MEMORIES for MIMI

I'm "banking" alot of memories this summer and savoring each one!  Hard to believe Landon will be 5 months old on July 3rd!  He has easy smiles, lots of giggles and coos, and is a "hummer" these days.  Mimi thinks he might be teething. 

This week, Cailyn came to visit two days.  We made butterscotch pudding on the first morning she was here.  It was YUMMY!!  Cailyn is a big helper already!

 Please note that the cloth band around her waist (supporting her in the barstool) is one my sister Terry made for me when my babies were little.  And now the second generation gets to use it too! ;-) 

 Licking the spoon and bowl is the best part of this activity!

 Washing dishes runs a close second...fun with soap bubbles and water can't be beat!

 Mimi has a new "pet" at her house.  Clifford the Big Red Dog has come to live with us, and Cailyn was excited to have Clifford join in on a tea party with her and her dolls. Note: the high chair is one our children played with at their grandparents' house years ago, and my mom refinished it for our grandkids to use! Thanks, Great Grandma!!

On her next visit, Cailyn arrived in this cute outfit...

 ready for an arts and crafts morning!  First, we did some painting....
then it was FUN with play dough!!  It's amazing how well she listens to Mimi's rules: "you can squeeze it, squish it, smell it, but do not taste it!"  Well... she only licked it once and then grinned at me! ;-)
 Landon was able to come "hang out" with us after his doctor appointment in the afternoon. Here they are after Cailyn's nap, and it's snacktime with her preferred snack of "o's"  (cheerios, that is!)  Won't be long until Landon will be wanting some o's too!

Celebrating 7 Years!!

 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

June 26, 2011 marks the 7th wedding anniversary for Alissa and Alan O'Bryan!  The love in your eyes for each other and your thoughtfulness in the way you treat each other are an inspiration! Congratulations on your journey thus far!  "Love...always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:7,8

A BUSY JUNE...

PLAY DAYS with Cailyn are always fun and busy...making cookies...

 Talking on the phone...

 Coloring and using "washable markers"!

 Playing with "janga" blocks...

 Grandson LANDON is a joy and full of giggles, coos and smiles these days...

Mimi found these CUTE sunhats on sale at Toys R Us, so Cailyn's daddy is modeling one too!

 Cailyn is a trying to "help" little brother grasp the toy!

 Besides enjoying my grandchildren, I was able to have a special day with my daughter, Alissa, this week.  We had fun shopping for "treasures" at exclusive stores like GOODWILL and SAVERS!!  We also went to DSW and JOANNE'S FABRICS, plus lunch at Paradise Bakery. Yum!!

Here are three bargain books I found at Goodwill that will be good additions to our school library. 

 And here are treasures I found to keep at my house for the grandkids...I spent $5.00 on all these...and promptly brought them home to launder and scrub!  But they are good as new now!

 I promised myself to spend time reading daily...and so far this summer, I've kept that promise.  On our shopping day, I was very excited to get the LAST autographed copy of HEXED at the Dana Park Barnes & Noble of local author Kevin Hearne's book.  He is also a good friend of Alissa & Alan.  HOUNDED is the first book in his series, and the setting for this urban fantasy is Tempe, AZ. 

 I have also read this book...recommended to me by my good friend, Susie.  Her girlfriend is the local author of this fun "cupcake bakery mystery series" which takes place in Scottsdale.  It's a very fun read!

Now I'm reading a more difficult book by local author and English professor at U of A.  It reads almost like a journal, with beautiful prose and vocabulary.  It is a very personal narrative about the author's life-changes after suffering a snakebite near his Tucson home.

Last, but not least, there are no pictures, (thank goodness), of my exercise classes at the YMCA.  I'm enjoying the "jump start" circuit class where the class of "silver sneaker ladies" work on different weight machines, and I am trying to go to the Yoga Stretch class once a week...good for relaxation and breathing correctly!

SCHOOL'S OUT!! ;-)

TODAY is my first taste of "summer vacation"!  I am looking forward to 8 weeks off, and do so appreciate the fact that I can enjoy some time at home!  The first three pictures are the results of 9 days of "textbook check-in" at our Skyline Library at the end of the school year. 

This is the first year that our Library will store student textbooks over the summer!  Fortunately, we had some great student helpers who assisted with the scanning and stacking!

