It has been a wonderful weekend here in Clearwater. Ashley, Kevin and the two oldest grands came up Friday night to spend the weekend with me. Saturday dawned as a beautiful day and we went out to the beach to have lunch @ Frenchy's. It was great as usual. The boys enjoyed walking on the beach after lunch. Ashley enjoyed introducing them to really pretty white sand. After lunch we drove around to some of the places Ashley would know and then visited with Tina, Eric, their kiddos and her mom, Carrie. The boys enjoyed playing in the backyard with Kai and then we all went to Casa Tina to celebrate Tina's birthday. (Tina is the young friend who created my name........Pappi.) Back home and the boys crashed about 8:00. I don't think they moved again until they woke up early Sunday morning.
Sunday the weather had turned gray, cloudy, rainy and COLD. I made beignets for breakfast and they were yummy. It's been a while since I have made these favorites from New Orleans. Left about 11:30 to visit more friends. We started @ Connie's house. She,Portia, Cole and Gary joined us for lunch. It was so much fun catching up and letting the little boys get acquainted. Afterwards we drove to Ozona and made a stop at the Vincentis home. Just love their house.........it is much like an art gallery!
The Longs left about 5:30 to return to Fort Myers and have arrived safely. It has been a great weekend for me and I hope they enjoyed their visit as much as I enjoyed having them here. Unfortunately for me I don't have my little "heaters" to keep me warm tonight. I treasure these years when the little ones love to cuddle. They grow out of that all too soon.
March 1, 2009
February 17, 2009
SURPRISE.........SURPRISE
I spent my 3 day weekend (never, ever have had President's Day as a holiday before....a holiday in February...wow!) in Fort Myers. On Saturday night I babysat all 3 of my little grands while their mamas and papas spent some alone time for Valentine's Day. Since I decided we were all going to sleep in the same room I had to strategize the "going to bed" process. First I put little Z down in the pack-n-play and he dropped off to sleep. In the meantime Kyle and Todd were watching a movie in "mama's" bed. Todd fell asleep so I picked him up and put him in my bedroom. Kyle continued to watch the movie until he finally said "Pappi I need to go to bed now........." so I took him off to the sleeping room. Amazingly enough we all slept very well. No one stirred until Todd fell off the bed about 3:00 am. I got up and took Todd to the bathroom and checked him for goose eggs on the head or broken arms/legs. All was well and we went back to the room, climbed back in beside Kyle and fell back to sleep. I can tell you it was so much fun to have all 3 of the boys together. They played and had so much fun.
On Sunday I got the great news (from Ashley & Kevin) that we are going to have another baby in the family come August. What a wonderful surprise. Boy am I glad I opted for the CX-9 instead of the CX-7. With 4 baby seats the car is full now!
Monday was a holiday for Kyle so it worked out well that I was in Fort Myers. He, Todd and I had a fun day. We made a run to Costco first thing to pick up some "stuff" and then met Ashley & Kevin at the "Sun / Fork" aka First Watch for lunch. (Has anyone besides my grandson actually noticed the logo is a sun over a fork?....not me) After lunch we went to the park for a while and then home so Todd could take a nap. Kyle rested, played video games and he and I made hot chocolate while Todd slept. Once Todd was awake we spent some time outside in the race cars until Ashley got home. She stayed outside with us for a while and then made a fantastic pork chop dish for dinner.
I hated to leave but will be going back down on Thursday night. Kyle's school has Grandparent's Day on Friday. I get to go back to school...!!!
On Sunday I got the great news (from Ashley & Kevin) that we are going to have another baby in the family come August. What a wonderful surprise. Boy am I glad I opted for the CX-9 instead of the CX-7. With 4 baby seats the car is full now!
Monday was a holiday for Kyle so it worked out well that I was in Fort Myers. He, Todd and I had a fun day. We made a run to Costco first thing to pick up some "stuff" and then met Ashley & Kevin at the "Sun / Fork" aka First Watch for lunch. (Has anyone besides my grandson actually noticed the logo is a sun over a fork?....not me) After lunch we went to the park for a while and then home so Todd could take a nap. Kyle rested, played video games and he and I made hot chocolate while Todd slept. Once Todd was awake we spent some time outside in the race cars until Ashley got home. She stayed outside with us for a while and then made a fantastic pork chop dish for dinner.
I hated to leave but will be going back down on Thursday night. Kyle's school has Grandparent's Day on Friday. I get to go back to school...!!!
