Bits and Pieces

* Two turned ten today. There was a pizza party in his honor on Saturday. His dad makes fancy pizzas. Ever have cheese burger pizza with dill pickle slices on top? How about cheese and bacon pizza topped with fresh shredded lettuce and a drizzle of Ranch dressing? They were delicious! (Four is watching him conjure up his birthday wish before blowing out the candles.)

* The weekend flew by way too fast, but tomorrow is Wednesday already and that means we'll be halfway to next weekend. Christmas is right around the corner and I don't have a clue what is going on. Perhaps I should make some inquiries.

* Number Nine loves birthdays, especially when they come with cake and ice cream. Cake and ice cream are so wonderful they are "two fork" worthy. Ha ha! Yes, he actually ate off both. He's quite talented!

* I have been searching the pottery studio shelves for several weeks, looking for a bowl I glazed and but I couldn't find it. What do you know? It was there waiting for me this evening. I blame its absence on those naughty studio elves and their trickery. I'm still missing a handle-less mug, but so much time has gone by since I glazed that one, that I don't believe the elves will ever return it. Perhaps it turned out so beautiful they decided to keep it. Ah, well...

The Last of the Teal Teenagers

Yesterday afternoon we had a birthday gathering in honor of Hannah. Yes, we have survived the teenage years of all seven offspring and are well on our way through the 20 somethings with the rest. Actually, some have entered their 30's (which doesn't seem possible) with another due to hit 30 toward the end of October. Whatever shall we do? Perhaps we should stop counting birthdays and simply celebrate without numbers.

Yesterday afternoon Lucas jumped out of the vehicle and ran up to the porch, homemade birthday card in hand. He stopped directly in front of Hannah and her friend Kelly. "Wait," he said, "Which one is Hannah." We laughed at him not knowing which blond haired beauty was the birthday girl. I never really thought about it much until this morning when Hannah said, "He was kidding." Sometimes I forget that Lucas is a joker. He is six and a half, after all, and has plenty of smarts up his sleeves. Ah, Silly Grandma... Maybe I can blame it on my own blond hair.

The Mighty Matador

This morning I decided to read a chapter out of Otis Spofford to my grandchildren. It was about Otis and a friend dressing up as the bull in a presentation at school. My own children found the chapter hilariously funny, but I'm not sure these little guys fully understood bull fighting and so the story was somewhat lost to them.

I decided to look up some cartoon bull fights and give them an idea of what was going on in the story. We watched Disney's "Ferdinand the Bull" and another video where the matador was none other than Looney Toon's Goofy. (I didn't want anything to grim and gory...) (My husband has reminded me, in the comment section, that Goofy is also a Disney character. Now I am feeling a little goofy myself...) The boys soon had a little idea of what goes on in a bull fight, very little.


Of course, being boys, they decided to have a little bull fight of their own. I tossed Lucas a red dish towel and Simon was transformed into the bull. The bull tired of the game much faster than the matador and soon Lucas was left without a bull to charge him., so I did what any great and wonderful grandma would do. I put my hands down on the floor, pawed at the ground, snorted a time or two, and charged. This produced gales of laughter from the surprised bull fighter.

When my turn at being the bull was over, Simon decided to take another try at it, and for another five or ten minutes, my living room was transformed into a bull ring. Thankfully, there was little cleanup. (It was a very clean fight and there were no bull "leftovers" to pick up after the fight was done.)

Little Glimpses

How about a little glimpse into the "mind of Martha"... (It can be a scary place to visit.)

I have more lists going through my mind than I can keep up with, but I haven't written any of them down so I can't really tell you just how many there are.There are only a few days until The Grinch swoops down from his mountaintop cave to steal our festivities and leave us singing in the snow, so I don't have much time left to prepare.

Actually, I lied. I have started to make lists, but they're a mishmash of ideas rather than concrete items and tasks that need to be chased down, purchased, or completed. The good news is that in spite of my inability to rein in the craziness of the season (or my own thoughts), I will, in all likelihood, make out just fine in the end.

It will be a wild and crazy week from here to next Monday. Even if I never nail down menus or find the house immaculately clean and tidy, we will not likely starve or find ourselves lost amidst the clutter. Okay, maybe we could get lost in the clutter, but we won't go hungry. Instead we'll laugh, enjoy the company, and be crazy together. Is there any other way to be?

(Photos courtesy of Lukie's sixth birthday party Saturday evening.) 

Inspiration

Hannah braided her own hair this morning and Lucas had something to say about it. "You look like Frozen right now," he told her.

"And you smell pretty," said Simon.

