Mother/Daughter Mother's Day!

Hello! I know I'm a little slow on the draw, but I wanted to tell you about my first Mother's Day as a grandmother...and more importantly, Andrea's first as a mother!

This was an instant of not really knowing what to expect, as I've had no life experience in 'sharing' Mother's Day. Mother's Day was really one of my favorite day's of the year. The day I was recognized and appreciated for all the hard work, struggle and sacrifice I've had to endure in being a mom. Totally worth it, yes, and the good always outweighed the bad, the great moments definitely outshining the not-so-great moments. Happy tears totally outnumbered sad ones.

My kids always went way out of their way to make my day special! Since they were kids! Whether it was making me some pancakes in the morning...to taking me out, the fact that they were making such an effort always made me so happy. Even to this day, the effort is there...even though now that they're adults, just all of us getting together is a huge blessing for me!

But this year...it was a little different. I wasn't the only Mom in the bunch! I didn't want to take Andrea's first Mother's Day away from her. So how did it work? We've never been a big fan of going out with everyone and their mother (yes, pun intended), so we decided to do dinner at home. Tostada bar. We each had our 'assignments' and we worked together in the kitchen and tried hard not to resent the boys watching basketball in the family room. Seriously? It wasn't "Boy's Watching Basketball Day", it was MOTHER'S DAY. Sigh. At one point, as we made the shredded beef and warmed up the homemade beans, Andrea asked, "Is Mother's Day always like this?" LOL. Um, yes. From now on, we fight the crowds and go out!


I got some nice card from them, and nice gifts, including a bracelet with charms that spell "Grandma". Awww. Cute, right? A nice heart sapphire necklace from Tony, and movie from Bill. (One I requested). Heartfelt cards that tell me how awesome I am...gotta love that, right? But my favorite, favorite moment of the day, was watching Chad give Andrea her gifts. Sooo cute! Lots of knick-knacky things, and a muscial snow globe that had an angel, and was inscribed with First Mother's Day. It made her day special, and stand out just a little bit! Yay!



So, all in all, we had a great day, we spend time together as a family, which is my favorite thing in the world. I appreciated all the well wishes from family and friends, but especially the very special cards I got from my stepdaughter Meghann, and the 'Grandma" card from Jess. It meant a lot to me!

The cherry on the top? The Phoenix Suns sweeped the Spurs that night!! But, that's a whole other blog!


(Jake, sporting his orange...of course I had to throw him in here somewhere!)

Lots of fun to share!

I know that most of you keep up with stuff that happens on facebook, so I really don't feel the need to have to blog much these days. But I do miss the writing...the sharing...etc. I don't really like eblog as much as I did blogging on myspace, because on myspace, I could see how many hits I had, people could comment...and it was just more interesting to me. Here, I just feel like I'm talking to myself!

I've been wanting to share this story since Easter. Jakes first Easter at Grandma's was alot of fun. My favorite moment though was when he became way too curious about the platter of ham that was in front of him as he sat on his daddy's lap.



He stared at this platter for so long. It was as if he just couldn't figure out exactly what this strange flat pink stuff was! Plus, it smelled pretty scrumptious! He just kept looking and looking...and got closer and closer....



We were all getting quite the kick out of it...and what I didn't record (and I take pics of everything when it comes to Jake) was when he reached out to touch it. At that point, he wasn't really reaching much, so we got excited that he was reaching. It was after dinner, so it wasn't hot, so he reached out and grabbed at a piece. He didn't take it, but he played with it for awhile. Then...he did what he always does...he put his hand in his mouth. He was so startled by the taste, he started to cry. I mean really cry! It was like he was saying, "What happened to my hand??? Why does it taste that way! I don't like it! Help!!!!" LOL...poor Jake. That was his first taste of real food, and he was not a fan!

Of course, since then...he has started cereal, baby fruit and baby veggies. Guess what? He definitely is a fan! Today I let him try out my Ritz cracher (suck, not chew) and he seemed to like it okay. He really loved his cereal, sweet potatoes and bananas tonight! He even drank water out of a water bottle!





Not to mention he's a hoot in restaurants! Here he is at Si Senor after him and his mommy picked us up at the airport.




