Saturday morning with Jack Jack

Jack hung out with me on Saturday morning for a few hours. He was just the medicine I needed for cheering up. I love this little guy so much. It's so funny, I have all kinds of Boy toys but it never fails, he wants to play tea party or....

Yes, these are his sisters & Ivy's dress up shoes. And he can even walk around in them. He cracks me up.
He does like to play checkers by scattering them all over the floor.

He loves the horse that Abby named "Moo". And of course string cheese, chips, fruit snacks, pretzels....all before 11 am.

I have a wooden cookie jar that sits low enough for all the grand-kids to help themselves to what's inside. It is a special wooden cookie jar because it belonged to my mother-in-law, Gram. She always kept Salerno butter cookies in it. My kids loved to take the lid off of the cookie jar and reach in and pull out a cookie, that Gram would put on their finger through the hole. I have fruit snacks or other treats inside and sometimes I do put Grams cookies. When Jack comes in the front door, he runs to that cookie jar and knows there will be something just for him inside. I love to see the look on his face when he lifts up the lid.

So, Saturday morning with Jack Jack was a treat.

I look forward to many more.....

Follow the yellow brick road.....

Abby is in Love with the "Wizard of Oz" and especially "Dorothy". She just had her 4th Birthday and I gave her the whole Dorothy dress up set, from head to toe. She was so excited and wants to dress up every waking moment. She showed up to visit a few nights ago wearing her Dorothy outfit. I think my neighbors must have thought she was trick-or-treating either late or early.

It thrills me to give her things that make her so happy. She told me I'm Glenda, the good witch and her brother, Jackson is the scarecrow. All she wants to watch is the DVD of the movie I got her also. I told her we would go to the Oz fest this fall and she could enter the Dorothy look alike contest. She was thrilled.

Happy 4th Birthday Princess Abigail

Abby loves to make this funny looking face cause she knows it will get a laugh from me.
I am crazy about this precious little grand-daughter of mine. She is unique in so many ways. She is really 4, going on 30. I am amazed at her maturity level. At age 2 she was telling us that she needed her privacy when we would take her potty. She is Miss Independent.
We will celebrate her 4th Birthday at McD's. She loves the inside play ground. I will take plenty of pictures to share. Happy Happy Birthday Princess Abigail. You are so loved!

Great Uncle Randy & Thoughts

My brother, Randy had not been home in 5 years. It was actually on my dad's 75th Birthday the last time he was home.

We picked right up where we left off. I love my brother. My sister and I felt comfort from him being with us. Maybe it was because he reminded us a lot of our dad or maybe it was because he really looks like our dad. The 3 of us were very close growing up. He was and still is our baby brother. He doesn't have kids of his own but always has that way of entertaining the kids around him.

It took a while for Abby & Jack to go near him, but since Abby is a BIG Wizard of OZ fan, he downloaded the movie so she was in Awe and wanted to be near him after that.

I wish he could have stayed longer than 1 week, but I will take that. There will be future visits, I'm sure.

It has not gotten easier for me with each passing day since my dad's death. I have and see so many reminders since I am still staying nights with my mom. Every place we go are reminders. Just this morning we went to our favorite restaurant in town for breakfast and everyone asked where dad was. There was an empty chair. I had to leave the table after I broke down, but returned after a good cry in the restroom. He would have ordered his favorite, Waffle with pecans and banana slices on top and sugar free syrup on the side. All of the servers, including the owner knew what he would order before he even spoke. Everyone in our town knew dad. I face having to tell people all the time when they don't see him with us.

I'm sure as time passes, the grief will get lighter, I hope, so they say.

I just want to make my dad proud and continue the legacy he has left. He was the Best money manager I have ever known. I am so thankful he was so organized, since I am carrying on where he left off. I am so impressed. I feel so honored to be his daughter.

He taught me so much.