Nonnie's Place

NEEDED TO ADD.....

a p.s. to my last post.  I forgot to mention that Josh and Rachel went to see dad and Lavone quite often while dad was in Western State.  I know that dad knew they were there and I am sure that he remembered Rachel.  Just wanted to clarify this because my step mom cared for my father right to the end.  She deserves props for that.  She loved him a lot and Rachel always loved seeing Grandma Lavone every time they went to see dad.  Love you mom-Lavone.

IT IS WITH DEEP SORROW........

and sadness that I write this blog.  You see, Joshua's ex-wife died Sunday evening, October 30 around 5:00 p.m. or so.  While Rachel and Josh may have been divorced they were still friends and kept in contact, especially for the boys sake.  The boys Jared 14 yrs, Brian 12 years, and Elijah 10 yrs are doing well right now, but the anger is starting to show in them in little ways.  Thank God that they are with an Aunt who is loving, understanding and great mom with her own two children.  Brian was the one who found his mom.  They lived in a 5th wheel that Josh had bought, while they were married, and it is  on her mother's property in Marblemount.  Rachel had told her mother that she was going to lay down for a while and the boys went with their step-grandfather into the woods to cut some firewood.  When they got back Brian went to the trailer to wake his mom and discovered that there was blood (and a lot of it that the hassmat team had to come and bag everything) coming from her ears, nose and mouth.  Sorry to be so graphic and blunt, but it is what Brian saw and relayed that to his grandmother and step-grandfather.  It seems she had a brain aneurysm that had never been discovered.  Apparently there are no signs or symptoms with this type of thing.  Rachel was also in a lot of pain from two back surgeries and was being taken care of by her mom.  But, she never let it get to her when it came to her boys.  She was at every school event and at every football game because Jared was on the team.  While things may not have worked out between Josh and Rachel, she was a good person to me and those around her.  If you needed anything done, cleaning or some yard work she was there to help.  Whenever she was in Mount Vernon she would always stop by to say hi and visit for a while.  She was a fun loving jokester and her laughter was contagious and so were her fun loving ways.  She was good mom to her boys and she is going to be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.  I was surprised at myself at how hard her death has hit me.  She was 33 years old and in the prime of her life pain and all.  Rachel's youngest sister, Crystal, has stepped up to the plate and taken the boys in to care for them.  DSHS told her that they HAVE to notify each father that she has passed so that they can make a decision as to what they will do about their son.  But, it seems that each of them are worthless bums.  Each of them do not have jobs and the little odds and ends they do get are under the table.  They have no place to live so they bounce around from friend to friend for a place to sleep or they sleep in their car.  If any one of them try to take their son, Crystal and her husband Ed are prepared to fight them.  They are currently working on becoming Non-Custodial Parents to the boys.  God has taken them care of them in that she and her husband found a nice 5 bedroom home to rent and on the weekends that Crystal works, Ed watches the children.  It is going to cost her $250 to file the legal papers and she was quite worried and wondered about how she was going to get the money to do this.  Ed's grandparents sent Crystal a sympathy card and in it was a $300 check.  There was her answer to prayer. the money to file for custody of the boys.  Ed is very involved with each child including his own from a previous marriage as with Crystal's two children from her previous marriage.  They are a Christian family and God has given Crystal such wonderful insight and wisdom to being a good mother and finding the right ways to raise a child without the aid of those books on the market that are so misguiding to the actual realization on how to be a good parent.  

When the family sat down together, including the boys, to make a decision as to where they were going to live and giving the boys their freedom to chose whomever they wanted live with out of the two Aunts that were willing to step up to the plate, they all chose Crystal hands down.  Seems the other sister wanted to take them for all the wrong reasons part of which was the money that will come from Social Security to help suport the children.  Rachel was also a member of the up river tribe so their will be some help there and whatever the state will provide in the way of medical coverage and food stamps.  Her household has jumped from 4 permanent residents to 7 now.  Then on the visitation days Ed has his children....well lets just say it is a house full.

There is going to be a fundraising celebration of life on Sunday the 13th for those family and friends who want to attend and for those who want to donate.  You see, the funeral home wanted $4500 for Rachel's cremation and the family is so poor their is no way they could afford it.  The family spoke with the funeral home about the entire situation and they lowered the price down to $2500.  Since there wasn't going to be an open viewing (at the request of the boys who said, "They didn't want anyone to see their mom dead") so to the family that $4500 was uncalled for.  They will not release Rachel's ashes to the family until the bill is paid.  Some family and friends have already donated and we plan on being there to celebrate her life and make a donation.  There will be no flowers because Rachel didn't believe in giving flowers to anyone because she loved life and flowers always die.  She loved angel statues and had quite a collection.  So the family has requested that flowers not be given and is holding this fundraising celebration pot luck for those who want to come and remember Rachel for who she was while alive.  The last time I talked to Rachel was when she called to see if it was alright leave an angel at my mom's grave.  I thought that was a beautiful gesture on her part.  She loved my mom and got along great with her.

