Lunch

It is Friday and on Friday I go out for lunch with my friends.  Today we went to Red Lobster as it is in our repertoire of restaurants that we frequent.  A man accosted Barbara about her meal and she had quite a little chat with him.  After he left she commented that his son is in her pre-school class and what a nice man he is.
We finish our meal and are discussing dessert.  The waiter comes and asks us if we want some and we decline as we usually do.  He then proceeds to tell us that our lunch was already taken care of.  All of us are kind of in disbelief.  I didn't see Fred or Ed pass a credit card.  Fred thinks the waiter is kidding.  Nope.  The man who had talked to Barb had bought our lunch.  Both Barb and Ed know him and were then not surprised.  Turns out he is the manager of Rose's Restaurant over on 192nd Street.  Thank you very much Mr. Mike Huddleston.
Now we shall pay that forward because it doesn't only happen in the movies.  :)

Bouncing Off Walls

Boy the littles were wound up tonight.  Bouncing off walls.  Both of them.  Although I'm pretty sure it only takes one to start it.  We have finally settled down into jammies and i-pads.  I don't know how many boo-boos I had to kiss and how many times I said inside voice.  I'm sure the neighbors thought we were having WWIII here.  A great opportunity to practice patience and what I learned is I still need lots of practice.
Tomorrow is another day.

Happy Birthday Elizabeth

Elizabeth is the first baby to call me Nana.  She is 15 years old today.  The time sure has flown.  I remember all the time I spent babysitting her before she started school.  We had great Nana days when she turned nine years-old and was old enough to enjoy all kinds of things.  We did a lot of shopping and poking around downtown Portland.  She is a lovely girl and becoming a lovely woman.  Happy birthday Elizabeth.

My Choice

I have these moments of wondering how I ever got to be where I am.  My age, raising pre-schoolers.  I have always always always been on the wrong side of where I should be.  When I first got married I was raising school aged kids.  All their friends' parents were the age of having kids that old.  I was 11 years-old when Doug was born.  I was only 21 when I took on full time parenting and he was already 10.
Mike came along and it seemed like all his friends were the babies of their families so again those parents were older than me.  And his siblings were teens.  So he got to almost be an only child.
And then here I am now raising grandchildren.  Most people my age are not.  I should find a group of people like me.  Grandfamilies.
Anyway as I again pick up food off the floor, pick up toys, clean up bath water, change diapers, give baths, feed, try to keep them dressed, play with them....I remind myself that I chose this.  My choice.  My choice to do it in the first place and then my choice to do it alone.  And it is good.  It still feels right even with all the work they create.  :p

Taxes

Taxes become much easier when there isn't much to claim.  I still had to pay for the better taxcut because of the rental house, but even so I came out way ahead.  I love watching the refund number grow.  And then I put in the rental stuff and watched the number dwindle.  What?  Oh I so knew I did something wrong.  Said my income from it was almost three times what it was the previous year.  And that ruined the earned income credit.  Just about made me pout.  And then I figured out what I did wrong.  Yay!  All good now and I got the earned income credit back.  I will get enough back to pay the property taxes on the rental, the insurance on the rental, insurance on my car, fund my MN trip and buy a used stove for my brother.  It's all good.

Wills

Still pondering it.  Mine is still the same with all going to Dave.  I told him today if something happens he better take care of the littles. I know how his is specified and I'm okay with that.  But it is probably time to really think about it and do something about it.
It is just hard when there is the mixed family and the littles and a drug addict.  I can't count on Mike staying clean yet.  Oy.

Yesterday's Visit

So we had lunch and nice visit with Isaac, Treva, kids and Nana Nita yesterday.  Got to hear some family stories.  All families have them and all families are weird. We all worry about Cassie, but agree that she has to go down her own road.  And we all try to do no harm with our words because it does no good.
We came home with puzzles, jackets for Connor, helmets, and a few other odds and ends.  Including a new car.  I think it belonged to the cousins.  When I asked Connor about it he told me he got it at the store.  Yeah......Anyway he also tried to take footballs but Uncle Isaac caught those.
It was a really great day and I'm sure Treva was happy when we left.  She looked like she was having one of those pain days.
Audrie had let Nana Nita trim her bangs and it looks much better.  I'm sure Nana Nita was glad for a good nights sleep last night after several nights of sleeping with Audrie.

