Happy Birthday Kai!

Today our grandson Hezakiah turned a year old. We wanted to share it with him and because they live back East, we attended the party on Skype, with his other Grandparents too! We got to see him eat his B-day cake, open presents and even sing Happy Birthday to him all together...it was amazing! I can't believe he is already a year old. How blessed we are as a family to have him! He is growing fast, and seems like every day he is much more like a toddler instead of a baby any more. 

I think that one of the things that we are most proud of ...is to see what great parents that Brad and Krystal have become. You always pray that when your kids have kids, that they will take seriously their responsibility, and they have...and we are so proud of them! So Happy Birthday dear Kai, we sure love you!

"Grandkids bring you into a sweeter, slower present. They show you the future at a time when a lot of your friends are thinking about the past. And they take you back to childhood--theirs, the Parent's, your own: a three-time admittance to wonderland."  ~Adair Lara

Sleep over at Nana's!

Once a month, Angie comes over to my house for a Sleep Over. It is her time to just be with me and not have to compete with her sister. I gave her and Jenny a suitcase with wheels a while ago,  and they just love packing things into their suitcase and dragging them around. Jenny isn't old enough yet to do a Sleep Over with Nana yet... but it won't be long.

Sunday night was Angie's night to come over, her whole family was already over here for a birthday party for her Dad. About 8:00 pm  she reminded her parents that it was late and that they should probably go home and get Jenny to bed. She is pretty protective of her Sleep Over time.

When they first came over for dinner I told her to just take her suitcase into Lauren's room and we would set it all up after her Mom and Dad left. But just minutes after she arrived, she told me that our room was ready. Here is what I found!

 

Her pajamas were laid out with slippers included. She had tomorrow's outfit laid out on the baby bed. She had on the night stand 3 stuffed animals and one toy and blanket. On the bed she laid her scriptures. Her suitcase on the floor was zipped back up and then her favorite pig was on the floor, with a pillow and blanket...yes, this girl gets serious about her Sleep Over at Nana's. I know she is only 5, but I do hope she remembers these special days we have together.

By 9:00 pm she was ready for bed and we did all the nightly routine, song, scriptures, prayers, sip of water and brushing her teeth and then she was ready. She told me not to stay up too long because we had lots to do the next day. At 6:00 am she woke me up and was almost bouncing she said "Nana, wake up it is our Sleep Over Day and we have lots to do, are you ready to go down to the sewing room?" I smiled sleepily, and tried to explain to her that it was too early and that we should go back to bed and sleep some more. Then I reminded her not to wake me up until the clock had a number 9 on it! She did just that, she was just too cute.

How blessed I feel that I live close enough to my grandchildren to play a big part in their lives right now, I know that might not always be the case with all of them, but for sure we are going to have some traditions to hold on to and continue for all of our future grandchildren. ( Not that I am hinting or anything ! :)

Good night dear friends!

"A grandmother is a babysitter who watches the kids instead of the television."  ~Unknown

"Our grandchildren accept us for ourselves, without rebuke or effort to change us, as no one in our entire lives has ever done, not our parents, siblings, spouses, friends - and hardly ever our own grown children."  ~Ruth Goode

"There's no place like home except Nana's!"

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

Happy Anniversary to Me!

Today is Jeff and I's anniversary...29 years ago today, we got married in Washington,D.C. It is so hard to imagine where we would be in 29 years, and what would be going on with our lives. I had prayed that we would be able to have a big family, and we were blessed with 4 healthy and happy kids. I always wanted to be a stay home Mom and be with the kids, and I was also blessed to do that. Two of our kids are married now, and we have an incredible son-in-law and daughter-in-law, plus two fun and sweet granddaughters. Yes, I believe our life has been even better than we imagined. As I look at our wedding photo today ( yes that is really us ), I remember how excited we were to finally start our life together, we had dated off and on for four years. We had no idea all the ups and downs we would have to face but...here we are still together and thankful for it.

I found this sweet story and thought it was the perfect Anniversary story, especially since I am a survivor. Good night dear friends!

S.H.M.I.L.Y.