I am really going to miss her as will Josh.  Pray for Josh and her family that they will get through this grief and pain with God's loving arms around them to help keep them strong for themselves as well as the boys.

That is all for now.  I will keep you all posted as things develop.  The lab results from the autopsy will not be back for at least 6 to 8 weeks.  So when I know something I will let you know.  I am putting some pictures of Rachel in this blog so that those of my family and friends will know what she and the kids looked like.  Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings.  You can read her obit at the Lemley Chapel site which is www.lemleychapel.com.  Stroll on over and sign the guest book.  Love to you all and thanks a head of time for your prayers.

and sadness that I write this blog.  You see, Joshua's ex-wife died Sunday evening, October 30 around 5:00 p.m. or so.  While Rachel and Josh may have been divorced they were still friends and kept in contact, especially for the boys sake.  The boys Jared 14 yrs, Brian 12 years, and Elijah 10 yrs are doing well right now, but the anger is starting to show in them in little ways.  Thank God that they are with an Aunt who is loving, understanding and great mom with her own two children.  Brian was the one who found his mom.  They lived in a 5th wheel that Josh had bought, while they were married, and it is  on her mother's property in Marblemount.  Rachel had told her mother that she was going to lay down for a while and the boys went with their step-grandfather into the woods to cut some firewood.  When they got back Brian went to the trailer to wake his mom and discovered that there was blood (and a lot of it that the hassmat team had to come and bag everything) coming from her ears, nose and mouth.  Sorry to be so graphic and blunt, but it is what Brian saw and relayed that to his grandmother and step-grandfather.  It seems she had a brain aneurysm that had never been discovered.  Apparently there are no signs or symptoms with this type of thing.  Rachel was also in a lot of pain from two back surgeries and was being taken care of by her mom.  But, she never let it get to her when it came to her boys.  She was at every school event and at every football game because Jared was on the team.  While things may not have worked out between Josh and Rachel, she was a good person to me and those around her.  If you needed anything done, cleaning or some yard work she was there to help.  Whenever she was in Mount Vernon she would always stop by to say hi and visit for a while.  She was a fun loving jokester and her laughter was contagious and so were her fun loving ways.  She was good mom to her boys and she is going to be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.  I was surprised at myself at how hard her death has hit me.  She was 33 years old and in the prime of her life pain and all.  Rachel's youngest sister, Crystal, has stepped up to the plate and taken the boys in to care for them.  DSHS told her that they HAVE to notify each father that she has passed so that they can make a decision as to what they will do about their son.  But, it seems that each of them are worthless bums.  Each of them do not have jobs and the little odds and ends they do get are under the table.  They have no place to live so they bounce around from friend to friend for a place to sleep or they sleep in their car.  If any one of them try to take their son, Crystal and her husband Ed are prepared to fight them.  They are currently working on becoming Non-Custodial Parents to the boys.  God has taken them care of them in that she and her husband found a nice 5 bedroom home to rent and on the weekends that Crystal works, Ed watches the children.  It is going to cost her $250 to file the legal papers and she was quite worried and wondered about how she was going to get the money to do this.  Ed's grandparents sent Crystal a sympathy card and in it was a $300 check.  There was her answer to prayer. the money to file for custody of the boys.  Ed is very involved with each child including his own from a previous marriage as with Crystal's two children from her previous marriage.  They are a Christian family and God has given Crystal such wonderful insight and wisdom to being a good mother and finding the right ways to raise a child without the aid of those books on the market that are so misguiding to the actual realization on how to be a good parent.  

When the family sat down together, including the boys, to make a decision as to where they were going to live and giving the boys their freedom to chose whomever they wanted live with out of the two Aunts that were willing to step up to the plate, they all chose Crystal hands down.  Seems the other sister wanted to take them for all the wrong reasons part of which was the money that will come from Social Security to help suport the children.  Rachel was also a member of the up river tribe so their will be some help there and whatever the state will provide in the way of medical coverage and food stamps.  Her household has jumped from 4 permanent residents to 7 now.  Then on the visitation days Ed has his children....well lets just say it is a house full.

There is going to be a fundraising celebration of life on Sunday the 13th for those family and friends who want to attend and for those who want to donate.  You see, the funeral home wanted $4500 for Rachel's cremation and the family is so poor their is no way they could afford it.  The family spoke with the funeral home about the entire situation and they lowered the price down to $2500.  Since there wasn't going to be an open viewing (at the request of the boys who said, "They didn't want anyone to see their mom dead") so to the family that $4500 was uncalled for.  They will not release Rachel's ashes to the family until the bill is paid.  Some family and friends have already donated and we plan on being there to celebrate her life and make a donation.  There will be no flowers because Rachel didn't believe in giving flowers to anyone because she loved life and flowers always die.  She loved angel statues and had quite a collection.  So the family has requested that flowers not be given and is holding this fundraising celebration pot luck for those who want to come and remember Rachel for who she was while alive.  The last time I talked to Rachel was when she called to see if it was alright leave an angel at my mom's grave.  I thought that was a beautiful gesture on her part.  She loved my mom and got along great with her.

