watching babies

We started watching p.j. this week, and it's gone well, and life's changing again.

We'll get good at it, find our stride.

keeping a baby happy is a tough job all right

It's been a very sweet couple of days. Today we also had b.g. and that was the real test.

here are the babies watching dinosaur train in our bed. b.g. is wearing a pair of Tim's old baby blue velour pajamas, break my heart, okay? i can even tell you i ate a mc-d filet o fish at the park that day, and tim had no teeth so he chewed on a french fry

look at that yawn!


But, as I told myself, I've taken care of a baby and a toddler before.

It's the same.

There were a couple short-handed moments, like at lunch time, getting p.j. fed and also b.g. and the other kids rushed to help. Julia loves to help b.g. with his meal. This winter she's taken it on as her job, slicing up the banana, sprinkling out the berries and green beans.

There was no crying, no trouble, just an awful lot of hugging and toys strewn around.

b.g. was actually snoring here



Tim spent the afternoon doing this. It was attacked by b.g. a couple months ago, this huge Christmas gift project, so we took it all apart and bagged up the bits, along with the directions. Today Tim decided to reconstruct it. This counts for homeschool, doesn't it? I think yes.


James did his laundry and held the baby while I got her bottles ready. That's somewhat educational, perhaps? Little Jay's coming home this weekend. He's actually the really good math teacher. James understand him better.

Last week I got after James about being a slacker on his packets. "You don't even try." A couple hours later he tossed me his packet, and I gave it up. He did a little research, filled out things, wrote coherently in complete sentences and paragraphs about Stonehenge and coral reefs.

It's over.

He's educated enough to manage next year in high school. We're just playin' now. The job is done.

Anyway, more baby tomorrow--more snoozing in the pouch and nuzzling of the ears.

Here's a mama who's happy to get back home again.

Happy Tuesday. love, Val

mom's birthday

Her, yep. The nicest woman in the world had a birthday this weekend.

This party started because I asked her what she was doing on her birthday, and pretty soon it mushroomed, as these parties will do.

If we get together we should include my siblings, who must include their kids because the kids live at home, hello, which means we also include my kids, and my kids' kids.

It's fun, perfect even. It's just a lot of people.

I did this to my parents--had all these darn babies, who then grew up and had kids, and it's a great thing having a cushion of family like this all around. And yet supper with the fam is definitely SUPPER WITH THE FAM.

This is how having cake turned into a party of almost 30 people. My mom made potato salad and Ruth's Salad, and all sorts of other stuff. My dad grilled. We all brought food. It was awesome.

We haven't all been together since Christmas and it was really, really fun, and she's the perfect reason to celebrate, actually.

Here are some pics for fun. It was a little chaotic. Not everyone was there. John came home from a business trip in the afternoon (including a plane with an engine fire--on the ground, thank God) and stayed home with l.c. who had a fever, and John needed some personal time with his little buddy. I understand.

Heidi was busy nursing her little peanut most of the evening, so there are no pictures of her either. Who knows where the rest of them were?

But that's okay. It's all good.


James, Maria, and their cousins

This guy sitting in my Goodwill pile--no pics of him at the party either.

Kirby and Maria

Kirsten and James

We're all expecting Tim to have whipped cream in the eye next.

And just because I can, here's one of the two of us back when we were both very young. It was 1962. We've been buds that long.

Plus besides me, she's been a mentor and a friend to my kids too, and my sister and brother, and her other grandkids.

We say it all the time, but this is even still different: This family isn't better because she's in it--it wouldn't even exist without her.

Lucky me, lucky them, lucky all of us. Mom, you are a gift to us every day. Happy Birthday, with love for always, Val and everybody.

slacker

Okay, this morning he had nothing scheduled, so he got up and took Maria to school.

Then he went on a three mile walk.

Then he went grocery shopping.

Then he made a vegetable pizza for the party tonight.

He did all this before I even got out of bed. (At 10:30. Heidi called and woke me up. I have nothing to say in my defense.)

I told Kirsten he makes me feel like a slacker.

Kirsten's nice. She said, "Well, you were probably up late last night working."

"Nope. I didn't work at all last night."

"Well. Then I think you probably are a slacker."

Oh, yeah.

Here's the recipe for Vegetable Pizza

2 cans of refrigerator crescent dough --roll out and press onto a big cooky sheet and bake.

In the mixer, blend 12 oz sour cream with chive and onion, and an 8 oz package of cream cheese.

When the crust is cool enough, spread it on.

Then top with chopped carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, sliced mushrooms, and green olives.

Pretty delicious, especially if it's made by someone else while you're asleep in the sun. love, Val

oh yeah, the cleaning of the room

Tonight we tackled that hell-hole.

Jay's been working on Tim's room, so he's been relocated to the guest room where Joe and Heidi lived this winter.

Wheee.

You can imagine.

