Soliana meets her Auntie Lissy, Uncle Chedda, and Gigi

 Last Friday was the day that Soliana met her Auntie Lissy, her Uncle Chedda, and her Gigi.  We drove up to Oshkosh on one of the record breaking 110 degree heat days in our 1998 Taurus which is normally a fine vehicle, but the intense heat was taking its toll and we had to make the trip without air.  We were all so hot and sweaty and so thankful to jump out of the car in Oshkosh.
Soliana was there with this huge smile to greet us and the memories of that hot car were soon overshadowed by her cuteness.

 Chedda and Lis took Tizita on a run to Caramel Crisp.  They returned with popcorn, candy, and cookies. 

 I call this photo "Sisters with Sisters."  I hope that Tizita and Soliana will grow up to be the best friends that my girls are.  I don't think all sisters share the bond that my two do.  Probably because they had to bond together to work against their nosy mother! 

 Looks like the sisters are off to a good start in the bonding area.  I just think they are so cute together! 

 Soliana took to her Auntie Lissy right away.  Of course, Alissa had to put her nose in a book because it is never too early to teach a child to read.  For those of you who do not know this, Alissa was reading fluently at age three.  I don't know how she learned or who taught her, but she was reading chapter books by four. 

 Yep, Soliana loves her some Lissa.

 Soliana also took to her Uncle Chedda, but then who wouldn't?  He is just a big Teddy Bear. 

 Soliana also enjoyed a chat with Gigi.  So special to have a great grandma in your life.

We all went to Red Robin for lunch and strawberry freckles.   When we got home, I gave Soliana a birthday cupcake and we sang to her.  She was turning one on July 7.
We headed back to Watertown in our overheated car with an extra passenger.  Tizita was coming home with us to spend a few days with us and her favorites, Chedda and Lissa.  More to come on that visit.  We all had a great time.
We waited for what seemed like such a long time for a second grandchild, then we lost our sweet Natnael and we waited some more, but now that she is home, the long wait is all but forgotten.  God has blessed us all greatly with this wonderful little lady.

Melting Crayons

 At the end of the school year, I sorted through all of our thousands of crayons and took out all the broken ones with the intention of melting them into some big chunky crayons.  Well, yesterday was the day that I attempted my project.  And yes, as a Preschool teacher for over 25 years, I had never, ever melted crayons, so I had to look up the directions on the world wide web.  I tweaked them to my own supplies and I got started.
The hardest part was peeling the paper off the crayons.  The wax got stuck under my fingernails and my thumb actually started to hurt from peeling them. 
Note to self:  Next year have the preschoolers peel all crayons that I plan to use in this project.

 I used a muffin tray lined with silicon cupcake liners.  Someone had donated them to my classroom, so I didn't care if they were ruined after one melting.  They were not, by the way.
I sorted the crayons by color but then rethought and mixed things up.

 You need to fill the liners up to the top because they melt down.  I melted them in a 250 degree oven until they were completely melted.  I removed them and let them cool on the counter for 20 minutes.

 Then I put them in the fridge for another 20 minutes.  When they were cool and solid, they popped right out of the liners.

And there you have it, 16 chunky crayons and not a mess in sight.

I will definitely do this again.

Recap of the No Fireworks Fourth of July

Yes, you read that correctly.  There will be no fireworks here in Watertown on this 4th due to the dry conditions.  We have not had any rain for weeks and the ground is all dried up.  Good sense tells me it is a wise decision especially with our house being well within the fall out from the fireworks, but it does not seem right.  The fourth without fireworks is a bit like Easter without eggs or Christmas without a tree.  Now I not only miss  my dad on his favorite holiday, but I don't have any fireworks.  My dad would not have been happy!

Our day was rather laid back compared to previous fourths.  Nothing memorable, nothing to go down in history except the heat.  We broke records today with our 104 degree temps.  John and I started our day with a bike ride around the city.  We were thinking of doing a trail, but in this heat, trails are not much fun, so we opted for the city tour.  We rode about 12 miles which was not easy in this heat.  We did bike up to the watch a bit of the parade at Cady and Dewey.  Now we know the way to get a good seat for the parade, just bike on down to any of the barricaded streets.  We even had a shade tree over us.  We only watched about five minutes, that is all I need of the parade.  We swam in Kev and Mal's pool for awhile this afternoon.  The water temp is so nice and warm, just like Florida.

We had some BBQ pork sandwiches and watermelon for dinner and now we are just doing the usual thing just like any other night.  Not having fireworks sure puts a damper on things.