My little man is growing up so fast, and developing this awesome personality! Today I heard him laugh for the first time, and it was so awesome! He is a cute little bundle of joy....who just isn't so little anymore. I relish every minute that I get to spend with him and I know he knows that his Grandma loves him very much!!

A night at Grandma Sandy's!

Jake spent the night again this weekend. Bill, or shall I say, Grandpa, and I, love having him here, we just love that little booger so much!! He is adorable, and fun, and sweet, and....a lot of work. Here is the typical 24 hours with our little love.

We start off with playing. Grandpa Bill likes to play "Where's jake...he holds him up, then brings him back down. Next we do a little reading. Jake at only 4 months, LOVES to be read to! It's the cutest thing ever! He loves looking at the pictures, and gets excited at certain parts, and really takes it all in. So, so cute! We read to him when he gets bored, and before he goes to bed.


Of course, there's lots of feedings! Diaper changes! Soothing! Walking! Burping! Changing clothes!


Max is ever the protector of the little guy, and really get's upset when Jake cries. He sits by him as he accusingly looks at me as if to say, Um, don't you hear him?? LOL.
This morning he sat watching TV....and he didn't even care that it is STILL not a flat screen, or that it isn't 73 inches! He happily watched "Happy Feet", a cute little movie about penguins.

Although Jake is still a bit of work, and is teething...and today suffered from constipation (sorry Jake), we enjoy every single minute with him. We have our moments...like when he breaks free of the swaddler! Or there's issues in the diaper changing...or I forget to take the thingie off the nipple and nothing comes out! But all in all, Jake loves it here, and we love having him, and well, we can't get enough! He definitely is our little prince!

Ready, GO!

I am going to see Paul McCartney! Yes, one of the remaining Beatles, pretty much THE Beatle....a very powerful, talented, KNIGHTED man. I'm excited! I haven't seen him ever, and even though I am not a rock 'em, sock 'em Beatle fan....I learned after going to see Ringo and his All Star Band, that a Beatle is always a Beatle, and well, a legacy.

This blog today is a total self indulgent one. I want to write down all my concerts in all my life. Music is a big thing for me, and going to concerts and seeing people I love is....euphoria. There's nothing like it, and I know this is something that will never change for me. When I went to see Neil Diamond, there were so many little blue haired old ladies there, and even though I kind of laughed, I thought to myself, that will be me! I will be rocking it until there 's no rock left in this body! WoooT!

So, here's my list for those who are interested, and for those who are not, log off now!

It started at age 14 when I went to see 1)The Carpenters with Patience, her mom, and her mom's boyfriend, Bogey. It was pretty mellow, and we wore our little baby doll dresses (that' was when they were "in" the first time), and it was exciting. I mean, these were people I listened to on the radio, singing some of my favorite songs, and I remember being very impressed. Next, Patience and I went to see 2)Bread , loved it and I was hooked on concerts!

Patience and I saw many a concert together. Reaching back through the cobwebs of my minds, I can come up with 3)The Osmonds, along with the Heywoods, 4) Grand Funk Railroad and 5) Three Dog Night. All very good. All memorable, and all rocking! I won tickets to 6) Rare Earth from the radio station, and my sister and I went to see that. Then I met Ron and Richard, and we were very into going to see concerts, and my 'Rocker Babe' stage began!

With Ron and Rich, I saw 7) Fleetwood Mac, 8-18) Santana, 19) ZZ-top, 20) Los Lobos at least twice, 22) War 23) Tower of Power, also twice, They were awesome!

I can also think of 25) Heart, where i was in like a mosh pit and drinking blackberry brandy. This is the night I realized I was claustrophobic and blackberry brandy made me puke. I couldn't get out. It was gross. But the girls rocked it! My fav concert memory was the one with ZZ top...i was about 7 months pregnant, and it was the last festival style seating ever at the Tucson Community Center. They lit a bonfire on the floor. I was like, YEAH!! Whooping it up. Ron and Rich were like, "Let's get Sandy outta here!" LOL. I wasn't going nowhere...what were they going to do, throw me over their shoulders and carry me down the stairs? Hahaha,. No. So we stayed. It was a great concert.

But I digress.

