Ground Hog Day. . .sorta

Last Year, in preperation for our trip to Germany, spcifically visiting Karlsruhe, I wanted to get a better idea of what the landscape looked like in that region. It is the SW corner of Germany. Thanks to current Technology I can do that. With a quick SEARCH on webcams in the area I can start seeing weather, traffic, even local pubs/shops and residences. I can also see local attractions and the animal kingdom.

One of these cameras became a favorite of mine very quickly.
A stork Cam.
When I first clicked on it there were two teen age storks in it and a set of parents.
I watched them through the summer. And by September they disappeared.

In December I started to check every morning as I sign on my computer for work. I can't wait for the mated pair to come back and start making a new family for this year. I want to see the babies hatch from eggs this time.

This is a very small picture, the only one I could find. I can't capture off the webcam anything. It is best to go visit the link and see for yourself.
The cool thing is you can see the town and the Gasthaus (resturant on the right side) has installed solar panels on the roof. During their bad snow storm in december everything was covered with about 10 inches of snow, but not the solar panels.

It is sorta like waiting for the ground hog, when I see the storks I know that spring has arrived.

Wind it up

There are two buckets full of wind up toys in the Nana room. The grandkids actually ask me to bring them out and they play with all of them. Yes there are favorites among the hopping, spinning, flapping & walking creatures. Some of them are new creations and some are vintage like the Woodstock of Peanuts fame.
There is one windup vintage toy character that none of the kids knew. They had asked me previously who it was and it took me a while to decide how to explain him. Last night he was brought out again and the renewed interest began. This time with Mommy around we tried to explain E.T.


I happen to have the movie on DVD and suggested we all watch it together. Mommy was not so sure they were ready for it. These grandchildren are 3-5-7 years old and can be sensitive to sad stories. After dinner we put the movie in. Unfortunately Mommy said when she was a little girl she was afraid at the beginning so that put it in their minds that it was a spooky story. They all wanted to sit next to Mommy with the blanket.

I know I should have taken pictures. But let’s just say it was soooooooo darn cute watching everyone experience E.T. for the first time. Joy thinks he is scary but loves Gertie (Drew Barrymore). Korban was really immersed in how Elliot was trying to take care of E.T., And Kentucky was able to predict the “Feelings” E.T. was having about wanting to go home. He also loved (jumped all over the living room) the bike race at the end and helping E.T. escape.

Over all it was wonderful. As Mommy and I watched we also noticed all the bloopers, clothing/costume choices, toys in the closet and Product Placement (Reeses Pieces, Coors Beer, etc.). This made it even interesting to us. Even Grandpa said it was the first time he had seen all three kids engrossed in the same movie. They never left the room.

Now my little wind up toy has a special meaning to 3 more kids.
Phone Home. . . . . . . .

Long Winter's Nap

December was so full of events it is hard to decide which ones to write about and share with the rest of my far away families. But Here are some.

What really counts?
Family. . .all 19 of us in one room. Talking all at once, unwrapping at once and generally smiling all at once.

Tim & Jerry

David S. & Jerry & Luelle


Monday is garbage day in our neighborhood. I know the sanitation guys are going to be happy they have mechanical arms to pic up our bins on Monday. That was a lot of paper and plastic to remove.


And trying to get the grandkids in one spot smiling. IMPOSSIBLE!! AT least most of them wore some part of the matching PJ’s I got them.





Holiday events. . . Walked Peacock Lane and time with Herbie. (a 3 block area where every house has lights on it, this is located just 5 blocks from my stepfather's house so we park there and walk it)




Dressing friend's tree with oodles of Balloon Ornaments.




Zoolights, walking through the Oregon zoo on a Very cold and windy night. How many kids can you cram into a stroller?






Breakfast with Santa is never complete without crafts and a picture with Santa AND the RODEO QUEEN!!





Kentucky getting his Yellow Belt in TaeKwando. His goal was to complete it before he was 7 and he did it with 2 weeks to spare. GREAT JOB!!


And Kentucky got published in the Town newspaper for his picture & quote.


Birthdays count, sometimes more of them than others. Like Sarah’s 30th!
The surprised look on her face as she reached into the back seat and Jerry grabbed her arm was priceless. Especially as I saw it through the rear view mirror.
Hope she doesn’t for get this birthday.


The quiet moment AFTER everyone leaves the house counts high too! I know the cats think so.
Monster & Shadow got beds from Great Grandma & Great Grandpa this year. And they are already using them.


Now I look forward to putting away Christmas and settling in for a LONG WINTER’S NAP. Hmmmmmm’nitey ‘nite. . z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z.

No more Monkeys jumping on the bed

A three year old can teach us important lessons. Here are 3 in three days.

#1. Flash Gordon and Batman fight and then share pizza and cookies.
Don't you think every fight with a friend should end in Pizza and cookies, (ok beer too!)
This came from Josiah on Saturday while we babysat him.

#2. Everyone likes Trains, even Jesus.
This is a quote from Emery in daughter Jenny's blog.

#3. Jumping off beds are dangerous.
This comes from Joy, only she didn't say it. It is actually implied.

This morning while on the phone with Cameron, she said "Gotta go, I just heard a thump and a scream". Every mother's dread.

I am now infront of the computer after spending the better part of today juggling grandchildren, cell phones, cars and hospitals.

