Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Musings and more about my grandpa


For the past 32 years, I've had the honor of knowing a great, great man, known to me as Grandpa. Grandpa lived to a wonderful age of 90, and he filled his life with a wide diversity of activities. He was a Lt. Colonel in the United States Army, where he fought in WWII and the Korean War. He was part of the Tank Corps and the intelligence division, leading him to not discuss his military work very often. He did begin to tell us some of his secrets within the past 10 years or so. For most of my life, my Grandpa was deaf. At first, he wore a hearing aid and could get some of what we said. This progressed to us talking to him via a telephone that would print out what we said. We also wrote in notebooks, which he always kept nearby. After my grandmother died in 1995, my grandpa ended up moving from Sparta, TN to Albertville, AL in order to be closer to family. It never failed to bring a smile to my face when we would come around the corner into his assisted living room and he would grin and shout, "Well hello there!" He was always happy to see us. I always wondered what his thoughts were as he watched his great-grandchildren play and chatter around him. He always had a slight grin on his face as he watched them, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was wishing he could hear their small, eager voices. Grandpa was just happy to have us there. Grandpa never failed to remind us as we were leaving to stay out of trouble, and I always knew that what he really meant was, "go have as much fun as you can!"

I know Grandpa is causing trouble up in Heaven now with our Father, because he's back home with his precious Daisy Lee, my grandma. I can't help but smile when I think about how happy he must have been to see his Father's face, and then his Daisy's face.

Yesterday I had the honor of attending grandpa's funeral up on a beautiful hillside amidst the rolling hills of central Tennessee. Grandpa was a military man to the Nth degree, and he would have been proud. I do have to say that the rifle salute scared the beejeebers out of me--I really wasn't expecting it--that, and everything else were perfectly fitting to the man that I'm happy to call Grandpa.

Until we meet again, I love you Grandpa!!!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

First Grade Romance

My almost 7-year-old daughter has been sporting an on-again, off-again romance with a little boy from her school since the first week of Kindergarten. Last year, they were in the same classroom, and as luck would have it, they are in the same classroom for first grade as well. After giving her the lecture about how it's not appropriate for a 5-year-old (or a 6-year-old) girl to blow kisses or proclaim undying love to someone at school, Melody cooled her heels for a while. She's even seemed more anti-boy lately, but today she got a phone call from HIM.

After I answered the phone and discovered who it was, I really had a monumental debate over whether or not I should even hand her the phone to talk to HIM. However, curiosity got the best of me so I let her talk to him. Melody later filled in the blanks of what was said on HIS side, so I'm filling in the blanks for the following conversation (just so you get the idea):

Her: Hi, why are you calling me?

Him: I really like you and want to see if you like me too {much laughter}

Her: WHAT?? I can't understand you! Stop laughing!

Him: {laughter}

Her: How did you get my phone number? {big sigh and roll of eyes} Would you stop laughing, I can't understand you! {Gannon approaches and wants to talk on the phone} Do you want to talk to a little brother?

Him: {hands phone to his big brother}

Big Bro: Hey, do you like HIM?

Her: I don't know. I'll think about it.

BB: He wants you to be his girlfriend.

Her: Well, maybe if he starts helping me more and is nice to me, then I'll think about it.

BB: He really likes you.

Her: Well, I broke up with him, but then yesterday he helped me with my Band-Aid, so if he keeps being nice then I might think about it. Can you give the phone back to HIM and tell him to stop laughing so much? I can't understand him when he's laughing.

BB: {hands phone back to HIM}

Him: So do you like me? Will you call me sometime? My number is ____.

Her: I'm not going to write down your number. Okay, I want to get back to drawing my picture some more. Good-bye! {hangs up}


This was the topic of our discussion for nearly the rest of the afternoon. She told me she was "impressed" that he found her phone number. She even drew HIM a picture after that! I can just imagine the conversation that will occur at school tomorrow. Oh, to be a fly on the wall for that one!

I'm SO not ready for this!!!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Spring Break!



The tulips are in bloom at the Botanical Gardens this week! They are gorgeous. I'm loving all of the sun this week, and we really have tried to take full advantage of it. We spent most of the day Wednesday outdoors, and Friday we spent about 3 hours hanging out at the gardens, watching the Raptor Show and checking out the flowers.




The gardens have giant bugs on display right now, which is cool, but I enjoyed the scarecrows and dinosaur exhibits from previous times better, I believe.



