his singing program

 

We were there.

See that lady tucking him into her arms?

I just kind of love her.   She's a no-nonsense sort of person, fairly unexcitable, and she's been a true friend to b.g, and so has her co-teacher.

Of course, the little girl was very excited to be at the program.

It was a great day, possibly even a record winner for a Tuesday.

love you all so, MOM

pictures from graduation

Cute--all the kids except Maria, who had to work.

The brothers:

 The party afterward:

What a great day.   love forever, Mom

graduation

As told on Instagram.   I didn't realize they were doing this until later, and I loved it.

And then we came home and had a party.  Fun, fun day. love you all so, MOM

wrapping up the year

That's Lydia, posing nicely for a picture before her band concert. (She was a bit tense.)  It was a really nice concert, and she's learned a lot of music in the last couple years.

She is also giving up the giant saxophone she's been playing, and is going for the clarinet my sister Pam offered her for the next four years.

I have to call Pam and make the arrangements and take the clarinet to the music shop to have the pads checked out.

That saxophone she's playing now is almost as big as she is and it's cumbersome and difficult, though you'd never know it listening to her playing Lion King music this afternoon in the family room.

That thing was unwieldy for Little Jay and he was taller even than she is, though he patiently taught her.

Time to admit defeat.

Tonight we drove out to Wisconsin in rush hour traffic, which we normally avoid, for The Sweetie's spring musical program.

This little girl was so excited about the Disney theme that she clasped her hands under her chin and her whole body shook.

 There he is, the little mouse, second from the right.  She waved to him over and over. He is not permitted to wave back, not even to anyone.

It was so great.  They had obviously practiced and worked to pull together a show this elaborate and polished.

Then we came home and went grocery shopping and started cooking for the party tomorrow.

Little Jay graduates the University!  Here's a cute photo of the graduates:

She has a degree in journalism and his is in biology.  (His brain is now packed with even more weird trivia than ever before.)

It's going to be a great day.

And Sweetie?

Your program was so spectacular we just loved it all.

Onward to tomorrow

love, Mom, aka Grandma

the sun came out today

 I felt like that, smiley.

 The ivy is getting leaves, the lilac bushes are.

 Okay, this is my car full of towels.

In February the windshield was replaced because when the severe cold hit, a chip turned into a crack that ran side to side.

The windshield is leaking.  At first we didn't know because all the precipitation was snow.   Then about ten days ago the entire driver's side was saturated. 

The floor mats are still on the patio now.   I soaked up water in towels by the load.  The last thing I need is a car full of moldy carpeting.  That's annoying.

Onward.  Love, Val

mother's day, 2014

Heidi and Joe hosted brunch at their house this morning, laid back and comfortable.  Everyone brought food until it was a feast.

There's Dannell and her baby.  He loves to wear the mittens.  He wore them to play in the water table, to eat, while driving the Power Wheels, spinning his wheels in the garden until John had enough and disabled the battery.

 That guy--b.g.'s little brother with the curls and pretty lips:

Okay, now the tiny guy has on pot holders, which Heidi traded him for a pair of little striped mittens.  As soon as he saw the new mittens, he threw the potholders down.

Dang, potholders are awkward and annoying.   I found this all quite hilarious and told his mother, "Dannell, this is so WEIRD."

She snickered and shrugged her shoulders:  "It is, but I figure it could be worse."

Totally true.  Plus we now have this to bring up to him later and giggle about.

My parents were here today too, and there was a lot of laughing, and John talked about the obnoxious time he and Dan had up at the cabin moving their trailers around yesterday.  His had problems with the trailer lights and on and on.  He said, "It's like giving BIRTH, and WHY?"

Last week the snowmobile trailer broke on the freeway and it was $100 for professionals to take it back home again, and he was nothing but glad for them.

I hear ya.  I hate it when simple things become a painful ordeal.

And now it's the end of the night, and I'm here in the dark feeling grateful for my own mom, and the other mamas who inhabit my life and share their babies with me and don't mind if I laugh at how kooky their kids all are.

I'm glad for the splendid women who loved the generation ahead of our parents, even Alice--the one gone before I ever met her, and have heard only good things about.

I just had an image here of Jay's mother's mom with her electric knife paring corn off the cobs, and John mumbling, so are we having corn on or off the bones?

Off, Johann, off.

It was about the same time he and Dan had a long discussion about the kidney beans in the chili one night.  Were they peanuts or jelly beans?

Neither one, just kidney beans, different again.

You know.

They just kind of stared at me and did not eat them.

Okay, and as the recipient of an outrageous amount of flowers and beautiful plants and TWO boxes of chocolate, I must say good night.

Thank you to the ones who helped out with eating the chocolate. I appreciate that because I sure don't need to eat all this by myself.

love you all so, MOM, aka GRANDMA

a lady we love

It was my mother in law's birthday yesterday and there was a party at Jay's brother's house.

We had a great time.

A weird thing happened though--Barb, my sister in law, went to the freezer to get the ice cream and found out it was unplugged and everything was soggy and warm.

!!!

That's not right.

Heidi and Kirsten said it was the angriest they've ever seen Barb, but she said something like, "I'm very annoyed and I need to leave the house now," and went to buy new ice cream.

They wondered at the way I'd have hollered and fumed.

With a house full of company, I don't know if I would have or not. Probably not.    But there would have been some shouting at some point. 

Who, in their right mind, unplugs a deep freeze full of edible goods?

Barb was especially irritated that $40 of fundraiser cooky dough the grandparents had bought was ruined.

That IS annoying.

Earlier in the day p.j. and Julia and I went shopping for birthday gifts and found some pretty summer tops.  Why is it we put summer tops away in the fall and they look fine, but in the spring when we take them out again they look faded and disappointing?

My own mom has noticed this too.

Anyway, we had fun shopping together in the rain, though p.j. is in her Renegade Shopper days and doesn't listen for ...well, let's say she could listen better.

But whatever.  People gotta be three when they are.

Last night it was fun to be together, and to celebrate MOM.

She's so understated and patient, so funny and honest and uncritical, and independent and reserved and warm at the same time, a combination of personality that's nothing but fun.

I'm glad it's now and we're here together in it.

Thank you always, and love too, Val and Jay and Everybody