A Good Week!!

Here we are again, another week's come & gone! Amazing how time flies! This coming week will be busy too, I work Monday, Wed, Thurs, Fri this week. Whew! Excited my Mom gets to come down & hang out Monday with the boys, while I work in the afternoon! Fun time for BooBoo & the boys!! =) This week must have gone by just fine and dandy, nothing exceptional strikes a cord, hahaha! But believe me, after the way things have been lately, that's just fine with us! We're havin a good, fun, busy weekend. Today we babysat for our friend Kyli's 6 wk old daughter, Avery. The boys had a ball, they absolutely adore her and couldn't wait till she woke up! She knows their voices too, esp Ryan's. He'd come over & talk to her, and she'd turn her head and find him! He was so sweet, rubbin her head, smoochin on her, tellin her secrets....helpin me feed her, adorable. So much like he was when Colby was a baby. : ) And Colby!! He would come over & check her out, and say Bebe!! But then he was off, playin & runnin. Then he'd come back over & check on her again, and go play again. : ) I got some really sweet pictures, of course!! =)
Tomorrow Nate's parents are going to come down & spend the afternoon. It'll be nice to relax and visit with them. Last time they were down was for my Gramps' funeral, they took care of the boys for us, so it wasn't much of a fun visiting time. This time will be much better!! The boys are excited to see them; although Ryan did tell me today that he wants to go to GI to see them so that we can go to K-Mart!! lol. silly boy! =) I think that's next weekend's plan!

The boys are doing wonderfully, strong and healthy, ornery & rowdy, sweet & silly!! Couldn't ask for anything more!! =) Colby's favorite thing is now chocolate milk, and he'll go to the ends of the earth to find it....that along with bananas & string cheese!! =) Ryan's really into oranges and peaches right now, and water with ice! They're learning to play together a little better every day....a mom can dream, right?....lol.....and spend lots of time in the play room downstairs with their train sets, tool sets, trucks, and machinery!! CAN'T WAIT to get them outside to run around though!! It's getting TIME!!! =) Love the fenced in backyard, about as much as they do!! =)

Well, here's to the first "normal", good week we've had in ages! Lots of sunshine, family time, and being able to get to work!!! =) The boys are obviously having a ball outside in the snow, and it's great to be able to take them out for an hour without worrying about frostbite!! =D My electric bill should hopefully be better this next month, December's bill was frightful. Anyone else? Not alot new to post, the pictures mostly speak for themselves. =)

Kids, Kids!!! =)

In the midst of all the things in this world that make us sad, or unhappy, or guilty, or just plain bummed out--there are these wonderful, amazing, beautiful beyond words KIDS that just plain & simple make the world so much of a better place!

I have these 2 boys. Now, they are very rowdy! They run and jump and hollar and throw and dump and tip and break......and yet they love, and snuggle, and laugh, and hug, and give, and share, and smile, and talk, and learn, and make me such a proud happy momma. I have needed so very much lately the love of my children, and husband too of course. =) Today for Colby's nap, he wanted to rock with Momma, and so we did. And he fell asleep on me, which just doesn't happen often anymore!! Such a sweet moment, I just rocked him and basked in the glory of my baby boy snuggled up on me, sleeping so sweetly. And remembered again how GOOD God really is!! He gives us these little ones, and they keep us going! And I love them sooo sooo much.

They really are quite hilarious. They're new favorite game is "ghost-hunting"!! Where'd they get that? I dunno!! Ryan caught about 5 min of Ghostbusters on tv one day, and that's all it took!! They now come downstairs, turn the lights off, and start the ghost hunt! Ryan has his cowboy gun, and Colby has the flashlight! They're very serious about it, and when they find one they are sure to run upstairs & tell us!! =) And then back to the hunt!

Colbys' talking up a storm anymore, really hilarious to listen to him spout out all these new words, and even now some sentences! =) Such a follower of Ryan's, he has to be where brother is at all times, and if Ryan wants it--by gosh, so does Colby!

Their favorite movie right now is Alvin & The Chipmunks, and we end up watching....and reciting.....it quite often! They even sing The Christmas Song! =)

Ryan's gotten quite independent, and gets quite exasperated with his mother already!! haha! very funny kid. The other day, he dropped something...and said "Oops. My bad!" ?!?!?!? lol. the things they say. hilarious!

