Wall-E was great!

The Grands and I went to see Pixar's animated movie Wall-E this afternoon. All of us really enjoyed it, and fell in love with Wall-E. The animation was wonderful. My 8 year old granddaughter loved the "romance" between Wall-E and Eve, the "girl" robot. My 12 year old grandson didn't miss a single detail and has been talking about the movie all afternoon. And there was a LOT of detail.

The kids loved the scene where Wall-E doesn't know whether to put the spork he finds with his spoon collection or his fork collection. He finally puts in in the middle. :o) We loved it when Eve and Wall-E are flying around the spaceship, Eve using her own power, but Wall-E using a fire extinguisher. The cleaning robot, Mo, was cute, and we laughed when Wall-E deliberately made a dirty mark on the floor in front of Mo. Mo wipes it up, then Wall-E playfully makes a mark on Mo's face. Very cute! There were so many great scenes in the movie, and I think anyone would enjoy it, adult or child.

My favorite part of the movie was the Louis Armstrong rendition of La Vie En Rose, one of my favorite songs in the world. :o)

After the movie we stopped for ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. When we got home they washed my car, then got in the pool. We're having leftovers for dinner in a little while.

Go see Wall-E!

S'Mores In The Chiminea

The grandkids have had a couple of "quiet" days. Yesterday we took them to the commissary with us. They liked going to a military "grocery store." :o)

Last night Papa (Ron) made a fire in the chiminea while they were in the pool, and invited them to make S'mores. They really enjoyed that, and are doing it again tonight. According to Caelen, the perfect marshmallow is golden brown all the way around--no burnt stuff.

We took them to the Latin Mass today, and then to dinner at Marie Callendar's. After dropping Mom off at her place, we came home and spent a quiet afternoon. They got into the pool this evening, and have been there ever since. :o)

Tomorrow we're going to see Wall*E, and Wednesday we're off to the Frio River for a couple of days. They're so excited! We'll be back Thursday night, in time to celebrate the 4th of July.

The chiminea in the picture is not ours--it's from a website that sells them. We got ours in Mexico a few years ago, and have used it so much. I wanted to post a picture for those who might not know what they are. It's a sort of outdoor fireplace.

Jacob

This is my fourth grandchild, Jacob. He is three years old (four in October). This post will be dictated by his big brother, Caelen and his oldest sister, Lyssa.

Jacob's favorite things are transformers, robots, cars, trains and burping. He can burp on demand, one right after another, at any time.

He will bother me (Caelen) in my room, asking me to turn on the TV and put on Transformers, either the game or the movie, until I do it.

When he feels sad, Jacob always comes to me (Lyssa). I make him feel better by hugging him and telling him everything will be all right.

Whenever Jacob does something that he knows is wrong, like stealing cookies, he will try to act innocent and cute. He will hide the cookies behind his back, smile, and sometimes raise his eyebrows up and down. I (Caelen) think it's cute, but it doesn't trick me.

Jacob will always try and play games with me. He will bug me, saying, "Caelen, can we play a game?" And I finally agree to play the game after he annoys me long enough.

Sometimes Jacob follows me (Lyssa) into my room, and wants to play with me. I try to say no, but when he gives me the "puppy eyes," I just can't stand it. Sometimes he insists on playing Transformers, and I try my best. He always wants to do it his way and wants me to be Megatron.

Caelen and Lyssa are missing their little brother. They said that no matter how obnoxious he sometimes is, they still love him more than anything. :o)

Six Flags!

We had the BEST day at Six Flags Fiesta Texas today. It was Kelly's idea to go. She and her husband have season passes, and she was our excellent guide. Caelen and Lyssa had never been there before, and oh my, they had a great time!

The first picture is the entrance to the Roadrunner Express roller coaster. They rode on it five times, four times with me and Kelly and one time just the two of them. They weren't too sure about it at first, but now they are seasoned roller coaster riders. :o)

We rode so many rides, watched one of the musical shows, and went to the water park. We are all a little pink, and a lot tired. We got there when the park opened at 10:30 AM and left around 7 PM. It was a long day, but it was so much FUN!

In the bottom picture are three of my favorite people in the whole world, Caelen, Kelly and Ahlyssa, enjoying Six Flags. Aren't they beautiful?

