T.G.I.F.

I had the kids all week and we are falling into routine. I know when they arrive even before I hear them because the cats flatten their ears back. Sophie and Luke like them, but the cats are more discerning in their friendships.Speaking of cats, if you didn't know, Sarah's cat Jack died. Luke asked me if I knew where heaven was. I said "uummm, yeah" and he told me it was "NOT A STATE", but a place where boys take care of cats. That was a better answer than I had. Grandma started chemo again on Wednesday, and on Thursday Sophie and I went to pick her up afterward and go shopping.(Sophie got to wear the new "My Vintage Baby" skirt and leopard print tights and boots. She looked adorable!) When Sarah picked up Sophie after work, then Grandma and I went to eat at the Olive Garden and more shopping. Today Molly needed me to babysit in the afternoon for a Dr. appointment, so dad had the kids alone to put down for a nap. Luke decorated my refrigerator with MAGNETIX before I came home. I left for Molly's and she called my cell and said never mind because Jeff was coming home early and that she didn't need me. Since I was already in her driveway, I stopped in to hold Max and see the boys.(Max is as cute as can be.) Nate was at the Doctor this morning for an ear infection and is on antibiotics, and Jake now has a runny nose. Molly needed to see the Doctor because her incision is infected, and now she is on antibiotics too. I got to "chat" with Emily again today twice!! She is threatening to go surfing tomorrow. She told me it's too cold for Great White's. We'll see, won't we?

My Two Baby Girls

My "little baby girl" Sophie came over today alone while Luke was at school. We read books, petted cats, and tried on clothes.(I made her a new dress and panties.) She loves to hear "pretty". We were expecting a shipment from Matilda Jane, but it didn't come until after Sarah picked her up. Sophie has a runny nose and I know the drill by now. First Sophie, then Luke, then ME!
Then I picked up my "big baby girl" off the bus after class and we hung out for a while. Hannah loves Culvers, so we stopped there first. Same thing every time-just like the kids-chicken strips and cheese curds topped off with ice cream. We always play a game with the cheese curds. Before you bite into one, you have to guess what color cheese is inside. Hannah is batting close to 100%. Yeah, 100% WRONG! That's okay. There's no penalty. She still got the ice cream with m&m's.

We're (Almost) Famous!

Sophie and I made the newspaper today. The Saint Paul Pioneer Press carried this item I wrote in the Bulletin Board in the local section.
My very articulate 17 month old granddaughter, who can sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and say hippopotamus, calls both my husband and me Grandpa. I decided to get my due respect.
"Sophie", I pleaded gently, "say Grandma."
"Gwampa" answered Sophie.
I tried again. "Say Grandma" I said with more conviction.
"Gwampa" came the reply.
I tried to ennunciate. "Sophie, say GrandMA".
She furrowed her brow and said sharply, "Gwampa".
Finally I bellow, "No Sophie, GRANDMA!"
Sophie shouted back "STOP IT!"
She wins.

Saturday with DA BOYZ

We started off early for Nate's basketball game on this cold morning. As I was scurrying to the rec center door, I was thankful he doesn't play hockey. Jeff is his coach and Grandpa, Jake and I are his cheering section. The kid was his usual brilliant self. He works so hard on the court, that after the game he was not just warm or just red in the face, he was actually sweating. Man Sweat! An opposing team parent came over to congratulate Jeff on Nate's skills and sportsmanship. He asked for his name so he could keep an eye out for him in the future. Proud moment for us all. After the game Hannah and I had a little mother-daughter shopping time and lunch. (which means goodies and lunch are on mom!) Afterwards, we went to Molly's for a little "baby time". We took turns cuddling Max and playing with the kids. Max is such a sweet baby. He reminds me so much of Jake at that age- mellow and snugly. He just really couldn't get any cuter. Hannah roughhoused with Jake and Nate until they both got yelled at. Then Hannah came home with me until she had to babysit for Sarah. Pretty good day!

