Long Time No Post

It's been such a long long time since my last entry!  I miss it though and now there is a years long gap in my blog.  Sigh.

I am now a grandmother to three boys.  Joey's Tristan Alexander came into the world on 9/16/2011 and Riley James on 9/24/2011 just eight days apart.  They are handsome little guys with tons of energy!  

Libby is now 8 years old, going on 18 (J/K) and she is loving, caring, and sensitive. She loves her Daddy and jewels and and music and nature and Hannah Montana and shoes and clothes and on and on, but also likes icky things - bugs, snakes, and so on.  Oh in school last year she went by Elizabeth, but we still refer to her as Libby.  While we're at work she is in the care of my beautiful niece Gracie.   Each morning I write to Libby and give her list.  I'll have to get a snapshot of that.  She writes me back and checks her list off.  She normally needs to read, make her bed, brush her hair, teeth and appliance, practice piano, read, clean up her own messes, and complete two pages in her summer bridge workbook.  I'm not a slavedriver.  It is summer break after all (which she reminded me of at the beginning - "Mom, you do understand this is my vacation..."  lol.

Sebashton is now 6 years old and is cute as ever.  He reminds me so much of Jake all those years ago.  They do not look exactly the same but are built exactly the same.  Sebashton is very smart.  He is beginning to read and has been doing math work years beyond his finished kindergarten year. In his head.  There are some behavior issues still.  He's been through lots these past three years though so it sort of makes sense.  I love his laugh - it's contagious!  

Joshua and Dani are living in Phenix City, AL and Joshua is stationed at Fort Benning in GA.  So I miss them.  Jacob and Joey I don't miss.  They live with me.   LOL.  

Matt is still working at ATT and I'm at Yaskawa.  We had our 27th this past January.  Craziness.  

Mom and Larry are in Antioch, Larry in his 2nd year of remission from stage 4 esophageal cancer.  Go Peepaw!  

Dad and Renee are moving to Florida this fall, my Dad finally retiring after 43+ years at Baxter.  I am happy they are going and glad for them, but sad too!

The saddest thing that ever happened in my life so far was the loss of Matt's mom, Kay, this past Dec 19, 2012.  After four months of suffering the effects of pancreatic cancer, she was taken to Heaven.  I miss her today, I miss her all the time.  We all do.  Matt and Libby have moments.  It's really such a gap that can't be filled.  I know I will see her again, but like Libby says - it is just unfair that we don't get to visit at least.  I agree with her, but when I think about Kay or hear her voice or see a photo - I'm smiling and remembering and those are the visits I'll get until I'm in heaven too.   

All for now.  Nobody likes a book I know but that's how I roll.  Will have to get some new pics on here too.  

Love ....

Weird Tree

I think it's deciding if it wants to be something else...

Libby's Pre-K Graduation

So my baby is done with preschool now. Sigh. She and I had a nice conversation last night...
Libby- "Mommy how old will you be when I'm a grownup?"
Me- "How old will you be when you're a grownup?"
Libby- "Forty."
Me- "Sixty-Five." (Yikes!)
Libby-"That's not so old."
Libby-"How about when I'm 41?"
Me-"66"
Libby-"42"
on and on until...
Libby- "How old will you be when I'm 45?"
Me-"70"
Libby- "OH no!!!"... started crying. AND SO DID I!
Oh this is cute too! She was so happy to get a "piploma" today! hee!

Busy Spring

Things are picking up at work we have a few projects going so that's good.

Libby is well and about to graduate June 1st from preschool. She is pre-reading and even has some memory words down. She's ready for Kindergarten for sure!!! The only concern is her age and maturity. She will be young for her grade.

My neice and God-daughter Avery had her first communion last weekend. She did a beautiful job at church lighting the candle and she is just a beautiful girl in general.

Joey is looking for work and finishing his class at CLC. He is going to take only one class this summer in hopes of finding work. Oh and he's trying for unemployment too. Joy.

Matt's work project is coming to a close and was overall very successful. He was in charge of "Project Lightspeed" introducting U-Verse to our area. Doesn't the project name remind you of a government conflict / war? (Desert Storm, Desert Shield)

We had the BLESSING of having Jacob and Sebashton this past week and it was jam packed with all sorts of fun stuff. I've posted pics below (a few, there were TONS more!!) We went to see "How to Train Your Dragon" which for Libby and Jacob was a real hit. Sebashton and I took a couple of walks and that was fine by me! We went to the park oodles of times. We went to The Treehouse for some indoor fun and met up with cousins and Grandma Kay. We went to Brookfield Zoo with Mom, Ethan, and Danny and Sebashton loved being outside, not inside so much. (Alot of the indoor exhibits had waterfalls and I think I gave him a fear of that sound taking him the day before through the carwash which he HATED). I don't think he likes loud sounds very much because there was thunder in the distance one night and that was the only time he ever ran for the door in the direction of the house. He loves being outside. Owside Grama ??? Owside???? Bashton owside???? He is too cute.

He is also very very smart!!! He knows his letters and numbers and he will be three in June! Really! All of his letters and 0-9 numbers. I still can't get over it. And his shapes and colors, but I expected that at this age. He even draws circles and triangles!

