Avon Calling !

I got a call yesterday from my "Avon Lady" who is also my friend and a Diaper Darling.

She had been at my house last week and saw our "little TV" in the den. Our big TV "popped" this past summer and fearing it might catch on fire we trashed it.

Not ready go get a new one I took the "little TV" from the sun room/ play room - not very big but it works. You can not see it from the table so we would have to use TV trays if we were watching TV - about 3 ft. from the TV - and eating.

Anyway she called me yesterday to tell me she had a surprise for me - when I ask what it was - she said if she told me it would not be a surprise and could I come by and get it or she could give it to me at church today. Wondering what in the world it was - as soon as I could I headed to her house.

She was almost laughing with excitement when I got there - showing me into her den there on her couch was a TV - much bigger then the one we had in our den. It had a tiny purple bow on it - she said it was for us ! I was laughing - that was so funny!

I told her we were looking at flat screens but just had not decided on one yet - she said this would work until we had time to get our new TV and then I could " up grade" and use this bigger one in the sun room / play room - she did not want it back.

Her husband put it in the van and I was laughing all the way to Target - where I was headed from her house.

Living with a family member having ALS - I just do not have much to laugh about. But living with a family member with ALS I have learned to accept what people do for us from their heart. People always ask us what we need but when people see what we need - and just give it or do it it means so much more. We can buy a new TV - but finding the time to go shop for it is hard but we will get a new TV at some point. We are so blessed by the many people who have helped us in one way or the other over the past 15 years that Marcie has been DX with ALS.

So yesterday I had a good laugh and now we have a TV we can actually see from the dinning room and the kitchen - - - and my grandsons can have their TV back in the play room to play their games on - and my Avon Lady did something from her heart !

So thanks Avon Lady for your friendship and your love !

It was so warm in Texas on Thanksgiving Day...

we ate dinner outside with family and friends - only bothered by one bumble bee that must have liked the sweet potatoes !

We even had a fire going just for fun !

A visit with Ben, Savannah, Ethan, Drew and Suzanne

I went to see the kiddo's today- I can no longer call them babeis - I had not seen them in such a long time but as I told Suzanne - it is like I see them very often since I read her blog after every new posting -

Ethan is walking, Drew and Ben are trying to walk taking a few steps now and then. Miss Savannah is talking -saying works and making MOO noises like a cow and meaning it to be MOO like the sound a cow makes.

They are the friendless little people - they had not seen me in who knows how long but they gave me hugs like I had seen them yesterday -

So much fun to just sit back and watch them play -

They are such sweet, happy and healthy children to have started out so small - good parenting from Suzanne and Joe and as Suzanne said also with the help of the Diaper Darlings who obey the strict rules of when not to go love on those babies -

A true sign of fall in Texas!

The leaves on the trees in my back yard are all turning red, orange, yellow and brown mixed with a few green leaves - the leaves are so colorful - soon they will all turn brown and fall to the ground.
When I was a child, growing up in Waco Texas, my parents had a huge pyracantha bush in the front yard - the berries were orange and red so a few years ago I got one and put in my back yard. It reminds me of my child hood.
The berries are so heavy on some of the branches they are pulling the branches down.

Jr. High Football game

It has been several years since I attended a Junior High football game. When my oldest daughter was in the 9th. grade, which was still Jr. high then, she was in the pep squad so we attended every game that year. When Marcie was in the 9th grade she was a Cheerleader so we attended every game that year. And when my son was in the 7th, 8th and 9th grades we attended every game during these 3 years - but that was a long time ago - since my kids graduated from high school in 1986, 1989 and 1994.

But last night we all attended a junior high football game to watch my oldest grandson play football. I had forgotten how 7th. grade boys could be so different in height - - - note 73 and 69 are both 7th. graders and standing on flat ground.

We ventured to this same football field a few weeks ago to watch my grandson as he played his trumpet with his Jr. High band when they play at half time with the High School band - the stadium was very handicap accessible so we ventured to the stadium again last night and we hope to go one more time before football season is over.

I learned - actually from Suzanne since she caries all her 4 babies stuff in a back pack - to get a back pack. So I got a back pack with lots of zippers and put labels on all the different compartments so I would not forget what was where. So I had all the medical supplies I would need just in case I needed something while we were there. The backpack worked great so I highly recommend it it you deal with a wheelchair and medical supplies you just might need while away from your home or van.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxMy Backpack

This is the Bible God's written word!

Savannah xxxxDrew xxxxBen xxxxEthan Steece


The "Diaper Darling", and as my grandson said "Diaper Dudes" meaning the grandpa's who go, are back on a regular basis. We did not go on a regular basis this past summer since the Stacee's were traveling and they had company in to visit them.

So now the Diaper Darling and Diaper Dudes are getting to love on these kids a couple of days a week for a few hours and some even go on Sunday mornings. Even thought we did not go on a regular basis this past summer some did go over just for fun.

I wanted the kids to have a Sunday school class on Sunday morning while Joe and Suzanne were able go to church so the Diaper Darlings will have Cradle Roll class for the kids on Sunday since they are unable to leave their home from now till April because of RSV - a respiratory disease that could effect the kids since they were born 2 months early.

They are looking at Bibles in these picture - or in the case of Ben he is eating his Bible - during the lesson the Diaper Darlings sing songs about Jesus and show them objects that go along with the songs and the lessons.



Ben


Ethan


Savannah


Drew

Thanks to Jody and her husband Lee for going on this first Sunday morning in October and for taking these neat pictures.

And thanks to Leslie and Sue W. for getting the songs and the props to be used in the lessons -

Suzanne's blog: http://thelifeofsuz.blogspot.com/

Where was this picture taken?

For the past 15 seasons I have been here - I have done so many different things here -I worked 5 days a week, 15 years ago, in the summer, Monday - Friday, when school was out for the summer-then as the years went by I cut back my hours - a little more each year - now I only work one afternoon a week for a few hours on Saturday.

I take tickets at the Picnic Pavilion on Sat. afternoons just for fun.

This is my team + 2 others who were not there today -

The weather was a little hot today - no wind at all - but it was nice being outside with my friends.

Thanks for visiting my blog?

This is what some of the trees in my back yard look like today in Texas but in a few weeks they will start changing colors - I love the fall when all the leaves turn different colors.











And this is one of the trees in the front yard.

Helping to form yet another team to Share the Care for Quads

Today I talked to the coordinator of Tina's Share the Care team - helping her to get all the forms in order, talking about having the main meeting to organize the team, to have back ground checks run on all the volunteers, etc... It is always a good idea when you are having people into your home you do not really know to have back ground checks run - it is done at many church for those teaching the children.

And you must have very strict rules about hand washing and sickness being brought into a home with one new baby let alone 4 new babies. And only people coming in who are on the scheduled.

Tina and her coordinator will have their group meeting soon to start her team - so all will be in place when Tina gets to start bringing her babies home.

If anyone reading this needs to start a Share the Care team for multiples or for a single person needing help for medical needs just ask and I will be glad to help you get started.

It is very easy - but it does take some coordinating at first -

Check out Tina's blog about her quads:
http://mcleanpartyofeight.blogspot.com/

Another team of "Diaper Darlings" to Share the Care

Three of the Lemonovich quads are home - John & Carrie's team - also named the "Diaper Darling" are helping care for 3 or their 4 quads - Elizabeth, John and Claire- as well as their young son Luke - they live in PA. They hope Kate will be home with them soon.

Read more about John & Carrie and their quads on Carrie's blog: http://www.alotoflemons.blogspot.com/

Carrie's sister, Susie, who I have been in contact with by email and phone is coordinating her team of "Diaper Darlings".