My grandparents were married for over half a century, and played their own special game from the time they had met each other. The goal of their game was to write the word "shmily" in a surprise place for the other to find.
They took turns leaving "shmily" around the house, and as soon as one of them discovered it, it was their turn to hid it once more. They dragged "shmily" with their fingers through the sugar and flour containers to await whoever was preparing the next meal. They smeared it in the dew on the windows overlooking the patio where my grandma always fed us warm, homemade pudding with blue food coloring.
"Shmily" was written in the steam left on the mirror after a hot shower, where it would reappear bath after bath. At one point, my grandmother even unrolled and entire roll of toilet paper to leave "shmily" on the very last sheet. There was no end to the places "shmily" would pop up.
Little notes with"shmily" scribbled hurriedly were found on dashboards and car seats, or taped to steering wheels. The notes were stuffed inside shoes and left under pillows. "Shmily" was written in the dust upon the mantel and traced in the ashes of the fireplace.
This mysterious word was as much a part of my grandparents' house as the furniture. It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my grandparents' game. Skepticism has kept me from believing in true love-one that is pure and enduring.
However, I never doubted my grandparents' relationship. They had love down pat. It was more than their flirtatious little games: it was a way of life. Their relationship was based on a devotion and passionate affection which not everyone is lucky to experience.
Grandma and Grandpa held hands every chance they could. They stole kisses as they bumped into each other in their tiny kitchen. They finished each other's sentences and shared the daily crossword puzzle and word jumble. My grandma whispered to me about how cute my grandpa was, how handsome and old he had grown to be. She claimed that she really knew "how to pick em."
Before every meal they bowed their heads and gave thanks, marveling at their blessings: a wonderful family, good fortune, and each other. But there was a dark cloud in my grandparents' life: my grandmother had breast cancer. The disease had first appeared ten years earlier. As always, Grandpa was with her every step of the way.
He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so that she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside. Now the cancer was again attacking her body.
With the help of a cane and my grandfather's steady hand, they went to church every morning. But my grandmother grew steadily weaker until, finally, she could not leave the house anymore. For a while, Grandpa would go to church alone, praying to God to watch over his wife. Then one day, what we all dreaded finally happened. Grandma was gone.
"Shmily." It was scrawled in yellow on the pink ribbons of my grandmother's funeral bouquet. As the crowd thinned and the last mourners turned to leave , my aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members came forward and gathered around Grandma one last time.
Grandpa stepped up to my grandmother's casket and, taking a shaky breath, he began to sing to her. Through his tears and grief, the song came, a deep and throaty lullaby. Shaking with my own sorrow, I will never forget that moment. For I knew that, although I couldn't begin to fathom the depth of their love, I had been privileged to witness its unmatched beauty.
S-h-m-i-l-y: See How Much I Love You! Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa, for letting me see.

~Laura Jeanne Allen

“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person”  ~ Mignon McLaughlin

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”  ~ Lao Tzu

Worrier

Well, the Doctor called today, and the results were in from Lee's tests. Every thing was normal, just like all the other tests we have done. It is weird, I was praying that nothing was wrong ...and yet at the very same time, I was praying to know what is wrong. I am trying not to be a worrier but some days, I worry more than I should. Yesterday, was one of those days. Today, I decided to turn it over to my Heavenly Father, what a more peaceful way to live. Trying to act as if EVERYTHING depends on you is hard. I know my Heavenly Father loves Lee and is well aware of his struggles. I just need to remember, all the times He has taken care of our family. This time won't be any different. Perspective is a wonderful thing!
Night dear friends!

Can You See God? 

A small boy once approached his slightly older sister with a question about God. "Susie, can anybody ever really see God?" he asked.
Busy with other things, Susie curtly replied: "No, of course
not silly. God is so far up in heaven that nobody can see him."
Time passed, but his question still lingered so he approached his mom: "Mom, can anybody ever really see God?" "No, not really," she gently said. "God is a spirit and he dwells in our hearts, but we can never really see Him."
Somewhat satisfied but still wondering, the youngster went on his way. Not long afterwards, his saintly old grandfather took the little boy on a fishing trip.
They were having a great time together. The sun was beginning to set with unusual splendor and the grandfather stared silently at the exquisite beauty unfolding before them.
On seeing the face of his grandfather reflecting such deep
peace and contentment, the little boy thought for a moment and finally spoke hesitatingly:
"Granddad, I--I-- wasn't going to ask anybody else, but I wonder if you can tell me the answer to something I've been wondering about a long time. Can anybody - can anybody ever really see God?".
The old man did not even turn his head. A long moment slipped by before he finally answered. "Son," he quietly said. "It's getting so I can't see anything else."       ~Author Unknown

 

"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you."  ~ Saint Augustine

Every evening I turn my worries over to God.  He's going to be up all night anyway.  ~Mary C. Crowley