Libby doted on him too and only got stingy a few times, especially towards the end. She called him honey, and sweetie, and baby, and my love. It was really very sweet. She cried when they left today, which made me cry worse. Sigh.

Looking forward to having Renae home next month and Rod too after Baby Aubrey arrives. Enjoy the pics everyone! I'm off to bed.

We wish you were still here Jake! All of us!

Even Dad who's not pictured.

Last Day with Jacob and Sebashton

I miss them already and they've only been gone a few hours. They are at this point flying from Minneapolis to Spokane. They should arrive in Spokane at 10:30 their time (12:30 here)

Facepainting

So I painted Libby's face at the zoo and she really got into it. Next thing you know we were doing it at home too.

Brookfield Zoo

Jacob and Sebashton

Mimi Libby Ethan. Libby wanted mac n cheese not ice cream but from this picture you can't tell.

Ethan and Libby joeys

The zoo was beautiful, but we didn't see half of it I think. We'll have to go back.

Kids at the treetrunk. Grandma Kay brought Logan and Addison for some fun with their cousins too!

Goin down the slide

Sebashton Fun

At the Treehouse

Sebashton

Sebashton didn't want to go inside ... he prefers being outside period. But when he saw the setup, he said "okay....okay....okay...." and was more than willing to run to play.

At Avery's Party mostly...

Well not this one it looks like it was at the house.

Batman and Batgirl

More Batman and Batgirl. (with Attitude)

More Avery Communion Day

Easter and Avery's Communion Day

Libby and Sebashton are ready to go to church!! Little did I know he has no understanding or is not able to demonstrate an 'inside voice' !!! Jacob took him downstairs during most of the communion mass. He was talking over the children at the podium! He'd look at the windows and say Look pretty. Or he'd ask to go to the park, or outside, or get down, or play Libby, or look a yellow car - you get the drift... I could have listened forever but those around us probably just don't appreciate his cuteness as much as I do. hee!

Jake and Sebashton

Ethan Avery and Libby after the Easter Egg Hunt


Libby at the TotLot...always posing.

Happy (Belated) Valentines Day

So here Libby is wearing my pajamas. I let her. I told her I thought she looked beautiful and whispered in her ear "like an angel". She thanked me and told me she thought I looked fabulous and in MY ear she whispered... "like baby Jesus"..................

***

Here is the valentine song she recited for Grace to record.

(Thank God for Grace, she is such a sweetie to play along with Libby)

***

Valentine's I love you so.

I really love you with my bunny.

I love you with a tink.

Mommy wants to buy a dog.

Daddy wants a balloon all day long.

He can't have it all day though.

Because he'll pop it and send it in the air

with our Valentine's song.

***

p.s. I don't want a dog I don't know where she got that but I don't question the creative process when dealing with a four-and-a half year old. Grandma did buy her a bunny and a balloon at the dollar store the day she "wrote" this. But the dog and Tink? Who knows.

Giggles

Yesterday Kay took Libby to the doctor, and then to Kohls. Kay told me I should write this stuff down so here goes.

At the doctor, Kay had some bloodwork done. The nurse told Libby she could cover her eyes if she was frightened and Libby did cover her eyes with her hands. With her fingers spread apart just enough so she could see what was going on....

At Kohls, Libby had four things she was interested in...
1) night goggles
2) sparkly horse shirt
3) pants
4) little mermail nightgown
At the end of the shopping trip, Grandma told Libby she may choose two things (they were 75% off) and Libby chose the night goggles, the shirt, and the pants. When Grandma told her that she could not choose three things, Libby insisted she only HAD two things...
1) night goggles
2) the shirt and pants go together, Grandma!!!
Sigh.

This morning, Libby told me the reason why she loved me so much. It's because we're both girls. The reason she loves her Daddy so much? He's warm.

Goodbye 2009

So it’s been a while-this will probably be a book. It’s been a hectic year and to be honest, I’ll be glad to move on and put 2009 behind me. I am hopeful for Joey and thankful that he’s grown in maturity this past year. It is a horrible thing when your children are lost. He’s finding his way…slowly. He is nearly done with community service, and working, and really wants to go to CLC next semester. Pray.

The highlight of the year was probably the Disney trip. I’ve some memories for a lifetime and am hoping Libby will too. If not, we’ll just have to go again, right??

Last month my Aunt Irma passed away. Mom, Gina, Avery, Matt, Libby and I drove to Cleveland to be with Bruno and Grandma for the funeral. It was good to see them and sad because my Uncle Marion is alone and my Aunt Jean has dementia. Aunt Jean is now being cared for in a home in Pittsburgh and my understanding is that she is not doing so well. My heart is broken for Bruno who was close with his older sisters, they took good care of him when he was young. Life is precious is it not? When trying to explain what we were doing to Libby, and that my auntie went to live with Jesus, she actually asked me “did your auntie get shot?” YIKES. She likes scary shows but I didn’t think she was watching any gun violence. We have to be more careful.