Video chat with Emily the Explorer

I hadn't heard anything for days but finally connected with Emily on the internet today. It hasn't been easy with her being 8 hours ahead and my naps and all. I was afraid she might have been dragged off by dingos or something! We were chatting and she suggested video chatting, which I then downloaded and signed on to ALL BY MYSELF. She was able to get a clear picture and sound with the brand new, cool, powerful laptop I just bought her and I was not, thanks to the old, uncool, piece of crap desktop that I have. We also figured out that she is paying by the megabyte and it is too expensive just for the novelty, so we went back to chatting after she saw Boy Genius and Shadow the Attack Cat. Luke was very enthusiastic to say the least. Shadow feigned indifference and then swatted the camera. Emily doesn't start classes until mid-February. Between now and then she has orientation for both interstudy and the University with lots of free time thrown in.. At night, her advisors are dragging them around to every bar in town. You can take the girl out of Minnesota.... well, you know the rest. Anyway, I nagged her to blog more often as we are looking forward to it, and my imagination gets the best of me if she don't. I also had a very ^&%$# conversation with Wells Fargo today for an hour. Fraud Protection called my house to alert Emily that her card has suspicious activity on it. I am sure it does, being used in South Africa instead of Minnesota. But no matter what information I had, they said they will not talk to me about the account. I told them that they KNOW she is in South Africa since they are the ones who loaned her the money, but to no avail. She has to jump through hoops to call them and get it fixed from there. I am just concerned that they will cut if off before she can get it straightened out and she'll be living in one of those shantytowns by the airport. I also received a wonderful card from Zach's friend Carolynne's mother. She said that Zach is a wonderful, caring kid and he must have wonderful, caring parents. We can all use a little encouragement like that. I promise to pay it forward. All of you have excellent reading skills. There!!

Walmart with Little Miss Meltdown

Before I start I need to make a correction from my first post. I apparently thanked Zach prematurely. The minute I started typing he went to bed and I was left to my own devices. Remember, I went to school in the days of sliderules. So,bully for me!
Today we decided to run an errand and go to lunch. With the kids. We must have forgotten what it's like. We rounded up the shoes, coats, hats, mittens, carseats, dipes, wipes, and sippy cups. Halfway to Walmart we went back and got the kids. We headed off again. Note to self- remember to bring list because you cannot think with toddlers. Luke "the Boy Genius" decided he couldn't live without BENDAROOS and sent us on a wild goose chase around the store to find them. It turns out he saw them on an infomercial and they are Not Sold In Stores. He settled for a pack of pipecleaners but wasn't very happy about it. Sophie, "Little Miss Meltdown", yelled condescendingly at the top of her lungs "come ON!" during the whole trip around the store. I don't know if her disdain was for me or the entire Walmart experience. But I did find her some fabulous leopard print short boots and matching tights to go with the three "My Vintage Baby" skirts I already bought her. She attracted alot of attention from the staff at Walmart for her Pebbles Flintstone ponytail on top of her head. I have no idea why that surprised me, as Bob pointed out, "we ARE at Walmart."
We finished up with a lunch at Wendy's consisting of Chicken nuggets, orange slices, and chocolate milk. I swear that kids have an instruction manual in their heads that state they cannot eat anything but that until they are seven. We followed up with a nap.
I know I used to do this, and I know I'll be able to again. Just hope the kids give me a chance...

Look at Me.... I'm Blogging

With a little luck and a lot of help from Zach, I've decided to start a simple blog of home life here in Minnesota. This week was my inspiration. I want to remember things as they are. Change is constant. People come and people go. On January 15th we welcomed our 5th grandchild to our family. Max William Audette weighed in at 6 lbs. 13 oz. and 19 inches long at 8:15 a.m. And on January 17th our 22 year old daughter, Emily, boarded a plane for Capetown , South Africa to live and study for the next 7 months. Even though the sting was softened by Max's arrival, it isn't gone. She is our very own Magellan. I hope to add to this periodically so Emily can see what she is missing...ha...and family and friends can have a peek inside the chaos that I call my life! can have