After all our hard trials this last year...

we're still here.

And,

more importantly,

stronger

than

ever.

Favorite Toys

When I was a kid, some of my favorite 'toys' were empty refrigerator boxes we neighborhood kids would salvage from the back of an appliance store -- these were taken in the days before recycling was even a far-off dream -- and then use to slide down the dry grassy hill across the street from my house. After a few sluggish slides, the grass would be beaten down enough that it became slick as ice and we'd spend hours tumbling down the hill like a passel of puppies.

My grandsons have decided that two old Lays' Stax chip containers are their favorite toys of choice lately. Dylan discovered a bag of brightly colored straws I had crammed in the back of a kitchen drawer and he and Cooper fill the containers with these straws, then dump them out, over and over thruout the day. Dylan loves to 'rain' the straws over his head. Grandma ends up gathering 42 straws at the end of each day but that's ok. Watching their enjoyment with this cheap entertainment does my heart good.

Dylan just had his 3rd birthday. I shudder to think how much was spent on 'real' toys. A lot. And they don't get near the attention as these dollar packages of Stax and straws do. There's a lesson to learn here, isn't there?

Mothers & Daughters

My Daughter

Age 3

1979

After writing about family connections, I found this in an email from my daughter the next day:

Reading your post, it made me stop and think for a minute. I know you've always worried that you weren't connected to me & J as much as some mothers are. You've said in the past that you've always wondered if you gave us enough affection and that sort of thing, especially when we were kids. I don't know how else to say it, but to say that you gave us enough. See, it's not so much about physical affection as it is mental and emotional. Even if you weren't the most demonstrative mother when it came to hugs and kisses, you were always more that adequate when it came to...well, to being there.

I've always known that I could come to you. Talk to you about what's bothering me. Unburden myself on your shoulders and know that, not only would it not go anywhere, but that you'd have something to give, be it a piece of advice or just a pat on the hand (so to speak). To this day, I know I can do this. I don't think you understand just what a wonderful mother you are.

Thank you, Daughter.

Love,
Mom

This was sent to our cell phone this evening.
Dylan's new haircut.
He's not quite 3 yet
but he's a great dish washer!