November 2018-A lot to be Thankful for!

Cousins

Rotter's visiting their alma mater and friends

The Girl Cousins

"Willow's Swing at Mt. Laural Park

The Mt. Laural Pig!

Sweet Willow and Sheepy and Hedgie with Sweet cousin Abigail



Cousins outside at The Club
 after Thanksgiving Dinner

Found picture of all 4 insects--Is Angela a spider??

Thanksgiving Eve-Greens and Browns and Lyla-
Waiting for Pizza that never came!

Myles with "The Grannies" in Mobile Thanksgiving

Mother and Daugher at "Muttcracker" Ballet Nov 30

I’m writing this on a beautiful December day while I’m having a few days at home to catch up on projects including wrapping gifts and decorating and addressing Christmas cards etc. One of the big events for me in November was getting a new I-phone! I was unpleasantly surprised at how much I had to learn adapting to an upgrade! I went to classes at the Apple Store and hired a “tech tutor” to come to the house to help me in the process. I am not sure if I’ll ever upgrade again. But I’m beginning to appreciate it. November included the “mid-term” elections. Fortunately now there will be a new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives. Several school mornings at Angela’s were a little stressful due to Willow being upset for a variety of reasons due to miscellaneous things such as a missing pacifier or clothes or shoes she didn’t want to wear. One afternoon she was very upset but stopped quickly after taking a few sips from her sugary “Yummy Tummy”, Maybe she just needed a sugar boost? Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving the girls were out of school but both Angela and Brock had to work. They were thoughtful enough to make arrangements for Willow to spend the day at HMS with Ms. C and other children so I had two days with just Lyla. We went to Barnes and Noble where she gave me a lot of ideas for Christmas gifts and we spent the late afternoon at the park with Willow because the weather was great. Wednesday afternoon I picked up Lyla to come to our house to spend the night and wait for the Greens and Browns to arrive. Lyla had a great time with her cousins! And stayed up very late with Abigail. Thursday was a beautiful day and a great meal at The Club with the Stuedeman/ Green/Brown/Rotter families. After a time at Roseanne and Vincent’s the younger people went to a movie and Wayne and I went home. Linda sent me the picture of Myles with the 2 Grannies (my mother and Mike’s Mother). Mother is now 98 years old. She is doing amazingly well right now. But there is a real realization that might not always be the case. After school on Monday I was able to take Lyla and Willow to the gym at HMS which is a wonderful option for days the weather is not good enough to go to the park. The after-school care teacher is nice enough to let me and the girls come in to play. I always have my snack bag with me and that increases my popularity with the other children! On Friday the 30^th I went to the Muttcracker Ballet at the Alabama Theatre with Angela and Lyla. It was a wonderful evening and a good way to end the month of November!   

October 2018-Willow turns 3!

Mother and Daugher

Birthday at Jimbo's

Playing Goalie!

Sweet Hedgey the Hedgehog at Jimbo's

Walking to school

Peppa Party at Park

Sisters!



Birthday Share at School

Insects (lady bug and butterfly) Trick or Treat with Friends

1^st-Beautiful weather! Brock got Willow after she had ballet in the gym and I stayed at the park with Lyla until 5:30. Daylight savings and beautiful weather will be ending soon! Because Angela has clinic days associated with her NP program, this was one of the days she was able to take the girls to school and I came to their house in the afternoon in time to get the girls from school. On the 2^nd I took Lyla to piano and stayed with Willow in the evening while Angela and Brock went to Lyla’s soccer game. Willow was exceptionally sweet when I put her to bed. I made a trip to Mobile to visit Mother. Then on the 12^th Nitza and Koplan came for Willow’s birthday. She had a Peppa Pig themed party. She loves Peppa Pig. (As I write this I’ve already done the shopping for her Christmas gifts and they are ALL Peppa Pig! I hope she still likes them!) There was a great 3rd birthday party at the Mt. Laurel park Sunday the 14^th. Afterwards we ate at the La Paz in Mt. Laurel. (For some reason it is not as popular as the one in Mountain Brook!) On the 16^th Willow actually turned 3! We had several days of wonderful weather which was nice. On the 26^th Angela and Brock went to a Halloween party with Brock dressed as a fly and Angela as another insect (can’t think of it now!). But here’s a blank to fill in later: (it's a spider!) Along with Willow the butterfly and Lyla the ladybug the whole family were insects! The insect family all went trick-or-treating with good friends and I stayed at my house where we had NO trick-or-treaters! Our neighborhood has really changed from the days when the girls were young. Angela and Brock continue to amaze me as I see their family “up close”. They have a lot of fun and teach the girls a lot of things and feed them healthy food (which makes up for all of my trips to Jimbo’s and the corner store) and take them to fun places and clearly love them and also discipline them as needed…all while they work full time and Angela goes to school full time as well. It will be great when Angela is through with school in August 2019. She will have been at UAB Hospital for ten years at that time. And she will be completing her 2^nd Masters Degree. They are an amazing family and I treasure being a part of the extended part of it!   