Summer Vacation

The Grands and I went to Natural Bridge Caverns today. Caelen had been there before, but this was Lyssa's first time inside a cave. They both loved it. It's a great place to go when the weather is hot, since it's always cool inside. They enjoyed seeing all of the different formations. (That's not us in the picture; it's a photo from the web site).

Sunday we went to Gruene. We walked around a bit, looking at the Market Days booths, then had lunch at the Grist Mill. Unfortunately, Caelen started feeling ill and hardly touched his food. He fainted just as we were finishing lunch. Our daughter was taking him back to restroom when it happened, and it scared all of us! He's doing fine now, and we suspect it was a combination of too much sugar, walking around in the heat and not much sleep the night before. His dad is going to take him for a check-up when he goes home, just in case.

Tomorrow we will meet Kelly at the Riverwalk. The kids haven't been down there, and they want to see the Alamo. We'll have lunch and take them on a barge tour.

Thursday we are taking them to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Of course they are excited about that! When I told Lyssa our plans, she said, "This is the best week of my life!" :o) I'm so glad they are having fun. We are making memories.

Big Dan and Little Ann

We decided on Wilson Rawls' Where The Red Fern Grows as the book we will read together while the Grands are here. We read the first two chapters at bedtime tonight.

My dad loved this book. He could have been the boy in the story. He grew up in northeastern Oklahoma, the setting of the book, and strongly identified with the main character. I loved it too, and was thrilled when Caelen and Lyssa found it among my books and asked me to read it to them.

They saw a play at school based on the book, so they are already familiar with the story, and know that it has a sad ending.

When I finished the second chapter tonight and said that was all until tomorrow, they protested and wanted me to read more. My voice is hoarse from talking so much while our company has been here this past week, so I told them we would have to wait until tomorrow. They were sweet about it.

I'm exhausted. Everyone is asleep, and I have one more load of laundry to put in the dryer, then sweet dreams.

Saturday, In The Pool

Busy Saturday! My sister made a spur-of-the-moment visit. :o) She arrived at Mom's while I was there, in the early afternoon.

I came home and spent the afternoon in the pool with five of my grandkids. They had a great time. Reece has learned to "swim" to me from the lowest step. I back away and tell him to come to me, and he falls forward and goes underwater, moving toward me just a few feet. When I pick him up, he has a huge grin on his face, with water streaming everywhere. It's so cute.

We had homemade beans and rice for dinner. My sister and mom arrived around dinner time and my big pots of beans and rice fed all 13 of us. I told my sister it was peasant food, but everyone loves it. And it feeds a lot of people for not a lot of money. :o)

I made another zucchini cake and that was a hit, too. It's one way of getting kids to eat zucchini.

My sister loved seeing all of the kids, especially baby Aubrey. Her little grandson, Jonah, is still in NICU in Dallas, but he is growing. He now weighs over 4 pounds! He will probably be there for another month, though. Please continue to pray for him.

Josh and Cyrise left with their two littles around 6:30PM, Jason and Kismette left with their youngest two around 8PM, leaving Caelen and Lyssa with us. Mom and Sandi left right after that. Even with the two kids here, the house is awfully quiet.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Kelly is coming over to do something fun with us. We may go to Gruene, where Caelen loves to eat fried catfish at the Grist Mill. :o)

The Year Of St. Paul

Pope Benedict XVI has proclaimed June 2008 to June 2009 the Year of St. Paul.

EWTN will be showing the 30 minute documentary, Paul: From Tarsus To The World during the month of June. Episode 1 was yesterday, episode 2 is today at 6:30 PM (eastern), 5:30 PM (central), and 3:30 PM (pacific). Episodes 3 through 7 will air Monday June 23 through Friday June 27 at the same time. From the EWTN schedule: This documentary look at the life and wisdom of St. Paul takes you to many of the cities where the tireless Apostle to the Gentiles taught and preached....

Children will enjoy the animated Adventures Of The Apostle Paul on Saturday, June 28 at 9 AM (central) on EWTN.

And Pope Benedict will lead Vespers, beginning the Pauline Year, on Saturday, June 28 at 10:30 AM (central) from the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Wall.

