Face timing the Baby

Me: Hi boy's

Grandson's: Where's the baby?

Me: Hey guys you have to at least say Hi to grandma first.

Lot's of giggling from both of them but finally I get a 'Hi' Grandma.

Grandson's: Now let's go find the baby.

Flipping the phone around so they can see what's in front of me I take them to the toy closet via Facetime and open the door.

Boys: There's the baby.

This is where I begin the 'Baby show" It comes to life with it's own unique voice and personality.

Boys: Oh hi Baby, do you want to eat breakfast? Baby want to play in the tent? Baby let's play toys. Baby wants lunch. Baby, baby, baby. They love the baby.

For at least an hour or two or for as long as my phone battery allows we play baby. They talk to it and it talks back. I'm not quite sure if the baby is a boy or girl. They just call it the purple baby.

The other day was no different. They call, I find baby and the show begins. If I turn the phone so they can see me, they immediately tell me to turn it around.

It's the baby they want.

During our play, one of the boys ask to see the Christmas tree.

Forgetting they are looking at the baby I replied, Oh you want to see my tree? 

Grandson: No, grandma's

This is where I started giggling.

Yeah Baby, you may have your own show but you don't have a Christmas tree, grandma does.

Like, comment, share

In this day and age of social media we seem to have this sense of connection when pictures and posts are shared.  We validate the post by liking, commenting and possibly, even sharing them.

It's rather amazing technology but the concept has been around for years. 

It's called Christmas cards.

Let me explain.

I'm of the generation where my parents had a family picture taken, compose a letter summing up the events of the year and mail it out in December to extended family and close friends.

Although I stay connected through Facebook and Instagram keeping my family and friends updated on the life and times of our happenings, I still feel Christmas wouldn't be the same if I didn't follow family tradition and send out cards.

So for the past 30 years, I find a family picture I 'like' then 
'comment' on what we've been up to and finally 'share' it with extended family and close friends.

This year is no different, here is the picture I chose and 'like' for our Christmas card:

My 'comment' goes as follows: (although I added their names)

'No longer toddlers four is their age, although a new chapter we hang on to each page. 

Their parents built a house, more room for the boys, quiet? Not even for a mouse.

Roasting nuts, a kiosk in the mall,

Our youngest and his wife's tasty install.

Cycle Cross racing is our middle son's new sport,

watching him ride, it's exciting to support.

Celebrated our 30th with feet in the sand,

Purchased a trailer to explore more lands.

May this season be filled with love and good cheer,

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy

New Year!

Once the cards arrive I will 'share' them via the U.S. postal service.

Call it old fashion but my first Christmas card received was from my son and his family. It warms my heart that our family tradition has been carried on to the next generation.

Merry Christmas!!

The Cat in the Back

It was later than we wanted to leave but preparing our camp trailer for it's maiden voyage was becoming a little stressful for the husband.

We finally decided not to worry about the incidentals like, filling it with water and propane. After all, our destination was to park outside our son's new house. 

By the time we left it was 7:30 pm making the 10 hour drive not happening in one night. Not to worry though, with the camp trailer all we needed was a rest stop to catch a few hours of sleep to take the edge off, which is exactly what we did.

When we opened the trailer door, we heard the familiar sound or our cat, 'meow, meow'

The crazy beast stowed away while we were packing and loading the trailer. 

The husband took her out to see if she wanted to potty  but she was too nervous and I was afraid something would spook her and she'd take off.

She was happy to curl up on the bed with us while we napped.
It's her routine to sleep with us at night. Her spot is at the foot of our bed, but this particular night she was snuggled in-between us purring.

After we slumbered a couple of hours he took her back out  and she actually went to the bathroom.  She loves the husband and followed him around like a puppy.

Three more hours of driving we stopped again to let her out.
While the husband was in the restroom, I put our cat back in the trailer.

When we were close to our son's town we checked on our little stowaway. She was no where to be found. We looked everywhere in the trailer calling to her. Nothing, not even a peep.

It was the craziest thing. She must have slipped out before I shut the door, it was still dark making it easy for her not to be seen.

We felt sick thinking she was gone.

Our son had projects planned for his dad and I had fun planned with our grandsons. Even with the non stop activity, our cat was never far from our minds. 

