Drama Camp Program!

The big night had arrived!! The conclusion to Drama Camp is the program Friday night. It went very well. Boo was so happy, yes he was happy it was over, but he was also happy to be on stage!! He did have lots of fun, but he was ready for a much needed slower pace to his life--summer style!! He did a wonderful job doing his parts never missing a beat. Well, maybe a few steps during the dance routines. He was always looking at the older kids around him to help him remember his steps. The best part (for him) was the time everyone came back on stage! He was on the front row and waved and blew kisses and bowed over and over, like he was the star!!!(more like the ham). I guess in his mind he was the star, and in ours too, but the blowing kisses was a little over the top for me. I began to get a little embarrassed! Mookie and family were there, and the 2 little boys would answer any questions or make comments to the narrators as the show was going on. They were so cute, so involved with the story! So, I guess you could say our family made a great showing Friday night, my son-in-law always says that whatever we do, we could make a movie out of it because it becomes a circus. I think it would be a pretty good one!

"Little Bubba"

I want to tell you all some cute things "little Bubba" has done and said lately. First of all little bubba is my oldest grandson, he is almost 5 and full of goodness and joy. I mean that too, he has one of the most giving personalities I have ever seen. He always wants others to be happy and usually will do whatever is required to make that happen. He is a very good big brother, always watching out for "Nugget". I was talking on the phone with his Mama today, and he said he was going to go outside and watch his cucumber grow. Watch it grow!!! That would take patience! He didn't last too long. He is very proud of his cucumber plant, and has promised me a bite when it grows. When he plays soccer he is all smiles. He runs up & down the field along with everyone else and grins the whole time. After being potty trained when he was old enough to take care of himself, he would come out of the bathroom, turn his back to you and bend over asking you to check him. You should have seen Pappy's face the first time he was asked to be the checker! He is smart, thoughtful, caring, cute, loves God, and is funny!!!! He also says the best prayers. What more could a Nana want!

"Sissy's Song"

Mookie called me yesterday and told me she heard a great new song by Alan Jackson. She posted it on her facebook page, so I could go listen. Well for those who don't know, Alan Jackson was a huge favorite of Sweet Girls. She had been to his concerts 3 different times and loved each one. When she was sick and in the hospital for 8 weeks Unk Mike bought her a life size standing picture of him for her room!! She loved him!! This new song, by him, is about a young woman who passes away too early in life. It sound so much like Sweet Girl that it is great!!(except it says she was a wife & mom) When I listened to it I bawled my eyes out, but I loved it!! Then, I thought I have to write him and tell him how great this is!!! I couldn't find any address to e-mail too, so I joined My Space to write him there!! Pretty smart right? I hope he will get the thank-you letter, so he can know how it brightened my day. Just one day of listening to praise music and looking for His face in everything and He blessed me with that!! He is so good! Life is better today! Boo has his program tonight for the conclusion of Drama Camp. Can't wait, it should be fun to watch!! Then next week, he will be around all day, I am so excited!! I will probably need to be reminded I said this later this summer, but for now I can't wait!

God Lift Me Up

OK, new day! Today will be the day I chose it to be. God gives us the choice and allows us to decide. I will seek Him and His goodness, mercy, comfort, strength and joy!! I will not wallow in self pity like the last couple of days!! I put on Praise music in every room, so no matter where I go in the house I will hear it. I see this as a shield or fence around me to keep the enemy out. I will sing His praises all day! He is my encourager! He will pull me out of the mud!! He will bless me!! I will praise Him!! Now on to better stuff. Last night Jim and I made a new plan for our bedtime. You see I don't like to listen to news while I am going to sleep, so I have been playing on the computer in another room until I am so tired I can't stand it, then I go into bed and usually Jim is about ready to turn of the t.v. Well, for the last 37 years we have gone to bed together and he has watched either a late night show or sports, I am used to that. He switched to news about 3mo ago and I can't make myself go to sleep with it on so I have been in on the computer. He doesn't like to be in there by himself, and I don't like news so we are going back to the old way and he'll watch something else! My posts will be during the day or early evening now. I don't know why I told that, but I just did so now you know.

