Category Archives: Family Stuff

I grew up with four funny, fabulous sisters who couldn’t be more different. We’re loud, creative, rambunctious, hilarious and competitive, especially when croquet or boardgames are involved. We’re a mixed bag, but we fit together really well. Yes, my family is kind of kookie, but we wouldn’t want it any other way.

January 12, 2011 · 9:03 AM

Happy Birthday to My Sweet Baby Girl

My Baby turns 28 today. Where did the time go? I remember so vividly being pregnant with her, as if it just happened. I craved chocolate, guacamole, ice cream and Mexican food all the time. Those are foods she still loves. Coincidence? I think not. Anyone who has raised children knows it’s not always easy. But those challenges make us stronger, and it makes our bond stronger, as well. I had the luxury of being a stay at home mom, and having that time with My Baby when she was little was a great gift – for both of us. When she was little, we were inseparable. When her first day of pre-school came, I anticipated tears and anxiety. I just didn’t anticipate they would be mine. As she stepped into her little classroom for the first time, she ran directly to the other kids and never looked back. Thankfully, my mother-in-law was there to pick me up off the carpet, tell me to stop throwing a tantrum, and dry my tears. When she was in elementary school, I was a parent volunteer. That volunteer work eventually turned into a full-time job, and we “went to school together” each day. The extra time she had after school while I was still working, gave her extra time with her teachers as she volunteered to stay and help or spent time in my office doing homework. I think that experience helped form her decision to go into education as a college student. She is now a second grade teacher, and she still has that love of the classroom. She thrives on being there for her students and nurturing them into children who love learning, just as she did. It’s another one of those “life coming full circle” moments I’ve written about before. We don’t always know if our children are watching or learning from our example, then one day we see them in the roles we previously played, and it all comes back around. I see patience in her as an adult that I never saw in her as an only child. I see the way she expresses joy and excitement and affection with my grandbabies, and it makes me very proud. She is a reflection of me in many ways, but her own woman in many others. She is a beautiful person, inside and out. She is an independent thinker, a compassionate teacher, a devoted wife and mother, and one of my very closest friends. I couldn’t be more proud of the person she has become, and I can’t imagine having a better daughter. Simply put, she is amazing. She is my greatest accomplishment and my proudest achievement. And isn’t that what every mother dreams of for her children? So today, The Complete Package and I share our warmest wishes for our daughter. Happy birthday, honey. We love you.

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January 3, 2011 · 4:53 PM

“I Heart Faces” Photo Contest Entry: “Best Face of 2010” & My Jonah Bear

Have you seen the “I Heart Faces” website yet? It’s a great resource for photography tutorials and tips, and they have great contests for readers to post their own photos, as well. I entered a photo of my dog furry son, Ziggy, a few weeks back, and now I’m entering this photo of my grandson, Jonah, for their newest contest called “Best Face Photo of 2010.” Is it the best face of 2010? Maybe not, but it makes me laugh every time I see it. I love that little boy more than I love chocolate. And that’s saying a lot. Good luck, Jonah Bear!

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December 26, 2010 · 9:08 AM

My sweet Jonah Bear just turned 4, and I’m torn between celebrating and crying

Jonah Bear is my sweet grandson; my first grandchild. He is joy personified. I smile just thinking about him. And I laugh when I’m with him because he is exceptionally funny for a little kid. He’s also a singer, a superhero, and a genius…but I’m clearly biased. This week, my Jonah Bear turned four. I can hardly believe it. Part of me is excited that he’s growing up and changing, and part of me is depressed that he’s growing up and changing. He’s a little man now, but he was just a baby yesterday. That’s how it seems, anyway. Sometimes he’ll say, “Nana, do you want me to grow up?” And I say, “Yes, Jonah Bear. I want you to grow up and become a man some day. I just want you to do it very slowly.” Then he says “okay!” with a big grin and it just kills me. Here’s a glimpse at my sweet boy and how he’s changed over the years. Look fast, because he’ll be graduating from college in a few weeks. And I’ll be sobbing and cheering. Mostly sobbing.

Jonah as a newborn - holding TCP's hand

Jonah turns one - my little Santa Baby

Jonah Bear turns 2 & learns to shave

Jonah Bear at 3 - he's not a baby, he's a boy

Jonah at 4 - I couldn't love him any more. Happy birthday, punkin.

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December 21, 2010 · 9:42 AM

Christmas Past – A family photo blog

Over the past year, I’ve been scanning old family photos in an effort to archive them for my mother. The plan is to scan them, then burn them to DVDs and share them with my four sisters and our extended families so everyone has a copy. With the holidays upon us, I just had to share a few oldies but goodies:

A Holly Hobby Christmas - Sisters 3, 4 & 5

NanaBread & Sister #1 - We'll have a Blue Christmas without you...

