Category Archives: Addyson May

First Time at Gramps’ and Baba’s House

While niece/cousin Jenna visited with two of her kids and with their grandma we had as much family time as possible. Our kids from Eastern Washington traveled the five plus hours with our little Addy to enjoy the time, too. Saturday at Gramps’ and Baba’s house there was lots of activity and Addy was happy to sit with her Auntie or cousins when she was fed and awake.

Games and discussions were enjoyed. Little T-Rex has lots of questions that need to be answered.

When it was time for a little nap Baba’s lap had just the right cushion for comfort and when Addy woke up she had some words and love squeezes for Gramps.

Later in the day after we had yummy taco salad and pica de gallo we started a fire to enjoy S’mores.

Addy expresses herself well without words.

Love this expression with her mommy and daddy and the way she has her hand resting on Sky’s head in the grandparent with grands shot.

More shots with mommy and daddy.

Addy laughed out loud with her cousin once removed, our niece Jenna. The expression in the center photo cracks me up. Mister (T-Rex) was quite proud of being able to walk along our wall and our tree stumps.

Cousins!

These are 3 of the “B” grands all together at our house 2017.

And here’s a flashback to when Dear and I were able to enjoy our first little niece, Jenna, back in the 70’s. So happy that we could get the chance to enjoy her and two of her kids at our house in 2017. We need a proper “B” reunion with all the B’s together soon.

There She Goes Hodgepodge

1. Growing up, were you close to your grandparents? My maternal grandfather died in Persia before my babushka immigrated to the U.S.A. I was closer to my little maternal babushka. We visited my paternal grandparents regularly and honored them but never were as close to them as to my little babushka.

Tell us one or two specific things you remember about them.

Me and my little babushka on my wedding day. She was a believer and prayed for me all her days and tried to teach me to embroider. She embroidered with one hand because she lost one hand up to her elbow when she was young.

My paternal grandparents loved us as they could. We enjoyed a Russian Banya (Steam bath/sauna) at their home regularly growing up.

2. What’s an item you were attached to as a child? What happened to it?

I have not one item from my childhood that I’m attached to, in fact I have not one item from my childhood.

3. When you look out your window, do you see the forest or the trees (literally and figuratively)? Explain.

Out my current windows I see trees but no forest. I see houses no big views.

4. Do you like sour candies?
I enjoy Mike and Ikes.
Which of the ‘sour’ foods listed below would you say is your favorite?
grapefruit, Greek yogurt, tart cherries, lemons, limes, sauerkraut, buttermilk, or kumquats
limes
Have you ever eaten a kumquat?
Yes, I have. Growing up in Southern California our relatives had kumquat trees and we’d enjoy them fresh off the tree. It’s fun getting past the sour skin to the inner sweetness.

What’s your favorite dish containing one of the sour foods on the list?
I like the effect and taste that limes add to pica de gallo and I enjoy lime in my gin and tonics.

5. July 1st marked the mid point of 2017. In fifteen words or less, tell us how it’s going so far.

Becoming grandparents and watching our granddaughter grow makes 2017 a stand out year.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Summer is great but it’s not my favorite season.

Linking up to Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond. Joyce asks the questions and we answer them.

Blest Be…

…the Tie That Binds.

On Friday we all gathered at Josh and Laura’s and enjoyed some bonding time with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas and grandpas. Uncle Andrew finally got to meet Addy in person. Our grandniece was at Katie and Andrew’s wedding (a wee babe) but little grandnephew was not born yet. We all were meeting little “Mister” for the first time.

Addy enjoyed watching “Mister”. He was entertaining the adults with his knowledge of States and Capitals. We yelled out a state and he gave us the capital. He’s three and he knows capitals better than us adults.

Sister-in-law, Christina is married to Dear’s only brother and they have 3 daughters. Jenna was their first daughter born and she has two children that we got to know during their 5+ day visit from New York. Jenna is Dear and my first niece and we spent lots of quality time with her in her early years since we all lived in Southern California. It was nice to see her as a mommy.

“Sky” is five and she got a kick out of little Addy. Addy likes to stare at her, too.

Uncle Josh, Addy, and “Mister” with the cool reflections I didn’t know I was capturing in this photo.

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

Before our Father’s throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other’s woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

This glorious hope revives
Our courage by the way;
While each in expectation lives,
And longs to see the day.

From sorrow, toil and pain,
And sin, we shall be free,
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.

Words: John Fawcett, 1782.

This hymn was sung in the 1940 mo­vie Our Town, which was nom­in­at­ed for sev­er­al Acad­e­my Awards.

And here’s Baba reunited with her sweet grandgirlie, Addy.

I’m busy catching up with many of your posts that I’ve missed over the last several days so I’m not joining memes today since I won’t get a chance to visit other participants. Can you believe we are halfway through 2017 already! Praying for some of our blogging friends, bj at Sweet Nothings who just lost her Mr. Sweet, Cuisine Kathleen who lost her dear husband suddenly the end of May, and others who are suffering from long term illnesses. May you be revived by God’s “glorious hope”.