I just wanted to remind myself and others that no matter the circumstances, we always have something to be thankful for, and to smile and laugh at. Laughter really is a good medicine. Gramma & I were laughing alot at Colby eating his ice cream cone tonight! =) Making faces & a mess of his sundae cone was actually quite comical! Gramps would luv'd that one. =) Ice cream is also quite a good healer......

Memories.....

Another post about my Gramps. =) He makes me smile, still. He loved us kids & our families so much. He loved my gramma & their kids so much. He loved his CAT maintainer. He loved his church. Most of all, he loves GOD. Such a good man. Such an amazing person. So loved and adored. So respected. I've always respected my Grandpa. He's lived right, he's taught right. He's made mistkakes & made them right. He put God & his family first. He took care of what needed done. He was so proud of his garden! Some more memories.....

• I remember farm life with him. Planting potatoes, digging corn in the grain bins, feeding animals, watching baby pigs be born, watching them milk cows, riding in the tractor & combine, laying irrigation pipe & drinking the cold, clear water, getting in the henhouse to get eggs, even though i was kinda freaked out by those chickens! having hog roasts, hiding in the cellar during tornadoes.


• I remember family life. Always cake & ice cream time for birthdays, Christmas day night at their house, having soup. Playing UNO until all hours of the night, Gramps getting so silly when we were all getting so tired. His wooden toy that was called the "Huey Stick"...a game only Gramps could play & make work!


• I remember how he used to always grin. Happy all the time. Shook his finger--the crooked one!! Told jokes & stories, showed us ration tickets from the service, showed us old pictures and stories about my dad & the family. I remember him looking so handsome & being so proud at my wedding.


• I remember being so proud to have my kids know my Grandparents. How special it was to have them around when my babies were born. How he got to know them, and hold them, and play with them. Gramps & Ryan bonded a bit over the CAT machines. He gave Ryan an official CAT hardhat from the company; my boys play in it all the time.


• I remember being thrilled each time I got a new piece of furnishing from my Grampas hands. All of my treasured shelves and hope chests and toys and handmade love; he usually built them & Gramma stained/painted them.

Tonight was hard. Very emotional. We went up to see Gramma and my Mom & Dad. It was beyond good to see them; at the same time it was very bittersweet because we miss Grampa so much. To go to their house and not see him sittin in his chair, grinnin when we came in; or comin around the corner with his coffee; or putterin down the hallway; or showin us his latest! Gramma gave me a beautiful silk flower arrangement from the memorial, I will treasure it and always remember my Gramps when I look at it. She also gave us some little things he had picked out for our Christmas stockings, like sleep masks for all of us girls--each one picked for the specific girl. My thoughtful Gramps. I'm so glad that he's in heaven, with Jesus & in perfect health and with no worries; I just miss him so.

Just a few hours after my last post, my life changed forever. I got a call from my mom on Christmas night that my gramps was having severe chest pains, and they were snowed in and the medics could not get out to them. Through the night, a tremendous effort by my grandparents, parents, neighbors, local EMTs, and family was put forth to keep my gramps alive and get him to the hospital. It took over 3 hours for the medics to be able to get out to him due to the blizzard and 12-20 foot snow drifts blocking the roads. Gramps was escorted all the way to the genoa hospital, by the new CAT maintainer he was so proud of. He did make it to the hospital, but not for much longer. Unfortunately for us, my Gramps went to meet Jesus early morning on Dec 26th. It has been an extrememly tough, emotional, and heartbreaking journey for us. Seems like every corner I turn, I see something....that reminds me or makes me think of Gramps. He's no longer in pain, no longer worrying about his heart, no longer dealing with earthly things--and praise God for this; but we sure miss him already. I can't yet bring myself to eat the last of the peanut brittle on my counter that he made, his little treat he was so excited to perfect over the last few years. I want to thank again all of our friends & family for their love & support over this unimaginable season. We could not get through without all of the hugs & words of encouragement. Gramma is doing pretty well, she's tough, and I'm proud of her. She's heartbroken, obviously as her and gramps have been married for 54 years this month, and inseperable for at least that long. She's a survivor, and she's got all of us to help. My dad & his siblings too. It's amazing how even in the heartbreak, Gramps still gives us lots of laughs. Some of the things he would say, even in the midst of trouble, make us smile through our tears. He was one of a kind, and is by far missed already by everyone who knew him. Thank you again, to all who have been there for us. We love & appreciate you all.