As you saw, I saw Santana ten times...spanning quite awhile, the last one being about 5 years ago with Bill. After Supernatural. But i have to say that i will always love seeing them best at the Fairgrounds for about ten bucks. Sitting on the ground...drinking and mingling. Awesome. One with nature and the stars. Well, that's how I felt then, anyway. Me and Carlos....and the universe.

The kids came into our lives and the concerts pretty much slowed to a minimum. I took Andrea to her first concert when she was nine. 26) Bobby Brown, Bell Biv Divoe, and Al B. Sure. Andrea has the same love for concerts that I do, and always have. We saw 27) Debbie Gibson 28) Tiffany 29) NKOTB. In this same era I saw 30) Cher (twice).

Then...my country period started. It started with the one and only, love of my life, better than anyone...31) Garth Brooks. Martina McBride was with him, and I got to meet her and get her autograph. Pretty cool. Then there was 32)Alan Jackson and Diamond Rio. That was pretty much it for awhile. No one compared to Garth.

Next, i went....old school In the 90's, I started liking the oldies. Soooo, I saw 33) Kool and the Gang, 34) Jefferson Starship, 35) KC and the Sunshine Band. Very cool. 36) Earth, Wind and Fire.

Then came...the Bill era. We love the music! We started slow, with 37) Huey Lewis and the News. We've seen 38) Elton John and Billy joel together in concert, which was awesome, and then we saw 39) Elton by himself. 40) Fleetwood Mac again, and 41) Ringo Starr. This also included, Sheila E, Edgar Winter, Billy Squier, Richard Marx again, Ron Argent. This was SUCH a good concert. 42) Neil Diamond. 43) Clay Aikan 44) Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. 45) Garth, again in CA 46) Richard Marx 47) George Clinton and his funkadelics 48) Brad Paisley.

I forgot!!! When I was sixteen I saw 49) Diana Ross with my cousins and sister. Fun times!! MJ was a guest, and she introduced them, but he didn't sing. He was also 16.

I've really had to rattle the cobwebs, and with a little help of the internet, have remembered more from the 70's. 50) Marshall Tucker Band was a big one back then. 51) Boston 52) Commodores 53) Cat Stevens 54) BTO 55) The Guess Who. In Washinton, we sat outside the concert hall as 56) Aretha Franklin sang. You don't have to SEE Aretha, you just have to hear her, and hear her we did. 56) Billy Ocean.

Oh, and 57-59) Tom Jones.

Some I've forgotten 60) Ted Nugent. Cat Scratch Fever. LOL. 61) Lynard Skynard. Free Bird. The anthem of the 70's. I wonder why I forgot that one??? LOL.

I know there's more. I just can't think of them, and right now, my brain hurts. My goal is to make it to 100! I get to see one of the greats this month, so I'm looking forward to putting it on my list. I need a few more county ones, and Bon Jovi and Aerosmith! I have to see Rascal Flatts!

I'll let you know how Paul McCartney goes. Rock on!

The far-away Grandmother

I feel that I've been remiss in not writing a blog about our new little granddaughter. Her name is Jessica Jinghree and she is a total cutie.

I've seen pictures of her, of course, that Meghann, Tony, and Nancy post on facebook. I hear tales of how fast she is growing through Bill (Grandpa), that Meghann tells him. I know she's there, and I know she's cute and I know I love her already...but I do't know her.

I am so glad that Grandpa got to go and bond with his little munchkin. He got to hold her at two weeks old, and feed her, and love on her. Even as grandparents, we need that bonding time, the time to fall in love, and kiss their heads (my favorite part) and smell them and laugh at their babiness...and be in awe at the new parents as they learn their new roles.

I am so excited to meet Jess next month. I love looking at pics, and looking at little girl clothes, and hearing the stories....but I want to see her for myself...and create that bond. I love her mommy and am so excited to hear what a wonderful job she's doing, and happy that she is a wonderful mother...and can't wait to see it for myself!!

I guess this blog is for Jesscia. I may not know you, but I love you and can't wait to hold your cuteness in my arms!! See you in April!

My daughter is 30.

As it turns out, when your kids turn a milestone age...it's kind of a milestone for the parents too.

