New Adventures In Babysitting...

Once again, it's time to brush the cobwebs aside, and publish another post over here.  It's been far too long...

our three 'local' grands

Let me begin by saying, these days, it's a rare and special occasion when my husband, Ed, and I keep all three of the 'local' grandchildren (we have a fourth grandchild, who lives out-of-town). Sometimes, we'll keep one or two, but rarely do all three of them stay with us at once.  However, last Saturday night was one such occasion.

There was going to be a Sunday School outing, and the parents of our 'grands' sort of wanted to attend.  I've been feeling pretty good, lately, so I offered up my babysitting services, which were graciously accepted.

Let me begin by saying I quickly learned this: Folks who have two or more children in the house, DO NOT need a television!  It's a waste of time to even turn it on, because you can't hear a thing that's going on :)  Of course, if you put in a favorite movie of those children in your house, television can quickly become a life saver!  As children's eyes and ears become tuned into what's happening on the screen, their mouths suddenly become quiet :)

Seriously, the grand kids were very good, and gave us very little trouble.  We had the occasional, "He's being mean to me", or "They won't play with me", but I know, from experience, that's totally normal when three children play together.  I only had to call them down once, when they got into a spirited game of 'ball popping', in my kitchen.

Throughout the course of the evening, I did notice that a few things haven't changed since our own children grew up.  I guess some things remain the same, throughout the test of time.

First of all, there was supper.  I decided to serve pepperoni pizza and salad, with seedless grapes for dessert.  Two of the grands asked to have the pepperoni removed from their pizza.  One 'grand' only wanted carrots in his salad, while the other two wanted lettuce and carrots, but no tomatoes.  All three wanted lots of cheese on top!  (Some things never change...)  Our dinnertime conversation consisted of asking me the question, "How old are you?"  (again, some things never change...)

Next, all three decided they wanted to play 'house'.  One by one, each came to me requesting a pillow and a cover, to make a bed out of.  I ran out of old pillows, so I convinced one of them to 'sleep' in the computer chair, and pretend it was a recliner.  Problem solved.  (I may be old, but I'm not stupid...)

Later in the evening, I decided to leave Ed in charge long enough for me to take a quick bubble bath. I asked every 'grand' if anyone needed to use the bathroom before I took my bath.  All said they didn't.  About five minutes into my bubble bath, there was a knock on the door...  (again, some things never change...)  It was the youngest of the three, and he had to 'poop'.  Wouldn't ya' know?  So, as I'm trying to finish my bath, here come Ed and Chase to share the very tiny bathroom with me.  So much for privacy and relaxation!  I had to chuckle when Ed was helping Chase get back into his bottoms, and he pulled the pants up under Chase's armpits.  Chase quickly declared, "They're too high!" 

The last amusing conversation of the evening came when we turned on the television so the children could watch a movie they'd brought along.  Grandson, Caden, quickly covered his ears and asked why we play our television so loud!  I explained, to him, that our ears are old and don't hear as good as they once did.  (I spared him the details of how his grandpa is practically deaf and refuses to even consider getting hearing aids, so we all have to suffer)

All in all, it was a good evening with the grand kids.  They enjoyed each other's company, and seemed to enjoy some freedom away from their parents.  Of course, I'd be lying if I told you we weren't all happy to see the parents return home, shortly before bedtime.  After all, being 'grand' is hard work, no matter whether you are the 'grandchild' or the 'grandparent'!  Ed and I were happy to fall into our bed, shortly after everyone went home :)

Another Catch Up Post On 'The Grands'...

Try as I might, I can't seem to keep up with anything, these days, and that includes this blog!  It's been a while since I posted here, so it's long over due for a 'catch up' post concerning all of our 'grands'.

Madison after the recital

Madison - Our oldest grandchild, and only granddaughter, is about to finish up her first year of home schooling.  I had the pleasure of sitting in for Madison's mama, last week, so I got a first hand look at some of what Madison is learning.  Let me tell you, Abeka Academy has got it goin' on!  They're reading, they're writing in cursive, they're counting backwards by 3's, and they're memorizing entire Bible passages!  I was impressed.

Madison has also been taking violin lessons, and performed her first solo in a recital, last week.  She played 'Ode to Joy', and performed very well.  Our little girl is growing up!  