Work in Progress

Yes, Boo really did like going to Drama Camp today!! He even said he might be sad when it is over. All that worry for nothing. Why do we do that? I have told lots of younger Moms to not worry about the small stuff, it will all work itself out. The little stuff doesn't make much difference. Then I drove myself crazy about drama camp yesterday!!! I guess I am forever a work in progress. God has lots of work to do with me still!! Sometimes I feel like I have all my life figured out, then down I go into a heap. Look at all the I's in there, that's the problem. I was reading yesterday and God popped out the scripture, Isa 40:28-29, to me. I have read it tons of times, because it leads to one Bubba's favorites, but I felt like I had never read it before! "He will not grow tired or weary..." I can tell you I am tired and weary!! I'm tired of being sad, I'm tired of missing my kids, I'm tired of trying to overcome!!! I want everything to go back to the old normal!!! Then I realized God doesn't get tired or weary, and He will carry ME!! It's like the drama camp worry, I took it on for nothing. Nothing I did made any difference. All my anguish, yes anguish, over that was for nothing. God was in charge!!! If I choose to be tired & weary, it's my fault!! I don't have to be, because God will carry me & HE won't get tired or weary!!!!

Drama

He had fun and went back today!! More later.

Not such a good day

I'm not having such a good day today. I had the greatest time over the weekend with family, but then when I got home and things quiet down, I miss having Bubba and Sweet Girl around so much. They would have loved being with the family, they both loved that kind of stuff. Sweet Girl was really in her element around family. They both would have loved laughing at the old people (me, Jim, aunt, uncle, Nana, & Pa) and being with (friends) cousins their age. When we all get together like that it makes me miss them soooo much!!! I am really missing out on lots with them not here. On the way home I realized that I had forgotten to put flowers by all of Jim' s Mom's family! I have promised to do this each year so I felt bad from that too. So that is why I started today bad. Today was the first day of "Drama Camp" for Boo, and he did NOT want to go!!! I forced him!! He kept saying that I had told him I would never make him do something he didn't want to do! Oh, I felt so bad. I knew he would love it, but he just didn't know it. I did promise him that if he didn't like it he wouldn't have to go back. I have prayed all day that he has had fun. I really never have made him do something like this, but I know he will love it.(I hope) Anyway all of this put together has made a not so good day for me. Its about time to go get Boo, so pray he has had fun!!

School's Out For The Summer!!

I have been singing that one line, of a song I can barley remember, to Joey all afternoon!! School's Out For The Summer!!! There must be more to the song than that, but I can't get my brain to reach it. I went early to eat lunch with the kids and they were so excited, and so were the teachers. Such chaos, so much noise, little girls screaming, boys running I don't think that was the typical school day, usually the teachers act better! (HaHaHa) I just had to put that. I really am looking forward to summer. We won't have to rush every morning, rush every night, hurry homework UCK, I am tired of all of that. However starting Tuesday, the first real day of summer vacation, Boo is going to Theater Camp!! It's at our High School and lasts from 8a.m to 4p.m. 4 days in a row. I wouldn't do it but I think he will love it, he is really a drama king! They put on a little performance Friday. So, maybe I am celebrating the whole summer vacation thing a little early. He will also play baseball and take swim lessons, so he will stay busy, and then I guess I will too. At least he will be home with me more and we can do fun stuff together. Just got off the phone with Mookie and she said Nugget had put gum in his hair!! She tried ice, and it didn't work, she can't use peanut butter because he is allergic to it so I suggested oil, hope it will work. I'll let you know.

Nana!!

Oh, I have had the two best & busiest days ever!!! Mookie and her husband will celebrate their 10th anniversary tomorrow!!!!!! To celebrate this they took a staycation, as Mookie called it. They are staying home alone and their two sweet, cute, busy, adorable, fun sons are having some great time with Nana and Pappy and Grandma and Grandpa. We each were able to have them 2 nights! I was talking with Grandma yesterday, at the hand off, and I believe we decided it is more fun to be a Nana or Grandma than a Mom, but it is harder. I don't think its just because we are a little older. I think its our fault, we started with the boys when "little bubba" was little by playing with him nonstop! Making sure we were the best, greatest, and most fun Nana and Grandma ever!! Now we have "little bubba" and "nugget" who want us to play with them all the time. This is great, but also tiring. Moms have lots of stuff to get finished up each day so they say play nice and the kids go and play. Well, maybe it doesn't always work just like that, but you get the picture. Anyway, I had tons of fun, made lots of memories, and laughed my head off for two days and two nights!! Now its Grandma's turn to have the fun. I really feel sorry for Mookie and son-in-law, because the boys will have to go through several days of detox from being with us after they get them home. I'll be praying for them!

