Grandma Moses

Grandma meets Alex for the first time

Many have heard of Grandma Moses.  Not everyone has the privilege of actually having a real Grandma Moses.  My kids are pretty lucky.  Darin's mom is one of a kind.  At Darin's 20 year High School reunion, almost every person that he re-connected with asked, "How's your mom?"  We have lots of fun stories to share about her.  One time Sean was telling jokes and he began one that, in my opinion, was better shared with peers (or not at all) and not with grandparents.  I stopped him mid-joke and told him he may not want to share that joke with Grandma.  Grandma Moses winked at him and whispered, "It's o.k.  You can tell me later."

Another classic:  Mary Ellen is fiercely loyal to her children.  She loves them dearly and mama bear comes out when they are in danger.  As a young boy Darin's brother, Don, was being teased by a neighbor boy.  Don was riding his tricycle and the neighbor boy was throwing rocks at him. Mary Ellen was having none of it.  After comforting Don she told him to go back out and ride his tricycle and assured him that "mom will take care of it".  She then hid behind the car and waited for the neighbor boy to strike.  While his arm was up and he was getting ready to throw a rock, she jumped out from behind the car and said, "You'd better not throw that rock.  I turn into a witch at night and I look for little boys that throw rocks at other kids and I break their arms." They didn't have a problem after that.

Her eyesight is going.  It is devastating to her.  It is very hard for her not to be able to be independent.  Because she can't see well, she needs help to get places.  For a while, I was
 her ride.  Every Wednesday I would pick her up to run errands.  During those rides we became very close.  She told me about her childhood, her first love, her early married years, the talents she has developed over the years (including art, music, storytelling, the ability to put lipstick on without the aid of a mirror, etc.), the gratitude she has for her posterity, her highs and her lows.  Those car rides are treasured memories for me.  Because she recently moved a little farther away, and because we are still settling into life with a newborn I haven't been her ride for a while.  I miss it.  Phone visits have been taking the place of face to face visits.  Hopefully soon we will settle in to a new schedule that includes regular visits again.

No shopping trip is complete without Grandma buying a treat for the kids.  Every time I tell her that it isn't necessary she insists, saying, "How else are they going to remember me?"  And while treats and Arctic Circle do remind us of Grandma, her legacy will include much more than that.  I hope we still have many years to add memories to our vault.

Plumb Tuckered Out

I'm actually not sure what that phrase means, but when I saw these photos that's the phrase that came to mind.  To be honest, I don't even remember what we did that made everyone so tired.  But it was probably a lot of fun.  Probably.

Buddies

Butterfly Coma

Sometimes when Alex is really sad we can calm him down by swaddling him tightly and bouncing  him gently.  He is such a good natured baby that it doesn't happen often, but I'm grateful we've discovered how to make him happy when it does.  The other day Alex was swaddled and I was bouncing with him.

Warren: "He looks like he's in a butterfly coma."
Me (chuckling): "Do you mean 'cocoon'?
Warren (also chuckling): "Oh, yeah. Cocoon."
. 

Rub a dub dub, Three Boys in a Tub

Briggy, Alex and David

So Cozy

Baby Alex Got a Big Hand!

The other day David was snuggling with Alex on the couch.  David's arm was stretched out underneath Alex's head.  Briggy came over to give Alex a kiss.  He got close to Alex, but then started backing up.  He had the most panicked look on his face and in a shaky voice he said, 

"Mom!  Baby Alex got a big hand!"

He was visibly upset.  I looked over to where Alex was to see what he was talking about.  From his point of view it looked like David's arm was attached to Alex's body.  The poor kid was traumatized.  It was difficult not to giggle as I showed Briggy that the big hand was attached to David.  After he realized that all body parts were in the right places for the right people, he giggled as well.