Sunday 28 August 2011

Shhhh....what's that I hear?

What? Nothing you say?  I hear nothing?  Yup LOL, that's exactly what I hear right now.  We did have a whirlwind weekend with two of the GK's, Hannah and Cade.  Big sister Hailee spent Thursday and overnight with us, then we switched over for the other two while Hailee went to her BFF's for the weekend, and is on her way as I type, to a friend's birthday party :)

We didn't really have anything planned for the weekend but we sure managed to keep busy. Between riding bikes, playing dress up with old Halloween costumes, stripping down and playing in the dog's pool...again LOL, watching movies, eating and sleeping, the time just flew.
  
 
Mooooo....this Halloween costume has been
around a very long time and has been put to
good use...not only on October 31st of each year!

 
It's getting harder and harder for the girls
to fit into this Unicorn costume...but they
keep figuring out ways to do it LOL!

     
In between all the regular stuff we managed to get to a local conservation park and went through 3 loaves of bread...whole wheat of course....while feeding the ducks, geese, the gulls, and even the odd slice being munched on by the two legged human kids LOL!
   
Watch those fingers Hannah LOL!
  
Can I have a piece Grandma?
That question is why we always buy fresh
whole wheat bread to feed the ducks LOL!

Don't lean over too far!!
 
We had a ball and both kids were right into it. Our brave Hannah even fed a few Canadian Geese right from her hand. Not without being warned beforehand to make sure the pieces of bread she was offering them were much longer than normal size LOL!  Cade got ohhhhhhh so close, but ended up dropping the bread and pulling his little hand back...hehehe...much preferring to throw the bread away from him :)
    
A visit to feed the ducks is not complete unless they get
to play at the playground on the grounds!
 

 
As usual, pancakes were on the menu for breakfast yesterday....blue pancakes this time...and grandma finally got smart this weekend and made enough so I wouldn't have to make more from scratch this morning!  Just removed the extra from the fridge and heated in the microwave.  See, there is an advantage to getting "old" and wiser :)

Don't worry mom, it's only a butter knife :)
   

  Hey, where's my knife??
 
Grandpa packed up the bikes, suitcases, dog and drove them home around 12:30 so all is quiet. Seems strange somehow that I can still hear their chattering in the bedroom and their giggles as even the silliest little thing makes them laugh...and makes us laugh too :)

If any grandparents (or parents) out there want to get something great
for a small grandchild that will greatly help when they start riding
a two wheel bike....get the Strider bike! It's the next best thing
since sliced bread....geez, I'm sounding like my mother with that
statement LOL!  But really, there are no wheels, the child just pushes
themselves along and eventually can coast with both feet up.
They get total balance control and won't need training wheels when
moved up to a regular two wheel bike!
Cade won't be 3 til the end of October, yet he can keep up with
his sisters as he pushes and coasts on his Strider!


Five year old Hannah will not be showed up. She
gave up her training wheels a couple weeks ago
and has quickly become a pro with her bike!
You go girl!!
   
One more week to go before school starts, then our visits will be fewer and further between. However, they do start swimming lessons again this Thursday, so grandma and grandpa will be there with the usual sandwich/snacks/drinks to watch, wave, smile and just plain enjoy more great memory making time.

Grandma loves you
xoxoxoxo

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Must Love Surprises....

As anyone who lives close to their grandkids knows, we must always be prepared for surprises LOL!  One never knows what the day will bring, so that's my excuse for not planning anything...except drs appointments of course.

Yesterday morning I drove to town for a few things and picked up some produce for our dear DIL as well.  When I stopped to drop it off, our DIL's little niece came running to the door and asked if she and Hannah (GD#2) could come to my house for a visit!  To say I was a bit shocked would be an understatement, but at the same time thought it would be fun.  She is 3 days younger than our Hannah, and a real sweetheart, but this was the first time she asked directly to come over for a visit! 