The Christmas Spirit

The story that I chose for today is... one of the stories from my new Chicken Soup for the Soul Tales & Christmas book, I received for Christmas from one of my dear friends. The story is too long to type, but I will give you the jest of the story and some of the parts that meant a lot to me.
   It was called the LESSONS FROM MY GRANDPARENTS by Beth Cato. The story started out with a mother reminding her daughter while she was home for Christmas, to please go through some of the boxes that her grandmother had set aside for her. Her grandmother was now in a nursing home, but wanted to make sure that some of her favorite things, went to her favorite people. She was surprised to see what her grandmother had passed on to her...her Christmas Santa collection.  Here is what she said about her Grandmother and Christmas. 
   "Her enthusiasm for Christmas rivaled that of any bouncy child. She grabbed Christmas gifts on sale all year long." She encouraged me to start playing traditional carols in June or July.  "Good music is good music all  year long," she said. There's no need to limit to December."
   When I was on summer break, she helped me to start making crafts to give as gifts to my uncles and cousins. More than once, she surprised me with bags of Styrofoam circles and sparkly pom poms. When my grandpa was sick and bedbound, we would sit in nearby chairs and work on little projects while Burl Ives crooned over the sound of the fans and air conditioning.
   Knowing her joy for Christmas, I always bought her Santa figurines. Despite my small allowance, I believed I was giving her something grand. As an adult, I realized the truth.
   "Some of these are outright hideous," I muttered, already sorting through them to make a donate-to-charity pile. "Why did she keep them?" I help up one porcelain Santa Claus with runny mascara and almost nonexistent legs.
   "Because you gave them to her," Mom said.
   My grandma has been widowed almost twenty years now. She needs a walker to get around. Her eyesight is too poor, her hands too shaky to do crafts. But she loves her holiday music and the sight of Santa Claus still makes her squeal. Looking back, I realized how much she and Grandpa taught me about the true spirit of the season.
Now she had gifted me with all of her beloved old Santa Clauses as she prepared for her own death. With my returns home so infrequent, I never knew if I would see her again. Every hug and kiss was precious. She knew I loved her, but beyond that, did she realize how she embodied Christmas for me?

   The story then ends with a letter to her Grandmother, thanking her for all the things that she has taught her and how she hopes to pass all those things on to her children some day. Here is the last sentence of her letter...
   "I'm proud to be your granddaughter. For me,  you'll always be the spirit of Christmas.
Love,
Beth  
 

" A grandparent is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend."   ~ Unknown

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air."   ~ W. T. Ellis

"From Home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other."      ~Emily Matthews

Two Sisters One Heart

"Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever".  ~ Unknown

Today I got an email from my sister-in-law, telling me about her dear friend who just lost two of  her granddaughters this past week. I am telling you, this has been a tough couple of weeks, for so many of our friends. This grandmother, had conjoined twin granddaughters ...who at the age of 4 died, during complications from surgery.
Our little Angie is four and to be honest with you, I can't imagine anything happening to her or Jenny. Yes, life is really tough. I heard a talk in church by David A. Bednar, his talk was about how we handle a crisis in our life. Do we blame God, or do we go to Him for support and peace? Here is a quote from his talk that I found to be incredibly comforting.

Emma Joan and Taylor Nalani Bailey

September 20, 2006 - August 10, 2010

"We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live. When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance."
Elder David A. Bednar

Please take time out to keep this dear family in your thoughts and prayers. Here is their blog address... if you would like to learn more about them and their sweet family. http://emmaandtaylorbailey.blogspot.com/

"

"The family unit is the most important organization in time or in eternity."   ~Bruce R. McConkie

“Our Heavenly Father has organized us into families for the purpose of helping us successfully meet the trials and challenges of life. The home also exists to bless us with the joys and privileges of family associations. Our family is our safety place, our support network, our sanctuary, and our salvation.”  ~Rex D. Pinegar

"To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die."   ~Thomas Campbell

Honesty

I love the honesty of little kids. If you want to know the truth ...then ask a child.

"Be Silly. Be honest. Be kind."  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

SAY A PRAYER 
Little Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his grandmother's house.   Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served.  When Little Johnny received his plate, he started eating right away.
'Johnny! Please wait until we say our prayer.'  said his mother.
'I don't need to,' the boy replied.
'Of course, you do.' his mother insisted. 'We always say a prayer before eating at our house.'
'That's at our house.' Johnny explained.  'But this is Grandma's house and she knows how to cook!'

"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom"  ~ Thomas Jefferson

"An honest answer is the sign of true friendship"  ~unknown

Sleep Over

My girls came over tonight to have a sleep over at Nana's, how exciting. They are going to sleep in the green room and Angie is sleeping in the SECRET BED!  As I laid beside her and sang songs with her, I realized how blessed I am to be near enough to have her come over and have a sleep over. Many of my friends that are Grandmas and Nanas, don't have their grand kids near them, so tonight as I kissed her good night...I was counting my blessings.