Tomorrow Alissa and Nathan will arrive for the weekend.  I am looking forward to visiting Soli with them, bringing Tizita home with us, and just hanging out and having fun together. 

I hope all of you had a fun 4th and were able to enjoy some family time and some fireworks!

Happy 4th of July

Four years ago I wrote a blog post about some memories of the 4th of July and some hopes for the 4th of Julys to come.  I am sharing that post with all of  you again today. 
Since I couldn't quite figure out how to do this, you will have to go to the previous post and click on the link to read the entry.  Hard to believe that Tizita was not even home yet! 
If you choose to read the post, I hope you enjoy it.
If you choose not to read it, then I want to wish you a very Happy 4th of July and God Bless America!

Living the good life in Grandmaville: The Fourth of July-Looking back and looking ahead

Living the good life in Grandmaville: The Fourth of July-Looking back and looking ahead: Happy Fourth of July! Tomorrow is the Fourth of July and most people here in Watertown will watch a parade, eat a brat, toast our great co...

New Granddaughter, Back to old Blogging practices

A long time ago before Tizita was even home, I started this blog.  I actually started it in May 2008, since then I have posted 782 posts.  I have shared my feelings, my photos, and my family with anyone who was interested enough to read my blog.  It has given me a way to document my life and keep a record of the events and how/when they happened.  I often find myself going back and checking out details about certain events.  I hope that one day my kids and grandkids will be interested in reading it as a way of remembering me and the things that we have shared in our lives.  I often wish blogging had been around when my girls were growing up, I know I would have enjoyed reliving all those moments which are now all blurred and mixed up in my memory.

Earlier this year, I decided to post a photo everyday after a fellow blogger gave me the idea.  I have been very good at posting a photo and a post everyday since then, but with the new chapter in my life entitled, Soliana, I am going back to my old blogging ways.  I will blog whenever the spirit moves me and not follow a daily schedule.  It was fun while it lasted, but sometimes I did feel pressured to post something and some of it was more of a desperate post as opposed to something noteworthy that I would want to recall one day.  The new chapter and the decision really have nothing to do with one another, it just seemed the right time to do it.  I could just as easily say it was July 2 and that is why I made the switch.

I also closed my private blog about Soliana.  Now that she is safely home with her forever family, I can include her pictures and stories on this blog along with all the other family tales.  That blog served its purpose well in that it gave me an outlet for my feelings as I waited for Soli to come home.

Thank you to all who come and read here.  I have a number of blogs that I follow and I love to take a peek into their lives.  I welcome anyone to take a peek into mine via this blog.  Please feel free to leave a comment if you are so inclined, but it is certainly not necessary, just enjoy your time here.

Our Wonderful Weekend with our Granddaughters

 I cannot believe that all the waiting is over.  Our beautiful second granddaughter is home with her forever family.  Our meeting at the airport was wonderful.  To see the happy family of four walking toward us was the best feeling ever.  They just look like such a complete family although as Courtney says, "one never knows what God has in store for their family."

I want to document all the things that happened this weekend so I never forget it.

John and I spent Friday night in the Motel 6 after taking Tiz home (she rode with us from the airport).

On Saturday morning we headed over to their house and found Soliana sleeping peacefully on her mama's lap.

Courtney was waiting for me to go on a bike ride.  She took me all over on streets I had never seen before.  We had nice discussions and I really enjoyed our time together.

 By the time we got back, Soliana was awake and I was able to get a few shots of the sisters in the dresses that I had bought them. 

 Tizita has much to teach her little sister and she has started that already.

Soliana has already learned to throw kisses and play peek a boo.

 We got out the water table and both girls enjoyed their time in the water.

 Tizita had asked me if we could take a jacuzzi together so I could not resist.

She says it was the best jacuzzi we ever had, I think I agree.

 Paul joined us back at the motel for a quick swim.

Then John, Tiz, and I enjoyed Rocky's Pizza, soda, and TV before bed.

Tiz stayed with us at the motel Sat. night.

 Sunday morning brought some yummy donuts for us to share and some more TV before heading back to Van Aukens.

 Tizita wanted to go shopping before going home, so we bought this fun pool for the girls and they had so much fun playing in this heat.

 Here again Tiz had to teach Soli a few things.

When it was time to leave, Soliana actually came to came and gave me a kiss.  What a nice surprise!

It was a most wonderful weekend.

It was so exciting to look forward to this meeting and it just went so quickly, but it could not have been more perfect.

We are truly blessed.