I am really going to miss her as will Josh.  Pray for Josh and her family that they will get through this grief and pain with God's loving arms around them to help keep them strong for themselves as well as the boys.

That is all for now.  I will keep you all posted as things develop.  The lab results from the autopsy will not be back for at least 6 to 8 weeks.  So when I know something I will let you know.  I am putting some pictures of Rachel in this blog so that those of my family and friends will know what she and the kids looked like.  Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings.  You can read her obit at the Lemley Chapel site which is www.lemleychapel.com.  Stroll on over and sign the guest book.  Love to you all and thanks a head of time for your prayers.

and sadness that I write this blog.  You see, Joshua's ex-wife died Sunday evening, October 30 around 5:00 p.m. or so.  While Rachel and Josh may have been divorced they were still friends and kept in contact, especially for the boys sake.  The boys Jared 14 yrs, Brian 12 years, and Elijah 10 yrs are doing well right now, but the anger is starting to show in them in little ways.  Thank God that they are with an Aunt who is loving, understanding and great mom with her own two children.  Brian was the one who found his mom.  They lived in a 5th wheel that Josh had bought, while they were married, and it is  on her mother's property in Marblemount.  Rachel had told her mother that she was going to lay down for a while and the boys went with their step-grandfather into the woods to cut some firewood.  When they got back Brian went to the trailer to wake his mom and discovered that there was blood (and a lot of it that the hassmat team had to come and bag everything) coming from her ears, nose and mouth.  Sorry to be so graphic and blunt, but it is what Brian saw and relayed that to his grandmother and step-grandfather.  It seems she had a brain aneurysm that had never been discovered.  Apparently there are no signs or symptoms with this type of thing.  Rachel was also in a lot of pain from two back surgeries and was being taken care of by her mom.  But, she never let it get to her when it came to her boys.  She was at every school event and at every football game because Jared was on the team.  While things may not have worked out between Josh and Rachel, she was a good person to me and those around her.  If you needed anything done, cleaning or some yard work she was there to help.  Whenever she was in Mount Vernon she would always stop by to say hi and visit for a while.  She was a fun loving jokester and her laughter was contagious and so were her fun loving ways.  She was good mom to her boys and she is going to be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.  I was surprised at myself at how hard her death has hit me.  She was 33 years old and in the prime of her life pain and all.  Rachel's youngest sister, Crystal, has stepped up to the plate and taken the boys in to care for them.  DSHS told her that they HAVE to notify each father that she has passed so that they can make a decision as to what they will do about their son.  But, it seems that each of them are worthless bums.  Each of them do not have jobs and the little odds and ends they do get are under the table.  They have no place to live so they bounce around from friend to friend for a place to sleep or they sleep in their car.  If any one of them try to take their son, Crystal and her husband Ed are prepared to fight them.  They are currently working on becoming Non-Custodial Parents to the boys.  God has taken them care of them in that she and her husband found a nice 5 bedroom home to rent and on the weekends that Crystal works, Ed watches the children.  It is going to cost her $250 to file the legal papers and she was quite worried and wondered about how she was going to get the money to do this.  Ed's grandparents sent Crystal a sympathy card and in it was a $300 check.  There was her answer to prayer. the money to file for custody of the boys.  Ed is very involved with each child including his own from a previous marriage as with Crystal's two children from her previous marriage.  They are a Christian family and God has given Crystal such wonderful insight and wisdom to being a good mother and finding the right ways to raise a child without the aid of those books on the market that are so misguiding to the actual realization on how to be a good parent.  

When the family sat down together, including the boys, to make a decision as to where they were going to live and giving the boys their freedom to chose whomever they wanted live with out of the two Aunts that were willing to step up to the plate, they all chose Crystal hands down.  Seems the other sister wanted to take them for all the wrong reasons part of which was the money that will come from Social Security to help suport the children.  Rachel was also a member of the up river tribe so their will be some help there and whatever the state will provide in the way of medical coverage and food stamps.  Her household has jumped from 4 permanent residents to 7 now.  Then on the visitation days Ed has his children....well lets just say it is a house full.