Don't forget to celebrate St. Paul's Feast Day on June 29. :o)

Hot Summer Days

My son and his family decided to stay a few days longer than the weekend, and we are really enjoying their visit.

The birthday party on Saturday was fun. The kids were in the pool most of the afternoon, and Mom, DD and I got in with them for awhile. We decided to have Chester's hamburgers instead of cooking, which made things easier for me. We had birthday cake and ice cream, and both Lily and Reece opened their gifts. It was a laid-back, fun-filled day.

Mom didn't want to come home with us after Mass on Sunday. She needed to rest after the full day on Saturday. Jason and his family had not seen Josh's new house, so we went over there for awhile, then back here for more swimming.

That night, Caelen asked if we could go to Sonic for milkshakes, so we did. They were having a 99c sale on them, and we took 9 shakes and malts home to everyone who wanted one. I told Caelen that he could have milkshakes every night if he wants, because he needs to gain weight. He took me up on it, and tonight is the third night we've gone to Sonic for milkshakes, malts or root beer floats. :o)

Today their mom and I took the kids to the Witte Museum. They have a kid's museum with all sorts of fun activities. Admission to the museum is free on Tuesdays from 3 PM until 8 PM. We spent the afternoon there, then came home for yet more swimming. Josh brought Reece over, and he joined the other kids in the pool (so did I).

I found a wonderful site where you can find inexpensive (or free) things to do with your kids or grandkids. This is the link to the San Antonio page, but you can search for other cities from there. I found a cool sprinkler park, art museums with free admission on certain days, fun places to eat with kids, info about concerts, free fishing, and a farm they can visit.

Looks like we'll have an action packed summer. Caelen and Lyssa are both going to stay for awhile when their parents go back. Lily will stay later in the summer. They've already said they want to go to Gruene. We might take them tubing on the Guadalupe River. They've also mentioned "the beach," so we might go to Rockport.

Yay for Grandkids! They keep me young (at heart). :o)

Happy Birthday, Lily and Reece!

My grandchildren are all here this weekend. We have two birthdays to celebrate. Lily's was on June 12, Reece's on June 13. She is six, and he is three. We're having a birthday party Saturday. :o)

Our oldest granddaughter, Lyssa, will spend a week (or two) with us. I'm looking forward to having her here. I love summer, when my grands can stay with me for more than just a weekend. The others will each have a stay during the summer, too.

Everyone will be here tomorrow for a cook-out and swimming. There will be fifteen of us and Chuy. :o) Fun!!

For Everything There Is A Season

The beautiful circle of life has been so evident in our lives these past few weeks. We have two new babies in our family since May 20, but have lost a dear woman, Cyrise's mom.

The babies are both doing well. The loss of Janie will hurt for a long time, especially for her husband and children. We are thankful that she got to see Aubrey before her death. Josh told Cyrise that he believes Aubrey was born early so that Janie, her grandmother, would have a chance to see her before her death. I thought that was a sweet thought.

Janie's funeral was yesterday, a small graveside service. And now the hard part begins for her family; living their lives without her. Even at the cemetery, along with the tears there was laughter and smiles as we watched Reece and Aubrey. Life does go on.

From Ecclesiastes
1 All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven. 2 A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal. A time to destroy, and a time to build. 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance. 5 A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather. A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.

6 A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away. 7 A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak. 8 A time of love, and a time of hatred. A time of war, and a time of peace.

Amen.

We Love To Read

My youngest grandson, Reece, likes books. Right now his favorites are The Teeny Tiny Woman and Green Eggs And Ham. He also likes Goodnight Moon and a paperback about Thomas the Train, plus lots of little chubby books about puppies, kittens and shapes. :o)

Our copy of The Teeny Tiny Woman is illustrated by Benrei Huang. Reece likes the pictures. They are colorful and the faces on each character are sweet and friendly. This is especially important in this book because it's just the teeny tiniest bit scary for an almost 3 year old. :o)

Take a look at some of Benrei Huang's illustrations here. They are really nice.

I bought the book at the thrift store for 45 cents. I love a bargain. I bought myself a couple of fiction books for summer reading, too. Mine are Survivor by Tabitha King and Trace by Patricia Cornwell, hardcovers for 99 cents each. (*edit: Trashed the King book--X rated and not worth even 99 cents).

