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Today is the day my grandmother passed away. It's been three years and it still makes me sad that that she never got to hold my sweet Morgan. But I'm comforted knowing that Grandma is here in spirit, watching over me and my sweet girls each and every day.
My grandmother wrote poems. Every holiday or birthday card always had a couple lines of her humor. I was going through her poem book this morning and I found this one she wrote to my Aunt Karen. To put this into context, you have to know that my Aunt has seven boys.
April 14, 1988
Happy Birthday dear Karen, the first of my litter
After years of young'uns things have to get better
The days of teething, and colic, and diapers galore
Thpse sleepless nites while walking the floor
Aren't you happy those days are o'er?
A few decades have passed and everyone grew
Trials you encountered could teach Doc Spock a few
What does he know - he never had seven
Compared to yours, his life's a heaven
He never arose at 6 to make bunches of lunches
He'd crack with laughter if he saw you barely moving your haunches
Had he ever bathed seven and tucked them to bed
He would never had time to write a book instead
There were teeth punched out, bones to mend, a hospital to pay
Was it your mom who called and said "Have a nice day"
I commend you Karen, tho' life is full of strife
I know you'll do great the rest of your life
It was a bad year, your well broke and died
But it wouldn't have helpde if you sat and cried
Thank God for nice neighbors where kids went to bathe
They provided you with water and came to your aid
Then wouldn't you know, your oven was shot
Weren't you lucky you could cook in a pot
Your dish washer conked out - it was motor driven
You used your hands that were God given
Soon after, your dryer it died, too
Boy am I glad I don't live in your zoo!!
Love you Grammy! Thinking of you today and always.
It took at least two solid weeks around Thanksgiving before the lightbulb went on. There was a lot of laundry during that time. Since then, it's been smooth sailing.
She now tells us when she has to go. She can pretty much go by herself, but screams for us every time she is done. I think that's mostly for the high five she'll get. She's been making it through nap and now only wears Pull-Ups at night. Her favorite part of getting dressed is picking out her panties.
She's such a big girl.
Morgan got this Minnie Mouse from Aunt Angela while we were in Tennessee.
She has been attached to her for two weeks now. She gets upset at school when she lays down for nap and doesn't have Minnie. But if I bring it to school she gets upset that she doesn't have it at nighttime. I'm solving that problem this weekend. We're going to get another Minnie.
Michael's family has long had a tradition of renting a cabin in the mountains around Christmas. This year we kept that tradition going, but only in January. My sister-in-law Angela brought a Christmas tree, we filled stockings, exchanged gifts and had Christmas dinner. We did everything we could to make it feel like Christmas. The girls didn't mind that it was January. They were so excited to open gifts.
The girls have a blast playing with cousins, staying up late and exploring a new, fun house. They took a bath in the big jacuzzi tub and splashed around in the hot tub. And they got to play with Jax. Jax is Michael's brother Rusty's dog. Him and his wife Krista have done a great job of raising him and he is the sweetest, well-mannered dog. He's huge, but oh so cuddly.
Michael with his brother Rusty and his Dad.
I am now addicted to the game Sequence. We played late into the night and I was lacking sleep for a week afterwards. We had a lot of fun times as a family and I got plenty of outlet mall shopping in. We hope to see everyone soon.
While we were in Tennessee we took the kids up to the ski resort to go ice skating and ride the carousel. It was a busy holiday weekend and the parking was a nightmare so we rode the tram up to the mountain. The girls loved it. I never looked up from my phone.
*waiting for the tram; on the tram ride
Addison refused to skate. They just got done cleaning the ice and you could see a layer of water on the top before it dried (froze?). I think it freaked her because she kept telling me it was too slippery. I did get Morgan in skates. We made it halfway around the rink and then she fell forward. That was the end for her.
Aunt Angela and Uncle Scott took them to ride the carousel and watch from the sidelines. Morgan still wanted to be with mommy.
I think they rode the carousel 15 times while we skated, but I made them ride it one more time with me. I'm so glad I did. Look at this picture I got. Love these sweet girls.
Then we headed back to the tram for the trip back down the mountain. We had two very tired and worn out little girls.
The car ride back to the cabin was nice. They were out in 5 minutes.
