The Grandkids

Laura sent me a couple snapshots from Saturday night, which she took with her phone. For those of the family who take a gander - please take note.....I cannot recall anywhere in history where a child looked so much like her mother as dear Abby does!! Do you not agree?? You can just see the mischief in her eyes!

Mama and Papa seem to be doing well. I talked to Mama yesterday evening and she says that she and Abby had a "ball" yesterday. Abby fixed her hair and everything else Mama did, she wanted to be involved in. I hear that Abby is very dramatic with her tales......and I know exactly where she gets that from.

Papa, Dad, and Zach took a fishing trip yesterday after school as well. I haven't heard reports first hand on that, but what's not to enjoy.......well, maybe other than the cow pile that Zach stepped in. I only know about that because they were attempting to figure out how to deal with it on the shoe when the conversation ended. lol

Update from the South

I talked with Mom, Laura, and Mama this morning. Everyone is doing well. Mama spent the evening yesterday, reading books to Zach and Abby, while Papa spent his evening attempting to gain Abby's confidence. I hear that at the last minute, Abby decided to give Papa a goodbye hug.....

Papa and Dad have spent the morning outside pruning trees - Dad working while Papa directed. Mama and Mom were sitting on the front porch enjoying 70 degree weather a little while ago.

Everyone seems happy.....Papa has even mentioned selling the farm this morning. So, hopefully that will come to fruition.....sooner than later.

Mama has a doctor's appointment on Monday the 21st with a GI specialist that Laura used to work with. We are happy about this.

Right now, plans on what to do from here are going to be taken a day at the time....Mom keeps saying that Mama has to decide whether she likes her well enough to stay or not. lol

Laura and I keep reinterating the fact to Mama that having her here makes it so much easier for us because we know Mom isn't half the United States away worrying. Hopefully they will like the south enough that they want to stay forever! That would be a prayer answered.

Her Mother's Child

On Wednesday night, Addison was invited to her first slumber party - scheduled for Friday night. She was beside herself excited. The truth of the matter of is, the only clue she has about a slumber party is what knowledge she has gleaned from the Berenstain Bear's version of slumber parties. She smiles at the mention of them and has visions of the pictures of feathers flying everywhere with pillow fights and popcorn strewn all over the floor! That's the extent of her knowledge of a slumber party.

Anyway for the past 3 days, that's all she's talked about. As a matter of fact, she sat straight up in the bed on Friday morning with her eyes half closed and said, "I'm supposed to be at a slumber party!" I reminded her that was not until later in the day. She smiled, said "OK," and snuggled back into her pillow and passed back out for another hour and a half.

After she finally crawled out of bed, she was full speed ahead, trying to figure what needed to packed, and everything else there is to think about......

En Route to drop her off, she asked me the question....."Mommy, do you like slumber parties?" I was instantly taken back to my memories of slumber parties and had a very ready answer of "absolutely not - truth is - I hate them?" She replied with, "oh, I LOVE slumber parties!" I just smiled knowing that she hadn't a clue what she was in for. I especially knew that she didn't have a clue when she became completely and literally speechless when she walked into the meeting place and there was complete chaos and yelling and screaming going on by approximately 9 other little girls. She slid to the side of the wall and crawled up on the lap of an older girl and just sat watching wide-eyed, not sure if she wanted in on this or not.

I finally left and became instantly interested to see if her view of slumber parties had changed yet when I would pick her up the next morning. As I drove home, I began to recall the actual ONLY slumber party I ever went to. I fell asleep at 10 p.m. of complete exhaustion and was awakened multiple times during the night from noise and would be prank players. It was the most MISERABLE night of my life. I seriously vowed I'd never attend another.....and I didn't. Those reasons are also the same reasons that I absolutely hated every youth camp I ever attended. I try to be a pleasant personality most of the time, but when I am sleep -deprived, it is not going to be good!! I MUST have sleep - or else........!! lol

So.....I picked Addison up this morning. According to the present adult who hosted the party - God love her, she's a better one than me - she said they settled down at approximately 12:30 am this morning. I picked Addison back up at 10 just as I had planned.