Andrea turned 30 on Thursday. She asked me which made me feel older....being a Grandma, or my daughter turning 30. With about a 2 second pause, I said, her turning 30. Seriously, I feel like it was only yesterday that I was 30. Andrea was 8 years old, Tony was 6. We were bombarded by soccer, and girls softball...karate and pizza parties. LIfe was so busy, fun and full! My main role in life was MOM, even though I worked and was a wife. Married to Ron. My good friends at the time were Pam, Ann Higgins, and I worked at Thomas Davis. Man, that seems so long ago now that I'm writing it down. But life was good. I was happy....

As i looked at Andrea's 30 pictures, I was happy to see her....happy. With her new husband, and her new baby....she finally does have everything she never knew she always wanted. It's a work in progress though, as life always continues to be. As I watched her little video, I realized that my daughter has been through so much! Her journey has been fast and furious, with many mountains, molehills, and dips. But i raised her to be independent, self-efficient, focused and smart, and I am proud to say, she is. Okay, she's a bit out-spoken and opinionated, but what's a little diarrhea of the mouth between friends? Most people who know her either love her for it, or despite it, and that's the way it should be. Andrea is thoughtful and loving, and I really couldn't ask for a better daughter/friend. I know she has my back, and really, isn't that why we have kids? So that we get old and senile (which might be any minute for me) we have someone who will keep our best interests at heart (as opposed to theirs?)? I think so.


So today, i want to thank her for being a great daughter, one that I can be proud of, one that I can look at, look at her life and know, that I've done a good job. I also know....she's not done yet! Your thirties will be filled with new accomplishments and goals, and a whole new world of ...kid's stuff! I look forward to watching you being a team mom, cheerleader and cupcake maker....plus president of the PTA. I look forward to watching Jake flourish and continue to watch your journey through this next decade. Life is definitely a Roller Coaster ....and I embrace it!!

2010!

Here it is....the first blog of the new year. Many things on my mind. First and foremost, Jessica....why won't she come out?
Jessica, is another new grandbaby in our lives! Bill's daughter, Meghann just won't have her! LOL. Looks like they'll let her go until Wednesday, then dag-nabbit, they are making her come out. All us Az's are really anxious and excited for the newest member of our family to join us.

Then, there's the Christmas tree. It must come down. We bought a live one, and well, it's kind of a pain! I could leave my artificial one up as long as I wanted, and it made me happy! This one is dead...and making a mess, and looks like crap! I'm taking it down so that it goes on collection day this Tues...you know, the 12th day of Christmas? I'm kind of bummed.

Last, but not least....my new year's resolutions. I hate making them, but feel I must!

Of course, I must eat better, exercise and lose some freaking weight. It wouldn't be a new year without me thinking that. But, I think I need to FEEL better, and well, that's the way to do it I guess. hahha. I'm not a spring chick, so I have to work a little at it so I can stay, healthy, wealthy, and wise. Okay, not wealthy...

Again, my stupid novel, which has now become obsolete. At the time I wrote that book, there were no cell phones, or match.coms. I may have waited too long....but maybe I can just re-edit it. Or just TRY and get someone to read it before I die to see if it's worth anything...sheesh.

I think my main resolution this year is just to love my family. They are just so important to me, and I just love that new grandbaby of mine. Plus, I want so much for Meg and her fam to move here, because it just will enrich our family life so much! It would mean so much to both Bill and I, but especially to Bill. He misses her so much, and it is just killing him that she is having a baby, and he's so far away. i wish....I mean, I hope, that things work out so that it can happen, and I hope she knows that we will help in any way that we can.

That's what life is all about, right? Family? Love? Being happy with what you have and not what you don't have? I feel that life is all about new things and learning, seeing exciting new places, and meeting new people. My resolution this year is to have a little of all of that this year...not to be stagnate, but to experience LIFE! That's why God gave it to us.

I also feel that sharing what i have with people is also important. Whether it be my time, my food, my love for life....there are so many people out there with so little, or nothing....I want to make sure I do whatever I can to make at least one other person smile for no reason, or have hope again, when hope was lost.

I want to thank all of you who read my blog....I love that you visit! I wish you all the happiest of New Years, filled with God's blessings, and your dreams coming true. Wishing you health, prosperity and love....