A Weekend Full of Parties!

The End of Treatment Party for Lydia was on Saturday! What a fun day! Cake, caricatures, a photo booth, face painting and balloon animals....what kid wouldn't like that kind of party. It was a fun time to be able to celebrate with Lydia and her family! We are excited that she is doing so well and praying that the tumor is gone and will stay gone! We had a great time Lydia, Jackie especially LOVED running around with you and the girls!

Party #2 was on Sunday! Grace Frances turned 1 (officially on Valentine's Day)! It also was a fun gathering of family! I'm not sure that she opened any of her presents, but she had a lot of help from her big sister, Austin and Ava! The best part was watching Grace get after that cake....when Jackie was one she kinds just poked at it and wasn't really interested...but Grace dove right in and she was willing to share with her Grandma and Uncle Gary! It was a fun party and fun to see how much she has grown in one year!

Grandma Jackie

4 years...in someways it seems like forever and someways it seems like just yesterday I talked to you on the phone....miss you Gram!! You wouldn't like this winter...lots of snow and cold. But Spring and Tiger's Baseball are right around the corner (at least that's what I keep telling myself!) I often wonder what it would be like if you were still here with us, Jackie/Grace/Austin/Ava would be more spoiled than they already are! You would be so proud of them and their parents! I bet you'd have an IPOD by now and probably at Nintendo Wii (but we wouldn't tell Uncle Gary about it! :-) I know you would be excited about the new manager for the Tigers, and I would be trying to talk you into going to Comerica for a game! Ross still lives in Colorado and I know that would make you nervous, but he is doing good and loves it out there! Andrea is a nurse and living with Kelly now, and you would be so proud of her too! Karly is in school at Cornerstone, and Grant graduates this year, you would have loved watching Kirsten play volleyball, she is pretty good and a spitfire too! You wouldn't believe Isaiah, he is truly a Kapteyn now, loves MR. Burger and boy can that kid talk...remember when they first got him and he hardly said a word. Jarred is working at Carraba's and doing great. You'd love hanging out at Abby and Jason's house by the beach and watching the kids. Tara and Adam have a new house too, and I can only imagine you having to dance and sing to all the princess songs with Jackie and Grace. Kelly is teaching AP Calc, and even though you and I have no idea what that is...I know you'd be proud of her for doing that. I am working with my friend Tara again, we started our own non-profit. You would be glad to know that we are taking kids to play laser tag today! I can just see you giving me the thumbs up! Miss you like crazy Gram, but I am glad you are with Grandpa Don, give him a hug for all of us and tell him we miss him too! You were the best Grandma and friend that I could ever ask for!

Spider Cookies and Chex Mix

A few weeks ago at our after school program for Belay, we did some small group "get to know you discussions." One of the questions was what are some traditions that your family has. After we were done Tara told me about how a few in her group said that their family didn't have any traditions. I thought how sad this was. Then I thought of all the traditions that we were brought up with, getting together for the Kentucky Derby and wearing Aunt Fran's Hats, cheering for the Tigers, 4th of July and fireworks with Grandma, trick or treating and getting dressed up, pumpkins, but two of my favorite are from my Grandma's at Christmas. Grandma Audrey would always make Spider Cookies (basically chocolate/peanuts/chow mien noodles), we would get a huge plate of them from her every year, and I would always dare Uncle David to eat one in one bite. The other is from Grandma Jackie, she would always make Chex Mix a big batch (in fact I think she starting buying cereal not too long after Halloween.) She would always go to the Nut Bar and get Macadamia Nuts to put in it. I would get a big tin to take to the kids and we would bring some to Aunt Fran's Party. We are teaching Jackie and Grace these traditions now. What traditions does you family have....and if like the kids at club you don't have any, it's not too late to start one!