I knew the minute I picked her up, it was going to be an interesting. She didn't speak, was in no wise pleasant - and only wanted to be put in her car seat with her pillow. Knowing that life would be no good if I didn't oblige, I gave in. On the way home, I ran into Wal-Mart. She cried......she was sleepy. So, I just put her sleeping bag in the bottom of the buggy with a little pillow she had carried with her and I was no more in the door and she was out cold! I picked up my few little things, headed out and picked her up like a lead balloon and put her in the car seat. She adjusted her pillow a little, and was out again. Less than 10 minutes later, I transferred her to my bed....again like a lead balloon. It's 12:40 p.m. in the afternoon on Saturday and she has yet to open her eyes.........She's been asleep almost 3 hours.

And I have yet to hear an opinion on slumber parties..........LOL

They Have Arrived

I don't have any details...as everyone is too caught up in the bustle to update me. Bitter...party of one! Lol.

Anyway, Mom, Mama, and Papa have arrived at home in Millry. From updates during the trip, it appears that it was a good one.

I'll let you know what I hear next. If anyone wants to join in and add information that I leave out, please feel free to share. I'll be more than thrilled.

Until later....

To Make You Smile

I shared this with my Aunt Linda this morning and she recommended that I share it with the rest of you to make you smile!

Her Favorite Game

Being that "Mama GG" was the topic of the last post, I thought I'd post it in her honor. For those who know her, you know that this is something that she loves! I think she slept with a fly swatter in her hands at times. lol

GG in the name is representative of great-grandmother - in case you are curious. Mama came up with it when Zach came to see her at one point.

Another Page Turned

Yesterday I was reminded that my blog would soon be "hot" again.... And she don't know just how right she is......

So, here we go.....it's been a crazy month and a half since I wrote anything, and every time I think about getting on to write, I think of something else more important I need to be doing. I can still come up with a list, but life is changing soon for all of us, hopefully, and maybe will cause the uprisings in our personal lives to all calm down.

When chaos is happening in the lives of my immediate family members, it affects me and my ability to concentrate well, and to be flat out honest, I don't have a great recollection of what all has transpired in the last few months....I just know it's been chaotic. Between the effects of every "blooming" thing (literally) there is in Georgia, and the chaos surrounding the dramatic lives of my mom's parents, it's just too much to think on. :-)

So, I'll start at the easiest point there is to bring us up to speed as quickly as possible. As most of you know, Mom has spent many weeks of the past year in Ohio seeing to the tending of her parents. Her siblings have offered her great moral and mental support and as much physical support as possible....and for this Dad, Laura and I are grateful. It's not been our favorite moments in life knowing she was up there with no surrounding support - because of the location of where my grandparents live. It has taken a little over a year.....as a matter of fact it's been since August of 2009....but after multiple uprisings, differing opinions, multiple medical events, Mom has finally insisted that my grandparents come south with her. They are not totally prepared mentally to give up their lives in Ohio just yet, but we're hoping to change that in the next few weeks. And then there's the subject of what to do with Ohio, but that's another subject for another moment!

At the present moment, we are hoping to find a place where Mama and Papa can be completely supported in every way, yet continue to maintain their independence for as long as possible, while everyone around them gets to continue to be active in the lives of their family and friends and continue with their obligations of life. We are looking into some exciting possibilities and this is where we will keep the blog "hot" with updates and hopefully a few pictures in the process of the progress. But first we have to convince them that this is what will be the best for them and give them a quality to their lives that they have been missing for quite some time.

So, at the moment, Mom and her two followers are enroute to the sticks of Red Creek and all it promises for them. Hopefully it holds great promise. And I am hoping that tomorrow offers even MORE promise. I know Zach and Abby will be tickled pink to have someone around that has nothing better to do than watch all of their little bicycle tricks and silly antics.....and Addison is itching to get in on the fun. I can just hear it now, "Hey Mama GG - watch me!" "Hey Papa Way (that's Abby and Addison) - watch this!" It just makes me smile thinking of their little eyes lighting up with excitement at the constant attention.

So, our journey goes from here.....hopefully it will be a better journey than anyone even anticipates. Whatever happens, I promise to keep you updated! As one of my favorite artists (Annie Chapman) would sing......."the pages turn, and the chapters close.....line by line, the story goes.....how quick it reads....as the candle burns.....the years go by and the pages turn......"