 They're not always full of compliments so it was really cute. And it inspired me to take a picture. I just hope she doesn't start building an ice castle or making snowmen in July...

And then there's Aubrey who is typically out on the swing set singing, "...the cold never bothered me anyway..." at the top of her lungs.

Blue Lu

I did not have time to blog yesterday, I was too busy chasing children, doing a little garden work, and watching a movie with My Darling. It just didn't happen yesterday, but I did want to tell you about "Blue Lu"...

It was a beautiful day. Hannah took off for Bethany's house and the grocery store. I took my three small grandchildren outside to play. In an effort to keep them not only entertained but somewhat contained, I got out some new sticks of sidewalk chalk and dragged an old chalk board out of the barn. It started out tame and gradually became a hysterical game.

I had "Blue Lu" wash his face before we went in for lunch and by that time Hannah had returned from her errand. She brought Jake and Josh home with her and we had five grandchildren instead of three. We went back outside for some more fun after lunch ...

Like a good grandmother, I sat back, camera in hand, and took pictures... (Looks kind of like a boy's version of a make-up party.) "Hey, how'd you do that?" Josh asked his blue-faced cousin.
"I drew a big circle, like this," answered Lucas, and he drew a big circle on the chalk board and colored it in. "Then I rubbed my face on it." He proceeded to demonstrate.

It'll be another busy day. My kids have a bonfire party planned for this evening and I'm going to make a pot of chili after I go shopping (or maybe before, who knows?).

PS. Lucas and his blue face reminded me of a poem  my dad used to read us when we were kids. It's here.

Ahhhh....

Tired and easily amused, I am posting more of yesterday's kid pictures. Someone (sometimes called "Grandpa" or "Uncle James") told a kid to open his mouth and then looked inside through the magnifying glass. "Eeeewwww!" he said, and so began a new game. I call it "Dentist" but I don't have a clue what the rest of them call it.

I love the finger spread there in the third picture. I wonder if it helps Lucas get his mouth opened any wider?

Toy and Books

I've decided to begin in earnest the task of cleaning out, and I am starting with our bedroom closet, which has become an "attic" of sorts. It has become increasingly difficult to walk into the closet, and there is little to no space left where things can be stored. Our clothes are in there somewhere... I think... and even those need to be sorted.

It was my son's recent request for children's books that got me started on my recent quest to downsize my "stuff" collection. Some of his favorite childhood stories included Dr. Seuss, books by Bill Peet, and Uncle Remus. I gave it some serious thought and came to the conclusion that, although I love my Uncle Remus book, it brings nobody any enjoyment stowed away in a box on the shelf. I sent my boy a note offering him a huge box of Legos, and, along with a warning that some children actually morph into Brer Rabbit, offered him the treasured story book. Yes, Uncle Remus tends to be rare and collectible, but one of my own favorite childhood memories is snuggling up next to my dad and listening to him read Uncle Remus.

So, yesterday my daughter in law came over with her little ones for a short visit. We hugged small children, ate cookies, and sent them home with a big box of Legos and two story books; Uncle Remus and Richard Scarry's Mother Goose. I hope they make for many hours of fun and a lifetime of memories. I know they did for me.

I Want to Get Up!

Welcome to the world of small children who hate naps. (Click here for a glimpse into Hannah's afternoon.) I will say this child is persistent. He is very much like his father, but he talks more. In fact, once he gets upset, there's no stopping him!

Evening Blues

My little guys were here to visit this afternoon. As I was snuggling my newest baby on the back porch, Lucas picked up Jasmine's empty water dish and started off with it.

Hey," I said, "Where are you going with that dog dish?" as he stepped off the back porch.

"I'm gonna pick some blueberries," he replied. Of course, I knew he wouldn't forget the blueberry patch. I'm just glad there are still berries down there to be picked.

I put the baby down, found some berry boxes, and we headed down to pick a few berries.(We left the dog dish on the back porch.) Simon decided to accompany us, as well as Leta. The boys munched on their pickings, or dumped them in the long grass... and Leta took home a nice sized bag of berries as well.

This evening I made a return to the berry patch and picked some more late summer fruits. The sun cast long beams of light and shadows across the lawn, turning the grass to gold and lighting up the tender leaves of the berry bushes. The air was cool enough to warrant long sleeves (though mine were short), making it feel just a little bit like fall. Although some of the bushes are barren, others are heavy laden and more than willing to be relieved of their burden.

Aside from this afternoon, I hadn't been down to pick blueberries for a week or more. Tonight, rather than a plastic Tupperware bowl, I picked a basketful of berries, a pretty basketful, and took my camera too, of course, to record the moment... I can almost smell those blueberry muffins baking.