This past weekend we went to Tennessee to have Christmas with Michael's family. We rented a cabin in the mountains and all 15 of us got cozy for a couple of days. The car rides went really well and the girls watched enough movies to fry their brain. I shopped for myself most of the day on Saturday and Sunday we took the kids up to Ober Gatlinburg to ice skate and see the snow.
On Saturday morning they got all bundled up to take the dogs for a walk and check out the little bit of snow that was left on the ground. I caught Morgan before they took off.
Five minutes later the door opened and in raced the girls. Michael said they were done. They didn't like the cold. I don't blame them. I don't either.
More to come...
I know it's mid January, but I couldn't go on without putting these on the blog.
The week before Christmas my mom took the girls for a night. I sent them with one change of clothes since we would be coming the next day. My mom had the brilliant idea to take them to see Santa. But before that, she took them to the play area in the mall. You get dirty pants, disheveled hair and a leis. I have no idea what that is about.
Two days later I decided to try again. I had Christmas outfits for both the girls, but since it was 80 degrees outside I was going to change Addison before the picture. The change never happen, but at least they're clean and put together. Still accessorized, only with silly bands this time.
Look! They're both smiling and happy. And Morgan sat on his lap both times without losing it. It's a Christmas miracle.
This is Morgan's new smile face. In every series of pictures there is at least one of these puckers.
I have no idea where it came from, but it always makes me laugh.
While Shannon was in town we went to the Gator Bowl game. The weather was a little cold, but it was a sunny day. We had a great time cheering for the Gators.
Andy (Shannon's roommate who made the FL trip with her) really wanted to make it on the blog. Well, here you go Andy.
And since it's my blog I get to tell all of my 3 readers how you didn't take my advice and wore a t-shirt in the 50 degree weather. He didn't complain much, but he was cold. Especially by the river when we were waiting for the water taxi. I was cold too, but I had a coat, scarf and gloves. I bet he doesn't want to be on the blog anymore. :)
At the last minute we reserved a table and asked our lovely neighbor to sit with the girls while they slept. Shannon was in town with her friend Andy so we decided to party a little. We had a blast. I volunteered to be the designated driver since I don't drink much anyway. One glass of champagne and a TON of water for me. I was tired on Sunday, but that beats a headache any day.
The girls loved all the goodies that we brought home the night before. I'm looking forward to a great year.
I had to take a break from dancing for the countdown. This was taken right after midnight.
I've made a couple of resolutions this year. Some I'm already working on. Some I've already broken. I won't list them out here on this post, but if I mark one of the list I'll be sure to document it.
Cheers to 2012!
Every year our local hardware store has a Christmas "thing". They have crafts and face painting for the kids before and after seeing Santa. Their beaded candy canes now adorn our tree.
Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive in the fire truck. We were running a few minutes late this year and happen to see Santa drive by while we were waiting at the red light. The girls thought it was the coolest thing.
Addison was a trooper this year when it came to Santa. She had no problem sitting on his lap and telling him what she wanted. Morgan got better and eventually sat for a picture (photos to come), but she wanted no part of it this day.
The fire trucks and Coast Guard boats all lined up in the parking lot so the kids could climb all over them. They took a drive in the fire truck.
Then they sat on the front for awhile. I love that you can see me in the reflection. Every kid that visited Santa got a small beanie baby. I was holding up the white unicorn trying to get their attention and a smile.
Walking around in the Coast Guard boats was really fun. Those things are a lot bigger on the inside than they look on the outside. The girls decided to rescue a few people.
We had a free hotdog picnic on the curb and watched some dancers cut a rug. The only problem was the heat. I swear it was 80 degrees that day. That just isn't right around Christmas.
Adventure Landing had a little Winter Wonderland set up for the holidays so we took Addison ice skating. She really isn't scared or nervous on the ice which surprises me a little. She did really well this time and even managed to skate by herself for a few minutes. We both only fell 2 times. It's amazing the difference a year makes.
I didn't even attempt to take Morgan. We had plenty of family there behind the scenes to keep Morgan entertained. Afterwards we took her over to make smores by the fire. She was much happier with the chocolate. This picture is super edited and processed, but I had to so you could see it. Look how happy she is. She actually smiled for a picture.
We had a blast! I hope to go again while we're in Tennessee. It's a good workout for me and we all have so much fun!