There is going to be a fundraising celebration of life on Sunday the 13th for those family and friends who want to attend and for those who want to donate.  You see, the funeral home wanted $4500 for Rachel's cremation and the family is so poor their is no way they could afford it.  The family spoke with the funeral home about the entire situation and they lowered the price down to $2500.  Since there wasn't going to be an open viewing (at the request of the boys who said, "They didn't want anyone to see their mom dead") so to the family that $4500 was uncalled for.  They will not release Rachel's ashes to the family until the bill is paid.  Some family and friends have already donated and we plan on being there to celebrate her life and make a donation.  There will be no flowers because Rachel didn't believe in giving flowers to anyone because she loved life and flowers always die.  She loved angel statues and had quite a collection.  So the family has requested that flowers not be given and is holding this fundraising celebration pot luck for those who want to come and remember Rachel for who she was while alive.  The last time I talked to Rachel was when she called to see if it was alright leave an angel at my mom's grave.  I thought that was a beautiful gesture on her part.  She loved my mom and got along great with her.

I am really going to miss her as will Josh.  Pray for Josh and her family that they will get through this grief and pain with God's loving arms around them to help keep them strong for themselves as well as the boys.

That is all for now.  I will keep you all posted as things develop.  The lab results from the autopsy will not be back for at least 6 to 8 weeks.  So when I know something I will let you know.  I am putting some pictures of Rachel in this blog so that those of my family and friends will know what she and the kids looked like.  Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings.  You can read her obit at the Lemley Chapel site which is www.lemleychapel.com.  Stroll on over and sign the guest book.  Love to you all and thanks a head of time for your prayers.

    
Elijah                                  Jared                            Brian

 
    Acting goofy                                                     Happier times

    
       Taken on their wedding day 

THE DAWN IS....

breaking and I am sitting on Laura's patio watching the day break. I have a nice cup of coffee to enjoy and I am enjoying the cool breeze that is hitting my face. It is so beautiful here in Fountain, CO. So beautiful in fact that I do not want to go home. Being with Laura and the girls again in THEIR environment is a pleasure. They have so much more to do here than at Nonnie and Papa's house. We don't have a play for the girls to play so they are pretty much stuck in the house. Besides, when they come home they are not coming strictly to see us, they are coming to visit friends they haven't seen in a long time. Here I get to see them every day and enjoy the girls having fun in their own home.

I cannot believe how the sun shines here almost every day. The temps have been extremely warm, but it is better than being cold and wet all the time. I can take it from about 72 - 75 degrees then I feel it and it becomes uncomfortable for me. But Laura has air conditioning and the bonus room down stairs get a nice cool breeze when the windows are open. The guest room (where we sleep) is really cool and I can always go there to cool off. John has to have two blankets, one of them being a down comforter, on him because it does get cold at night. Me, I sleep with a sheet. I like a cold bedroom to sleep in because it helps me to sleep better.

I am sitting here in the early morning hour listening to the crickets singing their own little songs, I can hear the sounds of the traffic in the far off distance and an occasional train goes by. It is an experience that I will never forget. There are some woods across the grassy acres behind her house and sometimes you can hear the coyotes howling to each other.

I was able to bring my dog Julie because she is considered a service animal for several problems I have, which I will not go into. Anyway, the poor little thing doesn't realize that she is free to roam in the fenced in backyard. She is use to being walked around the block every morning to do her business. I think that she didn't realize that could just go anywhere in the yard she wanted to go. But, Laura's dog JoJo showed her the ropes of the backyard and now she has the hang of it. When we first arrived we would have to take Julie out on her leash to go potty because that was the only way she knew. Freedom from her leash is not something that she is use to. She is a funny little thing who provides me with comfort and calmness when I need it.

We are having such a good time enjoying the warmth and watching the girls play. Regan is into archery and has her own bow and arrow set. Her daddy got a couple bales of hay and has them set up in one corner of the backyard so she can shoot those arrows to her heats content. She really takes after Jaime. She is very outspoken and talks a lot whereas Riley is more quiet and somewhat introverted. Riley's passion is writing stories. She wrote a book for us with a science theme. I think she likes science; but who knows, maybe she will become a writer or scientist who discovers a complete cure for all cancers. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I wanted to upload some photos I took of the early morning view, but I will have to do that later. This computer I am on does not seem to want to upload my photos. When I get home I will post the photos then. Love to all.