 This summer my hope is to spend some extra time with my grandchildren, Landon and Cailyn.  This is Landon at 4 months of age, and only two weeks post-op!  He's doing great!  Landon is an easy smiler, coos and giggles alot.  It's such a pleasure to be able to hold and rock a baby.

 Here's Landon's big sister Cailyn at around 4 months of age...don't they look like siblings??

 And here is Cailyn now at 2 years, in such a grown-up pose!  Cailyn and I will enjoy her new sandbox on our patio, playing dress-up, playing with legos and having snacks at our tea party table. 

My hope for the summer is enjoy these cutie-pies, along with some reading, a little sewing, and relaxing. Hopefully we will get up to Mom & Dad's Strawberry house this summer to enjoy some cooler weather.  I plan to play with PAPER alot, i.e., sorting, shredding, recycling.  I've saved too many papers (interesting tidbits) over the years, so it's time to "let go" and feel a bit lighter! I want to concentrate on organizing recipes (something I've been trying to do for years now!)  I plan to go to the YMCA almost daily (and I'm saying this out loud so I am more committed to the exercise that I need!)  And, last but not least, my mantra will need to be "do not go shopping...do not go shopping!"  No paycheck means I need to stay out of the stores...UNLESS, of course, there's a great sale that I can't miss! ;-)

May's Tender Moments

Cailyn and her Aunt Alissa having fun playing in the sand!

Grandpa sharing a special moment with Landon, one week after surgery, bless his little heart!

Mimi put pigtails in Cailyn's hair, and she was very pleased!

Landon has great smiles and giggles, but Mimi has trouble catching them without a blur!

Cailyn loves being outside, and is helping Grandpa with the watering here!

Simple pleasures of a two year old:  "painting rocks" with water and paintbrushes, creating waterfalls, and watching the ants crawl and the birds fly!

Mother's Day weekend celebration at niece Amy's house...Landon and Cailyn helped make the days special for me!

All the cousins together for a picture at Amy's house, Left to Right: Aiden holding Bode, then Ethan, Garrett sitting behind Cailyn and Landon on the right!

Many special moments during May, and looking forward to make more memories in June!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOE!!!

Best wishes to our son-in-law, Raffaele Giuseppe Gilardoni, aka "Joe"!!  This photo was snapped in 2007 when you were still in your 20's!!  How time flies when you're having fun!!

We hope you had a wonderful birthday!  Here is Joe with his beautiful wife, Jen and niece Cailyn in 2010 before they moved to Florida!

We hope the next year is full of happiness, good health and your favorite things!!  We miss you, and hope that our next webcam finds you in the room and on camera longer than two seconds! ;-)  Love you!!

Happy EASTER Season!!

Easter is one of my favorite holidays...It's a "hope-filled season"!  It's a time for growth and renewing our spirits, starting fresh, and "hoping for the best".  Thanks to our Lord, who died on the cross, so that we might be saved... Easter is a SEASON to celebrate, not just for a day!

We enjoyed family gathering together once again in our home!

Here are Alan's parents and grandmother who were able to join us.

Our dear friend, Susie, joined our potluck dinner celebration too!

 Here' s my Dad and brother-in-law, Ken, enjoying a chat together.  Also, this is a time for "great aunts" to hold babies and catch up with nieces and nephews! Here's my sister Terry holding Landon, who is almost 3 months old here, and course, his mommy, Corissa!

It's a chance for great-grandmothers to enjoy the special little ones too!

Easter is a time to enjoy nice weather and spring flowers.  Here Grandpa supervises Cailyn feeding the fish in our pond...there really are fish in that lily-pad covered fish pond!

Of course, Easter Bunnies are a part of Easter too, and Cailyn was an expert egg-finder this year in the backyard.  Great-grandma and great-grandpa filled a dozen eggs, Aunt Alissa & Uncle Alan hid them, and Cailyn had lots of fun finding them.  (By the way, in all the photos I took, I somehow missed our son, Mike...he was definitely at our celebration...but was a very busy guy snapping his own photos of our celebration together!)

Here's Cailyn digging into her Easter bucket from Mimi and Grandpa!

This beautiful potted plant was a gift from Alissa and Alan!!  Love the colors, don't you?

And, nothing says Easter more than tulips...These were our table centerpieces!!

My wish is that your Easter Season continues to give you renewed spirits and hope!