The husband decided he would get up early the following day and drive the three hours to the rest stop and look for his cat. It was the only thing he could do to give himself some peace of mind. Whether he found the cat or not, at least he tried giving him some sort of closure.

Later that night, feeling the effects of a long drive we said our goodnights and headed to the trailer. When I went in to the bedroom to get ready for bed, there was our Rosie kitty laying on our bed. Not believing my tired eyes, I called the husband in and showed him his cat.

We were beyond surprised to see her, more like baffled.  We had been in and out of that trailer all day convinced she was gone and there she was like clockwork, ready for bed.

Although late, my son drove me to the store to get provisions for her. Cat food a litter box and just for good measure, a leash and harness.

By the time the weekend and the long drive home was over our cat in the back proved she was no ordinary house kitty, rather a seasoned camper.

Up, Up, and Away

4:45 am doesn't come easy for me, usually it doesn't come at all but when a group of hot air balloon enthusiast launch their balloons right about sunrise, it's an event worth getting up early for.

I'm not sure the horses were as enthused. They were still tucked in when we showed up for their morning feed. I'm pretty sure they thought it was still midnight. It definitely crossed my mind when I crawled out of bed but we did have a forty five minute drive ahead  so getting our chop on was necessary. 

This event has been going on for years. 

As the balloonist gathered with their balloons and baskets, they encouraged the community to help unroll and prepare the balloons for flight. 

Once the balloons are laid out and in the proper order, they fire them up filling them with air. 

Hot air that is. 

Which by the way, felt really nice against the frigid morning air.

It was quite the sight watching the balloons rise with the sun.

They couldn't have had a more perfect canvas to paint the sky.
It was like a floating rainbow.

There was just something magical watching them drift away.

I have missed many sunrises in my day as a morning person I am not but wow, this was truly a spectacular event and I am

so glad I made the effort.

It's a Nutty business but somebody's got to do it

Our youngest son graduated from college with a Health Care Administration degree. While still in school he sold pest control contracts over the summer. 

Although his college days are over, he continues to sell pest control but decided to take it a step further. Since his contract sales are a summer gig he and his wife bought into a franchise that will keep them busy over the fall and winter months.

Sounds nutty? Well it is. Their new adventure consists of roasting, on site, Almonds, Cashews and Pecans in a cinnamon, vanilla flavoring.

If you are anywhere in the vicinity, the smell alone will trick your olfactory into thinking Cinnabon is right around the corner.

They took their roasting cart to the Central Washington State Fair and set up shop. 

To say the least, it's been a popular venue. I can't seem to stay away. 

The fairgoers are also enjoying the tasty nuts. 

The husband loves this time of year and was super excited that the first day of the fair landed on his birthday. He's not one who likes attention drawn to him so in honor of his special day and my gift to him, I made sure everyone knew it was his birthday.

This came as a total shock as he couldn't figure out why everyone was wishing him a Happy Birthday. Once he caught on to my sneaky surprise he got a good laugh and was a great sport about it.

A True Survivor

Out witted, out played, out lasted? We won't know until the end of the show if she was the last 'man' standing of CBS's 33rd season of Survivor Millennials vs Gen 'X'.

 Our home town girl Michelle played on the Millennial team and we had the honor of watching the season premiere with her, along with the rest of the community, Wednesday night at our downtown Capitol Theater.

Prior to the show and during commercial breaks, we had the opportunity to ask her questions.  

What we learned was the show is real, their hardships are real, the people are real and Jeff is super 'cool.' They bring nothing to the show but the clothes on their backs. During the cyclone on the first night, they were evacuated and brought to a 'base' camp where they stayed in a room with only a concrete floor. Despite the hard floor, she was grateful for a safe, dry place to get the much needed sleep after a full day of travel.

It was great seeing Michelle in a whole different light. We used to travel in the same circle when our youngest son was involved with performing and competing in piano.

The names haven't been read and we still have the full season to watch to find out if Michelle ended up the sole survivor but one thing I do know is she prepared herself mentally, physically and spiritually which proved worthy in surviving the show and her outlook on life.

