A Little Different This Year

My Grandmother was born on Christmas Eve. On my mother's side of the family, we celebrate Christmas (presents, etc) on Christmas Eve. And, as long as I can remember, we've set aside a little time on that night to celebrate the birth of our matriarch. It's never been a huge whoopla- but it's always happened.

This year was different.

We all packed up and invaded the nursing home.

This past fall, Grandmother went to live, full time, at a local nursing home. We've all known that it was coming. It was just a matter of when. My Grandmother suffers from diabetes... and dementia. I hate dementia. It's a foul, wicked disease that robs the person of themselves. And robs their loved ones of this person they love.

We started to realize that bringing Grandmother home from the nursing home, even for one evening, was not going to happen. She had adapted to her new home. She was settled and safe there. It would have disrupted and disturbed her to leave. (I won't lie. That took me a while to wrestle with...) So we had to shuffle our plans around and make a different set of priorities our focus. 

As we sat in the nursing home cafeteria, I think all the adults had that moment when we realized that a huge chapter of our lives had closed. Forever.
And that we are moving ever to quickly to the moment when another chapter closes.
It was painfully obvious to everyone that this was not one of Grandmother's "good days"... not by a long shot. The next day, she didn't remember the invasion of family even being there.

We did cake. And a few presents. And pictures.

We're a picture taking family.
And we took pictures that day.
Pictures of the whole family that was gathered there. Pictures of Grandmother with her children. With her grandchildren. And with her great-grandchildren.

And we imprinted the memory of another year with her.

Grandmother Winnie with 8 of her 9 great-grandchildren.

I hope she's still here in June to meet the 9th.

With her 3 granddaughters.

And with almost all her family.

Not everyone could make it.

Christmas was different this year. There's no getting around that. Life goes on and things evolve. And, that's okay. 

I know Christmas 2014 will be radically different from 2013. Which was different from 2012. And that's all good. We'll look back at year before and remember the good and great with joy. Hopefully, we'll retain a little less of the bad. 

But, yes.

It was a little different this year.

Them Guys

I live in a home that is male dominated. I spend most of my time, it feels like, washing stained clothing, yelling to flush & wash your hands (that's just to Jacob.... the husband long ago conquered that!). And, I spend a great part of my day watching the two males & having the thought, "I.... just don't understand you people."


Getting dirty and working with tools is one of their love languages. True Story; the front end of my car is "a little broken" to quote Jacob. And E has been on a mission to fix it. This past weekend, E and Jacob pulled out the tools and did "man work" on the car. They were in The Zone. For several hours. And then, they spent another hour or two cleaning and washing out the toolbox & the tools.

They were dirty & greasy! They loved every moment of it!







And Jacob is the biggest clown on the planet.
Jumping around, being silly. Rolling around on the ground... any ground. His nickname around here is, "The Flying Squirrel" LOL. He never walks when he can hit the turbo-powered Run. The child has 2 volumes: Very Loud & asleep. And, he's never still- even when he sleeps, the child is always moving. And he's the Master of Making Weird Faces!














The two love the rough-house with one another. Again- Love Language. They love chasing each other & scaring each other & running around like crazy people. And getting dirty and wild. And sweaty! It's a rare day when I don't hear "AHAAAAA!!!!!!" coming from both of them are they gallop around the house.

And, that's not me!

But, it's them & it's fantastic! They crack me up- even when I'm staring at them with wide eyes saying, "Be Careful!" or "Nothing broken please!"

These two are my heart. 

And... perhaps, they aren't so much different from me!

Dinner at Chickalay

Chickalay= Chick-fil-a.

And we love us some Chick-fil-a around here. Especially on rainy Monday nights, when I've been sick all day & E and Jacob are primed to get out of the house... and I'm not.

E and Jacob met E's brother, "Uncle J" for dinner at one of the Chick-fil-a's close to us & to their delight, they were having an event! Jacob came home and told me that it was with the "Duck People"... aka: Duck Dynasty.

E said later that they were giving out camo decorated toys to the kids (Jacob came home with a camo airplane) and the Famous Chick-fil-a Cow was out and about greeting people.

It's safe to say that "the big cow!" is well loved by Jacob!

If you have a Chick-fil-a around you, I highly recommend checking into their schedule of events! There's almost always something happening at our local one! It's a great place, with yummy food & our family highly approves!

Getting Cowboy'd Up

For an early birthday present/any excuse to go do something fun event this past Saturday night, my dad took Jacob, me and E to The Mesquite Rodeo.

