Hakuna Matata: May 2012

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Mckelsie Gets Braces!!!

Well, the day has finally come! Mckelsie got braces yesterday!

Pre-braces....

The procedure...

Glueing those bad boys on....

Here she is! Braces and all!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Brendan went to a school dance with a cute girl named Sydney (really, really cute and really nice!). Sounds like for most of the activities all were having fun, but as we all know; "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt!". Ahahahaha..... Well, luckily the injuries happened after the dance while some of the boys played basketball at one of the girls homes. Apparently, Brendan and this other kids faces smashed together creating a large gash above Brendan's eye and another large gash on the other kids cheek. Randy got a call at about 12:30 am with a text message/picture of his injury and the other kids injury. Yep, sure enough, bad enough for stiches. How convenient though for Brendan, Randy was able to meet him and his date at the clinic and Randy stitched the gash back to being all pretty.

Probably the best part about it for Brendan was all the extra attention that his date most likely gave him!

Friday, May 18, 2012

Black Bear

Ok, so this picture above is one that is hung in the buiding that I work at. Every time I pass it, I wonder.....

"Why is there a black bear on top of the stage coach?"

It's driving me crazy!!!

Grandparents

My family and I got together on Mother's Day and my Mom had some pictures out. Some of these included pictures of my grandparents which were so similar to how I remember them.

My Grandma Alice and My Grandpa Jay

My Grandpa Jay was the only grandpa that I ever knew growing up. My dad's father had passed away when he was young and my mom's biological dad I met once and never cared to be a father or grandfather anyways. My Grandpa Jay was so great with us kids, always bringing us wooden coins every time they came, somewhat soft spoken but jovial and could talk your ear off. I actually named Jayden after him because I admired him so much. Even when my Grandma and he divorced he still sent birthday cards to us kids every year. I went to the hospital when he was dying of emphysema and he couldn't talk well but I'll always remember the look in his eyes of happiness with tears swelling up and his tight grip on my arm as he kissed my cheek. I'm grateful that I knew him as my Grandpa.

My Grandma Green

I'm quite sure I was one of My Grandma Green's favorites! I used to go over to her house as a child and clean for her and then would spend the night. She always pampered me and made me feel special. I loved to hear her tell stories of how she met my Grandpa Green or stories about my dad. She had a rocker recliner chair and watch TV. Most times it was sports because my Uncle David who lived with her always was watching sports. Sometimes on Sunday's it would be the Disney Sunday night movie. I remember her cooking skills were crazy good, one being her famous chili and another being her homemade donuts that she would have us kids cut out the donut holes with her thimble. The icing that she made was so amazingly good!!! My Grandma Green loved having her children and grandchildren around and was big on family. There was a standing invitation to all the kids that Sunday dinner would be at her house (until she got older and then it was just dessert). The picture below is exactly how I remember her most. Having heard more stories about her as I've grown older I appreciate her best for her will to keep going, keep a clean house, having raised my wonderful dad and her love for her family.

Monday, May 14, 2012

My Mother

My mother was a wonderful mother during my growing up years. She always did the "motherly" things and went the extra mile to make sure I felt loved. I vividly remember her watching my little brother Danny and I as we climbed into the big huge green garbage can that we had filled with water "to go swimming", laughing and shaking her head. I remember her endless kindness towards anyone she met. I remember her always having dinner ready and seeing her watch my dad do projects in the yard, never failing to deliver him a huge glass of water. I remember listening to her talk to my dad late at night when all of us kids were "asleep" and the house was dark, thinking how cool it was that they talked about their day at the end of it. I remember her always around, getting special treatment in the school kitchen where she worked as a lunch lady for years and thinking how cool I was. She was always there rubbing my forehead when I was sick, getting a blanket to cover me up when I fell asleep on the floor or the couch and making milkshakes for all us on Sunday afternoons.

Now, as I am grown, I appreciate her as a mother is a completely different way. She is my friend, my confident, my rock, my shoulder to lean on, my second mother for my own children along with being a kind loving grandma to them and someone that has ALWAYS loved me unconditionally even when I made choices in my life that she didn't agree with. She has demonstrated how amazingly beautiful she is with her kind words, full of wisdom and humility, in how she looks at the good in people even when anyone else would not be able to and how she unselfishly held mine, Mckelsie and Jayden's hand through the last 8 years as I was a single mother struggling to stay afloat. She has always supported me in tough times and good times, cheered me on, cried with me, helped me raise my kids and been a true friend.

I love you Mom!