She does like scary stories, but by scary I mean Alvin and the Chipmunks (Werewolf) or Scooby Doo (monsters / ghosts). Her favorite shows are still Scooby, Dora, Wonderpets, Backyardigans, Pinky Dinky Doo. This Christmas season the favorite movie was “The Boy Who Saved Christmas” which is a cheesy 80s production nobody knows about. It was a free movie from the Christmas selection on TV and boy did we use it.
She also saw and loved the Goonies, realizing only after I let her watch it that the violence and potty mouth language was not appropriate for her.

Libby is her daddy’s little sweetheart. She loves her mom and her brothers and sisters (she considers Dani and Tiffany her sisters) but she is daddy’s little girl and prefers to snuggle with him because he’s more comfty. (Her words not mine)

Grandma Kay still watches her each Friday and whenever she needs a couple of weeks off in a row she goes through Libby withdrawal I think. Libby looks forward to Fridays with Grandma it’s how she gets through her week. Each day we count down til Grandma day.

Libby had her first sleepover with Mimi this month and loved it. She did not want to come home. The cute part about the sleepover though, which was supposed to be for her and Avery (girls night in) is that she felt it unfair for Ethan and didn’t want him to be sad and alone. I think that’s sweet. Mimi ended up with all three of them for a night! Brave!

Some miscellaneous things that come to my mind from Libby recently…

She loves to watch “Noggin on command”

She yells into her new DS Dora game “Garbage” or “Hola” that’s how we know she’s playing. Those games are pretty impressive that they take verbal commands.

Lazarus still doesn’t wake up very easily. And never wants breakfast.

New big words like “seriously” or “responsibility” and “consequences” crack me up when she uses them.

Wants to marry Shawn O’conner from school when she’s bigger. Then she wants us all to move to Idaho with Jacob.

She thought she was going to marry Ethan on Christmas Eve. When I asked her why she didn’t she told me that Ethan said “it’s not gonna happen”. I found this hysterical.
Auntie Gina was gracious enough to play along and gave Libby a wedding veil to play with and Ethan was so excited when he saw her that he had to go get his CAPE too! LOL!

Libby’s first dance recital was a success. After freezing in front of a make-shift audience at dress rehearsal, she actually performed at the recital so we were glad.

Joshua and Dani are still in Utah and doing well. Joshua is considering enlisting. He tried to talk Jacob into moving by him, which I thought was sweet. I mixed his and Jacob’s packages for Christmas…can you believe it??? Josh’s went to Idaho and Jake’s to Utah. For crying out loud. Also, Joshua and I bought Dani a manicure set as one of her presents this year. I told him that great minds think alike and next year I’ll ask before buying anything.

Jacob has been traveling the country it seems this past year. He called me first thing on Christmas morning, before waking Sebashton, so I am pretty certain he misses home. He started the year in Illinois but moved to Florida in the spring after roofing work. When that didn’t work out he moved to Washington for some union work, also a flop. Now he is in Idaho with Tiffany and Sebashton, staying with Tiffany’s mom. He is trying to enlist in the army. They are not sure they want him because he had kidney stones and need his medical history. I don’t think it upsets me a great deal, except that I know it upsets Jacob because it is something that he wants.

Sebashton is a beautiful boy. I miss him dearly. He is talking and learning his alphabet and I wish he were closer!!! He’s grown so much and losing his baby-face.

Well, that’s all for now. I’m hoping to post more regularly in the months to come.

Courtesy of my sister...Avery and Libby's Dance Recital December 20th 2009
Video Length 5:30
Click here to watch Gina's video.

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Click play below to watch Thanksgiving Program.

Happy Birthday

So now my Libby is 4, and it sure is fun. Libby loves pretty things, shopping, toys, shoes, Scooby Doo, Pre-K, princesses, horses, rainbows, flowers, butterflies, jewely, and sparkly diamonds. Among other things. She told me the other day she wished I’d named her Sparkle Diamond and so my boss and friend bought her a purple shirt (fav color) with a red bejeweled crown (other fav color) and the name “Sparkle Diamond” in rhinestones. That’s pretty much her to a T (shirt) lol. Gracie also hit the nail on the head. She covered a treasure box with about 500 rhinestones and glittered it all up. It is probably about as bedazzled as you could get. That’s how well Gracie knows her cousin! Libby likes rhyming, but does not play by the rules. For example, did you know that Disney World rhymes with Tisney World and Chisney World? She misses her “brothers and sisters” very much. She has no sisters, but if you ask her for clarification she will tell you they are her sisters-in-law, like it’s normal to have them… doesn’t everybody? She is still pretty shy and reserved in a crowd or a new setting, but warms up after a bit. She plays alone well and has a pretty good imagination. She sets up her dolls and takes attendance. She tells them “you have to say ‘here’ or ‘present’ when I call your name”. She makes us laugh. And it’s a good thing too because we need all the laughs we can get. She drinks way too much strawberry milk and I am constantly yelling at her father about getting feeding her McDonalds and Taco Bell. She is still very big for her age. At her 4 year old check up, she was nearly 47 pounds and 44 inches. I am not sure what the numbers are, but can tell you that she was pretty much off the growth chart. She loved her party and is now loving all of her presents upstairs in Jake's room. Happy Birthday my daugher. I love you.