Cousins

These are the cousins on Dear’s side of our family, missing Jenna’s husband and her two sisters. We had 5 full days of fun and it’s time for our niece Jenna and her 2 little ones of the walking and running variety to head back to New York. Our little Addy was very interested in these smaller humans that moved fast and were interested in her, too. I’ll be posting a bunch soon. This Baba/Great Auntie is a little tired but full of joy with the good fellowship we had.

Not So Trifle Hodgepodge

1. When was the last time you chatted with a neighbor? About what? (sharing that last bit is optional)

This past week one of my neighbors rang the doorbell and asked if I would be willing to be used for a practice safety lesson for her autistic son. Her older son had a choking incident and she had to use the Heimlich maneuver on him and she wanted the younger autistic son to learn how to run and get help if she or anyone in the family needed help. I said of course and a while later the young neighbor rang my doorbell. He stood there when I opened the door, not looking me in the eye, with a shy sideways glance but said “my brother needs help”. I told him, “yes, I’d be happy to help and thank you for coming over and ringing my doorbell”.  He was happy to walk away, mission accomplished.

2. River, lake, ocean, or waterfall…which one are you most like and why?

My activity is like an ocean, it comes in waves.

My loyalty is like a river, it runs constantly.

3. July 13 is National Delaware Day. Ever been to Delaware? Delaware is called ‘the first state’ because it was the first to declare independence from the British. What’s your state’s nickname and does that moniker make sense to you? If you were in charge, what nickname would you give your home state?

I don’t think I’ve ever been to Delaware. There’s a possibility I was a passenger in a Volkswagon that drove through Delaware to get to Washington D.C. but since I wasn’t driving at the time I don’t recall the route taken.

My home state is Washington. Washington State’s nickname is The Evergreen State~ I don’t need to change it.

Washington is the second most populous state on the West Coast and in the Western United States, after California. … Washington is a leading lumber producer. Its rugged surface is rich in stands of Douglas fir, hemlock, ponderosa pine, white pine, spruce, larch, and cedar.

4. What dish did you contribute to the last pot luck meal you attended? Do you have a go-to recipe for pot luck suppers?

Trifle was my last contribution to a potluck meal. It was at a belated Father’s Day get together at our son’s home in Eastern Washington. I don’t have a go-to.

5. What is your number one tip for a brand new parent?

This, too, shall pass. Or a great Russian saying that gets a little lost in translation is “By the time they get married they will have forgotten this happened, or this will heal by the time they get married.”

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This week’s favorite expression from Addy May…

She’s a bit concerned that Baba is way across the mountains from her. Thankfully she’s going to brave a road trip and come visit us this coming weekend so she can meet a great auntie and cousins and the an uncle she has not met yet!

Thank you Jo for coming up with the questions for Wednesday Hodgepodge! Click over to join in the fun.

She Can Move…

All of these photos are from our last couple days with our kids, June 26th and 27th. I’m catching up with my photos from our time in Eastern Washington. After we got home we got a video showing Addy roll over from her back to her tummy. She is a strong little one.

This week has really thrown me for a loop with a Tuesday holiday. I’m checking each day to see what day of the week it really is. I’m slowly going through my 4626 posts and cleaning up the blacked out photos that are the curse of Photobucket. In the process I am deleting some posts that I find aren’t a great loss to me. Hope your summer is going well.

Free to be Me Hodgepodge

1. When and where were the best fireworks you’ve ever seen? Speaking of fireworks…do you know your hot buttons? The things people can say and/do to set you off? When was the last time someone pushed one of your hot buttons?

The collage above is taken at Disneyland with Josh and Dan in the early 80’s before Katie was born.

Disneyland puts on a great fireworks show every night.

My hot buttons are pushed when someone who is outspoken speaks out including me in their opinion and then because it’s so against my principles I have to speak out. Those kinds of scenarios make me sweat uncomfortably. I could keep quiet generally and not make a scene but I can’t stay silent when someone includes me in their convictions that are totally against my own.

2. Have you hosted any outdoor summer parties this year? Attended any? What makes for a great outdoor party?

Just hosted our first summer party on the 4th of July with 14 people we love. Some family and some dear friends. The weather was right and the food was satisfying. For me an outdoor party is perfect when the weather, food and people align well. I like an outdoor party with a close home base where the food can be set out inside and people can gather outside with access to the food and facilities close by. Another key to a great party is when everyone who comes contributes to the food table.

3. What does freedom mean to you?

I am so grateful to have been raised in the Home of the brave and land of the free. I love the U.S.A. I am even more grateful for the freedom that I have in Christ.