State Patrol

Today was the day for the drive north to pick up Audrie.  Two and a half hours of driving in each direction.  State patrol was out in force.....maybe because it was the weekend. Shortly after I pulled on to I-5 a little blue car passed me in the fast lane.  He wasn't travelling unusually fast, just faster than me.  Didn't see him again until I got to the rest area just before Little Rock.  He was pulled over by the state patrol.  I doubt it was speeding because I wasn't and he wasn't that far ahead of me.  Anyway.....
On the way back near the rest area north of Castle Rock these three motorcyclists came whizzing up to me.  I'm in the fast lane but not going fast so I pull over so they can go around.  They obviously were travelling faster than I wanted to go.  I get behind someone slower and pull back into the fast lane.  And then I pass those motorcyclists.  And they are looking back at me or something behind me.  Makes me a tad nervous but I keep going.  They disappeared into the rest area and I didn't give them another thought.  Until they came whizzing up behind me again, only this time really fast.  I just got over as they passed me and I started my lane change when I saw them coming. Then the state patrol came up behind me and the few cars I ended up with.  We all moved over to the slow lane and keep travelling at 70 mph because we all knew he wasn't coming for us.  For whatever reason he only had one pulled over when we passed him.  My whole thought process was dang...a cop when you need one.  Usually when you see crap like that on the road there is never a cop around.
Kudos WSP for a job well done.

Kidless Night

Audrie is at Nana Nita's and Connor is at Papa's.  You  would think I would be out painting the town red.  And I think about doing that every single time I am kidless.  And guess what I do.  That's right.  Stay home and clean and then veg on the couch with tivo.  It is when I get "Grimm" watched as Audrie finds it a tad too scary.  And it is scary.
Mom did want to go out, but I had already ate.  So I did my usual thing.  Maybe next time I go and see how much red paint I can use.  :p

Mojo

After lunch today the little man and I went for a walk.  It appears that every walk is now going to include the scooter.  And scoot we did.  And then we met Mojo.  Mojo is an English Mastiff Great Dane cross and he weighs in at 230 pounds.  Very very mellow dog.  The owner said Mojo stepped on his wife's foot the second day they had him and he broke her toe.  Wow.  We totally enjoyed meeting him.
When we got home the little man fell asleep.  So another day of on time "snoozing".

Mixed Signals

Oh George.  I'm not pushing and I'm trying hard not to mind read.  And then I get too much information.  I understand the reluctance, but then have no clue what it means when I'm told where and when he will be every Wed. morning.  I think I will just carry on with being here, but it is hard when I want to see him.  But I don't just want to see him, I want him to want to see me.  And maybe I need him to make that move, not set it up for me to make that move.  Mixed signals.  Gee, I forgot what all that was like.
On an aside....Mike is still clean and Cassie is having a girl.  Her due date is now May 10.  Not too far away.  Wonder how far Indiana is from Minnesota.  Thinking about a trip there at the end of May.

Connor Alone

He misses his sissy, but he seems to be amusing himself pretty well.  We spent a good chunk of the morning scootering around and playing on the playground.  He survived his face plant off the slide.  Came up with his tongue out and covered in bark dust.  By the time I thought to take the picture he was already well brushed off.  Didn't keep him down for long though.  It was the first day in a long long time where he just went to sleep at what was the normal naptime.  He did tell me he was not going to take a nap, but he thought a snooze was fine.  Funny boy.
Noticed in the slide picture that we have a little  Grandpa Hank action going on.  There is that tongue.  Seems to run in the family.  :)

Jazzlynn

Cassie finally had her ultrasound today and she is having a girl.  She will be named Jazzlynn Lavonne Redman.  Here is my say on the subject.  Jazzlynn is Audrie and Connor's sister.  That's it.  I have no idea if Cassie is being truthful when she says she is clean.  I hope so.  Time will tell it when Jazzlynn is born.  And until then I am just going with it is a wonderful miracle.  And I hope all good things for her and I send her light, love and laughter. And her big sister and big brother send her cuddles and snot kisses.  Congratulations Cassie and David.  I hope this is an awe inspiring step in your journey.

