First Day Of School - 2012

Another summer gone and another school year beginning!  How is it that no matter how much time you think you have once school is out for one year, and before the next year starts, that it's never enough time? It always amazes me at how quickly those summer weeks disappear into a soon to be distant memory, as the nerves of a new school year begin.

Who will be my teacher, will I like them, will they like me, will my friends be in my class, do I have the right clothes on, is my lunch okay...in the minds of wee ones these are all very important questions :) And they're very important questions in the minds of grandparents as well. 

It's funny how we gave these questions a fleeting thought as we were rushing our own children out the door that first day of school each year....but....when it comes to our grandchildren, well, it's different!  We grandparents have been there, done that decades ago, and we only now after all these years can truly appreciate what these simple questions mean to a child. 

School is their life while they are in the classroom. It's important to them to have answers to all these questions, sometimes before school even starts.  A disappointing answer to even one of them can mean the difference between a good year, or a bad year. Not a good way to start 10 months of school.
  

The "happy" crowd. Even cousin Isabella was there

to enjoy it all. It's her first day of Grade one tomorrow

too, just like Hannah :)

  

And so it was last night as we went over to our oldest son and DIL's for the last 'summer' supper.

Grandpa and I are in Toronto today until the weekend, so we weren't able to be there as the girls walked to the bus this morning, questions in mind, friends at their sides, wondering...wondering...wondering.

The obligatory pizza pan oatmeal cookie was also in tow as we went for supper, as well as a jello "pie" for Hannah who was exactly 6 1/2 yesterday. Hannah doesn't like cake...imagine a 6 year old who doesn't like cake LOL...but she does love jello. Red is her favorite...with whipped cream rimming the pie plate and a big whipped cream 6 1/2 in the middle.

She just had to sit on grandpa for her

picture...hehehe! Happy half birthday Hannah!

  

Now if grandpa had his way the cookie would not have been eaten last night...hehehe....but would have been sitting on the kitchen counter until the girls came home after school today.  But, it's a good thing grandma was around....there is no way we were leaving for Toronto today and not have a piece of that cookie....LOL!

As usual supper was delicious, then it was time to dig in. The jello pie disappeared in no time flat after Hannah said she wanted the "6" and Cade said he wanted the "1" (1/2).  The extra cream I brought along went well too...hehehe!

Next came the cookie....mom I want that piece, mom can I have that part...LOL!  It disappeared just as fast as the jello, but mom was able to save them each a piece for their lunches today, with Cade continually piping in "moooommmmm can I have a piece tomorrow....mooooooommmm" :) :)

It was fun, it brought back memories, even with the tears here and there that were coming from the kids at various times after supper....the nerves were tense, the unknown for them, exactly that...the unknown. It's a scary day when you're going into Grade 3 and Grade 1...and even scarier when you're just starting JK!

Cade doesn't start until Thursday, but he's already saying he doesn't like school LOL!  If he only knew what a long road he has ahead of him...hehehe!

  And we can't forget our middle son Warren who is

a teacher and heading to Grade 4 this morning, as well

as our Step-Grandkids Brittney, grade 11...and

Austin heading into a very scary year as well, grade 9!

Good luck guys, I know you'll do well!

 

So here's to another fantastic year for all 3 of them, that they learn as much as they can, enjoy the time with their friends and even more so, enjoy the time they get to spend with mom and dad after school.  They aren't going to realize just how important those after school hours are until they are older...much older...perhaps even grandparents :)

Grandma loves you
xoxoxoxo

Labor Day Weekend....

Yes, all good things must come to an end...and so it is with every summer.  I know any school aged child will especially tell you how fast the summers go by, but they're not the only ones. Us grandparents feel the same....LOL...however, the moms and dads out there may have a different viewpoint on that one.

We were lucky enough to have the girls and Cade over yesterday for a sleepover. Hannah kept asking how many more sleeps/days until school started. I'm not sure if she thought grandma was fibbing, or perhaps I'd change my mind and say she had more days than the last time she asked LOL, but she didn't like my answer each time.

I do remember well how I "hated" Labor Day Weekend when I was younger.  The thought of having to go back to the grind of school and all that it entails, was more than I wanted to think about...and I did not want to give up the free time of summer...playing outside from morning until night, sleepovers with friends, using our imaginations to take us far away, "raiding" a neighbor's garden of strawberries :) It did go too quickly.

Then as a parent with 3 sons of our own, I also dreaded Labor Day Weekend.  I was one of those oddball moms who did not want our kids to leave home and go back to school. I didn't sleep for the whole weekend, dreading how I was going to miss the boys....and I must admit, I felt bad for them having to sit in school all day....hehehe!