It is late and I have to get to bed, but I just wanted to leave you with this thought, maybe we forget at times how our choices effect the children around us. This quote was a great reminder to remember the children in our lives and what a profound effect we can have on them and the generations to come... just by loving them.

Good night dear friends.

"FIFTY YEARS FROM NOW IT WILL NOT MATTER WHAT KIND OF CAR YOU DROVE, WHAT KIND OF HOUSE YOU LIVED IN, HOW MUCH YOU HAD IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, OR WHAT YOUR CLOTHES LOOKED LIKE. BUT THE WORLD MAY BE A LITTLE BETTER BECAUSE  YOU WERE IMPORTANT IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD" ~ Anonymous

"Just about the time a woman thinks her work is done, she becomes a grandmother."  ~Edward H. Dreschnack

"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

Motherhood is the best job ever!

When I read this sweet poem I smiled, because I have been where this mother was...many times in my short 27 years of motherhood. I will tell you that I have had the same reaction even at times and yes, later regretted it. The hardest thing about motherhood is, although you have to be everything to everyone, it doesn't mean that you were highly trained in any of those areas. Much of your training is ON THE JOB, so no wonder there are mistakes that are made! :)  You only have to mention certain things to get my kids started on "remember the time when Mom did this or that?" How they can remember those things I will never know but...they do and no matter what ages they are, they make sure to remind me of it ever now and then. I just smile and know that some day, they will be in my very situation and then, and only then... will the LIGHTBULB MOMENT happen to them and all of a sudden I will become a little bit wiser! :) Hope I am not too old to enjoy that moment when it comes! ( I hope my kids are reading this post! )

So enjoy the poem and remember ...those sweet little ones of yours will grow up fast, so try to savor the moment if you can. The nice thing is, that when you are all grown up and a grandma ( NANA ) then your grandkids will be perfect and you won't have worry about things like this any more anyway!  Good night!

"If I had known how wonderful
it would be to have grandchildren,
I'd have had them first."   ~ Lois Wyse 

 

Handwriting on the wall   ~Author Unknown

A weary mother returned from the store,
Lugging groceries through the kitchen door.
Awaiting her arrival was her 8 year old son,
Anxious to relate what his younger brother had done.

While I was out playing and Dad was on a call,
T.J. took his crayons and wrote on the wall
It's on the new paper you just hung in the den.
I told him you'd be mad at having to do it again.

She let out a moan and furrowed her brow,
Where is your little brother right now?
She emptied her arms and with a purposeful stride,
She marched to his closet where he had gone to hide.

She called his full name as she entered his room.
He trembled with fear--he knew that meant doom
For the next ten minutes, she ranted and raved
About the expensive wallpaper and how she had saved.

Lamenting all the work it would take to repair,
She condemned his actions and total lack of care.
The more she scolded, the madder she got,
Then stomped from his room, totally distraught

She headed for the den to confirm her fears.
When she saw the wall, her eyes flooded with tears.
The message she read pierced her soul with a dart.
It said, I love Mommy, surrounded by a heart.

Well, the wallpaper remained, just as she found it,
With an empty picture frame hung to surround it.
A reminder to her, and indeed to all,
Take time to read the handwriting on the wall.

 

"If your baby is 'beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses,
sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all the
time,' you're the grandma."
~Teresa Bloomingdale

Or I could add to this quote by saying...or maybe you are the Aunt!"

Because I am a very proud Aunt Lynn too!

Starting a little early!

When I was a little girl, I remember standing in line for a long time with my mom at the Sears and Roebuck store, to get the chance to see Santa. My mom also had a bad back and I remember her hurting as we stood there for what seemed to be forever before it was my turn. As soon as it was my turn and Santa motioned for me to come up and sit on his lap, I grabbed my mom's leg and began to cry. She did her best to convince me that it was alright but I wouldn't budge, then she reminded me how long we had been waiting for me to go see him ( guilt was her next line of defense) and still that didn't work, I was terrified. Really all I wanted was a candy cane and the neat Santa ring. I never did go up and see him but I remember my mom not being very happy (probably because she was hurting)  but some how I did get the candy cane and that cool Santa ring?

Today Jeff and I took Angie (our 3 year old granddaughter) to see Santa at the Hallmark store. I know it is early, there used to be a day that you didn't see or hear anything about Santa until after Thanksgiving, but that has been long gone. Now don't get me wrong, we love Thanksgiving and my whole house is decorated for it but, like I said before....I wish Christmas was all year long.