A Quiet Week To Be

Nana Nita came down for the weekend because one of her nieces had a baby shower.  She came over and brought the kids mega blocks.  They played and played.  Then Audrie pops up with she is going to Nana Nita's house.  So in the end Nana Nita took her and I will collect her next Saturday.  A week of no sibling rivalry.  What will I do? What will Connor do?
Well his first order of business was to go to Papa's house and he did.  Which allowed Nana to go have dinner with Mom in peace and quiet.  We just went to the local Thai place and had beef and broccoli but it so hit the spot.

Playground Hunt

The sun was shining and it seemed like a perfect day to get outside and do something. We drove into Vancouver and parked by Who Song and Larry's. Crossed the tunnel and the land bridge and traipsed through Fort Vancouver looking for a playground. We met lots of dogs and ran into Bonnie who is a fedex express driver.  It was a good walk and we found a small playground up by the visitor's center.  We played for awhile and then worked our way back. Connor found a stick and starting hitting posts.  As soon as I said not to hit us he decided that sounded like a fine idea.  I took the stick away.  And then a man across the street started laughing and commented that I had my hands full.  Yes, yes I do, every day.  And that is why we go out and do things when we have the chance.  Heading back to the land bridge we came across a family just doing circles over a sitting area.  The littles joined in and we spent dang near a half hour there with them just going round and round.
They both fell asleep on the way home.  He stayed asleep for another hour.  They spend the quietest evening in a long long time.  Think I wore them out for a change.

Back to Little Cups

Today we ventured back to Little Cups and Grownups. Audrie promised to behave this time.  And she did.  We played for almost two hours and had snacks on the way out.  There were lots of kids there when we arrived, but it calmed down as they left.  I think both little kids enjoyed the time and playing with the other kids.  Even the owner commented that they did much better this time.  :)

It's the Way We Roll

So today we had planned on heading up to Katie's and meeting new friends.  Connor was practicing saying Isabella, Freddie and Jersey.  Well turns out the girls take ballet Wed. afternoons now.  So we had to postpone meeting them.
So the next best thing was heading to the mall to play in the play area and having McDonald's for dinner.  Well two of us would have McDonald's.  We get there and head to the play area.  Wasn't even there for ten minutes and Audrie decided we needed to eat first and then play.  Bam.  McDonald's is no longer at the mall.  What??  Yup.  Gone.  And there is nothing much else at the food court that makes a substitute for chicken mcnuggets.  So we headed back down to the play area for awhile longer and then headed home doing the drive-thru locally.
Some days we just have to roll with it when nothing works out as planned.

Waiting

Mike seems to still be sober.  He sounds good.  Keeping my fingers crossed, but I'm not holding my breath.  Cassie says she is still clean.  But I never have a sense of what is real with her.  After her pregnancy with Connor I just don't know.  There are so many similarities between that pregnancy and this one.  She has an ultrasound on Monday.  As far as I know and I don't really know....she hasn't been to a dr. yet and she is five months along.  Keeping my fingers crossed but again not holding my breath.

Writing

I actually had time this morning to write a real letter....well a note actually.  But I wrote it by hand.  Wow.  That almost never happens.  I just hope Carey can read it.  I have found that the more I type, the worse my actual handwriting gets to be.  Guess if she can't make it out, she will just have to save it for when I come to see her.  :p
I think it may be a sign that the littles are starting to get a tad, a little tiny bit, a small bit, a little less needy.  Nah....it was probably just a fluke that they left me alone long enough to write it and get it ready to mail.

