Easter 2013



Easter would not be the same for our kid's without Cascarones (confetti eggs)  My daughter in law, Joanne, is of Mexican heritage, so this great tradition comes from her mother's background and we love it!  These real egg shells are filled with confetti and hid along with the other eggs.  When you find one.... the fun begins....  You run and crack it on someones head and sprinkle them with confetti!  We always hide a lot of these.  That way, no one is left out! 

Joanne and Mike always host Easter at their house.  They usually have her parents over and invite Amy's (my other daughter in law) parents to come as well.  So, it is a blended family affair!  



Rylee and Haylee getting their mommy with an egg!



Rylee sneaking up on Uncle Mike!



Even the "big kids" can't help themselves...

 

And no one is left out.....  Right Pop Pop????? 

And Ty, the donkey can't be left out of the fun.......

Fun was had by all.......



Haylee





Mia and her DaDa, Mike



Rylee

And, as always, there is Mason!  He always brings some comedy to all the get together's.  I always tell Mike that he got one just like him......... and Joanne always reminds him that it is his fault....  

I don't have a picture to show of it, but, I could not resist...... I snuck up and attacked my favorite grandson and let me just say that I did not make a friend...... He yelled at me saying that he didn't want his head cracked!  That was not nice, MIMI.....  He then started throwing the "crack head eggs" out of his basket as he wanted no part of them.......

That's okay, cause he still loves his MIMI...... cracked head or not! 

And so do these girls..... And Mimi loves them right back!



3 Little Leprechauns

Mimi enjoyed a few hours at the park with her 3 little leprechauns. 

Mitch came over to work on the boat with Pop Pop.  As usual, the girls wanted to go over to Mason and Mia's house. I knew that Mike was busy getting his driveway ready for a major concrete pour so, I told them that we would surprise Mia and Mason and take them to the park with us. Excited, we drove over and found out that Joanne and Mia were not at home.  So, Mason hopped in the car and went with us.


Mason has no fear and climbs to the top!  Haylee is happier with one foot on the ground and with a little coaxing.... Rylee climbed half way up!

"Spiderman Mason" at the rock wall

throwing his web.....

and here.... I am sure that he was pretending to swing from the rooftops!  Rylee and Haylee just look at him and laugh.....

The girls enjoyed the time with their cousin, but were disappointed that Mia wasn't there to push in the swings....

Although, I didn't get a picture of it......... When we got ready to leave, Mason wanted to throw his gum away.  So, I told him to run throw it in the garbage can while I put the girls in their car seats.  As he was running back, his boot hit a stump and he went flying down in the dirt.  He quickly jumped up (as not to be embarressed) and I yelled over to him, asking if he was trying to be a superhero?  He laughed and said, No, Mimi..... I flew like a bird!  The girls laughed and said that he was crazy!  I loved spending time with my three little munchkins....err...  Leprechauns.

Things that I am grateful for.......

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a holiday that brings back so many memories for me as a child. As I have said before, we were not the richest family and there were many nights that we just ate beans or potatoes for dinner. But, no matter what, on Thanksgiving Day, my mother would always find a way to prepare a Thanksgiving Feast! So, for me it was always a happy time for a very dysfunctional family.

For me as an adult, this day brings families together to share a little time together, to share the thanksgiving dinner, to reflect on the past and to create sweet memories for the future. It is also a good time to remember all that we have to be grateful for.

So, today, I am most grateful for the good health that my family has been blessed with.

Next, I am very grateful to have a good marriage and to be able to share my memories and future plans with such a caring man!

And although we are not rich by any means; I am thankful to have been able to break the "chain of poverty" that I grew up in and to know that my children look to the future with better goals and the know how to push their children to even better goals. So, I am grateful for my two sons and their families.

I am also thankful for this mug! Woof Woof.....

Our dog, Dixie greets us with love each night when we get home. She is so happy to see us, but, most of all, she is happy to get treats and be able to get on the couch!

Next, I am happy that I have three grandchildren that call me Mimi. And just as my mother prepared feasts for us, I love being around to cook and clean up after these messy eaters. Any day at Mimi's is like Thanksgiving for them.....

So, to all my friends and family......... Happy Thanksgiving! Take time to enjoy the day and although we are not "rich" with material things..... we are "rich" in the way that counts! We are all "rich" with health and love!

Charlotte's Web with Wilbur the Pig

For my grandchildren, I am determined to have a close relationship with them. I want them to feel close to me. Not by spoiling, (well some spoiling) but by having some quality time with me as they grow up.

With Rylee, Pop Pop and I took her to see Elmo Live and it went very well. So, I decided to make a "girls night out" and got tickets to the Orlando Children's Repertory Theatre to see Charlotte's Web. Now, I know that she is only 2 years old. So, I spent time before the day of the show explaining Charlotte's Web to her and reading her books. But most important, I wanted her to realize that we would be seeing people dressed as characters. Not seeing a real pig or spider.

Plus, we played up the "girls night out" because it was only Mommy, Rylee and Mimi going to the theatre. Not Sissy, Daddy or Pop Pop! She was so excited that when it was time to leave, she told her daddy that he couldn't walk her to the car, because he couldn't go!

Upon arriving to the theatre, we met one of my co-workers, Kathi. She had also brought her daughter, Amy, and her grandchildren, Olivia and Donovan. Donovan was so sweet that he gave Rylee his pig puppet; which she loved!

Then it was time to find our seats. We bought our tickets early; so we were only in the second row, center stage. Great seats and one very excited little girl. Amy and I sat with Rylee in the middle.

