Sue's profileJAYHAWK FEVERPhotosBlogListsMore  |  Tools Help |
|
|
December 10 My Texas Tornado Made it to TownMy little Taco flew into to town for a weekend and we provided him with SNOW! He loved it! He is in Houston now and does not remember the cold, white stuff. He was completely amazed with snow and wanted to spend the entire weekend outside. Unfortunately, the wind chill was near zero or below, so he could only spend short spurts outside. We were lucky and received about the perfect amount of snow.... 8 inches.
His visit was much too short, but I'm so thrilled I was able to see him. August 06 The Wiggles and Birthday Countdown has begunSquirt, aka Texas Tornado, aka Jaden, aka grandson now needs a twelve step program to help him with his addiction to the children's phenom known as "The Wiggles". Anyone with small children know these four grown men who sing and jump around to silly songs and ride around in a stupid Big Red Car. They have captured the admiration of many of our children. Most children tire of The Wiggles within a year. Not my grandson. This boy has a serious obsession. He watches them, sings their songs, and does the "Wiggles" dance every day, all day long. The only good thing about him moving to Houston last October was that I would not have to watch "The Wiggles Dance Party" any more! I thought I was going to slit my wrists. When he visits, he goes to my bedroom and spreads all his Wiggles DVDs out on my bed and watches them over and over and over and over. He never tires of them. When I tell him it's time to throw "Dance Party" in the trash, he laughs and says "You're silly grandma!" He has no idea how serious I am.
The one thing I truly miss about having small children is taking them to live shows. The circus, Sesame Street Live, Michael Jackson concert (DQ was lucky on that one). The excitement and wonder on their faces, the purchasing of all the over priced crap sold at these affairs is unbeatable. The parents get as excited if not more than the kids. Last Thursday in Houston, The Wiggles were in town. Squirt's Stepmom (who I will refer to as him mom, since she loves him so very much and is doing an incredible job raising him with Squirt's dad) had this experience for the first time. She loves Squirt as if he was her own, so she had the excitement as a true parent can only feel. Squirt's dad was sweet enough to let her take him so she could experience it. Good thing. I'd have to kick his you know what when he gets here next month if had not let her take him.
Needless to say, my grandson was beside himself with euphoria and excitement. He probably thought he was going to see something like a movie, so he was completely enthralled when Greg, Anthony, Jeff, and Murray came on stage in the Big Red Car. Then Dorothy the Dinosaur and Wags the Dog. He sat there mesmerized at first and horrified that his mommy was up and dancing with all the other kids and moms. She coaxed him to get up and soon he was jumping around and dancing and singing every single song (since he knows them all) right along with them. Murray is probably his favorite because Murray is the guy in the red shirt who is always holding the guitar. Go figure. Squirt is king of the air guitar after all and plays his own guitars, especially with grandpa (Dweeb). Well, Murray happened to be the one that came into the audience right up to their seats! He waved at Squirt! I wish I could have been there to see the look on that boy's face. I'm sure he thought he'd died and gone to heaven. He called me right after the show and was talking a mile a minute telling me who all showed up on stage and about all the 'goodies' he got while there. "The Wiggles" do have mercy on the parents, as it seems they only offer about ten different items for sale at their concerts. Thank you Lord. I don't think I could afford much more!
Houston, we have a problem. Do you think he will EVER give up those Wiggle DVDs now? We are doomed. We have got to find a new obsession for this little boy soon.
______________________________
BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN
We are on the Blondie 21st birthday countdown. Ten days to go. She hasn't quite gotten to the point where she has narrowed it down to the hours, but we are not far. This week the two of us are doing her birthday shopping. We must do it early because school begins the morning after her birthday. Great timing, eh? Another shot partay is drawing near and will be held the weekend after her birthday. I may have some great photos after that momentous event.
______________________________
MSN spaces is running so slow it is taking forever to get around to everyone. I will continue at my snail pace to get to see everyone as I can! April 24 Jaden Ad Nauseum..First I'd like to thank you all for stopping by to read about my grandson's visit. He has taken so much of my time (he's not here for long) and kicks me off the computer when he sees the lid of the laptop open that I have not been able to my regular stroll and I miss it! He leaves tomorrow morning, so I'll be coming back around to you.
