My Grannie

I was one of the lucky ones when I was a kid. I had grandparents, three of them, that I got to see all the time.

Five years ago on Halloween, I lost my Grampa. One of my most favorite people in this whole world. He was missing one of his pointer fingers so when he pointed, he had to use his middle finger. A fact that never lost its funniness to me. He taught us all to play crib, and to this day, I still don't know if I ever actually beat him, or if he just let me win those few times.

Last September, I lost my Nona. She taught me to make orange rice, most of us grandchildrens favorite meal she made, and whenever I am in need of comfort food, its what I always turn to. She taught me many things, the least of which was to be the boss, always. She lost a long fight, and while yes, I know it's better to not be suffering, it doesn't make it any easier.

That left only my Grannie. Yesterday, April 1st, quickly and unexpectedly, I lost her too.


 

I don't know if I have words to accurately describe what she meant to me. To any of us. She was strict and serious and funny and loving all at the same time. I think she was happiest when she had all her family around... she wanted nothing more than people to come and visit and eat what she cooked. She did love to cook. Her cookie can was always full. I learned from her that gossip is futile, and that is a rule she stuck to religiously. I never heard a bad word about another person come from her mouth. 
I have to guess what my Grampa's relationship with great grandchildren would be like, and my Nona's as well, as she didn't have the opportunity to really get to know my brothers kids or Maizey. I am lucky not to have to guess what Grannies was like. I think she loved them even more than she loved all of us (grandkids), and she loved us A LOT. My sister in law took my nieces almost every week to visit and it made my Grannie so so so happy. She cooked deviled eggs for them (one whole egg, two halves, each) every Wednesday and just enjoyed watching them play.
It was always months in between visits for us, but for some reason I don't think Maizey ever forgot her. She made herself right at home, every time we went there. Maybe she smelled the cookies and was content. Hard to say. My Grannie was never one to dote, she always just took a more laid back approach. I think that's why Maizey always liked her so much, she didn't always want to hold her and touch her and be in her face, all things that Maizey has always appreciated.
Jaya was talking to my Mom yesterday afternoon, and with a big smile on her face told her that "Grannie Sheila is gone to heaven now" ...
I am not ready to smile, I am barely even ready to acknowledge it. There will  be one tiny little white haired woman missing on holidays and trips home. Its hard to fathom.

Sharing Stuff

Yesterday was Earth Hour. One hour in the evening you shut all of the lights off in your house.

I convinced Brian to shut the lights off, but couldn't convince him to shut the computer down or turn off the t.v.

We were late starting by half an hour.

We had scheduled a two hour Prison Break marathon at 9:00p.m.

Precisely when we shut the lights off.

As I hurried getting ready for bed to watch the show, I went into the dark bathroom and felt around for my toothbrush. I came up with both Brian's and my own. I took them to the window at the back of the house to try and tell who's was who's.

Mine being the purple one, was lighter.

I brushed my teeth while he cursed at not being able to see while he shut up the house for the night.

He came to brush his teeth and I handed him the dry tooth brush.

"How do you know this one is mine?"

"First of all, because I'm awesome and second of all, because I checked in the light of the moon from the window. I'm smart like that" 

"I don't trust you. You know how gross I think sharing tooth brushes is"

"What difference does it make now? I already brushed my teeth, and even if I was wrong, you aren't using mine. Plus, I'm awesome and checked in the moon light. Want me to show you?"

"No, I will just be smarter and check by the light of the fridge door being opened."

"Seriously? You are that worried about it? Here, look, I have them in the moonlight again. See, mine is the lighter one, the purple...
Um, wait, why does the purple kind of look neon green in this light?"

"Because you are not awesome and you used MY TOOTHBRUSH!! You know how sick I think that is. 
gag- I think I just puked in my mouth. Thanks."

"I'm sorry. If you are really that grossed out, just run it under some really hot water and sterilize it. I think that works. If not, whatever, I am sure you have had more disgusting things in your mouth."