February 9, 2009
Artshow Weekend in Fort Myers
It was my weekend to stay with Paige, PG and Zane. Paige made a great dish on Friday night that hit the spot as I was HUNGRY when I arrived. Saturday Zane had a birthday party to attend (his friend Hayden is now 1 year old too...) so I went to the artshow with Ashley, Kyle and Todd. Lots of people which is great for the artists. The weather was just perfect for being outside.
Now, if you have ever been to an artshow with 5 & 3 year old boys you will understand me when I say they were bored once they figured out that Pappi & Mama wanted to actually walk along and stop and gawk at everything. Given the number of people sometimes it took a little bit to manuever your way into the booth. Sooo...they decided this should be a little like the State Fair in that eating would help with the boredom. They wanted to eat something at every food booth, then they were thirsty and then hungry again. Finally Ashley got them some ice cream cones, chocolate.....our favorite. Kyle does well with a cone but Todd not so much. He eats the ice cream out of the cone with his fingers which makes a huge mess on the boy. They did get to visit the kid's arts & craft tents and they had fun making some artwork for us. We didn't make them stay much longer after that....had mercy and took them home.
Zane and I spent Saturday night together while Mama and Papa went to Cape Coral for Bike Night. We had a great time and I think M & P did as well. They even stopped on the way back for a late sushi dinner.
(Secret: my big kids don't know just how much I LOVE taking care of the little ones while they take a break with a date night....shhhh)
Sunday I was back at the artshow with Paige, PG and Zane. Still crowds of people but we had a great time walking around and checking out all the booths. I saw some things I missed the first time around. Not many pottery booths this year which was disappointing as that is my favorite craft. I think I might have to take some classes on pottery making one of these days. We thought Zane might go to sleep as it was nap time but oh no, he would have missed too much. Sleepy boy got to take a nap when we got back home.
It was a wonderful weekend. The trip back last night was uneventful and the traffic was almost non-existent so it was quick. It's always good to spend time with my family.
Now, if you have ever been to an artshow with 5 & 3 year old boys you will understand me when I say they were bored once they figured out that Pappi & Mama wanted to actually walk along and stop and gawk at everything. Given the number of people sometimes it took a little bit to manuever your way into the booth. Sooo...they decided this should be a little like the State Fair in that eating would help with the boredom. They wanted to eat something at every food booth, then they were thirsty and then hungry again. Finally Ashley got them some ice cream cones, chocolate.....our favorite. Kyle does well with a cone but Todd not so much. He eats the ice cream out of the cone with his fingers which makes a huge mess on the boy. They did get to visit the kid's arts & craft tents and they had fun making some artwork for us. We didn't make them stay much longer after that....had mercy and took them home.
Zane and I spent Saturday night together while Mama and Papa went to Cape Coral for Bike Night. We had a great time and I think M & P did as well. They even stopped on the way back for a late sushi dinner.
(Secret: my big kids don't know just how much I LOVE taking care of the little ones while they take a break with a date night....shhhh)
Sunday I was back at the artshow with Paige, PG and Zane. Still crowds of people but we had a great time walking around and checking out all the booths. I saw some things I missed the first time around. Not many pottery booths this year which was disappointing as that is my favorite craft. I think I might have to take some classes on pottery making one of these days. We thought Zane might go to sleep as it was nap time but oh no, he would have missed too much. Sleepy boy got to take a nap when we got back home.
It was a wonderful weekend. The trip back last night was uneventful and the traffic was almost non-existent so it was quick. It's always good to spend time with my family.
February 2, 2009
UPDATE ON THE GRANDS........
My little guys are growing up so fast. They seem to grow inches and put on pounds between every visit. I had the pleasure of taking care of Zane last Thursday night while mama and papa attended the Eagles concert in Tampa. Then I was in Fort Myers this past weekend and spent time with Kyle, Todd and Zane.
Kyle is 5 years old and a smart little boy. He seems to just absorb everything he hears/sees. He needs to know how everything works. He is now riding his two wheel bike all by himself. The last hurdle was learning to take off by himself but he mastered that on Sunday. What fun to watch him....he was so excited.
Todd is 3-1/2 years old and he is just the sweetest little boy. He grabs your heart and will not release it. He still likes to cuddle and when it's naptime he will crawl up by you and go to sleep. He still loves his blanket when it's time for sleep. He and I had fun with his skateboard on Sunday. Of course he rode it and I held his hands so he wouldn't crash and burn.....he started doing wheelies before we finished.
