I Think I'm Gonna Like it Here, or "Summertime Extended"

In the musical Annie, the cute little orphan lands in Daddy Warbucks' mansion and sings a song celebrating how much her life has changed for the better. I feel a little bit like that kid today. I am back at school of all places as I say this, and I am watching a room full of high school juniors taking a practice ACT test, but I also have time while my eyes are on them to do a little blogging.  

In my last post, I shared a little about our "new adventure" into owning a second home in a place where we one day hope to retire. This weekend, we "bunked out" and scooted up North to escape the heat of Saint Louis. As it turns out, Michigan was experiencing its own "extended summer with temps in the upper 80s pushing toward 90. (still cooler than in the Lou!) Friday was a half day of school for us,  and on Thursday night Ed said, "Let's go North tomorrow!" With nothing holding us back and a light day coming up on Monday (another half day) I said, "Okay!"

So we grabbed the dogs and by 12:30 we were in the Subaru headed northward. We arrived by 8pm to find our grandkids in the driveway waiting for us. Well, they didn't really know it was going to be us, their dad kept them in the dark about what he was up to as they went for an evening bike ride, timed to coincide with our arrival. The result was a delight- their faces lit up as they saw us pull in and they yelled, "What are you doing here?!" (to which we answered - "We live here-it's our house!")

What followed was a weekend that went fast and was TONS of fun. The greyhounds were, at first, not quite sure about what to make of this new place, but as you can see they quickly "got adjusted" and found spots to chill out!

Cutest Tots on the Lot!

Had to upload a stolen shot of my two of grandkids up in Michigan! They were on the playground this past week with their mum and had a blast. Personally, I think they are the cutest little tykes around and since I am the most doting grandma in Missouri, I had to share a shot or two with my online pals!

Happy Halloween and then some!

Halloween was this past weekend and we got to enjoy watching our grandkids celebrate it. While we didn't get to see Kate's threesome in person, she kept us posted via her blog which we watched throughout the process of pumpkin shopping, carving, costumes and the like.

The Harrmann gang of three is ready to score some candy!

Rhylah contemplates her next stop!

Here in Missouri we tagged along with Sydney a.k.a. Tinkerbell as she experienced her first real Halloween. (really can't count last year when she didn't get to yell trick-or-treat or anything similar!) She had a blast! You could see from the bounce in her step and the excited squeals that she just KNEW this was a special night.

Can you tell Syd's just a LITTLE excited?

An extra treat was having Leon's mom in town from Colorado for the weekend. So the two grannies got to go larking about the neighborhood with their own little Disney character leading the way. It was wonderful fun!

As we set out you can see the bonfire is ready and we ended the evening with white chili and pumpkin bread by the fireside. Yum! Here goes Carol and Gretchen (dressed as a cat and Mama Tink ... yours truly did not go in character garb, didn't know it was expected of a granny!)

Oh, and while I was at it, I FINALLY got a shot of Gret and Leon's new house in
its ALL FINISHED version... pretty, huh?

Paddle, Paddle, Kick, Kick! (a.k.a. Tot Swimming 101)

Asher came for a special "solo visit" this week and he's been SUCH a big boy. He's enjoyed playing in the pool, entertaining his cousin Sydney, and having fun with his Papa and I. He was very brave about traveling on the "long ride" to St. Louis and only asked "Are we there yet" about 50 times. (secret tip: A roll of your very own Lifesavers candy makes a 3 year old forget how long the ride has been!) We have been having so much fun that we are sure gonna miss the little man when his daddy picks him up to go home to Michigan tomorrow! This is one adventure we will have to repeat because it was a blast!

This is a significant day because Ash is TOUCHING bottom in the shallow end of the pool! A first for him. The switch to the arm swimmies helped him achieve this. The ol' "magic coat" makes him too buoyant to reach the ground!

Look at me! I am touching my toes to the ground! YAY!

Syd is getting braver by the day about swimming and having Ash here
to show her the way it's done has been a BIG help!

Sydney loves to splash!

Happy girl bobbing along in her floating ring!

When not doing their best to become fish, the cousins spend time playing
the piano and watching Sesame Street on PBS!

A Knitting Grammy's Reward

Here you have it.. and it doesn't get any better than this. My little buddy got his hat that I made him in the mail on Friday. His mom reports that he slept in it for his naptime. Logical thinking on his part; it is cold in Michigan right now. But here's the pay-off - by my book, this is an offical 1 million dollar grin. Makes me want to go right back and knit up a storm!

So Much Depends - a tribute to Williams and warm socks!

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

-william carlos williams

so much depends
upon

a small green-socked
boy

dimpled with cozy-footed
glee

upon the pink wooden
chair.

with tribute to william carlos williams - the poet with 3 first names!

Asher got his grandma-knitted socks today.. he chose the color himself!
Poetry and Yarn... a good "go together"!

Love you, buddy!

The Merriest of Christmases!

Ed & I at Gretchen & Leon's home on Christmas Eve.

"We wish you a Merry Christmas!
And a Joyous New Year!"

There is nothing quite like sharing your Christmas with little children to help you capture the essence of joy... this Christmas was extra special because we spent it with all FOUR of our grandchildren. First, there was Christmas Eve with Sydney. We shared a service together at 11 a.m and then a dinner in the evening. It was so much fun. Syd wore the dress we got her for the day and looked so cute! It included a hat that didn't stay on much beyond a bit in the morning, but we got a kick out of it!