Final results. Joy jumped from the top of the ladder of her Loft Bed, hitting the metal pole leg on the way down with her left lebow.
Broke the Humurous bone just above the elbow joint. Broke off an actual chunk that floated away from the elbow area.



She now has 3 pins in her elbow.



The trip transfer from one hospital to the children's hospital in the Ambulance was entertaining. Joy kept telling the Paramedics about the movie Cinderella. Scene by Scene. This of course was under the influence of Morphine.
Surgery went fine and now she sleeps at the hospital overnight. In a split cast for 4 weeks then the pins will be removed.

Lesson. . . . .
NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON OR OFF THE BED!!

1964

School entrance regulations are getting tougher these days. Just to get into Kindergarten you need not only your inoculations but a urine test. YES you read that right.
Today was the appointment for Mary to get her “all clear” from the doctor so she could start Kindergarten at El Camino elementary. The instruction packet from the school said we were to bring a “specimen” with us to the appointment.

Really? REALLY!? You ever try to get a urine specimen from a shy 5 year old?

I tried several times this morning to get her to sit on the toilet while I held the baby food jar to catch the stream. No luck. It didn’t help that Lee (3 years old) and Cam (5 months old) kept vying for my attention during this delicate operation.

We had to get out the door to the appointment so I thought I would just bring the jar along with us, as we made our way to the Clinic, just in case her bladder would finally give out.

It was going to be a walking day, a nice August day. Good excercise and sunshine for everyone. I purposely scheduled a quick stop at Belinda’s house to provided another opportunity to try and catch the stream. making sure Mary drank lots of water on the way.
It really breaks my heart at the same time makes me chuckle. Mary was so mortified to have to pee in a jar. She was proud to be a Big Girl and have the bathroom as a private place for herself and now to find out that for the rest of her life she will be subjected to these indecencies for the sake of health. My chuckle came when she insisted that I wrap up the jar before anyone outside the bathroom could see the golden liquid.

It was another mile of walking beyond Belinda's place before we got to the Clinic. Pushing Cam’s stroller and having Lee and Mary complaining about the distance only made the waiting in the lobby that much worse. While Lee complained about the walking he sure had the energy to bounce off the chairs in the waiting room. Where does a 3 year old store that energy? No nap, nosugar cookies, no TV cartoons, how does he do it? And there was Mary quiet and afraid of the shots she knew she was going to get. Actually I don't blame her, not being a fan of needles myself.

Since I had to bring all 3 kids in the exam room with me it was nice to have a patient doctor and nurse. The doctor handled the shy Mary very well, Two shots in the arm and a quick lung & heart check up and we were back out the door walking the mile and a half home. It almost didn’t feel worth the trip. But now she is ready to start her academic life.
Will it be easier when it's Lee's turn or Cam's?



This is a Blog written as if my mother would have done it in 1964. The story is true. One thing is missing that puts it all in perspective. Mom is blind and could not drive me to the appointments. (think about trying to capture a specimen). Nor could she have someone watch my brother and sister. She was very proud of being a handicapped parent and wanted to show everyone that she could do the same things a sighted parent could do with only small adjustments.
I write this as a personal reflection to show my own daughters that parenthood is tough no matter the era or the disabilities. But it is also just as rewarding.

Leaf me alone

The household had a bit of a slowdown last week. Both Jerry and I had some medical issues that caused us not be able to complete normal household tasks. Thanks to the kids. . (Tammi & Jenny)I was driven to my appointment andwe got dinner handled on Friday.On Sunday Cameron & kids came over to handle the leaf accumilation issue in the front yard.
I couldn't do the lifting part but I could take pictures. And what fun it was. so many here, but you will enjoy them and there is a need to share with mommy so just sit back and enjoy.







Conflict resolution. . . ."Can I use the leaf Blower Mom?, No you aren't big enough yet."



Don't blow your sister over!









Of course mommy is left to do the trash can duty, the rest of the crew ran inside where Grandpa paid them for picking up leaves.

If Blogging were around

What if Blogging were around in 1966. I would have been 8 years old, my brother would be 6 and my little sister 3.
There would be blogs full of Jello, Miracle Whip and carrot recipies, the latest in crafty ideas to use up toilet paper and paper towel tubes. There would be political rants of what President Johnson was going to do about all those Civil Rights protests, let alone that hot spot in Asia that was brewing.
Doesn't seem to have changed much except now it is on a screen and not on paper in a magazine/newspaper.

My mother was a journalism major in college. She took her writing in a totally different direction after she got married and started raising 3 kids. I truly wish Blogging had been around for her to expereince and contribute to. Without a doubt she would have been popular.

Today I stumbled upon a Mommy blog (not that I was looking for it, it just popped up when I clicked Next Blog). The Meanest Mom has elements in it that remind me not only of how my mother wrote. But also what us kids used to do to her. This lady has one advantage over my mom, though, she can see. My mom was blind and still raised 3 sighted kids. Never the less, this blog is worth mentioning to all mom's and grandma's. She is short, concise and terribly humorist. I hope she continues.
And as I said before, not much has changed, the kids still get bored, they still kick each other's chairs and pull the old joke of "Want some seafood? . .HERE SEE FOOD!" with the mushed up remains of an egg salad sandwich dangling from the 6 year old's tongue.

And in honor of my mom. . .I think I will post a blog as if I were her in 1966.