Look what Dad found under the tree...Sister #3!

Don' ask. I have no idea why #1 and I are beating up the tree with stick horses.

Wahoo! New baby dolls for #1 and I. We're obviously stunned.

Mom must have told them Santa won't come if you're stinky.

I don't know where to start with this one. My stiff zombie pose? Original Flintstones on the TV? The matching outfits? The 'hear no evil' monkeys on the wall?

The day Santa was born. Nope, wait...that's Sister #3.

Happy holidays, dear readers. I hope you have the opportunity to spend time with your loved ones and celebrate the joy of the season. Love and peace – NB

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November 29, 2010 · 7:11 PM

Happy Birthday Wishes to Sister #3

Happy Birthday, Sister #3

Today is my sister’s birthday. I have four of them, so I call her #3 in my blog. That’s to protect the innocent and her (hee hee hee). Since there are five of us, that makes her the middle child. When she was little, she was obsessively attached to a stuffed lion named Leo. She also suffered from an obsessive love of chocolate, even at a very young age. We used to hide our holiday candy from her. I’ve never met anyone who loves chocolate like Sister #3. Seriously. One year for my birthday, Mom made me a cake smothered in chocolate frosting. After dinner, we pulled the cake out of the fridge to light the candles and sing “Happy Birthday.” When we got it all the way out of the fridge, we discovered the entire back of the cake was naked. She even carved the frosting out from between the layers with her little fingers. She may not strip other people’s birthday cakes anymore (at least not that I’ve heard), but she still does love chocolate more than anyone else I know. Here’s something else you may not know about her – she bakes a seriously wicked cheesecake. Any flavor. Any time. It’s sinful and world-class. Sister #3 is also the mother of two unique and wonderful kids. Chris (her son and firstborn) is a tatoo artist by trade and a trained artist and musician. He played the cello growing up. How many people do you know who play the cello? He has long hair and lots of tattoos, and is the best example I know of not judging a book by its cover. He is a sweet, funny, gentle, thoughtful guy. Amanda, her baby, is a senior in college and a writer. Like me (her favorite aunt), she grew up playing the french horn. All the greatest people played the french horn.

It's your birthday...have some fun!

She is a literature major and hopes to go into the book business (publishing and editing) when she graduates. She is a bright, sarcastic (a family trait), outgoing kid who loves books. I think that will serve her well in the publishing world. So today I say “Happy Birthday, Number 3.” You have always marched to your own drummer and done things your own way. Keep on keepin’ on. I wish you joy and happiness and everything good in the world on this, your special day. Love ya’, Sis.

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November 8, 2010 · 9:47 AM

My Super Duper Superhero Weekend

I’m not the type of person to drop names and brag about the famous people I know, but I will share a few photos. Let’s just say we had a SUPER weekend.

Our friend IRON MAN stopped by this weekend.

Of course he brought his better half, Pepper Potts. No self-respecting superhero would be complete without a good woman to run things. Can I get an “amen“?

Behind every Iron Man is a good Pepper Potts.

I never realized it until this weekend, but Iron Man is a bit of an egomaniac. He made us watch Iron Man cartoons for 48 hours. It was “I want to watch me, me, me” all weekend. He was all Iron Man this, and Iron Man that. For a superhero, he’s a little self-absorbed. Kind of like an almost 4 year-old trapped in a man’s body. It’s a good thing Pepper Potts is so charming and down to earth. She’s the quiet strength behind his super self. Too bad our grandson, Jonah, wasn’t here to meet him. He would have gone crazy for Iron Man. Obsessed, crazy nut-job stalker fan crazy. Maybe next time, when we’re visited by our close friend:

It's a bird...it's a plane...it's SUPERMAN!

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October 29, 2010 · 2:25 PM

Feliz cumpleaños, Numero Cuatro!

Sister #4 - Cute kid, huh?

Happy birthday, Sister #4! You’re another year older, but you’re still younger than me. That takes all the fun out of mocking you for getting older. Thanks for sucking the jelly out of my donut. That’s the curse of being #2 in our family. I’ll always be older than three of them. Sister #4 was such a cute kid – friendly and outgoing. She used to like to tag along on my dates from time to time. She was the gymnast and cheerleader of the family. She could walk across the top of any swing set and could put both feet behind her head when she was little. We used to drag that trick out during family gatherings and make her show off. She was also great at hide & seek because she could climb all the tall trees or dangle from the eaves of the roof with ease. She was fun to play with.

That's some awesome 80's hair, Sis

She’s a registered nurse, the mother of one grown son, and wife to Captain Fireman. She’s also a grandma like me. I became a grandmother at 43, which sort of traumatized me, but I quickly got over it. Sister #4 has me beat. She became a grandma at 40, but she’s a spry vegetarian yoga-posing grandma and proud of it! Her little Zoey is a cutie patootie. So happy birthday, Gigi! You’re like fine wine and French cheese…you just get better and better as you age.

