November 2014-Cousins & Autumn Weather & Growing Up Fast

Cozy coupe at Granny's-numerous rides down hill!



Almost headless "leaf angel"

Walking Sunday at Granny's

Silly faces with cousin Abigail & Annie!

Annie actually slept w/ Granny!



Baths at Granny's (but no "hair night"!)



Cartoons with cousins Jackson & Abigail



This Thanksgiving-10 yr old Abigail "favorite cousin"!



Practicing medical skills!



The 3 girl cousins! T'giving day at Roseanne's!



Hideaway pets-1st ride to school!



Listening to students read in Ms. Shelley's class last month



Beautiful girl & day at Mt. Laurel park after school

Patient concerned about what MD may be hearing?

Dec 2, 2014

Today is your Daddy’s 40^th birthday & Thursday will be your Mother’s 35^th birthday! While they went out of town for an early celebration you spent 3 days & 2 nights with Granny!  

A lot of things happened this month: Annie stopped crying at night & your Dad finished the fence in your back yard. We had lunch at Jimbo’s & I took you to gymnastics once (and we arrived early!). You are doing great at Gymnastics! We watched a lot of Dora the Explorer & Calliou & ate a lot of mac & cheese. The “hide-away pet” cats arrived & you love them! We solved the mystery of the lost shoes--they had been stuffed back in the shelf by the front door when you changed shoes to go out & play. We shopped with your mother at Toys R Us and had lunch at Johnny Rockets where you saw your sweet friend Georgia (who had a b’day party this month where you rode a horse named Lillie). One day it rained so much Highway 280 flooded and there were several days of unseasonably cold weather and I had  several especially sweet & delightful days with you. The last pre-Thanksgiving Day with you we discovered your silver shoes had been left at school. I put you & Annie in your wagon & pulled you to school to get them. As we passed the park on the way home you wanted to stop. Since there were lots of HMS students there and the weather was great we did. It was so much fun and you were so sweet. Annie drew a lot of attention which you really liked. And so many of the older students were so nice to you, which you also liked! You did a lot of swinging and sliding and you were sweet when it was time to leave. It was a special time at the park. Your parents brought you to the “Stuedeman” Thanksgiving Day  Gathering. You had a blast! You played outside at the neighborhood playground & inside with 1^st cousins Abigail (10) and Jackson (7) Green & Eli (4) and Maggie Rae (6) Brown and some other kids as well. Eli & Maggie Rae went to visit you at your house. The morning of  Friday after Thanksgiving your parents dropped off you & the 2 dogs on the way to their trip to North Carolina. You had a great morning playing with your 4 cousins before the Browns headed home to Mississippi & the Greens went to Demopolis to pick up Jacob who had been deer hunting. The weather was great & you & I played outside in the leaves with the dogs & had lots of Cozy Coupe rides down the driveway & played with Play Doh & swang in porch swing & took a nap together. You watched Calliou and after supper enjoyed your playtime during your bath & went to bed sweetly. Soon after you called out you forgot to poop! You told me you “tooted” and it reminded you that you needed to poop. I love the way you are so comfortable about using the bathroom & you do it so well. I can’t remember any “accidents” post initial toilet training! The Greens came back while you were asleep & you really enjoyed playing with Jackson & Abigail & Jacob again. Jacob pulled you all around on a blanket & the 4 of you played a lot without me until they left about 1:00 pm. Then we went to see the movie “Penguins of Madagascar”. You enjoyed the popcorn and paid attention to the movie, but it wasn’t a really great movie. Since we skipped a nap you were in bed asleep about 7 pm..after a fairly long “play bath”! Sunday morning I heard what I thought was the neighbor doing some early morning hammering but it was you banging on the crib rails with one of your animals! We had a great day playing outside in the leaves & walking dogs & many more Cozy Coupe rides down the hill before we went to your house. We had temporary crisis when we thought we lost Nanny pre-nap but you found her in the covers. Since you were late going to sleep I let you sleep until about 5:15 then you & I were outside on the porch when your parents returned before 6 pm. You were very happy and I headed home. Now it’s December & I’m looking forward to another month with Lyla!!