"I hate you"

True story. He didn't find it funny.

Fa La La La La

I have been a bad blogger, I know. I have all these big ideas for posts and then I start to write them but just end up leaving the page open for hours on end. Nothing good to say, no good stories to tell, not even any pictures. Then the sun started shining and the snow started melting(ish) and all of a sudden I magically started to notice funny things again and pick up my camera again, and well, that may result in the worlds longest post. Just a little disclaimer.
:: The diaper situation has not been resolved. It hasn't gotten worse, but it still hasn't gotten better either. We talk to her about why she needs to keep her clothes on and why she can't take her diaper off. She nods and says ok, as though she gets it, but 15 minutes later, when we check again - naked. I am not opposed to duct tape, we just don't have any. I WILL get some.
:: Potty training... we have started, very slowly. She loves it - thinks sitting on the "pobby" is fantastic. We have had very little success with her actually going on the potty, but we have also had very few accidents, which to me almost feels like a win. Plus, Missy can hold her bladder, and as my friend Stacey told me, that's not something you can teach, so again, feels like a win.
:: The little 19month vocabulary is steadily growing. Her cognition is visible. We say it to her, she watches and nods and smiles and copies. Whenever the situation arises again, she says it without being prompted. She dumps her water on the floor then yells "MESS" at me. Today she was quietly eating her bowl of soup in the kitchen while both Brian and I were in the living room. We heard a crash and got up to see what it was. Turned out she wasn't quietly eating, she was quietly throwing handfuls of soup all over the place, the crash was her bowl hitting the floor. We both gasped and rushed at her. This is what she said: "MESS, yucky, down." While showing us her hands that were clearly "yucky". It was bad and hilarious at the same time. We hid our laughing faces from her so as to be stern, but it was hard. Her total awareness that it was a mess, it was yucky and she did want to get down was clear.  I am trying to sensor myself but honestly, I am not that good at it. I have tried to start saying "what the mother of crap"... I figure that is less offensive should she ever copy it, which I know is inevitable.
:: Elmo has become a bit of a big deal around here. We watch clips on YouTube and we bought her an Elmo doll, which she sleeps with, hugs, kisses and carts around the house. We skyped with my dad and she all of a sudden started singing Elmos song. Which for her went something like hmmm hm hmm hmmm hmm Melmo Melmo Melmo hmmm hm hm.

Elmo even gets to be in on snack time

:: the Rubber Boots. Behold the greatest purchase of the year:

They are a size too big so she had trouble maneuvering them in the beginning, always tripping over the toes, but shes mostly figured them out now. Everyone we meet on the street that makes eye contact with her, she lifts her foot for and exclaims "BOOPS!!". She loves them.
:: She also loves puddles.
 

:: She also loves putting her hands in the puddles and then sucking the water off them.

:: St Patricks Day came along and we realized that due to the fact someones wardrobe seriously lacks in the green department, she had to spend the day dressed as an '80s aerobics instructor.

But she did get to splash in some snowy slushy puddles, so she didn't care.

Spring is coming. I am not discounting the fact that it could snow at any given second around here, but I have been praying to the sun gods that it will just stay nice for a little while longer, in hopes that the "little while longer" will get us through to April, then on into May. I am not opposed to sun dances either. We are wearing less coats and more vests and lighter hats and no mitts. We go for walks in running shoes rather than boots and we wear sunglasses. We open windows and let the dust get stirred up. We also see a whole lot more dust with the sun shining in. I, for one, let the dust stay where it is, cuz when the sun is shining, this mama is getting her ass outside. We busted out the wagon yesterday and took a stroll in it... the way Maizey sat all perfect and still in it with a big grin on her face, you would've thought she was Miss. Revelstoke riding atop the float in the parade in a pretty white dress and gloves. She could not have been happier. Soon it will be bbq's, bocci, gardening and grass.We are more than ready.