To Grandmother's house we go

My maternal grandmother is just that - so maternal.  Even as a child, she was taking care of her brothers and sisters when their own mother couldn't be there for them.  My mom always tells stories of her happy childhood.  Her mother was always making them wonderful meals and keeping their home immaculate.  I am sure my mom regrets telling me her mother used to clean her room for her while she was at school.  Once she told me, I never forgot.  And I always reminded her! (Sorry, Mom). 

Grandma's selfless service still transferred into her senior years.  She has made countless meals for others.  She used to spend hours every week with friends in retirement homes and assisted living centers.  She would paint lady's nails and roll their hair in curlers.  And mainly she would just chat with them.  Grandma has organized and cooked for countless functions for the American Legion and other organizations.  Any time she happened to have spare time, she sat down to crochet intricate blankets for family members.  Always giving.

Grandma has finally reached a time when she needs to be on the receiving end of service.  Symptoms have been plaguing her for years.  Huge, nagging symptoms like the ability to walk being ripped from her.  This, of course, didn't stop her.  She just started making huge potato salads for charity and family functions while sitting down.  When her speech started to slur, she just attributed it to being tired.  After all, she was serving others all day long.  However, earlier this year we received real answers.  She was diagnosed with ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.  For more information, click here. 

This past weekend, the girls and I had the unique opportunity to join my mom, sister-in-law, and niece and nephew in a weekend of serving Grandma and Grandpa.  Our mission: make as many meals as possible and stock their freezer.  Also, bring the cute great-grand kids for Grandma and Grandpa to ooh and aah over.

So, to grandmother's house we went . . .

 

Their role (being cute) was executed perfectly.

Amanda wrote sweet messages for Grandma.

Here is our weekend wrapped up in one picture -

Mom and Karen in the kitchen, and kids being kids. 

Can I just say I know where Karen's kids get their energy from? 

She is tireless. 

Actually, she is selfless. I know when she is tired and she just keeps pushing through. 

You wouldn't believe all she made that weekend.  Things like roast chicken, mashed potatoes, banana bread, meatloaf, beef stew. All delicious.  All from scratch.

 The list goes on . . . and my awe for her does too.

Coloring was also a big hit with the little ones.

John joined us from college.  I loved spending time with him.

Sweet Grandpa.

Please pause for a personal tangent.

Can you believe that crazy lion's mane on me?

I plan to donate my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths to make wigs for cancer victims.

I think I still have a little more growing to do.

Love that Grandma of mine.

For my turn in the kitchen, we made and froze homemade meatballs and a large batch of vegetable cheddar chowder.  These two cuties were my helpers.  It is amazing how Joe, with all his energy, can just chill out in the kitchen.  He was so calm and zen.

John was so darling helping Amanda with her homework. 

She had so much homework. 

I felt like she was in college already.

Grandpa may have briefly forgotten that, unlike the pictures his grandparents took, we smile in pictures today. :)  He is still really cute though.

My mom got us all out there.  And she funded our hotel rooms. 

Such a sweet, giving gesture for both her parents and for us kids and grandkids.

This is how we felt after our quick, but rewarding, weekend.  It was 5:00 am. 

And we still had a 2 hour drive, 2 hour flight, and another 1 hour drive ahead of us.

But we are back.  Grandma and Grandpa's freezer is stalked with delicious food.

And we have priceless pictures and memories.  

Our Family Fourth

I am going to treat you with pictures from three months ago.  Yeppers, three months ago.  This pregnancy, while wonderful and exciting, has slowed me down in a way my first two didn't.  Apparently my loss of apettite relates to blogging too?  Technology, while also wonderful, hasn't been on my side either.  Our laptop crashed.  And blogging from an I-phone, while doable, is difficult.  But, my heroic husband got our computer fixed and we are back to the quest of life documenting!

Presenting . . . Our Family Fourth

We were in California for the fourth - along with all my siblings!

In the morning, Chris, Kaylene, and Karen raced in the Huntington Beach 5K.  Dan joined them to take pictures.  Mark, Mom, and I carted the kids to church for the annual pancake breakfast.  Trust me, the irony that the in-laws ran a 5K while the spouses went and ate pancakes and sausage was not lost on us.  It was quite humorous.  All three did great in the race.  I was totally proud of my stud husband.  Someday I'll race a 5K too . . .  someday.  For the rest of us, we enjoyed doing something that we had been doing since we were young.  And who can resist the lure of maple syrup crusted into your little girl's hair?

After a BBQ at Mom's house in the afternoon, we headed to Grandma's house for the evening fireworks.  Donny and Debbie joined us with their kids.  The fireworks were fun.  Claire insisted that she wasn't scared, but she repeatedly told me "Let's go inside!" and "Can we get in the car?" and "I'm not scary (scared)!"

I love these pictures because they really represent family.  And who can resist matching red, white, and blue outfits?  I'm such a sucker for color coordination.

Have you heard the news?

This family of four is soon to be a family of five!