FINALLY SOME......

 beautiful weather.  It has been a long time coming too.  It rained all through June, July and part of August.  However; we did have some sunshine on our church camping trip the last weekend of July.  And, of course, on Sunday it rained as it does every year.  But, we were under cover at the park's covered area.  I took Riley and Regan with us and they had a great time.  The Allen girls were having fun with Riley and Regan also.  Elise came out on Friday to spend some time with her cousins before then went home to Colorado.  But, the poor thing was left out and she wasn't happy because her cousins took off to the river without her.  Her little feelings were hurt.  So I had to have a little talk with them about playing with their cousin while she was there because the reason she came out to the camping trip was to see them.  They finally did spend some time with her, but I think she had more fun with Nonnie and Papa.  She was so excited about going to bed that night because she was sleeping in the trailer with us.  She asked where she was going to sleep and I told her on the fold out bed.  She was surprised when we pulled the hide-a-bed out and made it up for her.  She just went on and on about how she had never seen a bed like that before.  It was so funny to watch her reaction to this amazing new world opened up to her.  She crawled into bed and was too excited to sleep she said, because she got the big bed all to herself.  But, with in minutes she was out like a light.  Slept through the night with no problems.  I thought that she might want her mom or dad at bed timed or sometime during the night, but not a peep out of her.  She is going to make a great little camper.  When Nonnie and Papa go camping on their own they will probably let her come out a few days to spend some quality time with us.

I am attaching some photos of our camping trip.  I hope they take in this blog.  They were downloaded from my camera into Photoshop 6 and I DO NOT know how to use that program.  No instruction book to speak of so I am flying blind.

Hope you all had a great summer and a sunny one at that.  Catch up with all of you later.  Takes a while for me to get this blog updated because I forget or I get too busy.

  Elise is sort of unhappy now, but she cheered up later. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Riley getting ready for the long trip home.  I don't know who cried the most, me or Regan.  I think Riley was excited about going home because she was going to start Middle School which to her meant she wasn't such a little girl anymore.  So Papa and I are suppose to fly over there sometime in the near future and I hope it is still while it is warm.  John does not like the cold weather.  Besides, it is so nice at their place that it makes me want to move there.

Papa and the girls with Julie the dog.  The girls were taking us through a trail after the Sunday service at the park's covered area which is quite a walk back to our campsite.  They said it was a short cut.  HA!  Not for poor Nonnie and Papa.  Guess we are getting too old for those kind of hikes anymore.

And finally, Regan with little Adrielle.  She just loves playing the little mom to her.  Adrielle has grown so much and she gets cuter and funnier as the days go by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

      

This is the view from Laura's back yard.  Oh how I miss that view.  You wouldn't know that there are railroad tracks behind that fence, but you sure know it when a train goes by.  What a racket.  But, I still love it there.

P.S.  Took me a while to get this blog done.  Everytime I did a preview I would find something else wrong with it and go back and fix it.  I need some serious computer savey.

MEET.......

 

Adrielle (prounced long A-dree-l) Hymn Hodges.  She was  born March 29, weighing in at 9lbs 4oz and 21 inches long.  And, she has a cry that is so shrill it would blow out the walls of the white house.  She is such a sweet little thing.  I thought that Levi would be our last little baby told hold and have fun with, but not so.  Mama was released by the doctor so she could go back to the gym and start doing some light exercising and weight lifting.  She was in weight competitions until she found out she was pregnant.

I babysat her yesterday and today and my poor dog Julie didn't know what to make of her.  If she moved the dog would jump back then carefully approach the baby again to sniff of her, she just didn't know what to make of this little person.  When I changed her diaper she, of course, screamed her little heart out, but Julie was right in her face and I had to push the dog back work on the diaper, push the dog back again, work on the diaper some more until I got her dressed.  All this time I am pushing the dog away from her.  I think that Julie was just a little bit jealous of my attention going to this baby rather than her.  She is such a little sweetheart.  She had her eyes open for a while today so got video of that.  Sorry about the quality of the videos, but I still have to learn how to use these difficult cameras.  Not too bright in that area.

All is well here.  My knee finally has healed to the point that I can actually walk the dog around the block now.  Took a long time for it to heal after the surgery in November. Talk about pain.  Whew, never again.

Have to fly to Laura and Jaime's in Colorado the end of May to take care of the children because they have to be someplace for a week.  Looking forward to it.  The girls have grown so much.  Laura found out there was a talent scout in the area for Disney looking for new faces for Disney.  She made an appointment for them to audition.  I am not sure I like this idea.  Hollywood RUINS kids.  If one of them made it, it would be Regan.  She is so outgoing and such a diva and Riley is more reserved and quiet.  I think this show "The Sweet Life" has twins that are the stars and the girls go crazy for these guys.  They are hoping to meet the boys who play Zach and Cody on the show.  It is a cute show and specifically for children.  So we will see what happens.

Well, I will try and keep you posted and get more pictures put up so you all can keep track of the baby.  Take care until next time.

 

SNOW?

In the middle of February.  And WOW did we get it too.  This is the most snow I have seen since I have lived in this State.  It's almost up to my knee.  Our little dog Julie just loves playing in too.   She goes nuts when she is outside.  Hopping like a rabbit through the snow. 

I haven't posted in the last few months because things have been bad for me health wise.  It's hard when you can't function to sit at a computer and post news.  Doing a little better now.  Some medication change and some herbal remedies are helping.