Blueberry Pickers

I had some help in the blueberry patch this morning. Lucas and Simon were here for a few hours. I decided perhaps they would like to help me pick some berries. Of course, little boys are not really expected to fill up a box but I gave them each a pint sized one anyway. "Pick the blue ones," I told them.

Lucas found picking berries to be a fun job. Though he knows some of his colors, he obviously wasn't paying much attention to which berries were blue and which were not.

Simon as mostly interested in eating the berries. I'd drop a few in his box and he would either eat them or spill them on the ground. He picked a few too, but I'm not sure I ever saw any before they were popped into his mouth.

I'm thinking these little guys will be wondering about the blueberry patch the next time they come to Grammy's house. Guess I'd just as soon let them pick berries as leave them for the birds.

Little Miss No-Name

This little boy was enthralled with the tiny baby we found at the hospital this morning. He watched with great interest as the nurse changed her diaper and wrapped her in a blanket. "I want to hold him," he said.

He was very gentle as he looked into her little face and touched her soft baby head. What a sweet moment we witnessed as Lucas met his little sister for the very first time. The moment will be all too quickly forgotten in the sands of time, but here it is, captured, if only for a little while.

Simon wasn't quite sure what to think of the baby, but he did like the Oreo Cookies his mommy had on the night stand, and he did take a quick look at the tiny bundle before wandering off to hide in the divider curtain.

Life will never be the same again. I'm thinking it's time for this Grammy to buy a zoo membership. This little family is facing some long and tiring days. I think maybe a few trips to the zoo with Grammy and Aunt Hannah are in order.

Grandsons

I'm thinking it's about time for these two crazy kids to come visit their grandma again.

Grandflowers

Yesterday was busy and full of fun. I was blessed by a visit from two "grandflowers!" I think Simon looks different every time I see him. His hair has decided to lay down and behave now and he is looking like a little man now. He found an apple in my kitchen and decided it made a very good snack. He is still a cuddly little guy and gives some pretty nice hugs. I can hardly believe he will be celebrating a birthday in just over one month. What a fun little guy he is!

While Simon munched his apple, Lucas enjoyed a handful of raisins. I think this child can move his feet and legs faster than anyone I have ever met. He is full of energy but will take the time to sit and look at a book with me for a few minutes. I love hearing him talk. He loves snowplows, cars, and trucks. I think he's a keeper too.

Josh stopped by today, but it was a short visit and I didn't get any pictures. Maybe next time.

Taking a Collection

See these two beautiful boys? They are going to have a new baby at their house sometime this summer. What a handsome collection of grandchildren I shall have!

Out and About

Today we went out Christmas shopping. I took Ben, who was feeling somewhat nauseated, and Hannah, who was in pain but refused to complain. We didn't stay out too long and only went as far as Webster. I think that was almost too much for either one of them today. Ben worked a long shift washing dishes yesterday. Actually, it's been a long week of washing dishes... Hannah had a long night of pain from Thursday night to Friday morning, and a long day of visiting doctors yesterday. I think her pain medication was wearing off and though she said she was fine, her eyes told me a different story. She needed to go home to bed for a few hours.

Tonight is a birthday celebration for a very special two year old. It is Lucas' birthday! If he holds still long enough, maybe I'll get a few pictures.

Now for a cup of something hot to drink before the party begins...

More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkeys!

It was a busy day. These little guys kept Hannah and I hopping most of the morning. When it was lunch time, I pulled the high chair out and three small boys started getting excited. I have two booster seats, one of which is always strapped to a kitchen chair. I went in the other room to get a folding chair for the other one. On my return to the kitchen I found Lucas sitting in the high chair, tray in place...
I turned around to look for Hannah. She was sitting in the other room and had not put the him into the chair. I guess he got so excited about lunch, and so eager to not be left out, that he scrambled into the chair himself. He must have climbed right up the front and over the tray. (I'm kind of sorry I missed it...)

Elephant

He doesn't say much so this was pretty impressive.



He's a ventriloquist!

Double Trouble and A Loud Whistling Noise

There was really no trouble, just two small boys looking to have some fun. I think Lucas was pleasantly surprised to find a friend at Grandma's house, though sharing the car might have been pushing it a little...







What Lucas really wanted to do was get that little green piece of grass he picked to whistle like Aunt Hannah. He held it up to his mouth and made a noise that sounded slightly like a baby elephant. His little friend was oblivious to his efforts.





Thankfully, Lucas is too little to realize it wasn't working. He wasn't mad or frustrated in the least. He continued to play the game and make elephant noises. It is quite possible I am the only one who actually noticed his efforts.







Hannah, on the other hand, can make that blade of grass scream!