We are 16 weeks pregnant with baby #3.  This has been a fun pregnancy journey.  I felt symptoms right away this time.  Therefore, I had already taken three pregnancy tests by the time we found out the news!  One test was taken about 4 days early (I was really eager), another was taken on the day you are recommended to take a test, and the final one (and first positive) was taken about five days after.  It was such a fun discovery.  Chris and I were on our cruise celebrating our tenth anniversary.  Since, I already had two negative tests, I was convinced I was not pregnant and didn't want to spend the money on another test (I have some frugal tendencies).  But, on our first night, Chris and I talked about how it was okay if we weren't pregnant yet but that we really would be so thrilled if we actually were. 

The next day, we boarded our little ship to take us from our cruise ship to Catalina Island.  What started out a gray day turned into a beautiful, bright day.  There was so much green foliage and blue sky and ocean.  Chris and I walked around hand and hand.  We really were loving the moment but I just felt so . . . different.  I felt a little removed from the situation and a little nauseous.  We finally decided we had to know for sure . . . and now!  So, Chris and I started our several block journey to find a pregnancy test.  The first mini-grocery store didn't have any but sent us several blocks down the road.  We scoured the second store but couldn't find one.  Finally, Chris asked an employee where they were.  They were up at the front of the store on a high shelf . . . with the cigarettes.  Naturally.  So, we bought some candy to sort of "pad" our purchase and waited in long lines before we could ask the clerk in front of about ten people if she could get us down a pregnancy test.  "Oh my gosh . . . are you on your honeymoon?!  You look like honeymooners!"  Actually, it's our ten-year anniversary. Gasp!  You know she was desperately trying to figure out our ages in her head.  "Oh, well, is this your first child?!"  Actually, it will be our third.  "Oh, well that's good, too.  Come back and tell me your results!"  So, with the front third of the store cheering us on our way out, Chris and I start the second part of our quest . . . finding a bathroom.  I didn't exactly want to find out in a dirty bathroom and I was in desperate need of food.  But another several blocks yielded no restaurants I was interested in.  Nothing sounded good (that should have been the hint for this food-lover).  We finally found a nice plaza that had a restroom and I headed in. 

I have taken a lot of pregnancy tests in my life.  Trying for Hallie for a year really made the count quite high.  I really have a hard time waiting the recommended three minutes before peeking.  Thankfully, it didn't take long before I saw a faint line show in the first window.  It gradually got darker as the realization sunk in.  My eyes were immediately brimmed with tears.  I am a mother again.  I gathered my things and washed up quickly.  I wanted to think of a brilliant way to tell Chris but couldn't think of anything cool to say or do.  So, as he came out of the men's restroom and saw me I just had a silly, awed look in my eyes and half-smile on my face as I shook my head up and down.  We hugged and teared up a little.  We sat down at a little table in the courtyard and reflected.  When would our baby be due?  Would this be a boy or a girl?  We couldn't wait to tell our girls.  There was a breeze in the courtyard and you could slightly catch the earthy, sweet fragrance wafting from the magenta bougenvillias.  From our table, you could look through three cast-iron barred arches and see our cruise ship floating out on the blue waters.  We took a picture of our view.  It was so idealic.  We didn't want to forget that moment in time.  Chris took a picture of me holding the pregnancy test.  I looked tired but so pleased.  It's so funny, you could have taken a picture of me fifteen minutes before I knew and I would have had a different look in my eyes.  As soon as you know, it's like this mantle of peace and perseverance fill your soul.  I'm about to be a mother again.  Another child is coming.  Chris attached a digital recording to the photo on our camera.  "It's June 28, 2011.  We're on our cruise for our ten year anniversary. We just found out we're going to have another baby." 

On the way out of the courtyard, I stopped a tourist to take a photo of us together.  He propped us up with a store entrance behind us.  There was none of the soft-filtered sunlight from the courtyard to the right of us. This is the only picture we have of this day.  Our laptop crashed.  The only picture we had saved was one I added to facebook several days previous.  It's certainly not my favorite from that idealic day, but it does capture the architecture, what we were wearing, and the depth of the knowledge we just gained.  I think we look changed. 

On our way back to the boat, another couple took a picture of us in front of a mosaic fountain with the Pacific Ocean behind us. "You guys are newlyweds, aren't you? Is this your honeymoon?" No, it's our ten-year. And we just found out we're having our third baby. Gasp. "Congratulations! That is so exciting!"

It certainly is.

Claire, how do you ask your sister nicely?

Claire's response was shouting "Hallie Laine! NO! NO! NO!"

Claire also exclaimed, laughing at the top of her lungs in the doctor's office, that "that baby has chocolate on her belly button!" This was when she saw a poster of a newborn baby with a scab where the umbillical cord once was.

Hallie has strep. She never even complained about her throat until she claimed a piece of chocolate hurt her throat "really bad." When Chris and I examined her throat that afternoon her tonsil was taking up three-quarters of her mouth. Poor chickadee. She still hasn't complained of her throat but every once in awhile she says she has a "head ick" (headache).

We moved the girls into a bedroom together. It is a blissful time for them. Claire's transition from crib to big-girl bed has been seamless. And Hallie is just so excited not to be alone anymore. They have giggle and chat-fests nightly. We love it because we don't feel guilty that Hallie is wide awake and alone. She seems to fall asleep much quicker with the assurance that Claire will always be there.

Both girls have rekindled a passion for the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Hallie loves the part when Mike TV calls out to a friend named "fish face." Claire, meanwhile, is rolling with laughter when Willy Wonka talks of "schnozberries." Oh the simple joys!