Had surgery on my right knee November 16 and I am still having problems with it.  Now I have to go to physical therapy.  My right ankle is shot and the doctor wants to replace the tendons and screw the heel into place.  NO on that because with diabetics the bones probably won't fuse so now I wear a brace on foot to support my ankle.  I am a mess.  Whose genes did I get I wonder?  Arthritis in my hands isn't much better either, especially in this weather along with the fibromylagia.  Stop the world and let me OFF!

Our 5th grandchild is due April 2, but Mary Ellen has been scheduled for a c-section for March 29.  It is a girl and her name will be Adrielle Hymn.  Hope I spelled that right.  So I am looking forward to the new baby. 

Rodger is in the hospital with cellulitis and they are trying to get it cleared up with straight anti-biotics.  He has had this once before and was hospitalized for four days.  Looks like it might be longer this time.  He has it in two spots and one spot goes all the way around the leg.  He could lose his leg with this stuff.  I'll keep family and friends posted via email.  Please pray for Rodger.

Laura has been very sick that last 5 weeks and they are doing all kinds of tests on her.  They thought she might have Chroins disease and gave her an MRI, but nothing showed there.  So they took many vials of blood from her, ex-rays, etc. and she still has no answer.  It isn't Gasteoparesis either.  She can only eat tiny amounts of food so she can hold it down.  Doctors believe that her immune system is attacking the food she eats because it thinks it is a foreigh mass.  She has lost so much weight that she sent me a picture of herself in the dress she wore after her wedding when Jaime and she were ready to take off for parts unknown.  She was tiny then and she is getting that way again but in a not so good way.  Pray for her that the doctors will figure out what is wrong and find the right treatment for it.

We are having some winter weather and it is so close to spring.  We currently have about 30 inches of snow.  I have never seen so much snow since I moved here in 1984.  I can't even walk in my front yard because it goes up to my knees.  Have to take the dog out back because there is not as much snow because of the tree cover.  She loves it though.  She loves to play in it and shove it around with her nose.  She is something else.  We almost lost her about a month ago.  She got pancreatitis and the vet had to keep her for 2 days on an I.V. to rehydrate her and treat the pancreatitis itself.  Most dogs do not survive that, but I have an excellent vet.  So now she has to have Pepto Bismo 4x a day and she gets benedryl 3x a day because of her allergies.  She is worth it though.  Her dog food is prescriptioned by the vet and you can only get it through the vet.  It is the blandest food on the market and doesn't bother her tummy as much.  She starts training March 5.  She has been prescribed as a mental health therapy dog.  I suffer agoraphobia and won't leave the house.  If I have to go to the store John has to drive because I have to take a Xanax to remain calm.  I'm nutso I guess.

Here are some pictures of our snow.

 
The tree outside our front door.

 
That's my little girl against the wall of snow.  That goes up to my hip because the plow came through and dumped on what was already there.

 
Taken from the half finished deck out back.  What icicles huh?

Well I better go for now.  Need to go lay down.  Doing a lot of that lately with all this pain, but this too shall pass with God's help.  Love you all.

CHRISTMAS and . . . .

other news.  Well, I had my knee surgery and all turned out well.  I can start back to the gym next week.  Won't be able to do much at first, but at least I can get started.  Had foreign mass that had to be removed.  It was an inch long and my muscle behind my knee was constantly catching on the dumb thing.  Now I can get up from a sitting position without that muscle catching me and knocking me to the floor.  I have had my two youngest grandchildren for the past two months helping Rodger and Mary Ellen save on day care costs.  It is so expensive.  I think today is my last day.  I will tell you, I am too old for the energy these kids have.  I am plain exhausted when they leave.

Paul finally got into subsidized housing and hopefully he won't screw it up.  I believe that it is the type of housing that is attached the mental health agency and he has to have random drug testing done.  Hopefully that will give him an incentive to finally quit drinking.  He has a disability hearing on the 15th I think.  The attorney I use to work for is handling it, so he should get it first try.  He also has to have surgery on his shoulder.  He too a bad fall while incapacitated and hurt his shoulder.  So now it can only be repaired by surgery.  Don't know when that is going to happen though.

Rodger is no longer driving truck.  He is in school full-time at Edmonds Community College studying robotics.  He loves it and is getting straight A's.  Hurts their income though.  Hopefully he can get disability because he has bi-polar disorder, and another type of disorder that deals with his sensory portion of the brain.  He can't get unemployment because they said his trade is not diminishing, but they did not take into account and physically and mentally he cannot drive a truck full-time anymore.  Oh well, budget cuts hurt the poor and so called middle income class of people.

Laura and Jaime are now stationed on Colorado Springs at Fort Carson and loving it.  No snow for them yet, but Laura really loves the weather.  Stayed warm until almost October.  Must be nice to have a summer.  We are seriously thinking about spending the summer there when and if we get rid of this house.  The girls have grown so much that it is hard to believe that they were once little babies.