September 2018-Lyla turns 7 years old!

Lyla 7th Birthday Celebration

Sisters-picture day

Lyla's 2nd season Soccer

Scooter time!

Willow started ballet lessons after school in HMS gym

Lyla turns 7 years old! The month was busy. I’m glad Willow’s ballet lessons and Lyla’s gymnastics class are at the school gym which doesn’t require a hurried trip to another location. Lyla does continue to take piano lessons on Tuesdays at 4:00. I enjoy watching her practice on the piano my sister and I played on when we were young. My sister became a very good pianist. I did not. I can still remember totally forgetting my piece for what would be my last piano recital! But at least I can read music. On days I pick up the girls at school we’ve started a routine I somewhat regret which includes going to “The corner store” for snacks before going to the park. However it is something they seem to enjoy and it’s hard to stop habits once they’ve begun! Willow has a special swing at the park which she calls her swing. It is hard for her to be patient when someone else has “her swing” before she gets to the park! On Thursdays I take Lyla to soccer practice. She doesn’t seem to enjoy it but she does persist. I took Lyla to McWane Center with her school class Friday the 21st. On Saturday the 22^nd the Browns came to visit and Lyla spent the night at our house as well. Lyla stayed up too late watching shows on my phone! On Sunday I took Lyla to John Mitchell’s birthday party with live animals at HMS gym. The hearings for Supreme Count judge Brett Kavenaugh were on TV. Interesting times…Unfortunately he was confirmed. On the 28^th I had appointments with both my GI surgeon, Dr. Weber and GI Medicine MD Dr. Richardson. I’m optimistic I can avoid surgery again in the near future…or ever. I ended the month taking Lyla to a birthday party at the new “Let’s Play” in Hoover on the 30^th. She seems to always enjoy these parties and plays so well with children she knows…and those she doesn’t know. Angela continues to stay busy both working and going to school fulltime, which now includes clinical hours. It will be worth it when she finishes school. I’m proud of her. And glad I’m available to help with the girls. I treasure my time with them.  

July & August 2018--"Special Times"

Cheering at Granny's

Granny's feet at bathtime

Arranging "Babybug" Books!

First Day of School Fall 2018



Resting on Granny Towels at Mt. Laurel Park

Not taking a nap at school



Bird in a tree in Mobile at Great-Grandmother's



Moanna (? spelling) Costume



Favorite foods with Granny at Jimbo's

 This time period included a few times Lyla spent the night at my house. As she has gotten older and more busy, there are fewer times she spends the night. But when she does it includes staying up and waking up late and activities which may involve shakers!  Willow is still a great sleeper who goes to her baby bed around 7 pm and sleeps until the next morning so it’s best not to disrupt her routine with a night at Granny’s. Maybe she will in the future. July included a trip to Mobile to visit my 98-year-old Mother where I took the bird in the tree picture). And a special 4^th of July night with Willow. Angela, Brock and Lyla had met friends to watch the fireworks downtown. Soon after I put Willow to bed loud fireworks began which seemed very close. Willow got very upset and I had the pleasure of calming her down by rocking her and singing to her the same songs over and over with my terrible voice for quite a long time. It was very special to me. Several times since then she has asked me when I would put her to bed if there were going to be loud noises. I had several days taking Lyla to soccer camp at the Jewish Community Center and taking the girls to Jimbo’s for breakfast or ice cream. Lyla went to Florida to visit Nitza. While she was gone I had several special days and nights with Willow while Angela worked and continued with Nurse Practitioner school and Brock went out of town and then both of them went to Helen, Georgia to celebrate their 9^th Wedding Anniversary. The new Piggly Wiggly grocery and a gas station opened in their neighborhood; both are very convenient! And then the summer was over and school started! Lyla is in the 2^nd grade and Willow is in Ms. Shelley and Ms. Mary’s class for 3, 4 and 5 year olds--the same teachers at Hilltop Montessori School Lyla had and that age. And Aretha Franklin died.(If you haven't seen her performance at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors check it out on YouTube.) And I won’t even mention everything going on with the Trump administration except to say at times it’s overwhelming! I treasure my time with Lyla and Willow. I get a lot of hugs. They grow up so quickly! And they're so cute and funny and smart...

June 2018-Summertime and the Living is Easy...