Onto the rest of the visit. Saturday was a visit to the Nature Park where Super Dweeb's mom (my mother-in-law) works. She is French. Not just French ancestors. She was born and raised in Paris. She is one crazy, loveable lady! The boys love Grandma Andree. She treated them to the sites and sounds of nature including playing in the little waterfall and getting soaked. Boys just like that. We were dropping Jack off at Baby Sister's house when the boys spotted the neighbors had their recently purchased Slip-n-Slide out on the lawn and running. This is the not the normal Slip-n-Slide. This puppy was had THREE lanes! Obviously, we had to stay for a few slides down this great toy. Jack's dad had fun tossing the kids down the slide so they could go faster! He was the hit of the neighborhood kids!
Sunday was a special day. Blondie had a boyfriend for four years. They broke up a couple of months ago, but the boys still call him Uncle Twent and always want to see him. He conveniently works at Rainforest Cafe. Squirt has asked about Uncle Twent every day since he got off the plane, so we HAD to go eat there. First we stopped at Build-A-Bear for some good fun. Jack made a frog and Jaden made a giraffe. This was their first time doing this, so they were fascinated by the whole process. At lunch we find out Uncle Twent is working as bartender today. Well, the boys thought they were hot stuff. They were able to sit at the bar by themselves with their 'Uncle' serving them. Us old folks sat at a table right next to the bar stools to catch falling boys who were getting too excited. The experience of these two places nearly overwhelmed these two guys. So much so, instant 'crabbiness' ensued when we exited the mall area.
Today was a gymnasium trip where preschoolers can play for one hour in the morning. They leaped, jumped, swung, climbed a rock wall, and threw balls at each other. What could be better for two little boys??
The rest of today was just me and my squirt. He leaves on a flight tomorrow morning back to the big state of Texas.
Tomorrow afternoon I'll start repairing the damage. April 23 And we keep on running....My second day with squirt was exhausting! We picked up Jack (cousin) and headed for college to see Aunt Blondie for lunch. As we pulled into town (25 minutes up the road) the boys immediately wanted to see where the "Jayhawks lived". Well who am I to turn down this request? We headed through campus and came upon the baseball field and Allen Fieldhouse (where the infamous Jayhawks play basketball). The boys were so excited! "Were are all the little Jayhawks?" I realized I'm dealing with 3 year olds here and they think they are going to see a bunch of little jayhawk mascots in the area. Okay. "Well, boys, the Jayhawks are all taking an early nap."
They both reply with "I'm not taking a nap. No way!" Whew!
We pick up Aunt Blondie and arrive in the downtown district for lunch and some shopping. We decide to eat at a little pizza joint in the basement of one of the buildings. The boys were jumping up and down because this pizza joint had a fish pond! This entertained them while our pizza was being made. It was challenging keeping them from jumping in the with fish. Lunch was a success.
Next stop was Coldstone Creamery (Blondie's bribe for going with us when she was nursing a hangover). They only jumped up and down begging for an entire ice cream cake twice, ate most of their ice cream and were very good boys. I thought this was going great. We could stop at the Gap for a quick look while waiting for one of Blondie's friends to meet us to see Jaden for a quick second.
The Gap building has the old hardwood floors in an old building. Every heavy step resonated throughout the entire store and felt a bit like the earth was quaking. The boys picked up on this immediately. Let the stomping begin!! Jump. Stomp. Jump. Stomp. I was a little concerned about being thrown out of the establishment when I hear the little boy finger guns going off in the direction of a lady who made the fatal error of playing along for ONE SECOND! They boys were holding her hostage in a corner shooting her with their little fingers every time she moved. I hurried over to get the boys corralled, although deep down inside I wanted to see just how long this lady would allow two 3 year old boys keep her cornered. But I was in a good mood, so I rescued her and directed the boys to a different area of the store that had more room where they decided to perform some of their Olympic gymnastic ability on the hardwood floors. I think that about did it. We were getting close to the point of being removed from this store, so we shuffled outside to the sidewalk and headed towards home. After watching my grandson the past couple of days I'm convinced. He's going to need medication or his parents will. That boy has the attention span of a gnat and never stops moving!!