October 2014-"Make it into a ball!!"

Halloween Day at School

Ready for gymnastics & Halloween
 



In the air at gymnastics!

Sunday & Annie napping



Your wonderful school!



New back yard (pre-fence)

New Neighborhood



Taziki's!

Nose must not be indented!


 

October 2014

“Make it into a ball” was a mystery of the month. Nap time & bedtime is always preceded by many routines…closing all drawers, positioning the pillow in the chair, being sure the vitamins aren’t visible behind the picture, lining up & counting your 8 bed-mates--2 bunnies, 2 sheepies, owl, brown puppy, owl & nanny—and being sure owl’s beak is not inverted. And books & songs & “high 5,4,3,2,1,0 and water then ending with your sweet “good night I love you see you in the morning” (even at naptime). But recently the request to make nanny into a ball was added and it was very frustrating to all that we did not know what you meant! Your mother finally figured out you had seen a commercial for “hideaway pets” that curl up into a ball to “hide away”. Of course I ordered you one (the white cat was what you chose—I hope you’re not disappointed when it comes). But I thought it was interesting you would have seen a commercial for a toy that became a ball and you would assume we could convert your current favorite toy into a ball.  I think that’s a great idea and maybe one day you can discover a way to make that happen. Maybe you just assumed your amazing parents could do anything? You do have amazing parents who love you very much and do good things for you including making you feel loved and also helping you learn to obey and have self-control. And provide you a great house & neighborhood to live in and an exceptional school to attend. And much more. October, my first month of retirement, was a good month. On the 3^rd I took you to your pediatrician for your flu shot and to Dairy Queen before the shot & to Krispy Kreme donut after. Then we went to the Mt. Laurel park, watched Calliou had pasta supper & I put you to bed & spent the night at your house. I took you to gymnastics twice (only got lost the 1^st time!) and realized it’s tough to get in a nap on gymnastics day! You are so cute & do so well at gymnastics! Your new puppy Annie moved into your house. It took her awhile to stop crying all night, but she has adapted. That’s a good reminder that the adage “this too shall pass” and “everything is just for now” apply to the annoying things…and to the precious wonderful things as well. One night I was at your house after you Dad put you to bed and we could hear you sweetly singing on the monitor. It was so touching. I took you to eat supper at Taziki’s twice in the evenings while your Dad was working on your new fence. One time I got lost trying to find Taziki’s & the other time I missed the turn onto Highway 41 coming back. But I’m beginning to get used to a new area of town for me. You really like going to Taziki’s! You pay attention to the people around you & ask questions about them like “where is the mommy?”. And you recognized an older child from your school. You are very observant. When the fence is finished it will be great to be able to let the dogs out in the back yard and for you to play there too. You are very particular and know what you want and don’t want which is a good trait in the long run but sometimes difficult in the short run! Your mom bought you a cute Unicorn costume which you were ambivalent about. And a simple “back up” dog costume with ears &  nose & tail & a cute dog-face shirt. But you ended up wearing a Disney princess shirt & skirt—and you looked precious in the parade at school! I am lucky to spend a lot of time with you and I feel very inadequate at times…I am not good at making piggy tails (I get the part crooked) and can’t put cute outfits together. And I feed you too much mac & cheese because I can’t cook. But I love being with you and know that you are growing so quickly and will not be a toddler for long. One day I went to your class to listen to children read. There are 3, 4 & 5 year olds in your class and it was a window into what is ahead for you at your wonderful school. It was sweet to see you do your jobs & watch you obey the teachers and keep an eye on me as I was listening to the new readers read…and realize it won’t be long before you are reading! But I hope you will let me read bedtime & naptime books to you for a long time! Today is November 1st…another fun month with you!

Moved to your new house...Granny retired ..and now you are 3!!