I figured two of them together is better than only one....hehehe....so as she went running to the bedroom to ask Hannah if she wanted to come (just guess what Hannah's answer was) our little GS Cade started crying and fussing, grabbing mom's leg and sobbing "I want to go to Mama's house...I want to go to Mama's house"....Mama is what he calls me, and Bumpa is what he calls Grandpa...too cute. I hope he keeps it up :)

Anyway, I can only fit two booster seats in our back seat, so our DIL's wonderful dad (Pepere to the GK's) drove Cade over in another vehicle, and I took both girls.  I threw out a crazy question about what the girls wanted for lunch, as the unanimous, and only, reply was "Kraft Dinner"...a delicacy as far as Hannah is concerned, and she will take any opportunity to have it as it's VERY seldom served at home LOL!

The kids were very happy with two bowls each and then Dilly Bars from Dairy Queen (which grandpa always has on hand in our freezer) for dessert.  Our DIL said she would pick them up at 2:30 so we went outside to pet the goldfish in one of my backyard ponds...but not before the girls decided to refill the dog's little pool, then get in themselves to soak their feet LOL!  Cade decided he had to cool off as well so went in with his long pants, which got soaked but dried quickly in the breeze.

When our DIL arrived with our oldest GD and her best friend, they figured they should get their feet wet as well LOL!  Oh to be young again and see things from a completely different perspective than grandma, who knew the water was way too cold for her own arthritic feet...but sure had fun as I enjoyed hearing the ohhh's and ahhhh's of shivering grandkids, cousins and friends as they sat around that tiny dog pool and soaked their feet :)



Ahhhhhhh....memories!
 
Grandma Loves You
xoxoxoxo

Monday 22 August 2011

Monday, Monday....

Normally people don't like to think about Mondays (as I didn't when I worked in the real world)....getting back to work, school, obligations, appointments, counting down the minutes until the following Friday when you can block your work-world out for another two days.  I, on the other hand, appreciate Monday. It's usually a quiet time for me these days after a busy weekend like this past weekend, and I enjoy the peace and quiet to catch up with routines and go over the great memories that were created the previous two days (usually with the grandkids)...or, to just sit and relax.

As I said in my last post, I went on a shopping trip to Toronto. We all had a wonderful time...lots of shopping til we dropped, lots of good food (that we didn't have to cook, which always tastes better) and lots of laughs that make me smile today as I think of the reasons for those laughs :)

We were also lucky enough to get my middle son to meet us for lunch on the way through his city.  More good laughs and good food :) It's always great to see him whenever I can! He'll be back to teaching in a couple weeks, so no doubt his Mondays won't be something he looks forward to either LOL!

However, there's nothing better (said while apologizing to hubby) than being greeted as you get out of the car with grandkids running towards you at full speed with dancing eyes, ear to ear smiles on their faces, jumping into your arms with hugs, kisses and giggles, and asking if you are going to stay for a while. All at the same time asking if you can watch, as they run for their bikes to show you they can now ride without training wheels!  Wow, did that happen in just two days?  As I said, there's nothing better :)

In fact, maybe I should go away more often so I can enjoy those welcomes when I get home LOL!

Grandma loves you
xoxoxoxo

Friday 19 August 2011

Almost School Time......

At the beginning of the summer I told our two GD's that Grandpa and I would take them, each by themselves, for a sleepover and dinner out before they went back to school.  Well, with only two weeks to go, and a very busy summer behind us, I figured we'd better make good on that promise.  So, this past Wednesday was to be Hailee's day/night with us, then her younger sister Hannah was to have yesterday and last night.
                                          Again...ignore the date. These pics were all taken
this July on our way to our son's wedding!

In the back of my mind I knew Hannah wouldn't take too well to having Hailee here by herself, especially when she was supposed to stay with Memere (DIL's mom), but Memere was camping all week and wasn't coming home until yesterday. Something we didn't know until after our sleepover plans were already made.

The waterworks started with Hannah so I took Hailee into the bedroom to try and reason with her about letting Hannah share her day/night with her, and then instead of Hannah staying here on Thursday, Hailee could have two sleepovers, last night being alone.  That didn't go over very well either, but she finally agreed after mom talked to her too. We told her she was being very nice for sharing her night, and she worked it for all it's worth LOL!

