On Raising a Grandchild

Yes, I am one of those blessed to be raising a grandchild, something that is far too common in our society today. I love her and really want her to have a good life. My own grown children were talking about some of the things they remember from their childhoods. I was a stay at home mom and we didn't have a lot of money. Now I have a full-time job as a high school teacher and a little more money. I'm glad that I can afford to give Jaydan opportunities, but I don't want her to miss out on the fun things that I did with my kids. I guess I am trying to give her the best of both worlds. My kids liked making cookies with me. I couldn't afford extras. Chocolate chips were a luxury. I remember one time my daughter and her cousin decided they wanted extra cinnamon on the snickerdoodles. Those were the brownest, hardest cookies I have ever seen, but they had so much fun! So last week Jaydan and I made snickerdoodles. I jokingly call them my food storage cookies because they take so little to make. We had fun and the rest of the family devoured them.

More catching up!

I know this is a dark picture, but this was just one of those moments. Sometimes I feel bad because Jaydan doesn't have any siblings close to her age. She makes do with dolls and animals. She had them all lined up on the couch, each with its own plate, fork, and cup. She was making sure they all got fed. Later she was up and she walked by the couch and hollered at them, "Stop yelling at each other!". I'm sure glad she goes to Pre-K and church. She definitely needs some socializing.



More pics of our amazing house!

Isn't that the most beautiful dormer you have ever seen?

Catching Up!

Okay, I know it's been a long time since I have posted. This post will contain lots of pictures. The biggest thing that has been going on is the amazing progress of our house. I am totally amazed by what my husband has accomplished with is own two hands.

HALLOWEEN 2008

We had a fun Halloween! Jaydan had a non-party at school and then we went to Trunk or Treat at church. She was a princess again this year. Even though she wants to play soccer and can keep up with the boys, she is still a princess at heart.

THANKSGIVING 2008

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner. Brian fried a turkey, of course. One of these years, I am going to sneak in a roasted turkey. (It seems I am the only one that's not a fan of fried turkey). Our guests were: Desiree, James, Beth, Dylan, Laney, Makynzee, and Mary. Alec was here for a while and B was at his mom's. Later in the evening, Brenda, Josh, Paxton, Lorelei, Jon, Amy, Jerry, and Emily came out. All the kids had a blast! Just try to get 7 kids under the age of 5 to pose for a photo together!

Don't you know frying a turkey is exhausting?

CHRISTMAS 2008

Considering I had major surgery on Dec. 17, we kept things simple at Christmas. Of course, Brian fried another turkey. Do we see a pattern here? I'm not complaining. I certainly wasn't able to cook anything, although I did manage to make mashed potatoes. Instant, of course. James and Desiree came and ate with us and played with Jaydan. Jaydan got a pink digital camera and pink cowgirl boots and many other things. She has worn the boots almost every day. She also got a

matching outfit. Desiree and Gigi are going to take her to have pictures made.

Let me tell you about Jaydan and Santa. We
saw him in Kroger one day. She said, "why is Santa in Kroger?" I said, "He just wants to see children." Then as we went outside, she said, "where's his sleigh?" I said, "maybe it's parked around back". She said, "But I don't hear any reindeer." Then as we were standing in line at the Ward Christmas party, she said, "He's not
really Santa because he doesn't have a beard." I said, "Yes, he does." She said, "it's not long enough." She still sat on his lap and took the candy. On the way home, we asked her if she had a good time. She replied, "He wasn't really Santa." Then we left cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning, of course, the cookies had been eaten. Then she proceeded to tell us how she got up in the middle of the night when Santa was here. She talked to him and everything. He told her not to break any of her toys. What an imagination!