You are now Three years old! I was with you & woke you up on the morning of your birthday! You held up three fingers before you even got out of bed! We had balloons & you opened the present from me & Papa-a scooter. You wore your shirt with a big 3 to school and after school went to Chuck E Cheese with me & Tata as a "practice" for your impending party on Sunday, September 21. Tata took you home but it was my first day to wake you up at your new house. It was a great day! But more about the month...September 8 was the last school day you came to our house. Then on Saturday, September 13 you & I spent a great day at the zoo. It was overcast and although too cool to play in the water, it was perfect weather to walk around the zoo. We "picnicked" and watched a peacock and you rode the train with me for the first time (other than on our trip with your school class). You seemed to enjoy it but you wouldn't ride it a second time. However we rode the carousel many times! You came to our house for naptime and for the last time before your move, I took you from our house back to Nitza's. The only bad thing about the day was my mother had a fall and was readmitted to the hospital in Mobile. The day after you birthday I also took you to school and stayed with you at your new house for the whole day for the first time. We had a great day. After school and nap you rode your scooter outside a lot. I was amazed at how well you did! I ran along side you which was good exercise for me. When I left you hugged me and cried and said "please don't go granny!" Even though I know you are fine after I'm gone, it always makes me sad for you to cry! On Sunday September 21 I brought Eli & Maggie Rae to your house and we all enjoyed eating in Mt. Laurel and playing in your wonderful new house! Then we went to the big party at Chuck E Cheese which was loud and very busy but there were so many of your friends & family celebrating with you & it was a great time. Then on September 22 I spent the day with you again. You got the proofs of your cute school pictures back! On Friday the 26th when I spent the day with you, you were a little nervous about your "share" at school. You took a children's book about Israel, where your Dad was born. You are always happy about your wonderful school. After school I asked if you wanted to take Sunday to the dog park and you said "yes". But when we got to the dog park you were confused because there were no swings & slides and you wanted to go to "the train", which is at the children's park! So we took Sunday to the children's park where she was leashed to a tree and didn't have a fun time. But you did. A lot of older children from your school were there for their recess time. The only hard part was keeping an eye on Sunday because she isn't too friendly with other children! We won't take Sunday to the kid park any more! I spent the night at your new house for the first time. The plan was for me to take care of you while your mom helped your dad get things done around the new house on Saturday. Your Uncle Allen came over to help as well. But almost every time I'm with you it's because your mother is working so you seldom are with me and your mother together. You were very fussy and I don't think I helped very much! September 30 was my last day to work full time! I've worked full time since December 1973. And sometimes worked more than one job and spent several years getting a PhD in nursing at UAB while also teaching nursing full time at Samford University where I worked for 15 years. I've been at UAB for 24 years. So this is an exciting but big change. Having you in my life has really helped me wean myself from work and get ready for retirement. Yesterday was my first post-retirement day with you and we had a great time. After school we went to the park and you really enjoyed playing. On the way to the car you fell and skinned your knee a little. You noticed the reason you fell was the pattern of the sidewalk changed...specifically you said there were holes in the sidewalk that made you fall!  Even though you didn't really nap you did rest in bed with me. I'm not very good with your new TV system but then I never really learned the one at Chase Lake either! But that might be good to keep from too much TV watching. You like to watch a Super Wyatt episode on my phone in bed before your nap.

Reading at Mt. Laurel Library



Riding tricycle to park

After nap you rode your tricycle (with me pushing it) into town for the first time. We stopped at the Mt. Laurel Library where you noted which of the children's books in the basket were books you had at home...there were quite a few that met that criteria! Then we went back to the park. It was cooler and there was a new group of kids there and you had a good time. I was pleased you rode your tricycle all the way there & back! After we got home, you were happy your Dad was there but sad I was leaving. You hugged me and cried when I left. You have had a lot of changes recently! Maybe after you get settled into your new house and new routine you will be more content. I'm looking forward to every day I am with you. You are growing & changing all the time!

3 fingers!

You aren't a big fan of balloons!

The new scooter!

Sept 17 at Chuck E Cheese!

Sept 21 at Chuck E Cheese

Sept 21 in Mt Laurel with cousins Maggie Rae & Eli

Party Crowd!

This is the year of "Frozen"! Big birthday items!