Looks who's talking

Born at 27 weeks he had a rough beginning and has been playing catch up ever since. Although his motor skills are pretty much on par, it's his delayed speech and language that brings him to our preschool. 

He has no idea why he is at school, all he knows is how fun the room is. The smile on his face and the energy in his little three year old body trumped his limited communication skills. No words were necessary.

What he didn't bank on was preschool comes with some rules.  It's not just a free for all, like you wait for an adult to open the doors and most importantly, you don't say no to teachers.

I'm convinced, this little premature born boy had so much care and attention in his early beginnings, the word no was probably never said to him.

We came to this realization when we took the class out to the playground for some recess time. 

Our new student was so thrilled with the play equipment he was sure it was put there just for him. Sharing became a problem. 

He loved the climbing wall and would block the other children trying to climb.

Patiently the teacher would remind him to step aside so the other children could climb without falling.

He wasn't having it.

He was reminded multiple times to move over and finally in frustration he looked at the teacher and said 'No!'

She said in her calm teacher voice, 'Oh, we don't say no to teachers.'

Clear as a bell without any babble, he responded, 'Go to H...!'

We had to bite our tongues to keep from laughing. This kid who started life behind the times most definitely has  vocabulary way beyond his years.

Saving the best for last

I couldn't have had a better way to end summer vacation than having our grandsons spend the last two weeks of August with us.

Prior to their visit, the boys and I have been spending a lot of time Face-timing. We would spend, as much as my phone battery would allow, playing with toys and doing farm chores. 

To say the least, they were chomping at the bit to actually come to 

'Grandma's house'

My mother and law and I drove half of the 10 hour trip to meet up with my son and his family who met us in the middle. After spending some time together, the boys were anxious to get on the road, the desitnation was 'Grandma's house' and they wanted to get after it.

5 hours later we arrived and our two week bliss began.

We took them to the Family Fun Center to ride Go-carts 
and Bumper Boats - more than once. 

Played hide-and-seek with Grandpa, who always had
clever hiding places. 

Went to 'Grandpa's farm to do chores. It's funny, they 
would say 'Grandma's house' but the farm was alway's Grandpa's. 

Swam 

Took a tour of one of the husbands job sites.
The boys called it the 'Apple Factory' 

Yummy, yummy Washington apples 

Saw a movie 

Played 

Swam some more 

Of course there were always plenty
of farm chores to do, everyday.

Did some exploring

 Went to the river and had a picnic

 Made blueberry muffins

Went to Kids Castle where basically it's a big
habitrail for children to climb, slide and play in a ball pit.

 The boys loved it so much we had to make that
one a revisit also.

Shopped and decorated for 'Mommy's Happy Birthday'

the day they came and picked them up.

 Although my camera is exploding with pictures of their 
visit, there is no way I could post all of them. To say the least, we had an amazing time together.

They left on a Friday and I started back to work on Monday.
I wish summer didn't have to end but Dr. Seuss
keeps it in perspective for me:

'Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened'

I definitely have reason to smile




'

Girls Camp

I had less than a week to get ready for girls camp after saying good bye to my sister and the rest of my family.

Oh girls camp.

 I was recruited by our church to serve as a camp cook, among a few others, to prepare and cook for 250 girls and their leaders.

We were up at 4:30 am to be in the kitchen at 5 so we can have breakfast ready by 7. After the masses came and ate

 

we cleaned, along with some very helpful girls,

So we can start all over again for dinner.

It was exhausting but rewarding. These girls

have a remarkable spirit about them and it was 

incredible being in their presence.

Some of my good friends were also recruited. This one

was working in the 'Snack Shack' I did manage

to sneak off and find me some tasty treats.

When I got back from camp, I had two days to prepare for my grandsons visit.

Family Reunion

After a week at my house it was time to travel to our

parents for a weekend of family togetherness.

Whidbey Island is where we grew up and where our childhood memories lie making it a perfect gathering place.

Although our entire extended family couldn't all make it,

My four siblings came and brought some of their family

with them

We had a great time laughing, playing and catching

up with everyone. The weekend came and went

way too fast but new memories were made as we enjoyed

our time together.

I have so much gratitude for my parents and

the example they have been and continue to be 

to me and my family as well as the love they 

have for everyone they come in contact with.