Baby Zane is now almost 14 months old and weighs in at 25 lbs. He is walking (at times almost running) and is delighted that he can now reach up on tables and grab things he could not before. He loves to play peek-a-boo and have his tummy tickled. Smiles and laughs all the time. He gives me sweet hugs when I pick him up. It's so much fun watching babies as they learn. He is a sweet baby boy.
It seems that it was yesterday that Kyle was born and now I have 3 grands to love. They keep me young with all the laughter and fun they bring to my life. I am blessed to have these little guys.
Kyle is 5 years old and a smart little boy. He seems to just absorb everything he hears/sees. He needs to know how everything works. He is now riding his two wheel bike all by himself. The last hurdle was learning to take off by himself but he mastered that on Sunday. What fun to watch him....he was so excited.
Todd is 3-1/2 years old and he is just the sweetest little boy. He grabs your heart and will not release it. He still likes to cuddle and when it's naptime he will crawl up by you and go to sleep. He still loves his blanket when it's time for sleep. He and I had fun with his skateboard on Sunday. Of course he rode it and I held his hands so he wouldn't crash and burn.....he started doing wheelies before we finished.
Baby Zane is now almost 14 months old and weighs in at 25 lbs. He is walking (at times almost running) and is delighted that he can now reach up on tables and grab things he could not before. He loves to play peek-a-boo and have his tummy tickled. Smiles and laughs all the time. He gives me sweet hugs when I pick him up. It's so much fun watching babies as they learn. He is a sweet baby boy.
It seems that it was yesterday that Kyle was born and now I have 3 grands to love. They keep me young with all the laughter and fun they bring to my life. I am blessed to have these little guys.
January 26, 2009
Response to Tags
25 Things About Me:
1. I think I was named after a baby on a radio soap opera show
2. My first pet that I remember was a white dog named Cookie
3. I once watched my mama (the sharp shooter) shoot a rooster's head off when he chased me in the yard
4. I am extremely proud of my daughters
5. I am shy and I don't meet people easily
6. I am not as sweet as I used to be
7. I love the men that my daughters have chosen to be part of their lives
8. I am blessed to have 3 of the most special, precious little grandsons ever
9. I am a reformed nail biter -still bite the cuticles some
10. I have found that I have an inner strength unknown to me for years
11. My mama and daddy have been married for 65 years....to each other!
12. I tend to name my cars and form attachments to them (I still miss my Sassy!)
13. I met Ed on a blind date and fell in love at first sight
14. While I was babysitting my sister Laura when she was an infant she fell off the bed she was sleeping on and I thought she was dead....I think I was 15 years old
15. I love my sisters and my brother - as we get older we seem to grow closer
16. I love shoes and have way too many in my closet
17. The most important job I have held in my life is being a mama and grandmama/insurance agent is my sideline
18. I learned to scuba dive even though I don't swim well
19. I found my oldest daughter's name in Seventeen magazine many years before she was born...Teena Paige was a line of clothes and I loved the name Paige. Ashley was supposed to be Aubrey Danielle but Ed nixed it and she became Ashley Ellen instead