Chase and Caden

Caden - Our oldest grandson, who is five, is about to finish up pre-K at Busy Little Beavers School. I know he can count to 100, he writes very well, and he can read.  I can't wait to see what else he's learned at his end of the year program, next month!  Caden reminds me so much of his father, at this age.

Caden has played T-ball for the past two years, but when he found out he'd be moving up to the pitching machine--and have to wear a helmet and face mask, this year, he declined playing ball. I don't blame him!  I wouldn't want a machine hurling balls my way either, and let's face it--wearing a helmet and face mask just doesn't seem like fun!

Chase - Chase, who is Caden's younger brother, is almost two and a half.  For a long time, Chase was quiet, and didn't say much around us, but, lately, he's come alive!  I love to hear him talk; he's very 'matter of fact' and to the point!  He's now talking in sentences, too. Of all of the grands, Chase is the most entertaining, so far :) 

Chase has been potty trained since he was two, which I find impressive, 'cause none of my boys were!  Even more impressive is the fact that he can work his mother's smart phone!  He loves playing games on it.

Evan - Our youngest grandson will turn 6 months old in just a few days.  That baby is growing like a weed!  He's wearing a size 6 months, and will soon be learning how to sit up by himself. His favorite past-time seems to be standing up on someone's lap!

March was a rough month for Evan.  He's been sick a lot, even spending one night in the hospital.  Evan seems to catch everything that goes around his daycare--then brings it home and shares it with his parents!  Evan's bouts of sickness haven't put a damper on his spirit, though.  He's a happy baby, most of the time.

Well there you have it, an update on Mimi's 'not-so-little' ones.  I can't wait to see what happens with them next, and I'll try harder to keep it posted here!

A 2014 Valentine's Day Recap...

Before Valentine's Day gets too far in the past, I want to post about the grandchildren's activities. Valentine's Day has always been a 'big deal' around our house, and it's nice to see that the tradition lives on.

Since grandson, Caden, is attending pre-K at Busy Little Beaver's, this year, he got to address and give out a lot of Valentine's.  Unfortunately, his Valentine's Day party had to be post-poned due to an ice storm in our area!  I borrowed (from his mom's Facebook page) this picture of Caden addressing his own cards.  He's getting so big!

Caden's mama helped plan and organize his class Valentine's Day party. She's very good at that sort of thing. The theme of the party was "Wild About You".  Once again, I'm sharing a borrowed picture.

For the past couple of years, our daughter and daughter-in-law have planned Valentine's Day activities for the grandchildren.  This year, they took the kids to the park.  This, too, ended up being post-poned because granddaughter, Madison, woke up with a fever on the original day of the outing.  When everyone finally did make it to the park, it turned out to be a beautiful day, and I'm told everyone had a great time--especially the boys at the pond!

On Valentine's Day evening, Madison's family always celebrates, at their house, with a special meal.  The dining room is always decorated for the occasion. Sometimes they graciously invite others to join them.  This year's meal was home-made lasagna and salad.

The grandchildren managed to do a bit of celebrating Valentine's Day at Mimi's house, too.  They came to our house, after supper, where they received gifts from "Mimi and E", and exchanged gifts with each other, as well.

"Mimi and E" received some chocolates, an "I love you" bean plant, and some adorable hand-made Valentines from the 'grands'.

Since they live out-of-town, we missed having our fourth grandchild, Evan, and his parents, with us to celebrate Valentine's Day, but, as always, they were in our thoughts.  We'd given Evan his Valentine's Day surprise a week earlier.

Evan's Valentine's Day Gift

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and I usually give our grandchildren something each year.  I must admit, this has gotten more difficult over the past few years, as the number of 'grands' has increased, along with my age! Last year, I settled for Valentine's Day cards, and tucked some money in each one.  The 'grands' didn't seem to mind.

Our family was blessed with a new grand-baby, just three months ago, so I felt like a little Valentine's Day shopping might be appropriate, this year.  Oh, what a chore it turned out to be!  I spent two hours wandering around Wal-mart, looking for the perfect gifts.

For the three older 'grands', I finally decided on some Valentine's Day candy, a couple of inexpensive gifts, along with a little shopping money in each card.  For baby Evan, the choice of a gift was a little easier.

