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Lucky us! We've had Grandma Hughes staying with us for the past 2 months. I feel especially fortunate since I never thought she'd be able to come visit again after her fall a few years ago.
She has been a delight, and except for being miserable for a few days because all the spring trees sent her into a major allergy attack, I think she's enjoyed herself.
Here are a few highlights so far from her stay with us -
Kristin and Trevor's piano recital
The Pinewood Derby
John's Birthday
Allison competing in Jr. Miss
Coloring Easter Eggs with the gang
Talmage, Ashley and Brandon coming to visit - Talmage is her first Great-Great Grandchild
Prom preparations - this was after Allison's friend took her stuff home!
In the end - the mess was worth it.
And of course, the 5 generation picture.
Also included in our activities have been lunches with friends and of course, we've both enjoyed "Dancing with the Stars". Can you believe Ty is still around? Go Cowboy!!!
You can see, we've tried our best to wear her out, but she is made of tough stuff, and keeps up with our every move! Well - mostly. :-)
Things often come full circle, and its been a joy to have Grandma here and for me to help take care of her, as she once took care of me, although she's pretty self-sufficient and just needs a helping hand occasionally. She'll leave us in a few weeks, but who knows, maybe she'll make her way up north again in the future.
So, Cub Scouts is a whole new ball game for a mother of 5 girls, and former Young Women's leader. I was expecting new experiences like boy humor - there's a limit to how funny that is; the pinewood derby; cub scout day camp; cub scout energy, (there is no energy shortage in my den); a lovely addition to my wardrobe (khaki is one of my favorite colors, luckily)!
You know, things like that. But no one ever said I'd have to be brave around scorpions!!!
Here's the story-
Our field trip in April was to a fossil dig not too far out of town. The boys were excited, the weather was very cooperative, and we were having great success finding leaf fossils, when suddenly there was a cry - "Here's a scorpion!" Said crier was not talking about a scorpion fossil. There, crawling along the dirt was a real life scorpion. Tiny but with his stinging little backside up in the air. I bravely took my shovel, moved him across the road and we continued. As the boys chipped away at the hillside, two more "friends" were unearthed and thanks to a sharp-eyed bear cub scout, I didn't grab one of them as I was reaching for a rock. Well, in the end, no one was stung - good thing since I didn't brush up on my scorpion first aid before I came. FYI - you treat a scorpion bite much like a spider bite, unless the symptoms are more serious, then go right to snake bite first aid. One of my cubbies was a little traumatized, but he has come to den meetings since, so I think he must have overcome his fear.
So...who knew my horizons would be broadened in such a way because of this calling? We are always growing aren't we?
Plane tickets into Lewiston, Idaho - spendy
Extra people in the house - chaotic, lots of junk food, great fun
5 generation picture - Priceless
For 3 weeks we have been living in the 70's.
No, we're not wearing headbands and peace signs.
We're not driving around in an orange pinto or
a little brown gremlin. We are not watching the
Carol Burnett show, or Little House on the
Prairie.
What we are doing is living without a microwave.
Sparks flew, it stopped and the repairman said
get it fixed for this amount of money, or get a
new one. Since the new one was just a little more
than fixing this one, a new one is on the way.
Unfortunately, the 2 weeks arrival date has come
and gone, and now that we are going on the 3rd
week, we are tired of waiting, and some of us are
getting a little impatient. The email saying it
will be shipped soon brought a smile to my
face, but not as big as the one that will appear
when the delivery truck is in the driveway.
Do you know how hard leftover night is without a
microwave?
Do you know that instant oatmeal is not quite as
good when you make it with boiling water?
Do you know that a cup of hot chocolate is not an
instant pleasure without a microwave?
Okay, I know this is whining and we
are spoiled and used to instant gratification, but
should any of you find yourself in a similar predicament,
just give me a call, I will be VERY sympathetic!
And...welcome to the 70's.
Apparently the March winds are bringing change to our little world. Note, I didn't say the changes were bad - just new and most likely exciting.
After working with the Young Women in our ward for 3 1/2 years, I was released last week and put in the Cub Scout program. I am the new Bear Den Leader. I guess I'll be trading Girl's Camp for Day Camp and Personal Progress for Bear Advancement. Never fear though - after 5 hours of training in the last 3 days, I am ready for the den. I'm told its like planning a birthday party every week without having to make cupcakes! Party on!!! (I think I can safely say this will be the change which will bring much excitement to my life) Coming soon - a picture of Trevor and me in our uniforms! Too cool!
Grandma Hughes is coming to town!!! We are excited to have her come stay for a while and be a part of our madness. She'll probably have no trouble sleeping at night after spending all day keeping up with our family! We can't wait for her smiling face to get here.
And just in case you're wondering, Talmage (on the quilt made by great-grandma Sollenbarger) is still #1 on our list for the cutest baby in the world. John and I had a great time down in Dallas for his blessing. What a great thing for him to have all 3 grandpas in the circle and his dad give him a name and a blessing. It was a very special weekend. We hated to get on the plane but for the fact we had 5 wonderful kids waiting for us at home! Kudos to Chelsie and Allison for holding down the fort! They did an awesome job!