Dizzy Castle

It seems like every winter I forget.  After all our outdoor activities slow down due to our weather and we don't get enough exercise....the littles get a little more rambunctious and a little more naughty.  So I remembered and planned an outing where they would get some great exercise and have fun at the same time.
We went and spent two hours at Dizzy Castle. And they ran and ran and went up and down and up and down.  Audrie got completely sweaty and red faced.  Connor took some down time with the I-pad.  When I said it was time to go there was no argument.  They were tuckered out.  And the rest of the night was a breeze.

Family Dinner At Mom's

Picked up a roast at Albertson's and set it to go in the crockpot at Mom's house.  Cooked all day.  Should have fallen apart.  The gravy was bland, the meat was bland and tough.  The rolls and taters were good.  I am beginning to think I am not meant to cook at her house.  Don't think I will be buying any more roasts at Albertson's.  Which is funny because they have such great hamburger.
Audrie got the Ipad taken away for misbehaving.  Wonder how long it is going to take her to figure that out?

Quiet

It is quiet.  Mike is still in Wenatchee.  He still tries to get stuff sent to him, but he isn't annoying.  Still sounds clean so I guess it is a good thing.
Rush is over so now the lull begins.  Yay!  I'm ready for some extra days off.  We still have to go north and see the kids' aunt and uncle.  I guess the other Nana is suppose to be down here next weekend, so that shortens up our list of who we have to see up there next trip.
Mom is getting worse and it is really hard to watch.  Really hard.

Art Ala Carte

Way back last summer Groupon offered up vouchers for Art Ala Carte in Portland.  I thought it was such a cool idea and the vouchers were good for three months.  No problem I thought and I bought them.  Well then my work schedule got crazy.  And I only wanted to take Audrie for the first time until I had a feel for what it was and how it worked.  Never seemed to work out that I would have just her during their open hours.
Well today it worked.  Connor spent the night at Papa's and I didn't need to pick him up this morning.  So off to Art Ala Carte we went.  Today was their birthday celebration.  They had face painting and live music.  Audrie was at the face painter before I even had it paid for.  And then she created art.  She made three masterpieces.  Two papers with stamps, glitter and objects and one painting.  She loved the music and danced.  Then they gave out balloons so she and another girl were getting a little rambunctious.  All in all she had a great time and wants to go again.
The vouchers had expired but they are still worth the paid value which makes each visit about half price so we have at least two more times to go.  :)

Smart Phone

I was so excited.  Thought I got a pretty good deal on ebay for a smartphone.  It is unlocked so would work with my sim card.  Phone came out of Hong Kong.  Took almost two months to get here.  Funny how it didn't show up on tracking until after I filed a complaint through ebay.  But I didn't want my money back...I wanted the phone.  So it finally arrived and I'm challenged.  Nothing new there.  But I am/was getting it figured out.
Fast forward three whole days.  I picked it up off the couch and wondered why it was wet.  Oh no. I had taken away some all purpose cleaner from Connor a few minutes before.  Yup the phone smelled of the cleaner.  And then it shut itself off and would not boot back up.  Oy.  Oy.  Oy.
I put it in my rice container and will hope for the same luck I had with the Ipads that took baths.  But I'm not holding my breath.  Maybe it is a sign that I am meant to just stick with my ten dollar flip phone.

Bits and Pieces

I am amazed at the number of people who had no problem leaving their wallets in their bags even if it was in bag check.  One girl came out to get it and only took her credit card back in.  What trusting souls young people are.
I got tutored on juggalos.  All I did was ask the guy about his necklace because the girl upstairs got one for Christmas.  Well let me tell you......whatever.  Its all theatrics.
Connor and I decided to take a walk after Audrie got picked up by Papa.  The rain had stopped.  We walked for almost an hour and came back.  Then we decided to go to the post office to mail Mommy's box.  Well the rain that didn't happen while we walked happened then.  Amazingly good luck the little man and I had.  It was a lovely walk.
Liz gave me my birthday and the day after off for sure.  Now to figure out what to do.  I think Seattle is out.  Maybe I should check the beach.

