annie blog

The baby is constantly surprising us with the new things that he is learning, doing and saying. He started climbing this week…so that makes life so very exciting for all of us. It will be good when he can climb down as well as he can climb up. He has also been expressing his um, preferences, much more lately. Ah…we knew that it had to happen sooner or later. And, like his brothers, he seems to love (toy) weapons. The other day, he brought me one of their little retractable toy light sabers, and said, very distinctly, “Guzsch!” Or, to translate, “Please open this thing up for me, Mom.” So I opened it for him, and he promptly joined the battle that was being waged in the living room. Little boys — I love them.

The baby is constantly surprising us with the new things that he is learning, doing and saying. He started climbing this week…so that makes life so very exciting for all of us. It will be good when he can climb down as well as he can climb up. He has also been expressing his um, preferences, much more lately. Ah…we knew that it had to happen sooner or later. And, like his brothers, he seems to love (toy) weapons. The other day, he brought me one of their little retractable toy light sabers, and said, very distinctly, “Guzsch!” Or, to translate, “Please open this thing up for me, Mom.” So I opened it for him, and he promptly joined the battle that was being waged in the living room. Little boys — I love them.

Okay. I just voted for Bo like 30 or 40 times. This is what I’ve done every week. Have to pull for the Alabama boy. He does need to pick better material, though. I hope that he gets the chance to sing some Van Morrison sometime. He could really do that well. My prediction is that either Scott or Nadia will go home tomorrow night. And if you have no clue what I’m talking about…it is American Idol. We tape it and watch it after the boys are in the bed. The great thing about that is that it takes us less than half the time after we fast forward through the commercials sometimes and Paula Abdul’s commentary almost always. Too bad that they didn’t have that great Adidas commercial on — the one in which the guy is dreaming. (It was on during AI last week.) I think that it was directed by Spike Jonze. I really like that commercial.

Okay. I just voted for Bo like 30 or 40 times. This is what I’ve done every week. Have to pull for the Alabama boy. He does need to pick better material, though. I hope that he gets the chance to sing some Van Morrison sometime. He could really do that well. My prediction is that either Scott or Nadia will go home tomorrow night. And if you have no clue what I’m talking about…it is American Idol. We tape it and watch it after the boys are in the bed. The great thing about that is that it takes us less than half the time after we fast forward through the commercials sometimes and Paula Abdul’s commentary almost always. Too bad that they didn’t have that great Adidas commercial on — the one in which the guy is dreaming. (It was on during AI last week.) I think that it was directed by Spike Jonze. I really like that commercial.

Okay. I just voted for Bo like 30 or 40 times. This is what I’ve done every week. Have to pull for the Alabama boy. He does need to pick better material, though. I hope that he gets the chance to sing some Van Morrison sometime. He could really do that well. My prediction is that either Scott or Nadia will go home tomorrow night. And if you have no clue what I’m talking about…it is American Idol. We tape it and watch it after the boys are in the bed. The great thing about that is that it takes us less than half the time after we fast forward through the commercials sometimes and Paula Abdul’s commentary almost always. Too bad that they didn’t have that great Adidas commercial on — the one in which the guy is dreaming. (It was on during AI last week.) I think that it was directed by Spike Jonze. I really like that commercial.

Well, my grandmother seems to be doing a little better. She is conscious now and has even eaten a little (soft) food. So that is good — I think.

Well, my grandmother seems to be doing a little better. She is conscious now and has even eaten a little (soft) food. So that is good — I think.

Well, my grandmother seems to be doing a little better. She is conscious now and has even eaten a little (soft) food. So that is good — I think.

My Mom’s mom is 96. She had a stroke (probably one of several) the other day, and right now they don’t really think that she’ll come out of it. Things have been rough for her lately, so I just hope that the end is easy for her. She has always been sort of a hoot….and I have lots of funny stories about her and her life. She did quite a few memorable things. And I might share several of them later….but for now, here is just a short one.

She has spent the last several years moving from one assisted living facility to another. Moving was always her choice. We joked that she got to meet all the residents…but when they started telling the same stories over and over again that she would say to herself, “I’m outta here!” And that would be that. My Mom always helped her fix up her room in each facility and make it homey and nice. One of the places that she lived had a little patio that was outside her room. Out there she had chairs and plants and a bird feeder. One day, we were visiting, and someone commented on her bird feeder. She said something to the effect of, “Squirrels have been bothering my bird feeder. The other day, I saw a big old squirrel just sitting up there eating his fill of all my bird seed and it made me so mad.” My Mom asked her what she did about it. (I think that my Mom probably thought that my grandmother had probably scared the squirrel away with a broom or something.) My grandmother answered her, “What did I do about it? I yanked that old squirrel out by his big old tail.” We looked at her with our mouths open. Then my mother started in on why she shouldn’t try doing that again because she might get bitten, etc. I was sort of listening — but I was also trying to visualize the whole thing — thinking how funny it would have been to see it. She had to have been at least 90 at the time. And, I bet that squirrel thought twice before bothering her bird feeder again.

My Mom’s mom is 96. She had a stroke (probably one of several) the other day, and right now they don’t really think that she’ll come out of it. Things have been rough for her lately, so I just hope that the end is easy for her. She has always been sort of a hoot….and I have lots of funny stories about her and her life. She did quite a few memorable things. And I might share several of them later….but for now, here is just a short one.

She has spent the last several years moving from one assisted living facility to another. Moving was always her choice. We joked that she got to meet all the residents…but when they started telling the same stories over and over again that she would say to herself, “I’m outta here!” And that would be that. My Mom always helped her fix up her room in each facility and make it homey and nice. One of the places that she lived had a little patio that was outside her room. Out there she had chairs and plants and a bird feeder. One day, we were visiting, and someone commented on her bird feeder. She said something to the effect of, “Squirrels have been bothering my bird feeder. The other day, I saw a big old squirrel just sitting up there eating his fill of all my bird seed and it made me so mad.” My Mom asked her what she did about it. (I think that my Mom probably thought that my grandmother had probably scared the squirrel away with a broom or something.) My grandmother answered her, “What did I do about it? I yanked that old squirrel out by his big old tail.” We looked at her with our mouths open. Then my mother started in on why she shouldn’t try doing that again because she might get bitten, etc. I was sort of listening — but I was also trying to visualize the whole thing — thinking how funny it would have been to see it. She had to have been at least 90 at the time. And, I bet that squirrel thought twice before bothering her bird feeder again.