As soon as mom dropped off the kids yesterday afternoon, they wanted to eat. She told me they wanted Nachos for supper, and had brought over the nacho chips and shredded cheese.  Well there was no way to convince them to wait until supper. They said they were hungry and wanted to eat NOW :)

So, nachos it was!  Have to admit, it's been a long time since I've made them and they were really good :)  Good choice kids, good choice :)

Our neighbor across the street has a great apple tree and he was quite excited when he knew the grandkids were coming over. He wanted them to come pick apples...he even had baskets for them to use :)  The girls didn't seem too interested in picking apples but Cade wanted to go over, so Grandpa and he went on their way.  About two minutes later, Hailee got all upset because she said "but they left without me...I wanted to go too."  I told her that they were just across the street at Mr. Bob's house and she could take Sparkles and head over too.

  

 
Didn't take them long to come back, each with a basket full of apples! They were so excited and wanted to go back. After seeing their stash of apples, Hannah decided that she wanted to go with them this time.  Hailee was trying not to laugh when she told me as she was picking an apple from the tree, another apple hit her on the head...hehehe!  Have to admit, grandma did laugh LOL!

Grandpa got out big bowls and had them separate the apples from the good ones and the ones that had "holes" in them.  Thankfully they didn't ask what the holey apples meant...hehehe...or we never would have gotten them to eat apples ever again!

Thanks for the apples Mr. Bob :)

  

I'm having a problem with my right foot/leg and have been told if I don't want to end up disabled and using a cane, that I have to stay off my feet for a few weeks and take meds to help with the problem. Cortisone shots are coming in a couple weeks.  So Grandpa said he would take the 3 kids into town to have supper at McD's and play in the play area there.  Surprisingly, none of them wanted to go.  They said they wanted to go to DQ. Hmmm...gotta wonder if it really was the food they wanted more or the fact that dessert was right there as well LOL! They even brought grandma something back to eat. Thanks guys!

More play time then bath time.  Hannah and Cade wanted bubbles...lots and lots of bubbles....so I put the air jets on and it didn't take long for them to overtake both kids. They had a ball laughing and wanting more and more bubbles!

And yes, Cade IS standing up in the tub LOL!

Hannah is under there somewhere......

 

Hey, there she is!

 



Before we knew it it was quiet time. So once pjs were on it was time to sit on the couch with their snacks. They were all out at 9:30 and this grandma wasn't far behind them.  All slept really well until almost 8:00 this morning!

Unfortnately grandma couldn't stand on her foot long enough to make the big batch of crepes that I make whenever they sleep over, so they made do with porridge and cream of wheat. They were so good in understanding that grandma has to "baby" her leg for the next few weeks, and there will be plenty of time for crepes when I'm better.

Dad and mom came to pick them up around 10:30. They were heading into town for the Rib Fest....sounds yummy, doesn't it!  They left Mylo and Ally here to play in the back yard with Sparkles, and will come to pick them up on their way home.

All in all, a great start to the last long weekend of the summer!  So yes, all good things may have to come to an end, but grandma knows that even more good things will come along once school starts :)

Grandm loves you
xoxoxoxo

Yeah....they're home!!!

Well it was a nice weekend...a quiet weekend...an extraordinarily long weekend...the gang was gone for four long days, and although it was nice to relax and catch up with a few things, it really was "different". Who'd think that 4 days could be so long...without the phone ringing and a tiny voice on the other end saying "grandma.......can we....."...LOL!

But, all is well. We were Skyped when they got home tonight just to say hi, and to thank us for the clothes they bought at Vaughan Mills on the way home from the Falls this afternoon.  Grandpa and I are going over tomorrow for a visit and to see the stash :)  We can't wait!

Until tomorrow!

Grandma loves you
xoxoxoxo

And he's off......

To new adventures, new friends, not knowing that this day will change his life forever.  As I type this I have many tears coming from my eyes.  Our little grandson is spreading his wings....is he ready for the cold, cruel world that awaits him?

Yes, I do realize that we all have experienced this BIG day in our lives, and yes, we all survived, but for some reason I have more of a grandmother's need to protect this little one....protect his innocence, protect his kind nature from the reality that we all know, kids are cruel.  Will he be hurt emotionally....of course; will he be laughed at at some point...of course.  It's the circle of life coming around.

This grandma isn't ready for it though.

Grandma loves you.
xoxoxoxo

Run....run....kick hard...atta girl!