 

Boy have I aged!  But, aren't they beautiful?  And then of course we have Elise and Levi.

 

They didn't want to cooperate for pictures so they didn't smile.  They were tired and ready to go home.  These chilin's are the busy bees.

Christmas is just around the corner and I am almost done with decorating my house.  It takes me days to decorate because I have so much and just about decorate every room.  Well, not every room, just the entry way, dinning room, living room and guest bathroom.  In my last post I wanted to post a picture of my Christmas village I put up every year, but couldn't locate it on my computer.  Well, I found it.  I won't be putting it up again this year because Levi will NOT leave my things alone and rather than have him being yield at and put in time out all Christmas Eve, I just didn't put temptation in his way.  See what I mean?

 

The train is like the one we got as kids, I think, back in the 1950s.  I have to find a hobby shop that can fix the engine though.  It works but the part that hooks up another car to it broke off and it doesn't steam anymore.  Hopefully I can find a place to fix it.  Maybe next year I can put it up.  Managed to get a couple of things for Christmas gifts for the two youngest grandchildren, but I haven't done any shopping.  Always happens that way.  Last minute rush because I have to wait for my payday.  Oh well, it gets done.

I really MISS the holidays with family.  I have such wonderful memories of family Christmas' together.  My Grandma Holzborn always made those holidays special because the entire family would converge on her house for Christmas.  I can still see her sweet smile and hear her wonderful laugh.  I have really been missing her lately.  I have been working on my Christmas scrapbooks of family Christmas' since 1969.  Someday if and when, we can have another family Christmas with EVERYONE you can all see those albums and share the memories with me.

Well, I better run.  Still have a lot to do and would like to get it finished today.  I'll post again later, when I can think of it that is.  :)  Love to all.

MY GRANDCHILDREN. . .

AND OTHER NEWS.  Well this month I have been watching Elise and Levi for Rodger and Mary Ellen.  Their regular babysitter will be back to work next month.  I have to tell you it has been quite an experience taking care of two very active children.  Levi is in the process of being potty trained and sometimes he doesn't tell Nonnie when he has to do a messy and oh boy do I GAG from the smell.  Just don't have the stomach for it anymore I guess.  That might be a problem for the new baby when he or she comes to Nonnie's.  I plan on taking care of the new one for them so their day care costs don't go up right away.  When the baby becomes to active for me to handle then he or she will go to regular day care.  Elise is getting quite bossy now.  She is at that age.  She will be 5 years old in January.  She says her prayers every night and ever since she found out mommy was going to have another baby she has been asking God for a girl.  "God, please let the baby in mommy's tummy be a girl, I already have a little brother."  Which by-the-way she calls her little "BOTHER."  Well a few weeks ago she was praying and got pretty demanding, "God, don't make that baby in mommy's tummy be a boy."  She says some of the funniest things sometimes.  Anyway, because those two are so active they like to yell when they talk.  I have been trying to teach them that there is an inside voice and an outside voice.  They still haven't gotten the idea on what the difference is between the two. 

So Elise is in a Christmas show at her church and she is learning a song with the word Hallelujah in it.  Well she was at the breakfast table singing the word only she was mispronouncing it.  So when I tried to teach her the correct pronunciation, I couldn't say it.  I was laughing at myself because my brain would not connect with the correct pronunciation of the word.  So I had to stop and think about a song we sing in church with Hallelujah in it.  Once I got it into my pea brain I was able to pronounce it correctly.  Anyway, she still couldn't say it right.  So, when mommy came to pick them up last night mommy asked Elise to sing her song for us.  So she starts singing it and mispronounces the word again.  So I had her watch my mouth as I said the word and before we knew it she was saying the word correctly.  We all clapped at her accomplishment and so the rest of the time here she kept repeating it over and over again.  Good job Elise.

Other news, I am scheduled for surgery on the 16th for my knee.  They found a foreign body mass in my MRI and doctor said it had to come out immediately.  I have been having problems with that knee the last seven months.  There were times I would get up from a sitting position or just walking and the muscle or whatever in the back of my knee would catch and if I hadn't had something to hang onto I most definitely would have fallen.  Apparently that little bugger is the problem so now it's coming out and my knee will be better.  However, I have a very bad case of arthritis in that knee and on side does not have any cartilage left so it is now bone on bone.  Getting old is no fun and surely not for the weak.

That's all for now.  I need to stay on top of this blog and I will do my best to do so in the future.