Once mom left we all went to the Dollar Store for a whole bunch of stuff, especially things to paint. They do love to create with paint...boxes, canvasses, the kitchen table and themselves LOL! 


June 2009
 
For supper we went out to a local Italian restaurant and they both ate really well....knowing full well that ice cream came with each child's meal LOL! I wish adults could order children's meal...they were huge, and cheap...and no one is going to complain about getting a huge bowl of vanilla ice cream delivered to their table after they eat. At least I sure wouldn't LOL!

After bathtime we watched a movie...Matilda....and I had to comfort Hailee throughout the start of the movie as she doesn't like any kind of "violence, anger" etc in movies....and especially NO blood. I assured her that it had a very happy ending and she that there was NO blood in the whole movie. She has a very vivid imagination and easily gets nightmares when she sees things that upset her.  Hannah on the others hand will watch anything...Harry Potter, Avatar...you name it she loves it, no problems with dreams for that little one!

Bedtime was shared between Grandpa and myself.  Hailee slept with Grandpa and Hannah slept with me. It's so nice to have them sleepover now that they're older....they sleep through the night, so that means Gpa and I sleep through the night as well....and sleep we do! We've had many, many sleepless sleepovers in the last 7 years, but it's all good and has been more than worth it :)

There's nothing like having the warm body of a little child snuggled into your back all night long...oh, and we can't forget that both people only have half the bed because an 11 pound little dog, Sparkles, wouldn't share her half of the bed LOL!


Hailee went home for a couple hours yesterday morning so I could shower and get ready to head to town with her.  When I picked her up at 1:00, poor little Hannah got all upset and started to cry, reaching out for me....it broke my heart :(  But I knew she was going to spend the night with her other grandmother, so that eased my heart.....a tiny bit :)

As soon as we got into the car, Hailee said "grandma....I didn't have lunch you know" LOL!  Well, I hadn't eaten lunch either so asked her where she wanted to go....she's VERY fussy, so it's difficult to take her out to eat.  She wanted Subway so that's where we went first.  As we pulled into the parking lot at Subway, I hear Hailee in the back seat yelling..."grandma, there's a Bitter Bills"...a local ice cream shop.  So much for teaching kids to read....hehehe....she can read anything now!  I promised that if she ate her whole sub, she could have dessert....and low and behold, that's what we ended up doing.  The little stinker ate every crumb of her sub! 


After a couple 'taste tests' of various ice creams, she decided on Birthday Cake...and it really did taste like cake with icing on it! They can make just about anything these days. There was a time that you actually had to bake and decorate a cake to get that taste LOL!

She was supposed to sleep with me last night, but she chose to sleep with Grandpa for a second night. She LOVES to talk before she falls asleep (and usually does fall asleep halfway through a sentence) and she and grandpa have great talks. He has a sense of humor that she enjoys, and having been a teacher for almost 30 years, he loves to hear her stories....even when she tells huge stories and then says "it wasn't fake you know. It really happened!" LOL!

Next weekend our son and DIL are in a golf tournament and we were supposed to have all 3 kids for the weekend.  As it turns out Hailee has been invited to her BFF's house for the weekend, so we'll have Hannah and Cade.  Hannah will be happy as she and I can do something special, seeing as we didn't get a chance too this week....and Cade....well Cade is obsessed with his grandpa, so they won't have any problems killing time and keeping busy for 3 days :)

Tomorrow I'm heading to Toronto for a couple days with our DIL, her mom, and their good friend Carole. I don't need to shop for anything but I'm sure I'll be able to find a few outfits for the GD's to wear to school, and perhaps a surprise or two for little Cade :)  It will be nice to get away for a night and eat meals that I haven't had to cook!  Grandpa laughed this morning and said he was leaving today and not coming home until Monday LOL...knowing full well that at some point our son will be here over the weekend with all 3 kids!  Men....they can be great fathers, but they can't take a mother's place LOL!

So girls/Cade, grandma will see you on Sunday when we get back.  Be good for daddy and Grandpa. Don't give them too rough a time....hehehe!

Grandma loves you
xoxoxoxo

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Whirlwind Weekend!

Once again, please ignore the date on the picture..
Our DIL finally changed it a couple days ago LOL!