Winter Rush Changes

We have moved our bag check out of the conference room and set up shop in the cubby area.  I like it a lot better.  I am not a broken record telling people to go to the conference room and no one complained about using the bag check.  I got no bags dropped on my feet today.
Amazingly enough we had to 'stop the store' four times today.  We didn't have to do that during fall rush at all this year.  So strange.  So it felt a lot busier and I have no idea why.  I know Liz was in back doing lots of web orders.  Makes her appreciate me.  :p
So far I have not seen anyone that I know.  That in itself is bizarre.

Aunt Cris

Aunt Cris moved to Vancouver to be near her daughter.  A great move.  I went over and saw her place last week.  She lives at The Quarry.  She has a wonderful one bedroom apartment.  It has a kitchen which she says she doesn't use since they feed the residence in the dining room.  It is very spacious and just beautiful.
We went out for dinner.  Had Chinese food.  She really likes Chinese food.  Said she never got to eat it before my uncle went to a nursing home several years ago.  Had a lovely visit and caught up.
She seems so little now.  I think it is one of those amazing things that happen.  But she looks good and seems happy.  And Patches gave me a love bite.  She is also transitioning well.
Now that she is near by I'm sure I will see a little more of her.

Birthday Plans in the Making

One month from now is my 50th birthday.  I think it is an occasion worth celebrating.  But how?  So my first thought was a trip to see my sister.  Checked airfare and it was $276.  Yup.  $276.  I don't think I have ever seen airfare between PDX and MSP that cheap.  I could maybe swing that.  But then the logistics of babysitters.  Then I thought perhaps I would take the littles with.  Checked frequent flier miles and it was 100,000 of those.  Still doable because that still left enough miles for the Hawaii trip next year. Cool.  And then I realized I do not want to be driving in MN in the winter.  Bummer.  So no MN trip for my birthday, maybe later in the year just because.
Okay so that leaves a couple of days in Seattle.  Got an offer on a great hotel price close to the space needle which is where I would like to be.  Or I could go to the beach for a couple of days, taking the littles with.  Seattle works with my babysitters up north and I'm sure I could convince one or the other of them to take them. Ah decisions, decisions.  Or maybe I just stay home and celebrate with David.  :p Or something else altogether.
I think I better figure it out pretty quick though because a month passes by in a flash.

Number One Blessing

My number one blessing is that every day I am granted the opportunity to practice patience.  My mother thinks I already have the patience of a saint.  I don't.  Every day I practice.  Some days I have to apologize for running out of patience to the littles.  Kind of a humbling experience.  Some days I think they try to see just how far I can be pushed.  I am grateful for all that they bring me including the days they push my buttons to the extreme.  I can't imagine living without them.

Little Cups Eastside

Betty gave us a playcard for Little Cups and Grownups.  So we decided to go check it out.  There used to be one in BG that we played at once in awhile.  They had changed their hours and it was no longer an option for us.  I knew when they opened up the eastside location that it wouldn't be long before the local one closed.  And it did.
Here are my thoughts.  The new space is lovely, clean, crisp and new.  But it felt a little confining although I did like the area that had couches inside the play area to sit in.  The BG space was big and open.  I think the new space is smaller in square footage.  They did have customers though so I am sure it is good from a business standpoint.
The littles played for about an hour.  Then Audrie misbehaved.  And after several warnings we had to leave.  Maybe next time she will be better.  I don't think she believed me when I said we would leave and now she does.

2014 Looking Forward

New year. New dreams, hopes and growth. Mike is making a stab at something different some place else. The littles are going to grow and change exponentially again. And so am I. Life is short so I need to make the best of it. Happy new year. Love, light and laughter, words to live by.