We had a really fun time on Wildflower Trail. Many of the wildflowers were indeed blooming, and the creek was flowing freely. Gannon loves to throw rocks in the water, whereas Melody loves to get IN the water!


Spring is springing around here, and for that I am very thankful. I'm not a winter girl.

Happy Spring!

Monday, March 16, 2009

The FREE Spring Break week!


This week is Spring Break in the great city of Huntsville, AL. Although we generally don't travel for Spring Break, I always have that grade school anticipation of something fun and carefree. The kids are home with me all week and we don't have any of our usual activities like dance or gymnastics. We do have soccer practice tonight if the rain subsides..we'll see! Anyway, this year for Spring Break I have decided that the kids and I are going to participate in as many FREE activities as possible (with the exception of going to shop at Old Time Pottery today). My in-laws are arriving in town tonight some time, and they will be with us tomorrow. I always enjoy going up to Green Mountain, so tomorrow I'm going to suggest we pack a picnic lunch and go up there for a relaxing afternoon treat. Hopefully we can feed some ducks while we're there. Last year during Fall Break I took the kids on a hike with the Land Trust on Wildflower Trail and they loved it. It's quite short, follows a small creek, and has a bench for eating or resting. During that hike, the guide told us that we should come back in the Spring because all of the wildflowers are in bloom. It just so happens that they are hosting a hike on Wednesday for Wildflower Trail again, so we will be there. I hope to get some pretty pictures.
Rain is predicted for Thursday, so since that is our usual library day anyway, we'll likely end up there.
On Friday, the Botanical Gardens are having the Raptors show again (we attended last year---very cool!), and I will try to forgive them for being from Auburn. Seriously, it's a GREAT show and we have an annual membership, so we can get in for free. The kids LOVE the children's play area of the garden, and although the butterflies aren't back yet, the Butterfly House is still fun with turtles and such.

While I always like to try new things, I don't have a problem filling our week with the tried-and-true activities I've got planned. I think we'll have a great week and I hope you do, too!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

My embarrassing moment of the day--hopefully it will just be ONE moment today!

Whenever I pick up my son from preschool, I generally take him directly to the bathroom. He has developed an aversion to going to the potty by himself at school..don't ask me why, it's a long and complicated story. After multiple instances of having an accident before we get home, OR waiting until I'm strapping him into his car seat and telling me he has to go potty, I've solved this by just going directly into the bathroom with him. It's completely enabling, I know. He has me trained instead of the other way around...anyway, let's not go there so I can avoid some Mom-guilt.

Earlier in the year, after Gannon continually became very upset when I would attempt to take him into the girls bathroom (where he's NOT allowed to go at school as a rule!), I asked his teachers if I could just accompany him into the boy's bathroom. They agreed, knowing that I would check for occupants before entering. For several months, we have had very few visitors, and always of the pint-sized variety. Today during our bathroom time, Gannon had a minor accident, but enough of one that it involved having to change clothes. I had neglected to grab his backpack containing his change of clothes from the preschool hallway, so while Gannon stood in the middle of the bathroom with his drawers around his ankles and the clear instructions NOT TO MOVE, I ran out to collect his things so that I could change his clothes. Well I was gone for probably a max of 30 seconds since I was hurrying, but apparently a man had made his way into the bathroom during that time. Since I was rushing, I didn't take the time to check before entering. So I went bee-bopping right in, and stopped dead short when I spot the guy standing at the urinal. Luckily, his BACK was to me and he was in a much more modest state than my dear son, so I quickly apologized and took Gannon out into the hallway to change. I know I changed every color of red imaginable, the whole time trying to get Gannon changed so the entire school wouldn't have to see HIM with his drawers down! Meanwhile, I hear a flush from within the boys bathroom and the gentleman emerges. I completely avoided eye contact (didn't even raise my head, in fact!) and apologized again. He was very polite and said it was okay, but I just thought about how I would feel if a man walked in on ME in the girls bathroom to collect his half-dressed little girl! Hopefully, since I didn't look at his face and I don't think he looked at mine, we will never know the difference if we ever cross paths again. I'm really crossing my fingers.

The whole incident served as good incentive to start taking Gannon into the girls bathroom from now on, though! I am so looking forward to the day when I no longer have to accompany him into the bathroom at all. How embarrasing!!!!!

Welcome to our ocean home..


Complete with a hammerhead shark!