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I need some, energy and stamina that is, if you have any to spare. I’ve got the grandchildren and I’m worn out! Three of my grandchildren are visiting for the next couple of weeks and the lil darlings are giving Mamaw a run for her money…er, energy. Did we have that much energy when we were younger? Papaw and I raised five kids and somehow I’ve forgotten how much work was involved.

My dishwasher, washer, and dryer have been going non-stop. The front door latch doesn’t seem to ever latch…the door doesn’t stop swinging long enough for it to latch. I’m reminded of the screen doors at my grandparent’s house that would make that “smack” sound every time we ran in or out and I hear myself repeating their, “Get in or out and stay there! You’re letting the flies in the house!” Screen doors were kind of useless when we visited, you know. Thank God I don’t have to use a wringer washer for laundry or have to wash all the dishes by hand. Speaking of the dryer, be right back…the load of dark colored clothing is dry.

Ok, now that the laundry is once again caught up, we’re ready for another round of rolling in the dirt with the Labs, Penny and Pedro; getting caught buzzing around the corner of the house on two wheels on the FOUR wheeled battery powered Power Wheels (the imagination of a 6 yr old boy at work here on a pretend ATV course); building secret forts where adults aren’t allowed in the woods out of hickory logs and limbs (11 yr old boys want privacy); covering ourselves from head to toe with chocolate cake (a 15 month old’s favorite way to eat cake); and last but not least, creating a tub of mud at bath time with the dirt covering us from the rolls in the dirt with the dogs and crashing the power wheels.

I discovered that once I work out a few kinks here and there I can still physically multi-task…to a degree. As I held the refrigerator door open with my left leg while holding the 15 month old on the same hip and filled her bottle which was way over on the right hand counter with milk with my right hand, at the same time I managed to slap PB & J onto a couple pieces of bread to create the ultimate sandwich for a child. Today’s stretching and weight lifting are now accomplished, but there will surely be more as the day goes on. The two wheeled power wheels trick took care of Mamaw’s cardio for the day by causing the heart rate to sky rocket.

Who says we need to visit the gym several times a week when grandchildren are a part of our lives?

P.S. Please excuse the run on sentences and the lack of editing. Still have to work on the mental aspect of this adventure, but there’s no time for that right now.

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Major life changes have transpired since my last post. My MIL passed away last Wednesday. She was a lady to whom I owe great gratitude for the influence she had on DH. She raised a caring, compassionate, loving and respectable man, and I’m blessed to be able to share my life with him.

Many cherished memories of family times were shared in this last week between DH and his four siblings. It was a sad time, of course, but reminiscing about their shared childhood eased the pain of the loss of their Mother. There were the memories of vacations where they traveled across the country from their home in the midwest to see the west. Camping trips along the way as they anticipated their arrival at Disneyland in California.

The photo albums were brought out and pictures brought back more memories. Memories of the times the two younger boys busted the glass out of windows as they ran through the house chasing each other, and as they knocked golf balls around with the golf clubs they found in the house they had just moved into. There were the guessing games of who each baby was in the baby pictures. They were finally able to put faces to the names they had heard over the years of some relatives they never had the opportunity to know. There were Aunts and Uncles present that were able to identify the people in some of the old photographs.

There was discussion of future family reunions. Families are so scattered these days. With the mobility modern transportation has provided our generation and our children’s generations, the days of visiting immediate and extended family on Sundays seem to be another one of those things of the past now. There was sorrow that the only time people see each other is under dire circumstances involving another family member. Tentative plans were discussed to avoid gathering only at such times. These discussions were a reminder of another torch being passed on to our generation.

It’s our turn to make sure our children, their children, and their children’s children know the family history and its legacy. How do we do that without the frequency of family gatherings like those in our childhood? In my case, it’s done when the grandchildren spend a couple of weeks during summer vacation with Mamaw and Papaw as three of mine are doing now. We talk about when their parents were growing up as well as the way things were when we were growing up. Occasionally they show an interest in the family photo albums and quiz us about the people, the settings, and the backdrops of the photos.

With a smile on my face I must tell you it’s difficult to write this because my 15 month old granddaughter is creating memories for us both as she continuously kicks my keyboard while I try to type with her in my lap. We’re off to make more memories to share with her children and grandchildren…

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Yep, that’s right. Even the most intimidating “beings” couldn’t help but love him. I must say that I learned a lot from our favorite neighbor. Did you? Love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and joy being at the top of the list of things I learned. Are there any shows on today like our favorite neighbor’s for kids? I don’t watch enough TV these days to know.

Who was America’s favorite neighbor when many of us were still growing up? I know you haven’t forgotten our favorite neighbor, but for those who might not have reason to remember, head over to this post at Mental Floss Magazine for a heartwarming bio. Uh-h-h…you might want to take some tissues with you.

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