Time for Grandpa to play some guitar with this boy. April 20 Disaster Area DeclaredThe tornado has arrived!
He stormed off the airplane crying 'Gramma!' And he hasn't stopped running, jumping, spinning, churning, talking since. I think this might have something to do with the fact he was so incredibly good on the trip that the penned up energy exploded. The airplane was full of children and little Jaden received the pilot wings for being the child who did NOT cry during the three hours. That's my boy!!
Unfortunately, my home has been declared a disaster area. Toys have appeared from the darkest recesses of this home and ended up strewn all over the floor. He then decided it was time to play baseball in the house while watching those pesky Wiggles. (I was really hoping he would be out of this stage).
When he first walked in our front door, he could hear his Grandpa (Super Dweeb) playing his guitar downstairs through the amps and singing through the microphones. He bee lined straight down the stairs, stood in front of his Grandpa he hasn't seen in six months and said, "Hey, how ya doin?" with a matter-of-fact look on his face. Super Dweeb had a hard keeping a straight face. "I'm doin' mighty fine buddy. How you doin?" Jaden replies, "I'm good. Where's the drums?" And that was that. My ears are still ringing from the cymbals.
Time to get out of here for awhile. We head to Baby Sister's house to visit the triplets and his buddy/cousin Jack. They were so excited to see each other I thought they were going to pee their little underoos. Baseball was the game of the evening and playing in Jack's fort.
Tomorrow is another big day when we go to college to visit Aunt Blondie, so we are going to finish watching more Wiggles *sigh* and then it's off to bed!
Stay tuned.... April 18 Tornado Warning!I woke up this morning and could feel the pressure in my head. That pressure that is a prediction for stormy weather. There is an electricity in the air all morning as I move about the house moving things around. You didn't know I could predict the weather, did you? I can. There is going to be a tornado. It won't be today though. I have two days to prepare for this tornado. From the anxious knots in my stomach I do believe this could be a tornado that rates an F5 (the strongest).
I've started preparing everything in my home. Moving anything that is irreplacable to a corner in the basement. Hidden away from the destruction that is to come. The anticipation and excitement has my adrenaline pumping. This tornado is not travelling it's usual path. This tornado is coming up from the south. It's coming from Texas. Tornados are not named as hurricanes, but this particular tornado does have a name. This tornado has the name JADEN!
Yep, my Texas Tornado is coming this week for a long weekend visit! This little 3 year old bundle of constant energy is coming to Gramma's house. We are PSYCHED!!
He moved to Texas six months ago. When he walks in my door, I know it will be like he never left. Jaden will rule! He will play baseball in the house. He will play his guitar for us and he is no James Taylor on the guitar. This little boy jumps around, spins, climbs on the coffee table and leaps into the air for his big finale. Funny thing, we have no idea where he learned this because we never did that and he has never been allowed to watch MTV, etc. He's a natural born entertainer. He will churn his way downstairs to pay a visit to all of Grandpa's 'toys'. He'll want to touch the guitars, but he knows better. He will remember what he can do. Grab those drum sticks! Put on the music, pound the drums, and clang the cymbals over and over and over...
Squirt is coming home for a long weekend... I'm doing my happy dance today. April 17 Santa Claus?I certainly hope everyone had a great weekend and a Happy Easter.
As you can see from the pictures, the Easter Egg Hunt was a success with our family. Most of our family was able to get together for a couple of hours yesterday at my mom's. I believe there were approximately 155 plastic eggs filled with goodies hidden in that large yard. Some contain candy. Some contain coins. One plastic egg every year contains a five dollar bill. This keeps the older kids interested. There are so many little ones in our family that once you hit Junior High or High School, you egg hunting days at Nani's are over. You are delegated to helping the little ones get plastic eggs before the big kids take them all! The Easter Egg Hunt has been a bit interesting the past couple of years with only boys understanding the five dollar concept and that being their only thought as they tear through the backyard.