Marching in Birmingham Gay Pride Day Parade

Willow at Sweet Frogs



Willow, Hedgey, Paci and Phone



Sun and Sand



Awesome Dad

Awesome Pirate Cruise!

Beautiful Beach Girls

Jimbo's Regular



Beautiful Girl (and Hedgey!)



Amazingly Talented Girl!



Sisters on Trip with Parents

June was a time for projects at home, a visit with Mother and an Awesome Panama City Beach Trip! I finally unpacked most of the boxes I’ve had in the basement for almost 3 years since I emptied my UAB office in September 2015. Quite a chore since I often got side-tracked sifting through things associated with graduate school and 15 years at Samford University School of Nursing as well as 25 years at UAB Hospital! I enjoyed marching in the annual Pride Parade despite the rain! I’m glad to be part of an “inclusive community of grace”. I haven’t spent as much time with Lyla and Willow as I do during the school year since Brock is off and they have had some family trips. But I have had several wonderful days with the girls. During my wonderful week at the beach with the Rotter Family I read two books: “We were the Lucky Ones” about a family of survivors of the Holocaust & John Gresham book “Sycamore Row. I had an amazing time with the Rotters in Panama City. Angela and Brock were so easy to be with and I had a lot of time with the girls and with Angela and Brock as well as some relaxing time to myself. Brock is a great cook. And Angela is such a good planner and sweet daughter. I had a good visit with my mother in Mobile but it’s clear she is not as engaged in the world anymore. She is 98. I’m not going to do the details for the month of June as I have done for the previous months of the year. I’m on vacation! And as write this on August 7, the summer is almost over. At least so far there have been no hurricanes this summer. And the girls go back to school August 13. And I still need to update blog with July and August….maybe later!

May 2018...Another school year ends and Summer Begins!

Mother and Baby



Future (and present) Soccer Player!

Resting with lunchbox

Morning in Bed



Dinner Visit with Browns at PF Chang's

Mother's Day Visit

Sweet Mother's Day Gift

Annie coming to visit Granny!

Sweet Willow and Hedgie

The "Big 4" Milly, Clara, Johann and Willow

Awesome Soccer Player!

Ballet recital support group!

3 Beautiful Girls

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  Ballerina!!

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Auburn Fan!

Willow's teachers-Last Day School



Morning television Time
 
Angela took Willow to Zoo with her class. She mentioned the 4 children, Willow, Clara, Johann and Milly who spent 5 days a week with each other were so sweet and stuck together…often checking to be sure each of them were together. Willow would ask: “Where’s my Johann!!?” Lyla wore her Auburn jersey on “Jersey Day” at school. I have started college funds for the girls. I’m sure it won’t be enough but it will be here before we know it! Since both of their parents went to Auburn, maybe they will go there too?  We had the usual fun days at the park after school. One day Willow had “Dinosaur Day” at school. I had a hard time getting her to wear a dinosaur shirt to school but she did wear a cute outfit that was actually pajamas! On Mother’s Day Angela, Brock and the girls and Annie the dog came to our house and brought lunch. It was a great visit! Willow has to use sunblock at school due to her sensitivity to the sun. Willow and Lyla are so special in their unique ways. Brock has commented one of them looks like she escaped from a Kibbutz and the other from a Lutheran Day Care! Lyla always gets beautiful sun tans. Different is good and sometimes decreases competition between siblings. They are 4 years apart but will be 5 years apart in school due to September and October birthdays. It’s hard to believe the school year is ending. We went to the year-end music concert at the (relatively) new HMS Gym and ate at the neighborhood La Paz afterwards. As I write this in August, a new Piggly Wiggly is opening in walking distance from their house. And now there is a gas station there too. Things are changing and trips “down the mountain” to Publix won’t be necessary.

On the last day of school Lyla I met Angela and the girls at the park after the annual school Beach Party and took Lyla home with me to spend the night. Since there were no Saturday am events we watched TV until late and slept late and played board games etc. Lyla was a sweet girl! Because I was going to Mobile an Lyla was going to visit Nitza in Florida I would not see her for two weeks! But I did get to have some time with sweet Willow while she was gone! At the end of May I met my childhood friend Marilyn Evans at the new Equal Justice Initiative Museum in Montgomery. She had painted the Maya Angelou quote “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again”. The museum was very moving and as I am writing this I am wearing a t-shirt I bought there with another meaningful quote by the founder of the museum, Bryan Stevenson: “Each of is more than the worse thing we’ve ever done.” Something to remember for ourselves and others. The month of May ended while I was in Montgomery and I headed to Mobile for a visit with my 98-year-old Mother. It’s Summertime!

Words Marilyn Heard painted on wall of  Montgomery Equal Justice Initiative Museum