"My foot is slipping"

Long time no blog! This has been a crazy week and looking forward to a crazy weekend! The end of the school year bring lots of end of the year stuff. Plus just life has been crazy. I can feel myself going into the person who tries to be everything and everywhere for everyone. It makes me crazy!! I don't do anything well and I end up short changing all the ones I want to please. God has been trying to get me to hear Him lately, but I have been too busy to stop and listen. It is so great that He loves us so much that He keeps trying to get us to hear Him. I have heard Him through different means say the same thing over and over to me this week. I read in Beth Moore's blog the scripture Psalm 94:18-19 "If I say, "My foot is slipping." Your loyal love, O Lord, supports me. When worries threaten to overwhelm me, Your soothing touch makes me HAPPY." I love that!!! He makes me HAPPY, nothing else can! In reading this, I can see that it is not my job to make everyone around me happy. Yes, I need to try and do what God wants me to do to make everyone happy, but I am not their happiness. Now I am not saying anyone thinks I am their happiness, just that I think I am. I hope that makes sense, I know what I mean, but I'm not sure I explained it very well. Oh well, as you can see I have been pulled several different directions this week and have let myself get bogged down in the mud with the feeling of doing nothing well. God is my Joy, my salvation and my Happiness, and He is to those around me too.

Grandson #1's Preschool program

Tonight I was a proud Nana!! I, along with Pappy, Uncle Boo, Grandma, & Grandpa, Mom, Dad and Grandson #2, were able to witness the cutest little boy sing and be given the outstanding award of the "One who works the hardest." If there would have been an award for cutest he would have won that too. Other children participated and were given awards, but none as great and as cute as ours!! You could hear his voice over all of the others singing so clearly(maybe yelling) the parts he knew best. When he wasn't singing he was board!! He played with his hat, put his chin in his hands and looked around for something fun to do. Whenever he caught the attention of one of us he would give us the thumbs up then go back to being board. We were all so proud. What a fun night. Oh.... I am sure the others there wished they were us!

Mother's Day

Its hard to know where to start regarding Mother's Day for me. I have the best Mom in the world. She has always been one of the strong people in my lives. She picks me up when I am down, listens when I need to talk and talks when I need to listen. I love and respect her so much. She always has more energy that any 2 of her children put together. I would love to be as strong and energetic as she is when I am her age!! I have 2 children that I miss more than air especially on this day. That makes Mothers Day not the best day in the world. I have the most wonderful daughter, she is a wife, and a mom herself. I love her so much. She makes me so proud. She is such a great wife & mom. She has a strong faith and she and Mark have passed that along to their two sons. I was blessed on Saturday to spend the day with her going to two movies, shopping, and eating dinner out!!!! It was one of my best days ever! Today, Boo and Dad fixed me breakfast in bed, a great lunch (not in bed) and he has given me more kisses and hugs than any one should be allowed to have. It is such a blessing from God to be a Mother. He has allowed me to have a great Mom and see my daughter be a great Mom too!! Isn't He awesome!!!

My Brain Must Be Full!!!

This is crazy each time I try and decide what to blog about, my mind goes blank!! I will be laying there trying to go to sleep though and I get all sorts of ideas. Sometimes I can't even sleep, because of all the ideas I have!! The next time I draw a blank I am going to go into my room and lay down, that might help me get all my ideas back. Maybe when I am sitting up my brain is too upright and can't think, laying down must shift things around in there and stuff can come out easier. Alright, on to today's blog. I do have some great news to tell you about Boo! Saturday he came running up to me sooooo excited!! He said he had finally learned a trick he and I had been working on for several years! He put his hand in his arm pit and pumped his elbow and a great noise came out!! He did it over and over. I still am not able to do this, so I am so proud. Maybe I shouldn't have told you that I taught him how to do it and especially that we have worked on it for several years, but its part of the story. I have cautioned him however, that it is not a trick to do at school and no need to tell others that his mom taught him how to do it.