Congratulations Joe! Joe, who is in 5th grade, won the five dollar bill this year and I can't think ofa better kid to get that five bucks. His parents better let him spend it!
The tiniest of egg hunters only cared about the colored plastic eggs which is handy. That leaves more candy for everyone else. WOO HOO!
We had a buffet style brunch, chatted a short while, and then everyone headed to their own homes.
I was able to spend the rest of the day with Drama Queen and Blondie hanging in the living room, pigging out on junk food, and watching movies. We have not done that in a very long time.
We did get a call from Squirt (Jaden) in Houston.
"Happy Easter Gramma!" "Easter Bunny brought me candy and I ate it!"
"Gramma!"
"Yes, Jaden"
"Santa Claus brought me presents too!"
HUH? Okay the kid is a bit confused here. Apparently he thinks whenever you get presents they are from Santa. Works for me.
Well, it's time. It's time to make that drive to the Post Office. Drive to the Post Office and put that envelope in the mail box. That envelope with the check. Y'all know what I'm talkin' about, but hopefully all of YOU are getting refunds!
HAPPY MONDAY! April 12 Gramma!!Today was to be like most others. Run around in the car from here to there to get Drama Queen to her appointments, help baby sister with the triplets and her 3 year old, and somewhere in between get done what I need to do.
Wrong.
Coffee maker is broken. This. is. not. good.
This will require an extra stop today because I HAVE to have a coffee maker. It is mandatory. Grocery store run is scheduled for 9:30-11:30 (I live at least 12 miles from nearest grocery), so I will make pit stop at the neighborhood Kohl's for the new coffee maker and George Forman grill (so we can eat something other than salads because the old one broke). Silly me. I forgot it was Wednesday. Wednesday is Senior Citizen Discount Day!! I think every doggone senior citizen was at this particular Kohl's this morning. But I am quicker on my feet than these people so I make my dash for the home section. I take a quick glance at coffee makers, make my choice, pick up the George Foreman Grill that happens to be on sale and race for the check out line.
Typical. One cashier and a very long line of senior citizens with canes, walkers, and trying to maneuver their way ahead of others steering their Rascals. Of course, I didn't bother to get a cart for my goodies because it was only two items. Two fairly large boxes. Crap. I'm now going to be behind since we only inch ahead a tiny step at a time toward the cashier.
FINALLY, after 10 minutes of standing in line, I reach the cashier. As my total is being rung up, my cell phone starts ringing. I frantically reach into my HOBO purse to try to locate this little phone so I don't drive these poor little old ladies insane, but the inside of my purse resembles a junk drawer more than a ladies purse.
After several moments, i finally locate that pesky booger and answer it. I only answer it thinking it's DQ calling to inform of time change in schedule. At the same time I answer the cell phone, the cashier puts the receipt in front of me to sign.
"Hello?", I answer while signing the receipt.
"Gramma! Gramma! I'm eating Pop Tarts!"
At least that is what I think the little voice is saying. I'm looking at my two fairly large boxes with no cart to put them in, the long line of elderly ladies behind me, and listening to my grandson (who lives in Houston) talking about eating pop tarts. What am I supposed to do????
Well, sh*t, I'm not hanging up on Jaden. He's my little man! So I try to move the boxes to the end of the counter. How can I get these down onto the floor and not hang up on my 3 year old grandson??
"Gramma! I'm playin'. What are doin?"
"I'm at the store squirt, can I call you right back?"
"Silly gramma. NO!" He continues to talk, about what I have absolutely no clue.
I move the boxes to the floor all the while feeling the lasers being beamed from the eyes of irritated customers behind me, searing into my back and through my heart.
"Jaden, I will call you RIGHT back. I gotta go".
"Okay gramma. You crazy, gramma."
"Yeah, I know. I'll call back. Bye."
I hang up my cell phone. When I look behind me, I am met with raised eyebrows directed at me. I know what they are thinking. So, I have to be honest and plead my case....
"My grandson! What can I do?"
Glares softened with that knowing look and all seemed forgiven. Whew. Another cane and walker beating averted. |
|
|