It's hard to believe it's already Tuesday!  This past weekend was Wonderful...yes, with a capital "W".  To make a long story short, our youngest son came home for our nephew's wedding. He married almost 7 years ago and we've been estranged ever since.  No doubt some of you reading know the pain this can cause a family, however, his status is in the process of changing and he came home to be with family....yipeeee!

Our grandchildren were so excited, especially the two girls who are old enough to know they had another Uncle, but have only seen him in pictures. I was near tears most of the weekend....very emotional for me...but it was also the happiest weekend I've had in the last 8 years.  My three 'boys' once again under the same roof...laughing, talking, getting along as if nothing negative had transpired.

The wedding was SO much fun.  I'm sure the tables around us would have loved to pull their chairs over to our table LOL...in fact one of our nephew's and his wife actually said as much! Our sons have a very contagious laugh, and anyone who hears it can't help but get caught up in it.  Happy, happy, happy :)

It was great watching the girls and their little brother getting to know their Uncle Marty...something I must admit, I didn't think would happen.  The best part....he is planning on coming up again with our youngest grandson....yipeeeee!  What fun it will be to have all 4 grandkids together, getting to know each other as cousins.

This mother's heart is pounding with delight!

Grandma loves you
xoxoxoxo
Mom + dad + boys  =  happiness!




Tuesday 9 August 2011

Enjoying Summer.....

And what better way to enjoy summer than to take mini holidays! Our son/DIL and the granddaughters are leaving today for 4 days of fun in Toronto, with good friends and their children.  It will be a fun filled time, packed with lots of activities and things to see...Cirque de Soliel, Wonderland, Medieval Times, the Royal Ontario Museum....I'm tired just thinking about it all!

Sooooo yesterday the girls decided they wanted to visit grandma and grandpa for a "goodbye" visit LOL!  They walked in around 12:30 and with comings and goings of Mom, baby brother, dad etc etc, the whole gang left at 7:30....with a little something to line the girl's pockets from grandpa to buy that something special that they want :)

They'll all be back on Friday afternoon, just in time to get together with our family for a family wedding on the weekend.  They'll also be meeting their Uncle Marty for the very first time, and the girls are very excited about it...and so am I :))

So until Friday afternoon, grandma is wishing you all a very fun time. Have a safe trip...and we're looking forward to hearing all about your adventures!

Grandma loves you
xoxoxoxoxo

Friday 5 August 2011

Oh Happy day!


Our middle son's wedding in July on Lake Huron...don't look at the
date on the picture LOL...it hasn't been changed in a while.
A beautiful day, a beautiful ceremony!
If only it hadn't been 100+ degrees LOL!
Hmmmm....just noticed both bride & groom have their eyes closed!
Hey, the day just started, you can't be tired yet LOL!
 
The beach themed cake that I decorated.

Wow, was that a tornado?

Well I bet everyone here had no idea that we get Tornadoes up here in Northern Ontario!  But we do, and they come in the form of grandchildren LOL!

Hubby and I went for our usual morning walk and got back a few minutes before 9:00 today.  Just as we came in the door the phone rang.  I checked the caller ID and noticed it was from our son/DIL's number.  I grabbed the phone and said "Good morning", thinking it was our DIL Angele.  Nope....I heard this little voice say "grandma, can we come over for a visit some time today so we can work on crafts? We didn't get a chance to do any yesterday."

As if this grandma would ever say NO Hailee, you can't come over :)  So I told her to get daddy to drop her and her sister off on his way to work. She got so excited and handed the phone to daddy, then I could hear both girls in the background saying "we have to get dressed, we have to get dressed...daddy don't leave without us."

I quickly jumped in the shower and got ready for the invasion, anxiously waiting for the most beautiful granddaughters in the world to come running up the driveway for kisses and hugs, as if they hadn't seen us in months. Does it get any better than that?

We drew, colored and autographed pictures...grandma on a little stool which I definitely had a hard time getting up from (I'll be paying for that later)....worked on 3 puzzles with those huge pieces, had a tea party with tiny ceramic cups and saucers that are kept in my china cabinet with all my other collections that are pecious to me, and waited for mom and little brother to come over. 

