44 posts tagged “grandma”

Yesterday was my mom's birthday.  The whole crew got together for supper down at the 40.  This is my brother and his new girlfriend.

Today at work, we did her birthday lunch with the office crew.  We go to the Cattle-Ac and have lunch, champagne, and cake!  My mom was wearing the new coat from my dad and necklace from Ray & Amy.  We got her a scarf but it didn't go with that particular ensemble.

I sure hope I look that beautiful at 65!

 

J - Joyous

A - Awesome football player

C - Cool dude

E - Egg eater

That last one really cracks me up because my mom's been making a warm breakfast for the kids each morning usually with eggs.  She's going to have to move into our new house with us because the kids aren't going to be happy when I point to the cereal!

They don't have a set age limit for when kids can begin receiving communion here.  It's just up to the parents and the there are 3 weeks of classes that the child and parents go through.  We decided to have Jace go ahead and do it.  Cody didn't get to until the end of 5th grade but it was obvious kids do it younger here.  I must say I don't think Jace got nearly as much out of the classes as Cody did and Jace was one of the oldest ones there.  I sure don't plan to have Lily do it any younger. 

The whole family went to church including my parents and brother.  It's so awesome to have them present at all of these wonderful events.  We got Jace a dog tag cross necklace and he even wore it to school today.

We miss you and hope to see you soon.

Aside from the 29 inch walleye my brother caught, the fishing was a total bust this weekend.  That's pretty typical for August.  So, the kids entertained themselves trying to catch one of the many rabbits around the cabin.  Cody made a trap and put a slice of bread in it since we didn't have any carrots or lettuce.

There was a rabbit in the trap twice but they didn't get the rope pulled fast enough either time.  Then, they decided to move the trap closer to the long grass.

Cody spent hours watching the rabbits which is incredible for him.  They finally got a big rabbit trapped but he managed to get himself out before they got there.

My brother and I taught the kids how to play the dice game Zonk (also called 10,000).  We used to play with my Little Grandma but really haven't since she died to we had to look up the rules.  The kids absolutely love it and it's something we can all play together.  We've also got my brother playing Squeak.

 

 

We had such a wonderful weekend.  We spent Saturday morning shopping for house stuff while my brother took the kids out to breakfast, swimming, and to the Farmer's Market.  The tile for the main and master bathrooms is now purchased!  We're getting close to the end of picking stuff out for the new house, thank goodness!

Next, we headed to the Indoor Football Championship with the Billings Outlaws vs. River City Rage (think they're from Missouri).  We had awesome seats about 10 rows up.

Jace got a tshirt, Cody a hat, and Lily a megaphone.  The mascot is a horse named Gunsmoke.  Instead of cheerleaders, they have a dance team who entered on the back of Harley motorcycles.  They also have 3 "outlaws" that fire their guns whenever there's a score.  This is the quarterback making his entrance.  It was super neat that several of the players came out with their children. 

The game got off to an amazing start.  The Outlaws were kicking off and did an onside kick right off the bat and got it!  The next play was a flea flicker for a TD!!  The crowd went wild.  Arena football is done on a smaller field and there are no sidelines.  The coach actually stands out on the field and fans could reach over the barrier and break up plays which happened once.  Another time, a catch was made but the player ended up going head first over the barrier into someone's seat!  I was blown away by the fantastic catches that were made.  There's very little running game.  Because of the smaller field, there's a lot more scoring which makes it very exciting.  The Outlaws led the entire game but the Rage came within one TD a few times during the 2nd half which made it scary.  The mascot, Gunsmoke, came around and Cody got his autograph and Lily gave him a hug.

The final score was Outlaws 71 and Rage 62!  The Outlaws quarterback was awarded the Best Offensive Player and MVP for the Indoor Football League. 

We topped it off with a superb supper at the Samurai where they cook the food in front of you.  My very favorite!

Not only are the kids now clothed for school but I just might be, too!  My mom totally spoiled me with a great sale at Dillard's.  I got 2 new dresses, 5 shirts, 2 jackets, and a pair of jeans!  Nothing like some new clothes to make you feel like a million bucks. 

 

 

Thumbs Down:

1. I stunk at golf league again this week.  I also golfed Monday and Wednesday and apparently my problem is nerves at women's league because I golf much better when I'm not at that!
2. My Great Aunt Betty passed away this week.  She was 84 and had Alzheimer's so it was a blessing but always sad.  She looked a lot like my Little Grandma so I always felt closer to her when Betty was around.  I'll be going to Billings with my parents for the funeral tomorrow.
3. Big Ben being accused of rape by some gal in a civil case because the DA won't even prosecute.  I don't buy it for one second.