Galatians 5:1  “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Galatians 2:4 “…our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus…”

John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Romans 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

4. July is National Cell Phone Courtesy month…what annoys you most about people’s cell phone habits?

I don’t appreciate how loud people are when talking on the phone in public places. The worst thing is looking in your rear view mirror riding down the freeway at very high speeds and realizing the person behind you is texting! Yikes, if the traffic stops will they notice in time before crashing into me? I have changed lanes to get away from these scenarios.

5. What’s your current summer anthem?

God Bless America

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Can’t get enough of this little smiley face! She has rolled over from her tummy to her back and now she just rolled over from her back to her tummy! She will be 4 months on July 20th!

Thank you Jo From This Side of the Pond for coming up with the questions and prompts for us to react to on Hodgepodge Wednesday. Click over to read more responses.

Thankful Thursday

On Saturday morning June 24th Addy survived staying home with me while mommy got her hair cut. She didn’t even realize mommy was gone since she slept in my arms. Thankfully Jamie pulled in just after Addy woke up and wanted to be fed.

Sunday morning I put together this trifle to have for our belated Father’s Day meal. There were 11 of us and I forgot to take photos of the crowd and of all the great appetizers and salads we enjoyed. The heat has a way of taking me out of my photography groove.

Addy slept until we all were done eating. When the company left she had some belly time and when that frustrated her Gramps came to the rescue.

They had a very nice conversation. Sunday night was a rough night in the baby sleeping world. The bedrooms were hot from our 94 degree day.

We are having cooler days here in Western Washington since we came home. I visited the hand therapist today and I have exercises and instructions until I revisit him. He suggested I wear my hand/wrist brace most of the day instead of just while I sleep.

I’m thankful for the time we had with our kids in Eastern Washington last weekend. Thankful that Addy is healthy and growing. I’m thankful for a safe drive both ways. I’m thankful for being able to do most of the things I usually do without pain even though I have very little grip in my left hand. I’m thankful for cooler weather. I’m thankful for our Canadian neighbors who are celebrating 150 years.

Y is for Young

Our little Addy May is the youngest in our family and her mama’s family. We were in eastern Washington visiting our kids from Friday afternoon until early Tuesday morning. The photo above is of Addy with mommy and granny (great grandmother). We went out to lunch on Saturday while Daddy was working.

This young-un loves to be up on her feet and not laying down. Gramps got a good workout holding her up.

 

Daddy got a good arm workout after he got home from work.

Addy was expressive with him and let him know all the ups and downs of the day.

Mostly it was good news. Good thing her parents are young, too, because of all there is to do in bringing up a baby safely is hard on the arms, legs, back, shoulders not to mention emotions. Young ones in our care are worth all the effort. We were happy to arrive for the weekend to help out in any way we could. Mostly we had Addy time while mommy and daddy had free arms to accomplish other things around the house. It was so good to get caught up with the development going on with the youngest amongst us. She’s already turning over and it’s no easy prospect for her.

As I watched all her antics and movements I kept thinking if I moved this much and was this active I would lose some weight for sure. All these photos and activities happened on Saturday June 23rd. Addy is 3 months old.

Today is also Dan and Jamie’s 2 year anniversary! Happy Anniversary Dan and Jamie! So many changes in just two years!

We just arrived home. The travel time by car to our eastern Washington kids is close to 6 hours. We cross the Cascade Mountain range, the Columbia River and several farmlands on our journey there and back. The largest city we go through after leaving Western Washington is Spokane where we turn north and drive about 20 miles south of the Canadian border before reaching our kids home. We have learned the best way for us to travel these roads is listening to a book on cd. This time around we listened to a new to us author, Barbara Cleverly and her book called Not My Blood, A Joe Sandilands Investigation. The narrator makes or breaks a book on cd for us and Simon Prebble was real easy on our ears.

Linking to ABC Wednesday for the letter Y. Thank you to Mrs. Nesbitt and the great team of administrators keeping things going!

Mosaic Monday

This is my Mosaic Monday without linking up. On Friday the 23rd of June we traveled east over the Cascade Mountain Range along Interstate 90 to Colville.  When we reach Spokane we head north and connect to Hwy 395 to travel the last 70 miles of our journey. As we near Chewelah we see many familiar signs. In the summertime the streets in Chewelah and Colville are lined with flower displays in hanging baskets and along the road in planters. On this journey we stopped at our favorite Mexican Restaurant in Chewelah, El Ranchito for an early lunch.

Continuing north on 395 you can tell you are in logging country.

We took a back road to get to our kid’s home and enjoyed these great country scenes along the way.

Then we arrived to see who we really wanted to see. She charmed us with many expressions and moods.

Yawns galore before she had another afternoon nap.

Sometimes she needs to express herself and she gets all our attention. It was a nice drive and reunion.

We will have had three full days with the kids before we head home early Tuesday morning. Sunday was the hottest day so far here and today is another hot one with temps expected to hit 93 with possible thunderstorms. With no air-conditioning it gets hard to do anything but sit around in front of fans. It’s cooling down a bit the next couple of days.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.