TWO!

Yesterday was my babie's second birthday. I really can't stand it! I am usually delivering another baby about now. I am not ready for this birthday to come! When he is not smiling he has a mouth full of food or he is singing a tune. He thinks everything is "coowl" and is the sunshine in our home. I love you baby boy!

Memorial Weekend

Isn't this beautiful?

Highlights from the weekend- Big Mac singing "You Lift Me Up" (Josh Grobin), at the top of his lungs to me while I fill the car with gas; hearing Big Mac's talk in church where he unexpectedly exclaimed that his little brother wasn't just a brother, but his best friend; seeing hundreds of American Flags all around our town, (it always makes me happy); going exploring around town and country with my family; Bike rides; Admiring my husbands tiling job that he just finished in the guest bathroom; talking to my children about those who have gone before us.

Now for the not-so-highlights-- Painting my entry for the third and, I am afraid, not final time- (the lighting is so weird, I can't find the right color); realizing that  I have a major problem making decisions, tripping over my laptop cord and watching it crash to the ground; losing my portable phone while spring cleaning.  I still can't locate it.  I am beginning to think it was left in one of the boxes I was going through in the storage shed!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

Nana

I am one of the lucky ones. I have a terrific mother-in-law. She raised eight children- six boys, (I don't know how she survived), and two girls.

We lived with my in-laws when we first got married. I feel lucky that I got to know her so well. She is one of the most welcoming people I have ever met. When you enter her house you feel totally at ease. She shares EVERYTHING that she has and makes you feel completely loved. My children love to cuddle up with Nana. She gets down on their level and makes them feel so important.

I have learned a lot about supporting your spouse from Merrily. She "stands by her man". It really is neat to watch. During tax season, instead of complaining that her husband is too busy for her, she drives to meet him every night for dinner. She doesn't like to leave during tax season because she wants to support him. It seems this is a lost idea in today's society.

Merrily will send little packages to my children which they adore. When one of my sons was really struggling with some health problems, a beautiful quilt from Nana came in the mail.

It looks like I will be having my share of daughter-in-laws! I hope they can say the same about me!

Mom

Because it is Mother's Day weekend, I wanted to do an ode to the mothers in my life. My own mother is one of the most amazing people you could ever meet. She raised ten kids and gave each one the same opportunities they would have had if they were an only child. Now that is not to say that we were spoiled or had financial advantages. On the contrary. My father was a professor. But if there was ever a dream we wanted to chase, she helped us chase it.

I can not imagine how she did it now that I am a mother. Someone was always entering an art, piano or speech competition. There was always someone in a play which meant she was driving us to practices and many of us played sports. Because we couldn't afford vacations, she found a way to send us on them. One year my brother won our family a trip to Lake Powell complete with a house boat and speed boat. When my father had the opportunity to go to Oxford, England to be a visiting professor for one year, unpaid, she went for it. She did it in the true Susan fashion though. We rented a 400 year old bed and breakfast. She had a mini fridge and no dishwasher of course. I was only eight so all I remember is the amazing excursions we went on. Anywhere we could go for free, we would. We saw England through different eyes than most visitors would. I can not imagine piling all of those kids on the underground subway, but she did it. We would pack up a lunch and see the white cliffs of Dover or maybe go to a place where we could pick blackberries. When I watch the videos we have from that time she is always hanging out clothes or scrubbing dishes. Yet I only remember the fun we had with her. Even after the year was up we were not through. We loaded in our small van, all 10 of us, (one was on a mission for our church and one was married), and went to Scotland, the land of our ancestors. We camped to save money.

She can find a use for anything. She finds the most ingenious uses for things that most people would think of as garbage. Recently she has been making piggybanks with old encyclopedias for her grandchildren. She modgepodges the pages together and cuts out and opening for the money to hide safely. There is always a project for the kids to get involved in when they visit grandma's house.

When I was growing up she could often be found at her sewing machine making someone a costume or dress, or in the kitchen canning. You may havefound her in the backyard picking raspberries or some of the other bounty of her amazing gardens.

But one of my very favorite things about my mother is that she loves people. Not just people she knows, but everyone. She will strike up long conversations with anyone and she was always helping someone in need. People always knew that they could turn to her for anything. If someday my children can feel the way I do about her, I will know I have truly succeeded.