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October 26, 2010 · 9:51 AM

I know everyone thinks their grandkids are exceptional, but mine really are.

It’s not bragging if it’s true, right? I don’t think I’m overstating it when I say that my grandchildren are beautiful, affectionate, brilliant little geniuses. And I’m totally in love with being their Nana. I wouldn’t trade it for a buhzillion dollars.

This is Jonah Bear. He's my sweet, funny boy.

It all started with Jonah Bear. My Baby and Bama Boy had not even been married a full year when they called with the news. I wasn’t sure I was ready to be a grandmother at 43. It just seemed way too young. Then he arrived, and all that went right out the window. NanaBread was born the same day Jonah was, and I’ve never looked back. I love that boy more than words could describe.

This is Lilly Bug. She's our sweet, flirty, drooly girl.

Then last fall, we celebrated the arrival of Lilly Bug. She is a revelation. It’s like watching a rerun of her mother when she was little. She has My Baby’s spirit, her quick smile, her easy good-natured personality, and her infectious laugh. She is strong-willed but affectionate, and she has a serious case of hero worship for her big brother and her daddy. It’s amazing how early they learn to read people. She wields her ability to flirt like a weapon, and Jonah Bear, Bama Boy and Papi (The Complete Package) are all wrapped around her little finger. She’s unstoppable.

Oh, Jonah Bear...just when I thought my heart couldn't melt any more.

Most of all, I love that I always seem to be laughing when I’m with them. They bring a whole new level of joy to my life. I am totally smitten, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. They rock my world and I am one lucky, grateful Nana.

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September 9, 2010 · 4:06 PM

Old Photos of My Mother

I’ve been scanning old family photos for my mother. We’re trying to create a digital archive so all the sisters have a copy. It takes a lot of time, but it’s a great way to make sure all five of us and our families have a complete collection of all the family photos. Today, I pulled out two pictures of my mother I wanted to share. I love both of these photos.

My Mother in Elementary School

The first one is an old elementary school picture. I’m not sure what grade she was in when this was taken, but I love that the photographer captured this exact moment. School photos aren’t exactly famous for capturing us at our best, but I think this one is perfect. She’s so young and innocent, but her smirk proves there’s mischief churning just under the surface. You can tell by the look in her eyes that she’s up to something. I wonder what it was. Something to do with her brother, perhaps? She’s a clever girl, and it looks like she’s definitely up to something. She still has a mischievious streak. I like that about her. I like it very much.

Mom Managing the Money

I think the second one was taken when Big Sis was just a baby. It’s obvious she’s paying bills or balancing the checkbook. Money was tight when we were kids, but it was extremely tight when she was little. Times were tough, but Mom was tougher. Because of her youth, my mother grew up very frugal. She had a gift for making something out of nothing on a daily basis. She made our clothes. She fed a family of seven on pennies. She grew her own vegetables and had a small orchard in the back yard. I once saw her pull a door off its hinges and plane it down so it wouldn’t stick. She knew how to do everything, and still does. She was alway conscious of how much money we had and how to stretch it. I never considered what she went through when we were kids. I never gave a second thought to how we would pay our bills or how she had to juggle things to make ends meet. Kids don’t think of things like that. Mom never had it easy, but she made sure we were taken care of. Thanks, Mom. I didn’t say that as a child. Thanks for all you did for us and all you sacrificed to do it. I think you’re awesome. I really do.

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September 3, 2010 · 9:03 AM

Happy Birthday to My Big Sister

The Birthday Girl

Big Sis is turning ## today. Ha! Bet I made her heart race a little. I would never divulge that she’s pushing hard against a big number and that next year’s party should be a big blow-out with lots of champagne. Besides…age is just a number, even if it starts with a 5 and ends with a 0. Sorry, #1. I couldn’t stop myself. Besides, you’ve got a year to get used to the idea that 50 is the new 20, or purple is the new black, or two wrongs don’t make a right. I’m not sure. Now I’m just confusing myself. Back to my point – happy birthday to my big sister. The one who ate dog food as a toddler. The one who convinced me to eat a mud pie when I was a toddler to make up for it. The one who was forced to share her stuff with me. The one who was my partner in matching outfits for most of our childhood.

Big Sis and Her Posse

The one who let me tag along when she cruised Fort Smith, Arkansas listening to Foghat in high school. The one who’s married to Saint David (love you, dude) with two teenagers at home and a freshman at West Point. The one who inspired our annual girls only Hoegarden weekends and hosts them every spring. Three cheers and a hip-hip hurray on your big day! I hope all your wishes come true. Now try not to burn down the house when you light all those candles.

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