Oh my kids loved to read when they were little. Kelly (and Josh, too) loved Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series. Jason read every Three Investigator book (and anything else) he could get his hands on, and they all loved the Narnia books, and the Ring trilogy as they got older.

Now I'm reading their old favorites to my grandchildren. Last summer I read Charlotte's Web and Heidi to my granddaughters. This summer I'd like to start the Little House On The Prairie series with them. But maybe first we'll read Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, or The Secret Garden or..........may I should let them choose. :o)

Rest In Peace, Janie.

My daughter-in-law's mother died today. She had been ill for some time, but her death came as a shock because we didn't expect it this soon.

Janie was my age. I suspect that the grief and stress of losing her oldest daughter, Gina, contributed to her decline. My daughter-in-law has lost her sister and her mother in less than two years. Please pray for her.

We are thankful that Janie got to see her new grandbaby, Aubrey, for the first time a few days ago. Cyrise said that seeing the baby lifted her mother's spirits--Janie said that she felt 100% better. And she got to see Reece and of course Cyrise and Josh. Cyrise said that the last thing she and mother said to each other was "I love you."

Lord our God, the death of Janie recalls our human condition and the brevity of our lives on earth. But for those who believe in your love, death is not the end, nor does it destroy the bonds that you forge in our lives. We share the faith of your Son's disciples and the hope of the children of God. Bring the light of Christ's resurrection to this time of testing and pain as we pray for Janie and for those who love her, through Christ our Lord. Amen
(from the Glenstal Book of Prayer)

Big Brother and Little Sister

The kids left Reece and Aubrey with me for awhile today, and I had to take more pictures. I thought this one was so cute. :o) She's a sweet little bundle.

I tried to get Reece to hold her so that I could take their picture, but he wouldn't. He's so gentle with her, and he will touch and kiss her, but he's not ready to hold her yet.

I don't have a good recent photo of him. I'll try to take some tomorrow. The lighting is bad on this one, but you can see the twinkle in his eyes. He is such a happy little boy.

Grandbabies are just the best!

My Mom's Best Bud

This little cutie is Mom's cairn terrier, Chuy (or Chewy). My sister gave him to Mom a few years ago and the two of them are constant companions.

Chuy is about 6 years old, and a bit spoiled and pampered; he lives a good life. In an article I read about cairn terriers, they were described as "big dogs in a little dog body." That is certainly true of Chuy. He thinks he is the boss. :o) He tries to chase garbage trucks and cars, he goes nuts when he sees a cat (except for our Maggie cat), and he is the guardian of Mom's apartment complex.

Almost everyone there loves him, except for a few people who are afraid of dogs. His doggie buddies are Gizmo, a little black and white chijuajua, Sonny, a white Bichon who lives across the hall, and Brownie, a hyper part chijuajua. His girlfriend is a dainty little Yorkie named Katie. Chuy loves to go for a walk around the complex grounds with Mom, and they stop and talk with every dog they meet, and most of the people.

I've seen his name spelled both Chewy and Chuy by family members. I don't know which is correct, but since he's a San Antonio dog now, Chuy seems to fit. :o) However, he was named after the Star War's character, Chewbacca, so Chewy fits too. He has a Chewbacca fur face and he also "talks" like Chewbacca in the movie. :o)

Anyway, this post is mostly for those family members who love Chuy and don't get to see him much anymore. He sure has a way of stealing your heart.

Sweet Baby Aubrey

Here she is, six days old. She's only been home two days, and she's doing great. She drinks fortified breast milk every three hours, and sometimes more often. She's lost a bit of weight since her birth, so we hope she will gain all of it back and more very soon. She sleeps with her arm up in that position, and her mommy says that she doesn't cry very much at all.

Reece loves her. He likes to put his hand on her head, and he gives her kisses. He is sometimes quite loud, but she seems to be used to his noise. I'm sure she recognizes his voice.

Her Great-Gran visited her this afternoon. It was so sweet to see my mom holding my grandbaby. Mom had seen her before, in the NICU, but today was the first time she held Aubrey.

Please pray for a good report from her pediatrician when she sees him next week. Thanks!