I'm assuming from the subject line you can guess we were at soccer playoffs this weekend LOL!  Yes, in the rain, cold north wind and just plain miserable weather.  All was fine though!  Hailee's team didn't do as well as they had hoped for, but just look at the trophy they all got for doing their best!!

Even little brother Cade received a trophy for the "one" game he went too....hehehe....if you remember, he did not like soccer...at all.  But he was soooo proud of the trophy and said he was putting it on his dresser :)

Mmmmmm....yummy pizza to end the year!

And just have a look at this!  When we arrived home from the last game, grandpa took all 3 kids into the garage to look for daddy's very first soccer trophy!  Imagine that....we kept the trophies from all those decades ago LOL!

What goes around, comes around :)

It was also a busier weekend than grandpa and I had planned.  Hailee was going to spend the night with us alone....then it developed into an "I want to go too, I want to go too". So yes, we had all 3 kids overnight. They were soooo tired from the wind, rain and running around that when we got home from Hailee's last game, it was bath and pj time!  It didn't take long for them each to fall asleep....well, except for Hailee....hehehe....she and I watched Hoarding, Buried Alive and even at the young age of 8, she couldn't believe that people lived like that.

There were tons of questions as to why, where do they sleep, where do they eat, where's the kitchen, where's the bathroom, why does she have to get dressed out in the driveway....you get the picture LOL!  I didn't think it would be so difficult to explain to an 8 year old how people like this are "sick" and need help. That it's like an addiction and they can't help it.  I did my best, but she went to bed, I'm sure, realizing that what mom is trying to teach them about keeping their rooms clean etc, is a pretty good idea LOL!

It was orange pancakes this morning...yeah!!  Mom and dad made it to the championship round in their golf tournament yesterday, so were playing at 11:11 again today.  They came to pick up the kids a little after 9:00, but after she and daddy ate some breakfast, the kids didn't want to leave...hehehe!

Mom said that they'd better ask grandma, and the response was "it's okay, she'll say yes" LOL!  So yes, they stayed until almost 11:30 then grandpa took them home, but not without a stop at the Dollar Store first for more rubbery creatures like worms, dinosaurs and spiders LOL!

All is quiet for now, but until the next visit.....

Grandma loves you.....
xoxoxoxo

What are those Red things Grandma?

That's the question that was placed to me tonight as I was walking along a trail with Hannah and Cade, while waiting for big sister Hailee to start her soccer game.  As it turned out those red things were wild raspberries :)  Those, along with all the "flowers"...read it as weeds LOL...that lined the mulched trails around the soccer complex, completely took us away from Hailee's game for the first half...hehehehe!

We did make our way back to the empty lawn chairs that were waiting beside the soccer field...and beside grandpa, mom and dad with a huge boquet of lovely "flowers" for mom, and tales of yummy red, albeit, tiny wild raspberries :)

Ahhhhh memories :)

Grandma loves you
xoxoxoxo

Helpers....

We had another nice surprise this afternoon!  Hailee called here this morning and talked to grandpa...I was out shopping.  She said she wanted to come over for a visit :)  We hadn't seen them except for a Skype call, over the weekend. They were busy, busy, busy enjoying the long weekend, and it was beautiful weather to enjoy :)

When I got home from town grandpa told me the plans, so we patiently waited for them to arrive.  Mom was heading back home after dropping them off as they had Matante Melissa coming over this afternoon.

As usual, as soon as they came in the door it was time to eat....hehehe!  Hannah saw the noodles in the fridge, so she had that with some cheese on it....Cade grabbed whatever he could get his hands on and Hailee couldn't make up her mind LOL!  Mom was shaking her head as they had just finished lunch. But you know, there's something about coming into grandma and grandpa's house that turns on that hungry switch....hehehe!

It truly is amazing what we can get done in just a couple hours, and the 3 of them had a great time dressing grandpa and I in some of my old clothes :)  And who knew that Tiddly Winks would be such a great hit with this young generation!  Grandpa spent a lot of time cleaning out the garage on the weekend and we found some old games from when our boys were young. 
  

Yup...Tiddly Winks is a definite keeper :)

 Oh my, grandpa never looked so good LOL!

 

Oh the things we do for our grandkids LOL!

  

Yes indeed....Must Love Grandkids :)

    



They're also growing up...fast!  I mentioned just once that they had to clean the bedroom before they left and you wouldn't believe what a great job they did! They even moved things around and swept the floor!  Then as they waited for Grandpa to get off from a phone call, they took the swiffers and dusted for grandma!  Wow...great helpers guys, great helpers :)

Grandpa just left to take them home. We'll see them tonight at Hailee's soccer game. So until then.....

Grandma loves you
xoxoxoxo