We had a blast. We got to sit up in the suites (which is the only way to go to *most* events, in my humble opinion.) Jacob and I rode the chuck wagon around the arena before the rodeo started. We had tasty bbq & free drinks, lol! We got to come and go throughout the arena at our whim, thanks to the trusty, red wristbands on our wrists! Jacob highly enjoyed the face painting part of the night- he got a Batman face mask & a Superman "tat". I really loved being up on the cat walk by the cowboys and the animals during the bull riding part of the evening. *That* was awesome.

My favorite part, though was seeing my little boy all "cowboy'd up" as he put it. It was very cute & super special to me- my family owned a 'country/western wear' store up until I was 13/14 years old. I grew up learning how to fit a pair of boots, what 13MWZ's are, and how to take proper care of a cowboy hat. So, watching my off-spring soak up and absorb a little of that culture made me a happy mama, indeed.

If you get a chance, get on out to the rodeo- it's on until the middle of August! But there's always something happening at the arena other times of the year!

The Week

So, we're in the midst of what I've been taking to call, "THE WEEK."

Not to sound overly dramatic or anything (because that would be sooo out of character for me!), but this week has been my dread since I learned that it would be THE WEEK. Why is it, THE WEEK?

Well, E is working every. single. day. for about 15 hours. From this past Friday to this coming Saturday (with the exception of the blessed Sunday break). Yikes. E went to bed at 8:30 on Sunday night. And I have seen/and or spoken with him a grand total of 1 minute ever since. (about 2 sentences each yesterday & this morning). I miss my hubby. And it's only Tuesday!

This past Sunday, we went to church & then came home and crashed. I missed a MOPS event that evening that I had been looking forward to. Sad day. I was bummed, but I've realized  more and more how important it is to guard and protect my family's family time as much as I can. I was bummed at missing the Date Night... but, I was so blessed Sunday afternoon and evening with the precious time the three of us had together. It was time spent at the park, riding bikes. And my guys coming home hot & sweaty and smiling like a couple of wet puppy dogs. It was a time of giggling when they both decided to jump in the pool & came out 30 minutes late- teeth chattering. Making cookies with my sous-chef and sitting down for a family dinner.

Next Sunday will be another Family Day. E and I are taking Jacob to see Thomas the Train with Poppi (my dad). Jacob is so stinking excited! He's been talking about springtime & springtime meaning that Thomas would be coming back. He tells me every single day how much he misses Thomas. We're all excited for Sunday to come around.

But, first- we have to survive THE WEEK.

The picture? Oh, just because I want to. :-) I love pictures of my 2 favorite people. They are the loves of my life. What can I say?

Counting the 2012 Blessings

This will be the post where I count down (with pictures!) some of the biggest blessings of 2012. 

(my deep apology for all the pictures.... yes, I know it adds to the loading time. But, I love pictures- my favorite way to tell a story.)

1)Another amazing year of being a mommy. But not just any ol' mommy.

This little boy's mommy.

My baby turned 4 in 2012. 

I love this kid with all my heart and then more. 

2) Another year with Grandmother Winnie.

The older I get, the more I appreciate how crazy lucky/fortunate/blessed I am to have had 3 of my 4 grandparents when I turned 30.... 

I just have 2 grandparents now.... and that makes the time with them all the more sweet.

Grandmother Winnie with 7 of her 8 great-grandchildren. 

I love this picture.

3) The 20 years I had with my fur-baby... 

Chester was my first 'baby' and my best bud.

4) The Rangers game with 2 of the 3 most important guys in my life.

E

and my Daddy.

5) Living the dream of taking Jacob to Disney World with my parents.

So amazing. 

(Mother, I had to use a picture with you in it. How else will people know that you're real?)

The greatest day of his 4 & 1/2 years, thus far.

Making memories... and taking pictures.

6) Another magical Christmas season for my son.

7)Saying 'yes' to marrying E.

2012 was a wonderful year.

I'm looking forward to an amazing 2013!

Coming Down from the Christmas High

It's 3 days after Christmas... and my house doesn't have that "Santa's Workshop Just Puked All Over the Place" look anymore (as much. kinda)

There's still toys- everywhere. But they are slowly being beaten back into the youngling's room. (a riding Hummer and a brand new 'big boy' bike are currently parked in the front entry way... yeah, Santa didn't think the storing needs quite through on those.)

There's food as far as the eye can see. In the fridge. On the table next to me. Every counter space has some mind of food item- left over from The Big Fat Christmas Eve Celebration we have in my family every single year.

And Jacob is slowly discovering the fun to be had with his Christmas toy haul.