Thumbs Up:

1. Lily had her 1st sleepover of the summer last night.  It worked out especially well because then the boys and I went golfing.  After that, Cody babysat Jace while Ray & I met my parents down at the Pub.  My mom's best friend and husband were in town for the first time in 3 years. 
2. They've finally started roofing the house and the stucco guy should be coming soon.
3. It's been a pretty uneventful week so I can't think of anything else!

What's the best compliment you've received lately?

At his reunion, one of Ray's classmates told me I was just as pretty as my mom.

 

40th - 189

 

The kids got done with school at noon on Friday.  It was a hard day.  We left right away for the lake.  You may remember that the lake had gotten very low the past several years but was starting to come up.  Well, it was up 25 ft. from this time last year and is supposed to come up another 8 ft!  I think that will make it higher than when we first started going there.  It's awesome!

For a Memorial weekend, we were treated to fairly nice weather Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday was Cody's 12th birthday.

 

 

In addition to the rollerblades, Cody got some money from his siblings and uncle and a rebound soccer net from my parents.  After opening gifts, Ray, my dad, my brother, and the boys went out fishing.  The girls stayed back and played squeak and went shopping in town.

The guys had some good fishing success and brought in 9 walleye and saugers so we had enough for supper. 

 

 

Sunday, the guys went out fishing again.  Not long after they'd left, we got a call that my dad's truck had broken down.  I went and picked them up and we hauled the truck to town and then the boat back to the cabin.  Then, the guys used my Yukon to go fishing and they came back with 19 walleyes!! 

Lily helped grandma cook and they even made a german chocolate cake to celebrate our anniversary which is today - 14 years!

We have some new neighbors from Sidney at the lake.  It happens to be one of my old babysitters and her family.  She has 2 teenagers and a son who's Jace's age!!  I am totally psyched that we haven't even moved and he's already got a friend there.  They really hit it off.

 

My BFF from h.s. was also there with her boyfriend.  He's got a 4 yr old daughter so Lily and her played a lot and then Cody played with her son whose a year behind him in school.  Uncle Ray played his first game of Blongo Ball.

And we saw our very first fox den with at least 4 little foxes!

Thumbs Down:

1. You know that cold I was complaining about 10 days ago?  Still here.  It's really weird because I have this loose cough but feel alright most of the time.  Then every few days, I start getting short of breath and need to have a breathing treatment.  Enough already!
2. Still no movement on our house.  I'm trying to decide what the next step should be.  We leave June 1 and will leave all the furniture since our new house won't be ready yet.  Our contract with the current realtor is up at the end of May so we're trying to decide if we should switch.  Aside from the 2 open houses, she has not shown the house once herself.  I'm wondering if we should paint over some of the purple, change the kitchen/dining flooring, get a new front door, lower the price, etc?
3. This afternoon is my last practice with the kids' choirs at church.  I wrote each of the kids a personal note and included some "I'm on God's team" tattoos.  We always conclude the year with a root beer float party.
4. I haven't updated on the flood lately mainly because nothing's changed.  The releases from the reservoirs are still at record levels and probably will be another 3 weeks.  The dikes and levees are holding.  Most of them are only made for 3 weeks and it'll be at least 2 months so I hope they can maintain.  The reservoir levels are finally dropping.  The biggest concern is the sewer system.  On an average day, 1.5 million gallons goes through it.  Since the flood started, the average is 6-7 million gallons per day.  For at least a week, 4 lift stations have been emptied into the river.  Yes, it is legal.  Apparently, with the amount of water in the river, the sewage is very diluted.  Regardless, I won't be going for a swim anytime soon.  Residents are being asked to conserve water.  (I've spent years trying to get the kids to always flush the toilet and now I'm telling them not to)!  I just hope the system doesn't fail before we're out of here! 

Thumbs Sideways:

1. 19 days until we leave.  We're at the point of lots of "lasts":  last choir practice, last day of confirmation, last hair appts, last massage, etc.  I've sent out most of our "change of address" updates.  Sad as all of these things are, I'm still excited about starting our new life back in MT.

Thumbs Up:

1. Progress on the new house is continuing.  The basement forms have taken a little longer than expected because of all the "jogs" the house has.  They hope to start pouring the walls today.
2. Ray mowed the lawn for the first time last night!
3. Friday, I'm making a quick trip to Fargo while the kids are at school.  I simply must have one more trip to The Children's Place before I'm forced to do all my shopping there online.
4. My aunt just sent these pictures from my grandpa's funeral reception. 
   

   Kids & Great Grandma