Always looking out for his kids and their interests, John took a very messy problem in hand and solved it for Ashley and Brandon. Imagine a few pigeons very comfortable in a roosting place right above a nice Honda Accord. Now imagine what the side of that very nice Accord looks like after the pigeons have been there awhile. I think you get the picture. Enter John. After mulling over the problem, he came up with the solution, bought the necessary supplies, and in no time, those pigeons were finding a new place to roost. Now, imagine that nice Honda all clean and shiny and staying that way! Very, very good!!! (John's solution? A long board with nails sticking up from the bottom. Clever.) Actually, if the pigeons just looked at the scary face, I'm not sure they would have stuck around long enough to walk on the nails. :-)
This month is full - Jr. Miss for Allison, Tennis for Allison, a visit from the gang from Texas, piano recital for Trevor and Kristin, soccer for Trevor, Kristin and Amber and work, work, work for Chelsie. (Spring break for a few of her friends means a little social life in her future! Yay!) This will be a good month for blogging!
Being a grandma is very hard work. (Talmage says hi! Here he is at one month.) You may have figured this out since I haven't posted anything for about a month. I'm sure that like any other new job, once I get the hang of it, I'll be right on top of things, just like I usually am!! :-)
But for now, here are a few of the latest happenings around here.
Basketball fever is going strong in our house right now. Trevor and Kristin are both playing on a team for the first time and both are loving it!! Kristin has decided being a point guard is a very important thing to be, and Trevor is the shortest on the team, but he can mix it up with the big guys and many times come out with the ball. With a few more weeks in the season, we are assured several more entertaining and exciting games.
All in the name of fun, our Mutual had a lip-sync night a few weeks ago, and I thought we needed a record of Allison and Amber participating on the blog. I love that Mutual gives my kids a place to go and have a lot of crazy fun with kids their own age and with the same standards. By the way, Allison is one of the muses from Hercules, singing "I Won't Say I'm in Love" and Amber is singing "Money, Money, Money" from Momma Mia. I actually missed the activity that night because I was in Texas, but can't wait to see the DVD.
Kristin, our girl who loves many things - books, soccer, basketball, television, candy, showers right after dinner - is growing up. Last week marked her 11th birthday and she shows no signs of slowing down on her race to 12. Not one to love cake and ice cream she opted for Chocolate Sundaes with her very favorite cherry on top. She is becoming quite a lovely young lady and can light up a room with her smile. We love her so!!!
And in other family news, our European traveler has returned home safe and sound. I can't post any pictures as I have not seen one yet from her trip, but the yummy chocolates and cool souvenirs Chelsie brought home prove that she was in another part of the world for a month. How did she get that replica of a bull fighters knife through all the metal detectors she had to go through? She is nothing if not resourceful. And she is nothing if not gainfully employed at two jobs and anxiously waiting for fall semester to start and get back into the college swing of things.
And here is a thought for all of you who know you should back up your digital pictures that are on your computer, but just can't quite find the time or inclination or whatever... Just do it! Last week I thought I had a virus on my computer. After spending a few stress-filled, anxious hours doing the very thing I've been putting off, even after many feelings that I really, really need to do it, it turned out to be a false alarm and all was well. But the thing that kept running through my head and made me the maddest at myself was that I had been prompted many times over the last few months and finally got a wake up call! I didn't lose a picture and yes, now those pesky pictures are backed up. The real question is "Will I take this lesson to heart and not let the same thing happen again?" Well, of course, time will tell and history isn't necessarily in my favor, but a girl's got to have faith in herself and who knows, maybe next time I'll get it right.
Sunset pictures keep showing up on my camera, and this one was exceptionally pretty, so I thought I'd share it. A perfect way to end my post.
Meet the newest member of the family.
Talmage Jackson Peay made his grand entrance on December 29, 2008. Weighing in at 8 lbs. 10 oz. and 21 1/2 inches long, he left no doubt he is a hearty boy, who is ready to take on the world. Ashley did great and is feeling good. She is a natural mom. Brandon stayed in the game, and contributed his support and even cut the cord. Good work!
Talmage and I formally met on Jan. 6th. After a maddening mix up by the airlines, I was just glad to be there. I feel very blessed I could spend a little over a week with them. It was incredible to hold him, rock him, feed him, change him and get to know him firsthand. and it was a real treat to help Ashley and Brandon get used to having a new member of the family. I'm not sure I would be happy just seeing a picture of Talmage's monkey hair - I'm glad I saw it in person! Way cute.
My own family really stepped up to the plate and kept things running smoothly at home. I think we all like their new-found ability to take care of themselves and kudos to Allison for taking the lion's share of dinner detail. Many kudos to John for being mom and dad while I was gone. Although I was sad to leave the Peays in Texas behind, I was glad my Idaho family was happy to see me when I got home.
It wasn't all work in Texas, and Ashley and Brandon made sure I got a taste of the town they love living in. A few highlights include -
- the famous Los Colinas Mustangs (I couldn't resist taking a cheesy tourist photo there)
- the beautiful Dallas Temple
- Sprinkles cupcake factory (orange was pretty yummy)
- Brandon's really tall office building
- Sam Moon (if you've ever been there, you'll appreciate that I'm still getting over the overwhelming experience of stepping in the door)
- Costa Vida and gelato on the same day (yum)
- seeing my friend Lauralea. I've known her since before I can remember and haven't seen her for 22 years. Catching up and sharing photos was great fun.
All in all, I think this grandma thing is going to suit me just fine. I know there are a few responsibilities that go along with it, but I think I'm up to the task. I don't see any problem with complete adoration and unabashed love for this new little one and those who will follow some day. Wow - life is good!
