Geez where does the time go?

I had promised myself that I would write every week in my blog but some how the days and weeks go flying by and all I have in my mind are headings and some ideas that never get written down.  For instance I love the title "What is joy if it goes unrecorded and love if not shared"! I had great ideas for that blog and enjoyed writing it down in my mind.   I see so much joy every day.  Then there is the title I came up with after our annual trip to Florida and the beach " The Summer of Yes"! Matt declared that this summer was the summer of yes.  Yes you can have gum! Yes you can watch spongebob square pants! Yes you can have candy! and so our vacation went.  This from the same guy who once said mom I think I have a radioactive hand when he experienced his hand falling asleep for the first time. One title idea I really liked was "Perfection is in the moment"!   I had just finished watching an episode of Call the Midwife.  The humanity of the stories call to me and reminds me of my own humanity.    The joy in the boys faces when they think they have caught me or when they come running to hug me.   Watching them play together and Cole copy everything Cooper does and says. The squeals and giggles.  So many precious moments.  I'll trying harder to keep up with the thoughts.

Tau and Nite Nite

Funny how children name things. Cooper call's his special blanket his "Tau" and Cole calls his blanket his "Nite, Nite".   The other night Matt and Ashley were out and I went up to their bedroom to be closer to the kids.   Cooper was I thought asleep in their bed but when I went to lay down he said, hi Gee.  I said I thought you were asleep and he said well I've been counting sheep.   I've counted 18 so far and can't fall asleep.   We chatted for awhile and then he asked me to get his Tau for him from his bedroom.   Once I gave him his Tau he went sound asleep.  Cole of course was already asleep with his nite nite.  He wraps himself up in his.  I guess we all have our comfort items or food.   Both boys do many things alike but also have their special names for what is important to them.  The boys have taught me so much.  They are pure joy to watch.

You ought to be writing in your blog

A friend just reminded me and I must admit I don't know where the time has gone since my last entry.   Cooper has turned 5 years old in February and every day he reminds me of how strong 5 year olds are.  You can see the changes in both boys.  Cole will be 2 in April.   Actually they have been the focus of all my attention these past 3 months.  There is much to write about and I promise to get with it.  Ashley's family came to visit, Ken came from Chicago, and this weekend the cousins are coming during their spring break.  We are having lots of rain right now but am looking forward to the tulip season and all the beautiful flowers.  So far health is holding up and I have been working on an article about things to think about when you come to live with your children.  I think I'll start printing it on my blog.  More to follow.  Thank you Joyce for reminding me to write.

Oh the things we do for love

The other evening I looked up and saw my 6ft 8inch son cutting out paper dolls for his son who had printed them off the computer.  I heard him say don't ask me to do this again.   Later I remembered his mom had sewed him the most wonderful Halloween costume and every evening both grandsons plead with their dad to chase them around the house pinching his fingers together like a crab.  You can hear him yelling the pinchers are coming and when he stops the boys "yell more daddy more"!  Of course I will do anything for them and often find myself just looking at them and thinking how much we all love them.  Yes there is a lot of love here and many more wonderful moments to come.

It's hard to be lonely or down when you play Go Fish and War all afternoon

The Crowley boys really keep me hopping.  They love to play games and when we play cards we wind up with all the cards all over the place.  They also love to march around the couch and love it when their dad plays pinchers with them.  Pinchers is when dad snaps his fingers like a crab claw and chases them all over the place.  All you can hear is the boys shouting "More, More"!   I wish all my friends who don't have grandkids could experience the joy and fun of playing.   You don't have time to think of yourself and even though we are getting older everyday you get to tap into the joy of new life.  What a celebration!

The fix-it lady

I am now the fix-it lady and everyone in the house comes and asks me to fix things.  Everytime a toy breaks here comes Cole and Cooper asking me to use my special glue to fix it.  Ashley needs a needle so out comes my box of buttons and needles.   Matt needs a button sewed on his shirt so the fix-it lady goes to work on it.  I can just here the grandkids saying someday how much they miss the fix-it lady.   I guess it is good to be known for something.  I also hope they know how much they are loved and how much fun they are.  

A friend is a wonderful gift

Not sure why it has taken me so long to write in my blog.   We have been to the beach in Florida, settled back in at home, and I have been busy with the Mercer Island Women's Club which is a great friendly group of women on the Island.  But back to my thoughts about what a wonderful gift a friend is.   Ashley and the kids went to Austin for a week and my good friend Jinny came to visit from Houston.   We had a ball.   It was so good to get up every morning and have coffee together and talk and talk and talk.  One great thing about a friend who has know you for over 50 years is that they have seen all sides of you and all the ups and downs.   You don't have to hide or explain everything you say because they already know what you are thinking.   We went out to lunch, visited the Luther Burbank Park (beautiful views of lake Washington) and I drug her to the casino.  A day before she went back to Texas the kids came home and she got to see them in all their glory. It was a peaceful relaxing visit and came at a great time.   Thank you Jinny!    I'm looking forward to more visits from friends and plan to spend time in January in Houston and Austin doing some visiting myself.