"Yay! It's Christmas!"

"I will model my dress while walking on the sofa!"

"I don't think ANYONE is happier than I am today!"

Then came December 25th, and by 2 o'clock Kate, Nate, and the kids arrived from the North. We were SO glad they got here safely even with all the snow up in Michigan and Wisconsin. By 4 pm everyone was at our house and ready to tear some gift wrap!

Rhylah got a hand-knitted hat and mittens from grammy but wondered a
bit about why we put them on her in the playpen!

The girls played "tag" in the hallway at gramma's house!

Asher models his crown from the Christmas Cracker he got from Uncle Leon!

Rhy even put on her pretty Christmas dress and then sat with it in a "poof"
for this really adorable shot!

A sweet holiday shot of Rhylah with big brother Gabriel!

The final gift from under the tree... Gabe and Ash got their Wii
from Papa, Gramma, Uncle Leon & Aunt Gret.
Could Gabriel look any MORE excited??

Courage in Multiple Forms

Well, it's been a bit since my last post... and an interesting past 5 days to say the very least. The topic of this post is "courage".... at least I think that's where I'm headed with it. First I need to brag on Asher. He spent the first 3 weeks he was here being "afraid" of the pool even though last summer he would leap into it with total abandon. However, on his last day here before he went to Michigan for a visit, he "remembered" how to swim in his magic coat! He's back from Michigan for another week here, and now we only have to worry about him turning into a little prune in the pool. He paddles around happily humming to himself and feeling very proud. That is true courage on his part... and we're so happy he "remembered" his love for water.

Asher happily bobs about in the pool.

That brings us to the other form of "courage". I went to see the foot doc on July 18 about pain I'd been having in my right foot. Turns out, my joint in my big toe was slowing wearing away and if I had waited much longer, I'd have been looking at joint replacement. (Not a fun thought nor a perfected technique at this point. So I scheduled the necessary surgery as soon as I could get it. That happened on July 24th and I have spent the next 4 days pretty much flat on my back with it elevated. The surgery itself was cake... I didn't feel a thing. The aftermath was about as bad as I expected.... pretty darn painful! However, today I went in to have it checked and re-wrapped, and I "graduated" to a boot - a.k.a. a "walking cast"- which I will have to drag about with me wherever I go until August 8th. I was fairly bummed by this news. The pool, as you can see, is looking lovely and it's warm, and now it's off limits for at least another 10 days! Plus, I will be on limited activity until I'm back at school. Okay, I am done whining now... for awhile. I am grateful to have saved the joint, grateful for a good surgery, and grateful that I can at least laugh about it. So here's to courage - both great and small.... and the lessons it is teaching us about what we are truly capable of doing. Huzzah!

My boot... yes, there's a foot in there somewhere!

Summer Fun with my Buddies

As most of you can probably tell, I am living in something akin to "Grandma Heaven" right now. All my grandchildren are here in St. Charles and three out of four are living right here at my house! It's perfect! So I just had to post a couple of cute shots taken just today. I've been sewing a few things for Rhylah... and today's project was this sweet pink gingham outfit with matching bloomers. What fun to make things for GIRLS! Yay!

This next shot is of Asher, whom I call "my little buddy". Today was a landmark day... Ash remembered that he liked swimming all on his own without anyone holding him. So it was a really wonderful thing to see him literally paddle away from all his water fears and just swim all over the pool in his "magic coat" (flotation vest). We all cheered and he swam for almost an entire hour all on his own. Suffice it to say this is one little guy who will sleep soundly tonight!
More fun in future posts!

Things worth smiling about

Today (this morning actually) marked the end of a delightful visit by our daughter Kate and family. Since Dec. 2nd we had her, Rhylah, and Asher with us as they came down to be at Gretchen's baby shower. Then on the 8th, Nathan and Gabe came down too in order to take Gabe to his first Boar's Head Festival at Immanuel. It was SUCH a fun week. We just had all the time we wanted to visit, play with the kids, relax, and enjoy one another's company! It was wonderful. Rhylah was a delight - she's changed so much already even at only 8 weeks old! They all went home this a.m. - but in less than 2 weeks they'll be back for Christmas! We can't wait!

My Buddy...

In honor of him being "almost 2" this post is dedicated to my adorable middle grandchild... Asher. His dad caught these shots for me while he was standing near the back door on our last day there earlier this month and I just had to collage them. I love his expressions! Every little nuance of his feelings just comes out on his sweet little face. It captures my heart just to look at him!

Welcome Home Rhylah!

Rhylah arrived home just a little past noon today. We were all very excited to welcome her! She was all dressed in pink and slept through all the excitement, however.

Grandparents Day

Yesterday (Oct.10) we got to go to our first Grandparents Day! Gabe attends Kindergarten at Trinity Lutheran School in Sheboygan. We spent the morning visiting class and even got to eat lunch at school. It was a weird sort of feeling being on the opposite side of the "teacher fence" as it were.

After the morning festivities, we stopped up to the hospital to visit Kate and Rhylah. Asher got to "hold" the baby with a little help from mom and grandma. It was a special time for him and he's totally infatuated with his "baby Ree-lah", as he calls her.