As we walked in the store this morning Angie saw Santa standing there and began to talk about the reindeers and presents and then as soon as he motioned for her to come to him, she went behind my leg. We did go over with her long enough to get a photo; but it is me who is beside Santa, not Angie. He showed her the Jingle Bells from the sleigh and a toy that he had, she liked him but definitely at a distance, it was cute and since it brought back those memories of me, I knew to let her keep her distance. We only went for a little bit but it was still fun as grandparents to do something like that. Yes, I do have Christmas music piping through my house and I am already watching Christmas movies but... I guess there could be worse addictions! :)

So enjoy this sweet story and don't forget to continue to BELIEVE IN THE MAGIC!

Why I know there is a Santa Claus - by Robert Fitzgerald

About 20 years ago, I was chosen to be one of Santa’s helpers in a small and rural southern town. I was only about 23 at the time and quite slim. But, with the help of some padding I filled out the costume worn by the big man quite nicely. The day of the Christmas parade arrived and I took up my perch atop the fire truck, with a basket of candy to throw to all Santa’s children lining the street. The parade circled the town and arrived back at the court house where his elves escorted him into his little hut where the towns children could come and pass on their lists of Christmas wishes and I in turn would pass them on to Santa himself in time for his Christmas Eve delivery.

On about the 3rd or 4th day before Christmas, two young ladies came in to the hut with a young man no more than 4 years old. I invited the gentleman to sit with me and proceeded to ask him what he would like to have that year. “Nothing” came his reply and it really set me back! Everybody wanted something. For two weeks I had everyone in town from 2 years old to 22 providing me with lists so long that the total logistics of UPS, the post office and The National Guard would be hard pressed to fill them, let alone one friendly old man pulled in a sleigh by a handful of reindeer!

“Are you sure”, I asked. “There must be something I could get for a fine gentleman like yourself, I pressed.

“No. I just wanted to come and thank you for my new mommy.”

I was stunned! I said you’re welcome, gave him an extra bag of candy and a coloring book and he climbed down from my lap.

He walked outside with one of the ladies and the other stayed behind to explain.

“We are just baby-sitting today. His mother was killed in a car wreck about a year and a half ago. Last Christmas he came here and asked Santa for a new mommy a few months ago his father remarried. As we drove by he saw your little house here by the road and started crying and screaming until we came back, just so he could thank you. Good-bye, Santa.”

I talked to 3 or 4 more children, then closed and locked the door from the inside and fell to my knees, thanking both God and the true Spirit of Santa for giving me this opportunity to see love in a child's eyes. I have never forgotten this experience and tell the story nearly every year. I am now 46 years old and I believe in Santa more now than ever, thanks to that boy. Son, I hope that wherever you are, you have never given up your belief in Santa. I haven’t.

 

'"Christmas, children, is not a date.  It is a state of mind."  ~Mary Ellen Chase

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."  ~Norman Vincent Peale

Things to remember

Maybe it's because I am getting older, but I tend to try and remember special things more often. I am also trying to remember to enjoy the moments more often. Yesterday when Angie came over and we were watering her pumpkin plants, I remembered growing a garden with all my kids when they were little, they loved watching it grow and so does Angie. Now I would love to tell you that we have a big huge garden of a million things, but we don't. We have tomatoes, corn, herbs and pumpkins.

Angie and I painted Pumpkin signs to let everyone know where the Pumpkins are. She and her Poppa take good care of the plants. I love watching her be so excited and talk about how big her pumpkins are going to be for Halloween!

They say that being a grandparent is more fun because you have more time, I think that is true plus, you are older and realize what is REALLY IMPORTANT now. You aren't as caught up in the daily stress of life, quite as much as when you were a  younger mom. Maybe because of my cancer, maybe because of my age? But whatever it is, I am just grateful to remember and enjoy this little ( but, oh so important ) moments. Life is all about our choices.

I hope today that you try to slow down enough to remember the little important things and that you truly enjoy the moment. Thanks for always being there for me and my family.

Things to Remember

Your life was a gift to the world, take that gift and use it wisely. You are unique and one of a kind, no one else is quite like you. You can make your life be anything you want it to be. Remember to take one day at a time.

Count your blessings, not your troubles. You will make it through whatever comes along. Within you are so many answers. Understand, have courage, be strong.

Do not put limits on yourself. So many dreams are waiting to be realized. Decisions are too important to leave to chance. Reach for your peak, your goal and you prize.

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying. The longer one carries a problem the heavier it gets. Do not take things too seriously. Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

Remember that a little love goes a long way. Remember that a lot of love … goes on forever. Remember that friendship is a wise investment. Life’s treasure are people together.

Realize that it is never too late. Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way. Have hearth and hope and happiness. Take the time to wish upon a start.

and most importantly do not forget …. not even for a second just how special you are!