I'm Not Consistent Yet

Yesterday I had picked up Boo after school and he started in on the questions. Just the simple ones, What are we going to do? Do you want to go to McDonald's? How about the Library? Well, how about the new gas station? What is for dinner? Can we watch a movie? Can the boys next door come over? Will you play Wii with me? Do you want to jump on the trampoline? I was just answering them right & left then he started asking the same one over and over again!! Oh, he would word each one a little different, or maybe add a pleeeese at the end, but it was the same question. Can we do _____ before I do my homework? I had answered no several times, finally I asked him why he kept asking the same question over and over. He looked at me and said "Well Mama, sometimes you change your mind!!" Oh, he has me pegged! I am still trying to be more consistent, but I must need to work harder.

I Guess I Have A FLat Tire!

I have been wanting to tell this story about our Sweet Girl for a while, so here goes. She is such a crack-up! This happened several years ago, but it is just too funny to forget about. She was living here and would leave for work while I was still in bed, about 6:00A.M. One day she called, shortly after she had left, she said her car made a funny noise what should I do? Jim was gone so I asked her if any of the warning lights on her dashboard were on to which she answered no, I said, just come back home. She turned around and came home. I was waiting by the front door and when she pulled into the driveway I stepped outside. Now, I am not kidding she had no front tire!!! The whole thing was worn off! She was driving on the rim!! There was black all around the place where the wheel goes, but no tire!! She got out of her car and looked at it and said in her sweet voice "I guess I have a flat tire!". I wanted to scream "No, you did have a flat tire, but now you have NO TIRE!!!! I asked was it hard to drive and she said yes a little hard to steer. Then she said I bet that is way everyone kept honking and waving to me! Oh my gosh!! Can't you just see it everyone was trying to get her to stop, but she thought they were just being friendly and waving! She is so cute.

Gods strength

I think everyone around my age is going through this sandwich time! Some are trapped between taking care of grand kids and kids with problems and our parents and their aging problems. I want to stop right now and clarify that neither my kids, grandchildren or parents are having any problems at this time!!! I do know several different people that are going through all of this and more right now. Some were talking the other day and they said that we just needed to realize that this is just the way it is and get used to it, we can't change it, so we must learn to cope. I have to disagree!! God intends for us to have joy! He wants us to be content and happy in His word and in His presence. He will give you His joy, the deep down bone happy joy that can only come from Him. With that joy comes peace and we are able with His power to cope!! Jeremiah 15:16 says "When your words came I ate them, they were my joy and my hearts delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty." When we feel great despair we need to hunger for His word. Jer. 15:20 "I am with you to rescue and save you, declares the LORD." I guess what I am trying to say is, if you will stop, give yourself and problems to God, have fellowship with Him, He can change how you feel about what is going on. He may not change the circumstances in our lives, but He will help us get through them.

Mookie

I had a great day today! I was able to be with my Mookie (my most favorite red haired daughter in the world) and lots of other fun people! We had a baby sitter (2 really) for all 3 boys, and went to a very nice baby shower. All the dads and grandpas who's wives were attending the shower, were able to get away and golf!! No rain!! It was so nice to get away with my daughter and just be with other women. I think I have said this before, but sometimes we girls just need to get together! We need to laugh and eat cake! Afterward we went back to Mookies house and had dinner, just her family and my family, not everyone from the shower. When we were leaving, I wanted to stay. I love being with my 2 grandsons and my perfect son-in-law, but I wanted more time with Mookie! It seems each time we get together we have to hurry or we have the boys with us or we have tons of other things going on, so we don't get to really enjoy each other. She is so fun, she makes me laugh, we always make some kind of memory, and she is a good listener when I want to talk about her brother & sister. What a perfect daughter!! Thanks Mookie!! Love, Mom