't get her's until her birthday in August, she hasn't earned all her money yet either, so she borrowed the doll I had here. They were so cute when we went to the American Doll Store today at 4:00.

In the car Angie kept saying " I can't believe that I am really going to get my doll, that is all I have thought about all day!" "I think my face is going to burst I am just soooo excited, I can hardly stand it!"

She didn't need any help in picking out which doll she wanted, she decided that a long time ago, she was picking the one that looked the most like her and she is naming her Josie Jaeger!

She was pretty proud of all the money she had earned.

 

Jenny was watching and waiting for her turn to come, this was just too much fun today, so glad that I didn't miss this! Amy and I both wished we would have had a doll like this when we were little! We were so excited, Angie said " how come you and Nana are so bussed up about this? "

I can't say that John had felt the same excitement! He was a trooper though, look at him with all his girls! Sweet! He is a great Dad!

After she purchased Josie, then the lady spent some special time, teaching Angie just how to take the best care of your American Doll...look at Jenny and Audrey watching everything too!

Good news is that Jenny's doll Ellie and Audrey's doll Katie, got to take a free short ride... in a Slug Bug (that's what we used to call VW Bugs when we were kids )while they were in the store!

Next we met their other Grandmother and we all went to Red Robin's for Angie's Birthday Dinner. You can tell she was more excited about Josie!

I sewed a big part of the day with Jenny ( she had her 4 day sleep over, that is a record for her ). We made a robe and PJ bottoms for Josie and a blanket and pillow to go with the chair / hide-a-bed that we bought Angie. ( $12.00 from Walmart verses....? who knows how much from the American Doll store!  :) I am not knocking the store, what a great idea and what a magical experience they give them there. Wished I would have thought of that!

Angie and Josie heading to bed in their Robes and PJ Bottoms! This was so fun, Angie is so excited. I can't wait to start making more doll clothes. Hopefully Jenny will stay excited for it, then Audrey who has always loved dolls might want one and then we have little Miss Oakley coming! Oh I really have fun making anything and everything for my Grandkids. Childhood is suppose to be a happy and magical time, not that all of us had that...but we are sure trying to make sure that the next generations do!

Good night dear friend!

A sleep over at Nana's house!

Our 4 1/2 yr old granddaughter Angie is having a bit of a tough time, sharing the lime light with her younger sister Jenny. That is not at all unusual but still it is hard to watch. I remember my own kids having the same struggle when a brother or sister were born, but life was so busy then, I am not sure I realized maybe how hard it can be, for the one who has had much of the attention and now has to share that attention with another.
I asked Amy when Angie and I could plan a Sleep Over. So last night ( Sunday ) was the night. Angie came over around 6:00 and we had her favorite dinner ( fish and potatoes ), then we put on our jammies and watched a movie and ate popcorn. Mostly she hung out with Uncle Lee that time too. Then after the nightly routine we got her bed all made up in Lauren's room and said goodnight. I told her I would be in there later to sleep with her. She was so excited about the Sleep Over, she just couldn't go to sleep. Finally around 11:15 p.m. I slipped into the room and climbed into bed, only to her Angie's little voice say "Nana, I am doing really good aren't I?" She meant at sleeping, I laughed and said "if you don't go to sleep pretty soon,  your Mommy isn't going to let us have another Sleep Over." After she knew I was in the room, I guess she knew she had better go to sleep.
Now she is a great sleeper, but I forgot what it was like to sleep with a little one in the room. I must have woken up 5-6 times, checking to see if she was warm enough and alright. Funny, those Motherhood instincts are never too far away.
For breakfast we had homemade waffles and berries. After breakfast we got dressed and she helped me do my chores. I forgot how fun it is to do anything ...when your little ones are around. As Angie told me stories and we talked about different things, I have to say that I kept having flashbacks of Amy and I doing some of the same things when she was little. It is weird to think that now I am the grandmother (Nana) and not the Mom. Angie in many ways looks like Amy when she was little, except Angie has red hair.
The rest of the day was spent making homemade fruit roll ups, sewing some (pop corn printed) flannel pajamas for her to use at the next Sleep over. Then we watched a movie, had more popcorn and then read a book and lastly went to the store. What a full and fun day. I truly love being a Nana. I guess I shouldn't have worried about getting older, because being a Nana is worth it all!  I can't wait till Jenny gets older and she can have a Sleep Over with Nana too!
Boy, am I tired! Night dear friends.

"A grandmother is a mother who has a second chance." ~ Author Unknown

"A mother becomes a true grandmother the day she stops noticing the terrible things her children do because she is so enchanted with the wonderful things her grandchildren do." ~ Lois Wyse

"Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day and now the day was complete."
~ Marcy DeMaree