Annie the Dog..birthday present from parents...Still with her Mother..more to come later!

Eli was 4 years old on September 1, 2014...not 5 years old!

Eli was 4 years old on September 1, 2014...not 5 years old!

September 2014-Moving & Changing

Since I have last “blogged” several moves have happened. My 94 year-old Mother moved from the independent living apartment where she has lived since 2005 to an assisted living facility. In between she was in the hospital and had surgery and went to rehab at the same facility where she is now living. As she has said, this is most likely her last move until the cemetery. Papa Wayne and I are not moving, but he has prepared his childhood Trussville house to be sold. Your parents lived in that house when they got married. Kristina & her family have bought a house in Starkville, Mississippi and moved into it from their rental house. And your family has moved into a new house in Dunavant Square in Mt. Laurel close to your wonderful school. The movers got the piano from my house and moved it to your new house. You have loved playing it when you visit me and I’m hoping you will continue loving to play it at your new house. One of the movers is a piano tuner! It definitely needs tuning to get ready for its new life in your living room! This is a piano my parents bought when I was about 2 years old when we moved into the house in Mobile where I grew up. My mother & sister played very well. Although I took lessons for 7 years, I was never very good. Maybe you will enjoy playing it in your new house. Your new school year has started and it is fun to see how much you’ve grown. It is very different to let you out and pick you up in the carpool line. Such a reminder of how quickly you grow & change. You have been a little anxious as we wait in the morning carpool line and wonder which teacher will get you out of the car. Change is hard on all of us. But also very exciting signs you are growing up!  You were so happy to see Mattie & Elizabeth. Yesterday when I dropped you off you asked the teacher who helped you out of the car whether or not Mattie was there yet and when I picked you up at school you hugged Mattie goodbye and gave her a kiss. You are such a sweet and loving girl. When I drive you to our house from school you point out Chuck E Cheese which is where your 3^rd birthday will be celebrated on September 21. The first time you pointed it out yourself, telling me to look for a blue rectangle sign. When I drive you to school from Nitza’s we count the school buses we see. You remember that we turn right by the vet where Zelda used to go. You are very observant. And on the way to our house we talk about interstate 459 and the noise change that occurs when we pass over a bridge. And of course you’re always happy to see the Lady Liberty statue en route to and from our house. I’ve changed my route to travel on River Run rather than Overton Road so you can see the statue better. Because I’ve made 2 visits to Mobile since my last blog and your Dad only recently started back to work full time, there haven’t been as many times together in the last month. But because I’m retiring soon there will be more in the future! Right now you haven’t completely moved into your new house so we come to my house after school. You always enjoy seeing Sunday & riding in the Cozy Coupe and swinging on the porch and watch Thomas the Tank Engine & recently, Calliou on TV. You have also started gymnastic lessons! You are so agile I think you will really enjoy gymnastics. You already have a new friend as well as a school friend at gymnastics. While I was in Mobile you had lunch with Eli & Maggie Rae and celebrated Eli’s 5^th  birthday. Papa & I have a September grandchild in each family: Eli on September 1 and you on September 17 and Jackson on September 28. Jackson will be 7 years old. It will be different when you move to your new house. I will have my own bedroom for when I spend the night! You will no longer have a very long drive to school. That is great but there are some good aspects of the time together with you in the car since it’s a time we talk and notice our surroundings. But we can do that out of the car as well! I have joined the YMCA close to your house where I will spend some time trying to get in shape. And since you are a member as well, we may spend some time there together. You remember the dome that was put over the outdoor ahead at the Y last winter and still ask about it. This week you spent two days and one overnight with me while your parents were moving into your new house. We went to your new house to have a pizza lunch with your parents on moving day before I took you to my house for your nap and overnight stay. I think the many changes going on in your life right now have been a little stressful for you. But it won’t be long until we are settled into a routine again and things will be a little more predictable for you. I am looking forward to the year of being three years old. I need to slow down and treasure these special and exciting times in your life. You are a treasure.

Celebrating Eli's 5th Birthday

Your mother said you look like me in this picture. I wish it was true...you are beautiful.

