Happy Birthday Gramma

We've had quite a few birthday in the family lately.  Sometimes it's difficult to remember who's celebrating next.

 My little boys have made this past year so full of love.  I look forward to the next Friday from the moment Daddy drives away with them.  I have learned so much from them.  They absorb everything with a passion for the moment.  Their favorite place is in our arms.  They're free with their kisses, as long as you don't have a beard.  They know to share their tears and their laughter. 

They are good at thinking up ways to entertain themselves and Gramma.  They play together "nicely" and remember to say "thank you."  Andrew seems to be in training as a soccer goalie.  Both boys know you need to make some manly martial arts noises to show the competition how tough you are.  This pool table used to be in Ryan Joseph's and Matt's bedroom when we lived in Schaumburg.  It seemed big there.  Our children have suggested replacing it with a bigger one.  I've noticed it seems to be the perfect size for our grandchildren.  Matt and Ryan Joseph didn't have to use chairs to reach the balls.  And they used to use pool cues, which we haven't yet begun to work on that with the twins.

Hats off to you!

Gramma's Warlocks have cast their spell.

The boys came ready to work.  They were expecting a hot time at Gramma's, so they wore their firemen hats.

Cool Dudes!  And they know it.

 There's a lot of monkey business going on at Gramma's.  My brother, Jeffrey, had sock monkeys from the time he was born.  When they wore out, they'd make him another.  I made one for hiim by hand when he was having surgery in the hospital.  His old one had been stuffed with old nylons and the hole in the monkey's tummy looked very funny leaking hosiery.  He used to love to hold them by the tails and watch them spinning.  Thanks Katie, Kyle and Christian.  Your gift to the boys has touched my heart in many ways.  They love them and wore them while they took their naps.

Andrew walks to a different drummer.  He enjoys that his monkey's got his back.  You can tell he realizes he's wearing it backwards (he wears his fireman's hat that way, too) and often turns his back toward you, so you can be face to face with the monkey.  Mommies and Grammas are part monkey.  That's why they seem to have eyes in the back of their heads.

Ever wonder if a little bit of sugar is really a big deal?  I would think sugar would help us lose weight after watching its effect on the boys.

Nathan was checking me out from head to toe.  After some thought, he told me, "Gramma, you have long legs."  "Yes, I do, " I told him.  "They reach all the way to the floor."  He thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I have long legs, too."

Gramma has been lax in her dusting.  The cobwebs are getting very large.

It's time to go home and the boys try to make Gramma and Grampa feel loved by claiming they haven't had enough time to play.  Because we have a double staircase, Daddy has to work really hard to catch them.  I think Andrew has figured out that bedtime seems to come quickly after Twins' Friday.  His brother joins in the fun just to give Daddy a hard time. 

Simon & Garfunkel

A beautiful day is meant to be enjoyed.  And if you want to learn how to enjoy a day, spend it with little people.  Nathan tried the green swing, then the orange swing and then the yellow swing.  We tried it with Gramma pushing from the front and from the back.  We tried it pushing high, higher and highest.

Andrew has spent an entire summer fascinated with the shovel in the sandbox.  He loves machines.  He now has enough strength to actually lift the shovel, so he can do more than clean the leaves and twigs out of the sandbox.

Gramma gave a few tips on good shoveling technique, which proved quite helpful.  And, of course she supplies all the encouragement a boy needs.
 Gramma doesn't own shoes appropriate for a sandbox.

Old friends, sat on the park bench like bookends.  Grampa packs a collection of interesting snacks for the boys to take to the park.  Gramma packs grapes.  The boys like both.

And he's off!  Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and plunge.

And sometimes it takes a drink or two before you're ready to take the plunge.

A summer of playing at the park has built confidence in two young boys.  They've learned to reach new heights, to persevere until they reach the top and when to call Gramma to help. They're never ready to go home, unless reminded that someone needs to check on Grampa.

There's a world of fun in chasing dreams and bubbles.  And sometimes you actually manage to catch one.

Auntie Becca shows her nephews the secret to the good life; resting in the sun.

When the boys were getting ready to go home, Auntie Becca asked for a kiss goodbye.  Nathan started to automatically oblige her, but then stopped short and asked her if she had a beard.  Sure she had misunderstood, she repeated what she thought she had heard back to him.  Yes, he wanted to feel first, before he was going kiss her.  She managed to pass the test.  I'm so thankful that they didn't ask me.  I would have to get a stronger light in my bathroom and a more powerful mirror.  

Huckleberry Hot Hot

Stringing beads is fun for the boys, but they always enjoy putting a new spin on their work.  How many beads can you fit on a hand?  Andrew, especially, enjoys just tossing all the beads onto the floor.  I have a difficult time understanding what makes that hilarious to him.  When I left the room, there were beads everywhere; under the couch, on the ottoman and in the fireplace.  When I returned, all of the beads had been returned to their box neatly.  I looked around to see if Grampa had passed through.  I asked the boys who had cleaned up the beads.  Nathan told me, "I did."  I was in total shock and told him I thought he was absolutely a wonderful boy.  Andrew, working nearby, replied, "I'm a wonderful boy, too."  As I was about to agree with Andrew,  Nathan piped in with, "You're not wonderful.  I AM."

