Oh no,The Grandkids for a Week!!!

Amy and Rich are going away on a cruise for their 10th anniversary. So, David and I are going to watch the kids for a week. Now, I've had kids, so I should know how to do this. I know how to play with them and spoil them now that I'm a grandma, but I think I've forgotten how to do all the day-to-day stuff. Sophie is in school all day now, and Carson is in preschool 3 times a week. There will be homework, carpools,and getting to places on time, not to mention cooking dinner every night (I forgot how), and making sure Cameron gets his naps. I'm a little nervous...

Being Nice Isn't All It's Cracked Up to Be

Being an empty nester, I have extra time on my hands. So I have tried to fill it with worthwhile things. I am the secretary for a group of kids' orchestras. DJ and Emily were both in those groups in times past, and I think a lot of Jack, (one of the conductors) and feel like this is a good thing to do. Anyway, I do it on a volunteer basis, and enjoy being with the kids. This week we had 2 concerts, which included sending out reminder postcards, making programs, etc. I have been there longer than the others on the board, so sometimes I get other things thrown at me. Anyway, it turned out that a girl didn't get her uniform, I tried to help, and ended up getting yelled at because of a misunderstanding. The next day was another concert, and through some miscommunications, the venue didn't have us scheduled. It turned out ok though. Guess what? I got in trouble again!

I have done dvds of weddings for the past few years. I have never charged, and enjoy doing it, but it is a ton of work. I was asked to do one recently, and accepted. This time, I don't know how, but I didn't get the actual wedding on tape...major screw up. I feel horrible, and don't know how I can fix it. Here again, I'm just trying to do something nice for someone. It's not working out so well right now.

Just blowing off steam...

A Little Bit of Winter

We had some snow in Utah last week...most of the city didn't, but way up here on the mountain we did! The snow was just perfect for making a snowman.

We also tried to make a fort, but Carson couldn't help but stomp on it.
It will be all right if winter waits a while, but it was fun for a minute.

OK, Back to Cute Pictures...

Here are pictures of all of the grandkids, and a few adults in their Halloween costumes.
Sophie is a pretty green witch, Carson is a Power Ranger, and Cameron is a vampire. Amy tried to put his hair down into a peak, but it just curled up anyway!

Sally is a buzzy bee, Alice is a ghost, and Emily is supposed to be a witch...


Coleman is a fireman, and Wendy is a gypsy.


Last but not least, Amy and Rich went to a party dressed as Sigfried and Roy.

I looked in my front yard, and saw this beautiful mix of colors...I'm not much for scenery without people, but it is awfully pretty!

I'm Taking Over Marilyn's Ranting...

I have 2 things to rant about, and then I'll go back to cute pictures of grandkids...

1. I despise politics! Everyone thinks they are right! As I look through the years that I've been around, I can see that people are unhappy no matter what. First they aren't happy with democrats, so they go republican...then they are unhappy with the Republicans, so they go democrat. David loves the whole arguing, debating stuff. It just makes me feel nauseous. I've already voted, and I feel pretty strongly about some parts of politics, but can't we all just get along?

2. I am frustrated with the idea that "vaccinations are a cause of autism." There was a segment on the Today Show today. There have been 16 different studies that have tried to link autism to vaccines, and the link is not there. Here is a quote from Dr. Paul Offit:

"But the reason I say vaccines don’t cause autism is that they don’t. I say this because the false alarm about vaccines and autism continues to harm a lot of children — harm from not getting needed vaccines, harm from potentially dangerous treatments to eliminate mercury, and harm from therapies as absurd as testosterone ablation and electric shock. I say this because the feared vaccine–autism link, which has now been disproved, diverts research dollars from more promising leads. I say this because I care about children with autism."

This doctor has seen outbreaks from people that will not vaccinate their children. Do we really want to go back to the days of deadly diseases that can and should have been obliterated?

Dr. Offit has had tons of hate mail, and even a death threat. To read more about this, go to: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/27440647/.

Autism is a terrible thing, but it's not caused by vaccines. Get your kids vaccinated!

Why Do Birds Hate Me?

So, while I was in Georgia, I had 2 more bird incidents. One day, I was down in Emily's kitchen, and I kept hearing a knocking. I went to a window in their family room, and there was a bird tapping on the window. Of course, it freaked me out, and I shooed it away. The creepy thing was that it kept coming back...probably 5 times! Emily said that had never happened before.

The really freaky thing was on Sunday before I left. I went out to the backyard with Alice, and looked up in some high trees. There were no less than 10 giant buzzards up there, some with their wings spread, others flying around, and others just waiting for me. I looked around, and noticed at least 2 other trees full of them as well. It was one of those things that you can't quite take your eyes off, even if it is a horrible sight. I held onto Alice for dear life, and when they would start to fly, I would run back into the house. Why we didn't take a picture, I can't explain...well, I didn't because I was going out of my mind with fear. Emily said that she has never seen anything like that either. Bill says that they can feel my fear...

Other Grandkids

Sally had her 2nd birthday while I was here, on the 13th. We had a party in the park with the Lewises. Sally loved the cake, she kept calling it "Happy cake". She is such a cutie, it has been so fun to be with her. She just plops herself on my lap when she wants to read a story.

Coleman came for the weekend, it wasn't long enough, but it was so great to have the Lewises here. Coleman is obsessed with dinosaurs, and knows then name of lots of them. Listen to this:

Coleman and Sally did pretty well together, considering that they are both 2-year-olds! On the first day, they were so excited to be with each other. Here's them together.

It's so fun to be with the southern grandkids! I love, love, love them all!