There's a thing called The Gray Layer. It lives in nooks and crannies, under couch cushions. You know it when you see it. It's Barbie shoes and Starburst wrappers, popsicle sticks and legos, all bound together with a bit of dust and dog hair.

Sick.

It's all much better now, but as I kept chastising them, "Your hands are empty. You cannot pick up with empty hands," it was all just so darn familiar.

heidi and julia, definitely not today

Back in the day I'd tell the kids to clean their rooms. John and Dan would announce their room was done in like ten minutes.

Come on. It would take fifteen Merry Maids half a day to clean this room and you've done it in ten minutes?

Sure. Flush the toilet. Shove everything else under the bedskirt. Voila.

Gawd.
john and kirsten, 2006

But the girls were the opposite. Two hours later they'd still be dressing the Barbie dolls in matching outfits, complete with shoes and purses, sorting all their nail polish by color and height of the bottles, sitting on the top bunk cleaning out remote bins from the closet.

No, no, no, no. Do that on your own time.

But it's done now, and my car is entirely filled with what's going to the Goodwill. Tim was wiping tears at one point, freaked out about a monkey I'd thrown in a bag. He found it. This is good. Kirsten still brings up a bear I donated like fifteen years ago. "His name was Beau. He had a pink satin bow tie. I used him to hold my Easter basket."

Sigh. I really, truly am sorry. I had no idea. Obviously, if I had, he'd still be here. Apologies don't bring him back though either, and I am sorry about that also.

(Sometimes hoarders have help. But I do regret eliminating Beau.)

Anyway, you know what tomorrow is!

Friday!

Best day of the week.

Party at my parents tomorrow. My mama's turning a year older and my dad's grilling and she's already made banana bread and something else I can't remember.

that's her in the dark velvet shirt. she and me been buddies almost 50 years now. i'm keeping her.

On one of those funny surveys last winter it asked favorite place to eat. I'm sure they were referring to a restaurant, but instantly: MY MOTHER'S. That's my favorite place to eat.

Anyway, today was spent cuddling Heidi's baby, hanging out with her, and playing with b.g.

Tomorrow is Friday, spring is here, a kid has a very clean room,and someone we love is anticipating a good recovery, whew. It's all good. Better than good, it's great. love always, Val

an afternoon on the patio

a little sidewalk chalk art

For the first time since last fall, it was warm and beautiful out. Heidi was here with her little peanut and we spent the afternoon on the patio.


b.g. was here today too and he LOVED the patio. We went out there at noon and he never went back inside, even took a 90 minute nap on the patio swing.

last year he was a baby getting rocked on the patio. look at his long legs now. it was my personal sacrifice to rock grandbabies all day on my new swing.




This little old playhouse is a gift from my parents for Heidi and Kirsten. The door could use a coat of paint again, and Jay did have to replace one side of it a couple years ago, but it's held up amazingly well.


Okay it's going to get awfully crowded with her inside too.

Santa brought this little car in 1987. It refuses to die. Thankfully, the horn no longer works.




a tiny bit of cotton demonstrating her true nature.

Our little peanut in the sun.


Their auntie

This picture is Julia taking care of HER baby. She struggles in her role, and this spring has been intense, the weather, having Heidi move away again, the new baby, spring fever, having a mommy who is also some other people's grandma, darn them.

But she showed up with her little Madame Alexander baby doll to hug too--not some ordinary doll, but a special one from her special shelf, and joined Heidi and me on the patio.

Yeah, I know.

I hear she's annoying, but I absolutely adore her, not gonna lie. (pssst. shhhh...they were all annoying too.)

Okay, this is grub-burner b.g. sitting in a pile of dirt and happy to do so.

And here he is after his parents scrubbed him down.

Here's to perfect Tuesdays everywhere, and to spring, and squirrels, and the people who love them. love always, Val

a weekend long ago

Okay, for a long time we were a family of six.

John, Dan, Heidi, Kirsten, and us. That was all, and it was good.

I'm going through photo albums for a project involving my parents' 50th anniversary and came across these, which are of a weekend visiting Jay's grandparents John and Lydia.

That's Grandpa John and our John playing cards, Kirsten on Jay's lap.

Here's Heidi and Lydia. Oh, I can hear her laugh.


This is bedtime. Notice how tired out they are. Kirsten's bunny blanket dissolved into shreds a decade later. Blankys are like that.

Heidi, Kirsten, and Dan



Heat pushed up to 80.

Heidi and Grandpa
This is one of me back when I was cute and all with the fat legs and curls.

This is a picture I don't even remember taking, caught me by surprise tonight. I paused and whispered, "Whoa."

Julia said, "What are you looking at? I showed her. "Dad! It's a picture of your back."

He glanced over, busy watching TV. "Yep, that's a back."

Indeed.


Happy Saturday. The windows are open and there's thunder and the smell of rain. Sigh. Spring's getting here. love, Val