This is the violin Gramma played as a child.  She wanted to play cello, but Uncle Jack (the boys' great-great-great uncle) had a violin and we couldn't afford a cello.  Nathan enjoys "plucking" the violin and singing with it.  Auntie Becca has her own violin and THREE bows in her case.  Perhaps Nathan wonders how she manages to play with three bows.

The boys can play Huckleberry Hot Hot on the piano and like to play it on the violin with Gramma's help.

Ready, Aim, Fire

The boys have officially outgrown their cribs.  When they spent the weekend at Gramma's, we found out they not only can climb out of the crib, but can scale the side and drop into the cribs head first.  We have one crib and a port-a-crib, plus a couch in the nursery.  Terry and Andrew took the front off the crib, in order to avoid broken arms.  Both boys were excited about the crib revision.  And of course, both boys wanted to sleep in the crib, leaving Gramma in a dilemna at bedtime.  I knew I had to come up with a creative idea for the port-a-crib, or someone was going to be in tears (perhaps Gramma).  So, I set it on its side and created a cave to sleep in.  Both boys loved the port-a-cave and now were anxious to sleep there.  Andrew, after being reminded how he and Grampa had workied so hard, ended up in the crib and Nathan was sleeping in the cave.  When we went to check on the boys before putting ourselves to bed, we found Nathan and Andrew sleeping together in the crib.  It reminded me of their beginning.

When we were in the basement playing, we noticed Alvin and Theodore (chipmunks) in our window well.  The boys enjoyed watching them up close.  Grampa came to the chipmunks' rescue and put a shovel and a board in the well, so they could climb out and rejoin Simon.  A week later, the boys  remembered the chipmunks and checked out the window well again.  I'm wondering how often we'll have to continue checking.  The boys have very good memories.  After a week has passed, they can remember where they left the bottle of bubble soap, the plastic pizza cutter, the toy drill, etc.  I wish I had their memory. 

I think porcelain spoons are a great way for children to enjoy soups.  American tableware is difficult for a child to manage and usually arives at the mouth empty.  Soups can deliver nutrition deliciously; enticing children and grandpas to eat vegetables they might otherwise skip.  They cool the soup quickly, are easy to scrape the drips off and hold plenty to slurp up.

Andrew learns one of Rebecca's bad habits.  Although, he hasn't started to spray it directly into his mouth the way she does.

The boys have learned to sing while they work.  I think Andrew has his own words to "Clean up, clean up.  Everybody do the chair." 

The bibs they have for children today are very practical.  They can hold a half glass of milk and an extra piece of pumpkin pie. 

Auntie Becca and Gramma took the boys on a field trip to the fire station.

We started with a ride on the fire engine.  Andrew was a bit concerned about getting in the big fire truck, but the fire bell was enough to put his fears aside.  Nathan had no fear and was the first one aboard.

To be a fireman you must be good with children, strong, brave, willing to work hard and

 good-looking.

We saw them rescue a dummy from the car by cutting the top of the car off.  The car didn't look so good later, but now the dummy had a convertible.  The dummy didn't look so good, either.

Sometimes the firemen have to use the "jaws of life" to rescue people.  This could be useful for the times Andrew gets his head stuck in dining room chairs.  Gramma wanted to get a picture of that, but Daddy was too fast to the rescue.  He could have been a fireman!

The fireman rescued a baby with the "jaws of life."  It was a good thing the baby was wearing her seatbelt.

Nathan is very good at tunnels, even long ones.  Andrew doesn't like tunnels; even short ones.

Dogs help the fireman do his job.  They must be well-trained.  Gramma used to be a champion dog trainer..  Eventually, she went on to train grandpas.

You should meet my Mommy.  She helps dogs and really likes big ones.

Firemen use pulleys to help lift the fire hoses.  The pulley makes it easier to lift. heavy objects.  Grampa needs to get us a pulley.  I love gadgets. 

Mr. Fireman, you may want to step back.  I think I need to let go and I don't know what will happen when I do.

Gramma wasn't sure it was a good idea for me to go down the fireman's pole.  I had to work really hard to get up the ladder without her catching me.  I knew I had to give it a try.  Grampa needs to build us one of these.  Even Auntie Becca loves the pole.  I think Gramma's heels might be a problem on the stairs.

One of the fireman's wives helped me put a fire out with the real firemen's hose.  Grampa has been training us for this moment.  We could water the flowers in no time with this much power.

There's a photographer here taking a picutre of Nathan for the newspaper.  Gramma doesn't know that Nathan's wearing his pajamas.  She thought they were stylish trousers, like she used to dress Daddy in.  Now the world will see him.  How embarrassing!

Firemen are famous for their chili, which tasted wonderful.  Their hot dogs were great, too.  But the best thing of all is their popcorn.  It was the first popcorn we ever tasted.

Grama and Auntie Becca know how to have a fun time.

It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.  Why is it that a man in uniform is so attractive?

Good thing Gramma wore the right shoes for being a firefighter.

I wonder if Daddy and Mommy know about this popcorn stuff.