While shopping, I saw a little stuffed Chihuahua dog, who was wearing a ball cap.  He was the spittin' image of our grand-dog, 'Jack'. He shook a couple of maracas and sang 'Hot, Hot, Hot'!  It was a 'no brainer', I had to buy this gift for Evan!

Evan and his parents live out-of-town, but they were home last weekend.  I knew I wouldn't see Evan again before Valentine's Day, so I presented him with his gift on Sunday.  I turned the little dog on, and what do you think Evan did?  He cried!  So much for my gift choice, huh?  Hopefully, as Evan grows older, he'll learn to like his new puppy.  I know his Mimi sure does!

Long Time, No Post...

I'm absolutely ashamed that it's been over ten months since I've posted on this blog! I'd think about posting here, from time to time, but somehow never seemed to have time. As a result, I don't have many "Mini Tales" for 2013 recorded! For that, I'm truly sorry.

 On the positive side, at least I've recorded many grandchildren highlights on my sister blog, 'Reflections By Kathy'. Another positive note--our family likes to take lots of pictures!

 During 2013, a lot of wonderful, noteworthy events happened, concerning the grandchildren, including the announcement of a pregnancy, and the addition of a fourth grandchild!

 Granddaughter, Madison, graduated from Kindergarten in the spring, then began doing a first grade, home-school course in the fall. In addition, she's been taking violin lessons, and continuing with dance lessons. 

Meanwhile grandson, Caden,played another round of T-ball, in the spring, then began pre-K classes at Busy Little Beavers, in the fall. Caden has grown so much, this past year. He hardly seems like the same child anymore!

 Grandson number three, Chase, perfected the art of running and climbing, learned how to speak using sentences, and became potty trained by age two! Chase didn't have time to spend 'being a baby', he he had to keep up with the older children in the family!

 Last, but certainly not least, is our newest addition to the family, baby Evan. Given Evan's mom's previous medical history, none of us thought a baby would ever be in her future. It just goes to show, doctors don't know everything, nor do we! Not only did our daughter-in-law, Jennifer quickly become pregnant, she sailed through her pregnancy with ease, until the end.

 For a time, we had quite a scare, concerning baby Evan, when tests revealed that both of his parents were carriers of Cystic Fibrosis. Once again, God showed Who is in control, when Evan turned out to be a perfectly healthy baby boy! Evan doesn't have Cystic Fibrosis, nor does he carry the gene for the disease. Praise the Lord for double blessings! Evan's growing like a weed, and recently turned 3 months old.

 Since I haven't posted over here in such a long time, I went back through our photo files (borrowing some from our DIL's Facebook pages), and made a movie of the past ten months. By doing this, it will sort of make up for all of the posts I missed writing. I'm going to try to post over here on a more regular basis, from now on.  I should be able to at least manage weekly updates.

For now, here are the past ten months in pictures:

 

Milestones...

Milestones.  These are the things we sometimes use to measure our children's growth by, or, in my case, our grandchildren's growth by.  Both of my grandsons reached two milestones last week, and I wanted to record them before they slip my mind.

First of all, there's Caden, who's four.  He always goes to the bathroom by himself, but needed somebody to turn our bathroom light on for him because he wasn't tall enough to reach the switch.  All of that changed last week, when he proudly announced he could reach the switch by himself!  I knew the boy was growing taller!

Next there's Cade's brother, Chase, who turned one on December 27th.  Chase got his first "big boy" haircut last week!  Gone is the "baby look", replaced by the new "I'm a big boy now" look.  I kept having the urge to rub his head all weekend!  There's just something about that first haircut...

These little grandsons of mine are growing like weeds, and I love it!  They are constantly growing and changing, and life is anything but dull whenever they are around.  I wonder what their next milestone will be...

A Birthday Surprise For Madison...

Although her birthday wasn't until October, Madison's parents presented her with an early birthday surprise, in September.

At the time, Madison was a big fan of "The Fresh Beat Band". Way back during the summer, Madison's mama purchased tickets to one of their concerts, but didn't say anything.

When the big day finally came, Madison's parents drove to the city, without telling Madison where they were going.  As they were unloading in the parking lot, Madison's mom broke the news of the surprise.  Madison was one excited little girl!