GRANDMA'S CLUB

I thought I would start blogging about my grandchildren.  While at my 40 year class reunion this past April, we did a round table sort of thing where we reintroduced ourselves so classmates could find old friends amongst the crowd.  Anyway, a lot of the women mentioned belonging to the "Grandma Club" and I thought what a wonderful idea, blog about grandchildren.  Don't worry I won't be blogging about them all the time, just when something cute or new happens.  Recently we had our pictures taken and I thought I would post them for all to see.  I haven't posted updated pics for a long time.  Out of all that were taken I only found two that looked good enough to post.  The rest were very shadowed.  Anyway, I recently spent a month in Colorado with Laura and the girls.  I had to stay with the girls so Laura could go to Texas and get Jaime's Jeep.  But, it had to be fixed first so it was going to take some time.  I really enjoyed that time with Riley and Regan.  I have not been able to spend a lot of time with them in the past because of their living in Germany for 7 years.  When they did come home it was a quick visit and Laura had a lot of catching up to do with her friends she hadn't seen in a long time.

Anyway, Elise recently spent the night with me and we worked on her sewing.  It was one on one time with Nonnie.  She loved it too.  She had all my attention and she wasn't being bothered by her "Little bother" as she calls him.  Levi is one active little boy and very hard to keep up with.  Just like his daddy was when he was that age.  Now they are going to have a new brother or sister and this will be our 5th grandchild.  We are so excited.  Another new baby to spoil.  Someday Josh will get married and have kids too.  The more the merrier.  So here are a couple of pictures of my little munchkins.

 
Riley and Regan.  Riley is 10 years old and Regan is 8 years old.

 
Elise & Levi.  Elise is going to be 5 years old in January and Levi turned two in August.

I'M LEAVING. . . . .

on a jet plane.  After being in Colorado Springs for a month, it is finally time for me to go home.  Been away from my husband too long.  I also miss my dog, Julie.  Jaime got home yesterday after being gone for two months.  He brought a surprise home for Laura, a 11 month old Yorkshire Terrier.  So jealous.  He is SO cute.  Of course JoJo is jealous and feels like is territory has been invaded, which it has.  Poor guy.

Usually, in the mornings when the girls get up for school and JoJo has been outside he rushes downstairs and gets under the covers with me until I get up.  But, not this a.m.  Jaime was home and when he heard his voice he was gone.  So my last morning here and JoJo didn't want me.  Oh well, we'll be back next summer with our trailer.  That is if we are out of the house.  Hope it's soon, I'm tired of the stairs and the upkeep.

That's all for now.  Be back in a couple of days to post some more pics of my time here.

IN COLORADO

Well, just as it says, I am in Colorado.  I left Washington on the 2nd of August with Laura and the girls to head for their new duty station in Colorado Springs.  They bought a home in Fountain, CO which is about a 20 minute drive from the base.  It is a beautiful home.  It has 3200 sq. ft., 4 bedrooms and 3 and a half baths, a huge fenced in back yard and 3 car garage.  It also has a beautiful view looking through the kitchen window.  The central air broke down and with the HOT temps here, I went ahead and had it fixed while Laura was gone to Texas to pick up Jaime's Jeep.  The heat is different than home, it's a dryer heat which makes it more tolerable.

However, I can't wait to get back home to my husband and dog.  It has been hard to be away so long.  I really miss my hubby and he misses me too.  My dog Julie misses me too.  She reacts to my voice on the phone and according to John jumps at the phone and tries to bite it.  She is a funny dog and I can't wait to get back to her also.  I love my daughter and family, but it has been hard being without John.  We plan on coming over for one of the holidays, but don't know which one yet.

I also found out while I was here that I am going to be a grandma again.  Mary Ellen, Rodger's wife, is expecting again sometime around April, I think.  This makes #3 for them.  I sure hope they can survive with all the action that takes place in their house.  Elise is 4 1/2 and Levi just turned 2 and he is ALWAYS on the move.  I can't keep up with him when I am babysitting him.  He loves the stairs for some reason and I can't keep him off them unless I put the baby gate up in the living room doorway.  Then he throws a fit because he doesn't like being locked in, but it is the only way I can contain him.  He is quite the character.  Elise is full of energy and can't sit still long enough to play with the toys I have in the toy box.  She always wants to watch Dora.  So this is going to be interesting to see how they act around the new baby.

This is one of the sunset pictures I took from Laura's backyard.

Another view of another sunset.

 

The hotel they were in when we first arrived.

The hotel they were in when they arrived from Germany was like a little studio apartment.  It had a small living area with a dining table, couch and chair and a tiny kitchen supplied with necessities needed for cooking and eating.  It was pretty run down and had three locks on the door.  The grounds were well maintained and beautiful.  Too bad the rooms were not that way.  But, it was a place to live until the closing took place on the house which was August 5th.

All and all it has been great seeing my kids again.  Now that we are closer we can visit more often.  However, John and I want to make one more trip to Europe.  I still haven't seen London and we want to go back to Paris and Italy.  Hopefully we can do that before we are too crippled up to travel.

Anyway, that is all  for now.