The 3 of them ended up playing in the hallway with chairs, dolls, strollers, trucks, cars....you name it they had it in the hallway :)  The little guy had to spend time here playing too because it wouldn't be "fair" if his sisters spent time here and he didn't.  When he realized his sisters were leaving him behind this morning, he kept saying "me go too....me go too" LOL!  Besides, he and grandpa are attached at the hip, so any excuse to have grandpa spoil him is a good excuse indeed :)

It's so heartwarming knowing that your grandchildren want to spend time with you.  As they grow and get older, leaving us in their shadows, these times will be fewer and further apart.  Their friends become more important and other things take priority, more so than spending time with the "old folks", which is all normal and good.  It's all a part of life. It's as it should be. No doubt we'd all be worried if they didn't follow the normal path.

Hopefully these times we have been lucky enough to spend together will stay tucked away in their memories so they can snatch them out and remember from time to time. 

We wouldn't trade these tornadoes for all the world!

Grandma loves you
xoxoxoxoxo

Thursday 4 August 2011

Quick Visit

What a fun surprise!  Our DIL and 3 GK's, as well as our DIL's cousin, came over for a visit around 4:00. We yakked and yakked then I asked if they wanted to stay for supper....and just order pizza. The GK's were excited to have pizza and to stay for supper. So that's what we did. 

DIL and her cousin drove back to their place to get a salad her cousin had made and we had a great time. The kids got to play and get toys all over the house LOL, then go home to get ready to bed when all the yawns started.

Gotta love those surprise visits....and those grandkids :))

Grandma love you
xoxoxoxoxo

Taking The Leap....

I guess like a lot of people out in cyberspace, it has taken me a long time to finally start this blog.  Wondering things such as will anyone actually read what I write about?  What did I want to accomplish with a blog? What did I hope to get out of it? Will I find something to write about every few days? I am definitely not going to be an every-day-entry kind of blogger LOL!

As these questions meandered in and out of my soon-to-be 60 year old grandmother brain, I realized that I'm not doing this for anyone else. Sorry, but if no one else reads it, it doesn't matter. I'm doing this for me and to record my life with my wonderful family...especially the grandkids!

First let me fill you in on exactly why I finally did decide to blog. When our first grandchild, a girl, was born 7 years and one month ago, I thought I'd start a journal for her, detailing our life with her in it...sleepovers, visits, favorite foods, happy times, sad times, trips. All with pictures of course.  It took on a scrapbook appearance, but with a lot more writing than a normal scrapbook.

Well, 20 months later along came grandchild number Two.  Another sweet little girl. Baby sister to granddaughter number One.  Could life get any better?  So as I did with our first GD, a journal/scrapbook was started for GD2.  It took a bit of doing to keep up with our comings and goings....they only live 5 minutes away, so we see them all the time and LOVE it....and it also took a bit of doing to keep up with the journals.

All was going along fine with our lives and then along came grandchild number Three. Baby brother to his two big sisters!  All was great with the world.  And as with GD's One and Two, a journal/scrapbook was started.

I think you can see where this is going.  It has been almost impossible to keep up with the journals/scrapbooks that I so much wanted to create for all three of them. Something they could have as they get older and can remember all the memories we shared and created.

Add to this another little Grandson from our youngest son...who is four months younger than GS1...and what can I say.  My blog is being created to write our comings and goings, all in one place! I'll probably just copy/paste and print each entry out and add it to each of their journals.

So my dearest grandchildren, forgive Grandma for even thinking of doing such a thing. But I'd much rather spend my free time actually playing with you and forming those wonderful memories, than sitting in a dark corner making three of everything to add to your journals.

Another bonus for my hubby and I as grandparents are having another GD and GS officially added to the mix a couple weeks ago when our middle son married a great lady!  As they are a bit older and having not known them until they were in grade 4 & 7, journals/scrapbooks won't be in our future, but you will no doubt hear/see alot about them. Thanks Warren & Cindi for enriching our grandparenthood :)

Grandma loves you!
xoxoxoxo