As the lights started to dim, I whispered for her not to be afraid that they would come back on. She was fine! Then a spotlight came on shining on Templeton, the rat, who was coming down some stairs. She did fine, UNTIL...... he jumped off the stairs and started scurrying across the stage. THEN...... she did it........ she screamed......LOUD and jumped into my lap! At the same time that I was looking for an exit, I reassured her that he was not coming off of the stage. She said okay and got quiet! And although she sat in my lap for the entire performance, she did great! Afterwards, I made sure that each time a new character came out, I would tell her who it was and reassure her that they would stay on the stage. All in all, she enjoyed it.

After the show we took some pictures and then left for dinner at Johnny Rockets in Winter Park. She loved that when the waiter brought out her chicken nuggets and fries, he also brought her a little bowl that had a happy face made out of ketchup!

We had such a good time, that in December; we are headed back to see the play, Dear Santa. This time we have front row seats!

Boating on the Butler Chain of Lakes

Because the 4th of July fell on Saturday this year, we had off on Friday for the holiday. So, Mitch, Gary and I decided to take the girls and go boating on the Butler Chain of Lakes in Windermere. It was our first time ever going to that chain of lakes. We will definitely go back!

Our day started with my little mishap of shoes. (see my previous post) When I stopped to buy a new pair of flip flops, I also bought a potty chair to take along on the boat. Rylee, our 2 year old granddaughter is potty training and I did not know what we would do when she anxiously yelled; "I gotta go potty!" However, I was really unsure IF she would even use that potty because she can be picky on what toilet she uses. Well, it was not an issue for her! The minute that she saw it, (luckily, at Gary's shop) she had to put it down in the parking lot and go pee pee!





From then on, it was all we could do to keep her off of it......... Any time we slowed down, she would want to take her life vest off and sit on the potty. It was nice to have it, but I created a MONSTER!

We toured the canals and lakes and enjoyed looking at all the beautiful homes on the Butler Chain. Here is Shaquille O'neal's house.


It must be hard to be so poor! I wish that I could have been a basketball player. I could get use to making 2 million or more a month. (At least that is what was reported as his salary when he divorced.)


The girls enjoyed the sun. Rylee is totally comfortable with having her life vest on and really likes the boat.

Haylee is getting better...... her life vest gives her problems and she likes to hide her face when you go fast. She just snuggles into your neck and chest and hangs on. But, when you slow down she will look all around and puts up with it!



I took a picnic lunch and to give the girls a break from their life vests, we sought out an empty or foreclosed home and tied up to their boat slip to get a little shade. Both Rylee and Haylee were glad to get the hot and bulky life vests off and we enjoyed a nice lunch.





Afterwards, we did a little more boating and then headed back to the boat ramp to take the boat out of the water. We want to make plans to come back and maybe this time we can bring Amy with us. It is hard for her to find the time as she is busy with college classes (to become a pharmacist) and photo shoots from her photography business. Check out her website at http://www.amyrobertsonphotography.com/. Her full time job is a crime lab analyst. No wonder, she doesn't have any time on her hands! So, while she is busy, we don't mind stepping in and having FUN with the little ones!

Bath time for Mason

Funny how
the simple
things in life
bring you
such joy......
We called Michael and Joanne today and offered to keep Mason while they went to the movies. It is hard for them to get the time and the day off together to go. Not to mention, it gives us time to spend with our little man!




They brought him over around 5:00 p.m., so we spent some time playing with toys on the floor, keeping Dixie (our basset hound) from licking him in the face, went for a walk and pulled Mason in the wagon, ate supper, played a little more, had bath time, read some books and fell asleep! Ahh..... a perfect afternoon!

After getting in his PJ's, I put him in a walker while I mopped up the floor. He was happy and immediately started blowing bubbles (or spitting), whichever way you see it...... Either way, he is too darn cute!








I tried very hard to keep him awake until they got home. But, it just wasn't happening. Hopefully, he wasn't wide awake by the time he got home. I hope that he had half as much fun as Pop Pop and Mimi had!

Our "little girl" is turning 2!

Can you believe it?? Our "little girl" is turning 2! It is so hard to imagine that two years have passed since the arrival of our first grandchild. And what is even harder to believe is how smart she has become during those two years!

Today, Rylee had her 2nd birthday party at a bounce house in Clermont. She loved going on all of the slides, eating pizza, popcorn & cake, having fun with her friends and really enjoyed opening all of her presents. At first, I think that she was a little "shy" (being the center of attention) while everyone sung Happy Birthday to her. But, she soon got over that!

It was exciting to see her open up each gift and show just as much excitement whether the present was a toy, shoes or a new dress! It was cute to see her hand the "special" gifts to her Pop Pop for safe keeping! For our present to her; we got her a few outfits and Pop Pop bought her some light up sandals where the heels light up when you stand on them. She calls them her "flashy" shoes.

Also, this week, we are taking her to have a night out with Mimi and Pop Pop. She loves Elmo, so we purchased tickets to see Sesame Street Live in Melbourne, Florida. The show is called "When Elmo Grows Up".

I can't imagine my life without our grandchildren! Here are Mason & Haylee about to turn 8 months old.

We had a great time at the bounce house and even Mimi went down the slide a few times. But, most of all it was fun to see how happy she was. At only 2 years old, she has experienced so many joys. And just think how many more are headed her way? When we asked her how old she was, She would say; "I, Five".

Slow down, my sweet little girl, before you know it, you will be 50 and wondering where the years went???