May 25th

Today is Memorial Day. Normally I do not have plans for the day, we aren’t bbq kind of people. lol But this year, my grandmother turned 90 on Memorial Day and my family decided to have a party for her at my uncle’s friends lake front house.

Before we headed out, we were treated to a little parade through Atlas. Pretty much it was just the VFW, the highschool band and the local fire truck. I really think that the baseball team should march through the streets too. Atlas baseball team, Atlas parade, makes sense to me.

Our mini parade

Gryffan has been talking about the grave markers for veterans lately, they had a man come in and talk about Memorial Day to his class. I decided that since we were going to be way early, we should stop at the cemetary and visit my mother and grandfathers grave. Let me just get this one gripe off my chest, people drive like morons in a cemetary. You would think that the reality of death would be crystal clear there of all places, but no, the point is lost on some people. Anyway back on point. We cleaned off the graves because they were a bit over grown. Gryffan walked around and was really able to see all the different grave markers. He swelled up with pride when he saw that his great grandfather had fought in World War 2. Then Lexy proceded to pick dandelions and she places them carefully on my mothers grave. It was just so sweet.

So tender

Then we were off to the lake house in Nuangola. I had never been there before, and as usual we got lost. Thanks to mapquest and my sincere lack of direction. We drove up and down the street about 5 times before we finally saw my cousin Jackie and figured out where we were going. The house was absolutely gorgeous, we had such a wonderful time.

Waiting to get out on the pier

 

Playing in the water

 

Sitting on the dock of the bay

 

Smiles, Sun and Swimming

 

We took a ride on MiMi’s boat. Both kids had so much fun out there on the lake. She had such a big smile on for the whole ride.

Self portrait of momma and baby girl

 

Watching the waves

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAM!

My Gram

December 6th

This is the day the kids have been waiting for. Who is better than Santa? Why Chuck E Cheese is! We were going to meet up with my parents in Allentown to go out to dinner at the CEC’s there. My kids have never been to one, but they have seen the commercials, so they knew what it was all about. All day long they were ready to go. When 2 pm came around and we could not take the questions any longer, we decided to hit the road. Sure we would be early but we were taking back roads and there had to be something we could do when we got there.

• We made our first pit stop out by Centralia. Such a sad little town. But now the are has new hope. Where once there was coal pits, now there are windmills. There is now a huge windmill farm on top of the mountian. I get excited driving out that way and seeing them. I got a wonderful picture of one of  them, and in the foreground is a coal bed. Kind of and old energy meets new energy. I am such an eco geek!

Wind power

While I was out of my car taking this picture, a really nice man stopped to see if I needed any help with the car. It was so nice to see a good samaratian.

Tim and I have a little thing about Allentown, any time we go there we get lost. We used to go to the same restaurant every year, and we would get lost EVERY year. We mapquested directions, mistake number one, and we decided to take back roads instead of highways. We got lost once, drove around in a circle trying to get back on the right road, and then once we were on the right road again, what did we see, but the road we were just on. If I would have stayed on that road instead of turning around and back tracking we would have been alright.

Finally we get into Allentown and we can see the mall. There is something that you should know about me. I can not drive in the city. I have a total panic attack. And I have another driving confession, I can not drive in mall parking lots. Shop yes! Park NO!!!! Well here we are in a city, by the mall, during Christmas time. Why am I driving??? I should have handed the keys over to Tim. After meyhem in the parking lot, I find the first open parking space and park. I was shaking I was so nerve wracked. However the kids were like, Hey you past Chuck E Cheese, I thought we were going there. And explaination later and we decide to check out the mall. Bad Idea!!! We get in there, try to find our way out of JCPenney, give up and go sit in the car. OH NO! It has started to SNOW! AHHHH the Triquetra of horror! City, Mall and Snow! Just breathe, we can do this…. No you cann’t, who are we kidding, let the man drive. After about 20 minutes and a well plotted out escape from the mall plan, we headed over to the Chuck E Cheese lot. What is worse that driving past the place and not going in, sitting in the parking lot and not going in, that is what. The kids were just so excited!

There are few things that impress me more than punctuality, and that is being early! Score one for GP and Mrs Clyde for being early! We get into there and Gryffan was in shock. Like just an overwhelming of the senses. Now there are 6 of us trying to find a table in a totally packed place with half the tables reserved. A guy who came in after us was complaining to someone that all the tables were reserved, so an employee clears him 2 tables, he then leaves the 2 tables…. alone….with nothing there to say, “Hey these are my tables” So like the beautiful bird the Eagle, we swooped in on one of the tables like it was a weak little mouse. It was ours!!! HAHAHAHA. The guy came back with everyone and made some comment, but the point is this, you left, you did not claim it as yours it is ours. Want to keep making comments and I will unleash my husband on you. (Tim is a teddy bear, but he is big and he can scare people, ask my garbage man. And he has never even spoken to the guy)

After pizza the kids open their presents, since it was a dinner to celebrate their birthdays. Gryffan has a thing for Fords. No idea why since he has never been in one, and we have not owned one since before he was born. But you combine Ford with Transformer and you have yourself a happy kid.

Bumble Bee Who?

Lexy was chomping at the bit to open her presents. I think it is her age, but I have to teach her to not be so, gimme gimme, with gift, especially with the upcoming holiday season. She got a really cute bakers set. I am saving the picture for the next time we bake and she gets to use it.

Then it was off to the games! We split up, girls and boys, so I have no idea what Gryffan did. But Lex was pretty good at some of those games. Ski-Ball is not really one of them. She throws over hand and got one in 2 boards down.

Duck!!!

We left around 8:30 at night, and man was it snowing. It took us almost and hour to get out of the area. I had to stop for gas and ended up sliding, I just about jumped a curb there. Everyone was driving very slowly and it was kind of icey. We got home at around 11 pm! It was a very nice, but long day.

Tomorrow is the first day of Wrestling!!!