Ready for picture day at School

2nd year beginning at Your Wonderful School!

Ready for gymnastics!!

August 2014-First Overnight at Granny's!

I didn't blog in July 2014! Not sure where the time went & how I missed the whole month. But today is August 9 and I'm catching up. Sunday July 6 we went to the zoo together. It was hot & you played in the water...and your friend Wilder & his Dad appeared and you enjoyed playing with Wilder. I bought an unlimited ticket to ride the carousel and you enjoyed riding it a lot! I did too. July 9 we went to the Summit and ate at Johnny Rockets. After your nap at my house you sweetly said "I want to see my Daddy" so I took you home. You went to the beach with your parents for almost a week. When you returned I kept you July 24 and we stopped at the Statue of Liberty which you love to see from the interstate. We saw it up close and took some pictures. We have stopped for a close up view several times since. We also took lunch to your Mother at work. Fortunately she wasn't busy when we arrived and we had a great time eating food from Taziki's together in the break room in Labor and Delivery at UAB Women's & Infant's Hospital! On Sunday, July 27 I met you and your parents at Virginia Samford Theatre to see "Annie the Musical". We had front row seats and you really seemed to enjoy it. However at intermission you thought it was over and you were hungry so we didn't see the second half. Maybe when you're older we'll see it again one day! We went to get Mexican food at Rojo's nearby. The play was during your usual naptime so it was good you enjoyed the first half. You got to see both Annie & her dog Sandy really up close! On July 31 we had a great visit, but then you got a fever! We got you some Advil & a thermometer at Walmart. Your fever was103! We took a nap together on the bed and after you woke up your fever was down. Wednesday night August 6 was very special...it was the first time you spent the night at our house! You went to Wednesday night supper at Southside Baptist Church where Wayne & I are members. En route you spotted the statue Vulcan and were so excited you saw another statue like your friend Lady Liberty. We need to visit Vulcan one day soon. You had a great time playing with the other children and the many toys at Southside. You had a fun bath before bedtime! At bedtime we couldn't find your "Nanny" you always sleep with. I assumed we lost it at church because we had looked everywhere in the house, car & yard and couldn't find it. I assured you we would go get it the next morning. Although you weren't happy, you weren't really upset and you stretched out and went to sleep. The next morning you were so excited when you found Nanny under  the bed of Sunday the dog! That was the one place we didn't look!! We had a fun day on Thursday staying at our house. You saw a centipede, rode in the Cozy Coupe and played with toys in the basement, played the piano and ate mac & cheese & watched Thomas the Tank Engine on television. You were happy to see your Dad come pick you up after nap time. He's back at work at Mountain Brook High School which is just a few minutes from our house. Then Friday night August 8 you spent the night at our house again! It was your parent's 5th Anniversary and they went out. We had a fun evening and you went to sleep quickly....after reading a lot of books & singing songs & "high 5's, 1's & 0's" and other bed time stalling routines. You slept well and we had a great morning playing until your parents came to take you home about noon. You are getting a dachshund puppy for your birthday & your parents and been to see the newborn puppy and had pictures. Your mom loves dogs & now you will have two dogs at your new house. Your house should be ready to move into at the end of August! Monday you start back to school at Hilltop Montessori. You are almost three years old. Another thing that has happened since my last posting is I have finally made definite plans to retire. September 30 will be my last day to work full-time and I will only work about one day a week part-time starting in October. It will be good to have more time to be with you and do other things I want to do as well.

The Statue of Liberty at Liberty Park off I-459

Bed time at Granny's house!

                                                          Wilder at the Birmingham Zoo

One of your many carousel rides at the zoo!

Our morning at the Summit included playing at Barnes & Nobel Bookstore

One of your favorite things to do at our house...Play-Doh!!

Visiting your Mother for Lunch at her work

                                                    Your first Live Play! Only saw 1st half!!

                                                           Yogurt & Play Doh at Granny's

                                                  Avery & Reed...new friends at Southside

                                                    Bath time at Granny's-squirting soap

                                                    Playing with toys in Granny's basement