20. My Keys yard is overrun with iguanas......grrrr
21. I love boating, most especially in the Keys and Fort Myers with my kids
22. My goal for 2009 is to exercise more, more, more
23. My cat Oreo snores really loud
24. I value my friends - good girlfriends (including sisters) cannot be replaced
25. I miss Ed every day of my life and I think I always will /he gave me wings
1. I think I was named after a baby on a radio soap opera show
2. My first pet that I remember was a white dog named Cookie
3. I once watched my mama (the sharp shooter) shoot a rooster's head off when he chased me in the yard
4. I am extremely proud of my daughters
5. I am shy and I don't meet people easily
6. I am not as sweet as I used to be
7. I love the men that my daughters have chosen to be part of their lives
8. I am blessed to have 3 of the most special, precious little grandsons ever
9. I am a reformed nail biter -still bite the cuticles some
10. I have found that I have an inner strength unknown to me for years
11. My mama and daddy have been married for 65 years....to each other!
12. I tend to name my cars and form attachments to them (I still miss my Sassy!)
13. I met Ed on a blind date and fell in love at first sight
14. While I was babysitting my sister Laura when she was an infant she fell off the bed she was sleeping on and I thought she was dead....I think I was 15 years old
15. I love my sisters and my brother - as we get older we seem to grow closer
16. I love shoes and have way too many in my closet
17. The most important job I have held in my life is being a mama and grandmama/insurance agent is my sideline
18. I learned to scuba dive even though I don't swim well
19. I found my oldest daughter's name in Seventeen magazine many years before she was born...Teena Paige was a line of clothes and I loved the name Paige. Ashley was supposed to be Aubrey Danielle but Ed nixed it and she became Ashley Ellen instead
20. My Keys yard is overrun with iguanas......grrrr
21. I love boating, most especially in the Keys and Fort Myers with my kids
22. My goal for 2009 is to exercise more, more, more
23. My cat Oreo snores really loud
24. I value my friends - good girlfriends (including sisters) cannot be replaced
25. I miss Ed every day of my life and I think I always will /he gave me wings
January 11, 2009
IT HAS BEEN A WEEK!!!
So glad it is today and not last Sunday this time. The nasty little bug I caught managed to hang on for several days after I made I made it back to Clearwater from the Keys. It took until Friday for me to even think about real food. There is a good chance that I will never eat another pretzel or drink Gingerale ever again. I can report that I feel 100% today and have even managed to put away Christmas decorations, clean out closets, clean the apartment and iron some clothes this weekend. Considering I have not been home one weekend for the past 6 weeks the cleaning and laundry was way overdue.
The Gators are National Champions again!!! I can't remember ever seeing a better football game and have never seen a better championship game. The Gators & OU were so evenly matched that it was nip and tuck the whole way. Tim Tebow announced today he will be staying for another year so with that news and not losing anyone off the defense we should have a good team next year.
I missed seeing my kids this weekend. After I spend so much time with them it's hard when I don't see them at least once a week. I feel so fortunate to be able to visit with them so often so I can't complain.
Happy 65th Birtday Eddie. It would have been a good day for you and we would have had a great party. I miss you every day .....
The Gators are National Champions again!!! I can't remember ever seeing a better football game and have never seen a better championship game. The Gators & OU were so evenly matched that it was nip and tuck the whole way. Tim Tebow announced today he will be staying for another year so with that news and not losing anyone off the defense we should have a good team next year.
I missed seeing my kids this weekend. After I spend so much time with them it's hard when I don't see them at least once a week. I feel so fortunate to be able to visit with them so often so I can't complain.
Happy 65th Birtday Eddie. It would have been a good day for you and we would have had a great party. I miss you every day .....
January 3, 2009
All Good Things Must Come to an End......
We were saddened a couple of days ago to hear that Rob Squires had died. He was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease 5 years ago and had fought the good fight to continue life for as long as he could. My prayers are with his family. I have gone through the sadness of losing a spouse but I can't imagine the heartache of losing a child. I am truly blessed in that I still have both of my parents and all of my siblings. We all loved Rob and will miss him.
My little Sook has engine problems and will probably need a new one....can't see throwing good money after bad. Would rather save up for a new engine that will last me a good long time. My thanks to Kevin for trying so hard to find a solution. Yesterday was not the first time we have had a tow in the Keys but it is the first time for Sook!
Then to top it off, last night Bama lost the Sugar Bowl to Utah. It was as if they did not even prepare for the game. I was so disappointed that they did not make a better showing. At least most of the other SEC teams have won so far. Just South Carolina and Alabama have not. BUMMER!!!
But having said all the above, putting all in perspective, we need to all be thankful for our families every single day that we have them in our lives. Boats can be repaired. There will be other bowl games. But our loved ones just can't be replaced and are forever gone from us except for the memories.
God bless all who read this post and Happy New Year 2009!
My little Sook has engine problems and will probably need a new one....can't see throwing good money after bad. Would rather save up for a new engine that will last me a good long time. My thanks to Kevin for trying so hard to find a solution. Yesterday was not the first time we have had a tow in the Keys but it is the first time for Sook!
Then to top it off, last night Bama lost the Sugar Bowl to Utah. It was as if they did not even prepare for the game. I was so disappointed that they did not make a better showing. At least most of the other SEC teams have won so far. Just South Carolina and Alabama have not. BUMMER!!!
But having said all the above, putting all in perspective, we need to all be thankful for our families every single day that we have them in our lives. Boats can be repaired. There will be other bowl games. But our loved ones just can't be replaced and are forever gone from us except for the memories.
God bless all who read this post and Happy New Year 2009!
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