Gary and Sally moved last weekend...exciting to have new neighbors! We had to go check out their new house...Grace liked it a lot. We had lunch together. Very fun!

It is so much fun now that Grace realizes who she knows! Jeremy was working on his upper body strength by swinging her around!

Tubes!

Grace's last meal before "fasting" for surgery. Yummy Italian dinner with Tara's friend Lisa.
Yes, honey, tomorrow is the big day!
Got some good medicine...now I'm ready to go!
All finished!!

Grace was a little trooper when she got tubes in her ears on February 1. We are so thankful that she didn't get sick, have any major drainage from her ears, or seem to be in any discomfort. She was a little "off" on Tuesday, but was her old self on Wednesday. The hardest part of the whole thing was trying to get to the car on Tuesday morning due to the ice! The sidewalk was like an ice rink, and it took us some time to chisel the ice from the car. Thank goodness there weren't many people on the road at 6:15 am.

We just hung out on Tuesday, and when I thought that I would be driving back home the weather got even worse. The ice in Columbus was absolutely amazing. So...I decided to stay (secretly hoping for a snow day). My great job share partner said that she would work for me Wednesday if I couldn't make it back. Thank God I didn't have to worry about school. It was good that I was there...right before we went to bed a sizable limb fell on the back of the house. What a noise it made! We both jumped...and went to check it out. Tara could hardly get off of the back deck to go look. It didn't appear to do any damage. Sleeping that night was fun, too, because of the ice hitting the windows and the roof.

Another thing to be thankful for was that we didn't lose power. We had a nice lunch and then I decided to head for home. The roads were slippery but not as much traffic as usual. After being with Grace (and Tara) for 2 days, I really miss her!

Grace's first sled ride! She enjoyed it and I don't think that she wanted to stop. Only problem was she couldn't put her arms down in her snow suit :)

Todd's uncle passed away unexpectedly this past Friday. He had cancer, but his death was not expected this soon. I babysat Grace until Tuesday when we went to the calling hours in Cochocton and did the baby swap. She missed her mommy but was not lacking for love and attention at Grandma's house! Aunt Carli watched her on Monday night when Ted and I both had meetings.

Of course she did things for the first time when mommy wasn't around. Guess she just wanted to show off! You forget how much time and energy that babies take...I was very tired last night.

Grace has had many ear infections that antibiotics are not fixing...so she is getting tubes in her ears on February 1. I'm going down to "help"...it's a good excuse to be with her again...

Looking forward to this weekend when my brother will meet the moving van...2 doors down from us! I have never lived close to him as they have been in CT for 35 years and were in Delaware before that. Will be nice to have him and Sally close by.

I know that not everyone gets to stay home during a snow storm, but I could really use a snow day!

Happy New Year!!

2011~~

Had a great Christmas with all 3 of the girls home and now a grandbaby. Doesn't get any better than that this side of heaven. I can't see how heaven can even be better, but guess we'll figure that one out some day. It is hard for our human brain and emotion to imagine what heaven will be like.

was so fun with Grace, even though she didn't really know what was going on. She was just her usual happy self...even though she is battling ear infections. This morning Tara had to take her in again...hse has never been fussy, the only clue that Tara has is that she doesn't eat/drink like normal. Welllll...this week she ran a fever and is really fussy. She was put on another antibiotic on Wednesday, and this morning was given injections...I feel so bad! I remember those helpless feelings that you had when your kids were sick. Pray that she gets over these infections once and for all!

We had a nice New Year's...missed my college friends, but his year just wasn't meant to be for us to get together. So...Carli and Jeremy and Carli's friend, Rachel, came over for the weekend. We ate lots of good food and were babysitting Grace as Tara worked the entire weekend. Grace had lots of attention and we had a great time. Kelsie went back to GCC already on Sunday. Miss her when she's not here.

It's a good thing that we don't know the future. We have lots of changes coming this year at church...and I'm sure with life in general. Here's to 2011!!

As always, Christmas will be here before I feel like I am ready! With Tara's help I finally got a few cookies baked and decorated. Caramels and Opera Creams are done...now if the shopping and gift wrapping could magically complete themselves it would be fantastic. For some reason everything took me longer this year, I felt like I was in slow motion.

Grace and Tara were home today to get Grace's photos taken. She was tired and like a deer in headlights when we got there, but after she warmed up a bit she had her usual bright smile. I hope that she got some good ones!! I think that we took more stuff with us than we did for Tara's senior pictures !

Kelsie doesn't get off until the 22nd and goes back January 3. That certainly isn't enough time for me to get my fill. I miss having her around, but I'm sure that she will be ready to get back to school. She is studying for finals and I haven't spoken to her in a while...on the weather map it looks like they got quite a bit of snow, and she has a long walk to class...hope she is staying warm!

Carli is at the half-way point of PT school already! The time is flying. She had an appointment with Dr. Stallings in November and everything still looks good! He always discusses what chemo side effects to watch for, which puts the damper on things for me. I don't think that it bothers Carli, though, which is good. I always tell her it's my job to worry about her!! Hopefully now that she isn't in school I might see her from time to time. She wants to learn how to make caramels...we'll see how that goes :O)

Doing a musical for Christmas Eve with my choirs at church. The kids are so cute and learn things so quickly. They look so cute dressed as lambs, shepherds and angels.

Our kids will all be home for Christmas. Tara has to work the day after, and this is our year with Carli and Jeremy. I can't wait. Christmas morning is the most special time, opening gifts and having brunch together. I feel like a little kid when I think about it! THat is the thing that makes me sad when I think about getting older and my girls wanting to stay home with their families for Christmas morning.

I think often about those who have lost loved ones that they miss even more during the holidays. I miss my dad and baking him goodies. I am so thankful that we had great holidays when I was growing up. I don't know how my parents did it, but they made them really special. My dad would dress as Santa and hitch up our pony to the sleigh and take kids for rides. What fun!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas!

We had a wonderful time in Washington, DC this past weekend. My sister Susan's husband works there during the week and we took her so that she could visit for the week. We walked around the monuments on Friday, met Carli's friend Rachel for dinner that evening, and the only ones complaining were the adults! Grace never once cried the entire weekend. She is such a trooper!!

Saturday we walked the streets of Georgetown, had a great lunch and were really tired until we finally got back to the hotel.

Sunday we visited Amani Au Ju which is a store that sells items made by women in Nairobi that are learning the sewing trade. Many of these women are single and raising families, and are refugees from places like Rowanda. We had visited the Nairobi store when we were in Africa. Such a neat place, and you now that your purchases are really helping to change lives.

Then we walked around old town Alexandria. Very beautiful and could be a great place to shop. Will have to go back with either girlfriends or daughters...husbands who don't shop are not very much fun!

It was an absolutely beautiful weekend...the weather couldn't have been better...Grace was the perfect baby...and it was nice to be away without an agenda.

Homecoming at Grove City College