Grandma

M-Mother - She helped to take care of my brother, sister, and I after my parents got divorced.
Y-Yummy - Grandma's food was always so yummy.

G-Great!  She made the Golden Girls and popcorn on the purple blanket the best treat ever!
R-Reliable - She was someone you could always count on.
A-Able - She was able to do anything in my eyes.
N-Neat - Grandma's house was always neat.
D-Domestic - She took care of everyone (especially my grandpa).
M-Musical - Grandma loved to sing - and she had a beautiful voice!
A-Admirable - She is someone I have always admired.

Her love to others, unwavering faith,  strong disposition, pride, stubbornness, compassion, and sense of family are just a few things that I have always admired about my grandma.  My brother Alex and I went to go visit my grandma today at the place she now lives.  I'd say "calls home", but it's not.  She is, was, and always will be to me such an amazing person it just made me think of all the great times we have had together.

You see we lived with my grandparents for about a year before my parents got divorced when I was 9 years old.  After that my dad lived with my grandparents, so we would stay with them every other weekend.  My grandma helped make it possible for me to be a kid when we were with my dad on the weekends.  She took care of my brother and sister (and me too).  She made spaghetti for dinner ever Friday night (and she made the best spaghetti ever.)  She went to the bakery every Saturday morning before her hair appointment.  She would come home with a loaf of rye bread, 2 chocolate donuts for Alex and Leigh, and an apricot sweet roll for me.  She made sure Alex and Leigh had baths every Saturday night while my dad and grandpa went out for a meeting at church (to prepare for service the next day).  She played church with us on Saturday nights after we'd read the Sunday School lesson.  Every Sunday morning she would make scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast.  While everyone ate breakfast I would always be taking my shower and getting ready.  So while I was on my way out of the door there was always 2 pieces of bacon and 2 pieces of rye toast waiting for me on a napkin.  (I'm not much of an egg lover.)  Then we'd come home from church to the smell of a roast in the oven.

She took care of my Great Grandma Reese (her mom) until she passed away and then my grandpa too.  When Grandma Reese passed away everyone was crying at the wake but us.  She came over to me, put her arm around me, and said, "We have to be strong for everyone else."  When my grandpa died I couldn't be that person.  I cried like a baby at my grandpa's funeral, but grandma consoled others and kept her grief for a different time.

Grandma is not gone, but I feel like too many times we don't say all the great things that we love about a person.

Collin . . . Collin . . . Collin

Collin - The destructer. 

What to do with this child????  

The other day I walked into my bedroom to find Collin and Benjamin covered head to toe with lotion along with it all over my bedspread.  Collin opened it and then Ben joined in, although Ben just wanted to lotion his legs.  As I wrestle with Collin to give me back the lotion bottle Benjamin just sat there rubbing his legs telling me all about how he had to lotion his legs (slowly, stuttering, and in great detail.)  

I walked into the kitchen one day to find Collin and Benjamin on the counter, in the spice cabinet, pouring salt all over the stove.  Benjamin just follows whatever hair-brained idea his brother comes up with.  (fun)

  

I came home from my mom's house with my bag of cookie baking supplies because I went over there last Sunday to bake.  My fault for not putting my stuff away because Collin climbed up on the table, went in my bag, took out the baking powder, and poured it all over the kitchen.

Yesterday he was nice enough to crap in the tub.  Love fishing for turds.

Later in the day I suddenly become aware of how hot it was in the house.  Guess who turned up the heat in the house to 90'.  You guessed it ...  Collin.  This is one of his favorite things to do.  It's super fun coming home to a house that is like 100' because nobody was home to notice it.

If Benjamin is sitting at the table eating and see's Collin walk into the kitchen he immediately pulls his plate to his lap and starts yelling, "NO COLLIN NO!"  because he knows Collin's next move is to climb on the table, take his plate, through his food on the floor, and laugh.

Don't lay on the floor because he'll think you want to start wrestling and come jump on your head.

Don't leave the vacuum out because he'll take the attachments out and start beating his brothers with them.

Don't leave the bathroom door open because he'll TP the house, stick his hands in the toilet, empty out the drawers, climb in the sink and try to rip the mirror off the wall, and then leave with the toilet brush.  This is great because then he'll come and try to brush your hair with it.  (yummy)

You can try to strap him in but he'll figure a way out, you can try to gate him off but he'll climb out over it, you can try to close the door but he'll figure out how to open it.  

Go ahead and try to stop the kid, you can't.  He's like a kid x10.  My mom didn't believe me when I said this.  "He's not really that bad."  I reply, "Mom, he is that bad.  You just don't notice because Jason and I are always buffering for him.  Holding him back and trying to anticipate his next move."  So then we went to her house and I decided not to buffer.  I just sat on her couch playing Words With Friends and let him go.  After about 10 minutes there was yogurt all over her kitchen table with little foot prints in it, granola all over the floor, and Collin literally trying to hang from the chandelier.  Then she looked at me and said, "ok. ok. maybe your right.  You shouldn't buffer so much because people don't believe you when you talk about him."  Yah.  Like that's an option.  Let's just let the kid loose.  AHHHHH.  RUN FOR YOUR LIVES.  HE'S COMING!!!

But with all this going on you can't stay made at him for long (if at all sometimes).  He does none of it with malice in his heart.  He is the happiest baby you'll ever meet.  Smiling and laughing the whole time.  This is just his idea of a good time.