I love Christmas.

I love the way the whole world looks different. I love the way everything gets all gussied up and pretty. I love the smells & the sounds. And I adore the lights and the decorations.

I love that it's the one (absolute) guaranteed night of the year when my family is together under one roof. It's loud and messy and fun. And it flashes by in such a blur. This past Christmas Eve night, I spent much of the evening just trying to take it all in. To slow down and be fully in the moment.

I confess, I wasn't too successful. Without my permission, the night fled by at warp speed and I was sitting on the couch in the suddenly silent house.... amazed that another year had gone by. And, oh so thankful that it had brought my beloved family together again. And I bask in that connection. It's an amazingly  beautiful notion that a family knows where they are supposed to be- and, barring some emergency, they are there. Together.

And, every year- that becomes the best gift received.

To Recap

It's been an eventful spring, summer and fall around Bloggergirl Inc. And, while I try to keep things light and upbeat around here- as we all know, sometimes life gets in my way

We shall start with the bad news, my Grandma passed away in July. I am still grieving. I have been blessed and spoiled by being 30 and (as of July) still having 3 of my grandparents. And I was keenly aware of that. Those were some of the hardest days of my life, thus far. And... that's saying something. My Grandma was human. She was flawed. But Eleanor Pentino knew how to LOVE. And she taught her family how to love. We're all still trying to grapple with her last few months of life (they sucked). Trying to focus on the greater-than 80 years prior to those months. And, trying to figure out what life without her means now.

For me- it means, back to school. Yea. Lot's of time in the kitchen as well. I am on a mission to immerse myself in my Grandma's recipe's. Cooking. It's how I cope. There's something therapeutic in chopping and stirring and tasting and standing over a hot stove. Hitting the Italian Rosseta Stone lessons harder. I am determined to go to Rome & go to Mass for my Grandma... she wanted to go but didn't get to. And I want to go to the homeland. And teaching the little dude all of these things- and more.

Some good news? (please, oh please? you say) I have been keeping company with another J as of late. How do you like that turn of phrase? For the purposes of this blog, we shall call him "E". Just because having to "J"'s is waaaaay too confusing. I suppose I could call Jacob "little J" and the other, "big J".... but that's a little silly. And there is logic to my "E"- last name. :-)

Let's see, a little about E. He likes sushi. Me. Books. He's wicked funny. Darned handsome. Will read anything... no really, I mean it (I have the saved, emailed news articles to prove it... wait is that weird?... hmmm). And I think I've got him convinced that taking your intrepid Bloggergirl to the Great State Fair of Texas to see the Bangles (yea!) is a great idea.
He'll be thrilled, he got props on my blog.

Somewhat off the wall question that will make sense in a moment- are there any scifi cool kid geeks out there? Yes? Great. Are you reading Jim Butcher's Dresden Files? No? Then get thee to the book store or to the internet book supplier of your choice and start reading. Just sayin'.

Okay people- happy Wednesday.
Oh, before I forget! I joined twitter! Join me there!
And come back tomorrow to here my rant about facebook, twitter & my newest bit of crack, pinterest!
Peace out!

Happy Birthday Grandpa

me and my grandpa, Norman Pentino- 91 years old today

When Everything Is Said

In the last month or so, I have had 2 dear ladies in different branches of my family pass away. Each of them lived long lives. They were the matriarchs of their respective branches & are so darn loved and will always be.

Death is an interesting device.

When both of these dear ladies passed, everyone did what just about all people do- they started going through the Rolodex of their minds, reliving every moment they could remember. Thinking back on their times with them, laughing, crying, talking about their personalities. What they believed in. Who they were, way down the marrow.

And that started me thinking. When it's all said and done & you're not here anymore and memories are all that people have left of you.... who will people say you were?

It's a question I've been asking myself a great deal this month. It's a question that's worth asking of ourselves a lot, I think. The memories and the legacy that we leave behind for others are really what it's all about, in the end. I think they are more tangible than money, or cars, or clothes or any of that stuff- because all of that junk can be taken away. But the moments... the life we live with the people around us... that can't be taken away. Not really.

Anyway- I've just been thinking about what will be said. What I hope will be said. And how to live a life worthy of it.

Christmas This Year

There was quite a bit of this....

There was thankfully, only one instance of this... where he actually put his plan into total action

There was plenty of this

several hours were spent looking at this & not getting enough of it...

seeing secrets shared between two buddies

watching a little boy have 'his' Thomas come stay at his house for Christmas

.... and go out and greet him every night when Thomas, "woke up."