A Thank you note to my Mom

Mom

I love you

I don’t want to say goodbye, because I don’t believe it is goodbye.

I know that I will feel you in the breeze and see you in every flower

I will think of you always

But especially when I hear one of your favorite musicians

Watch one of your favorite actors

 hear anything political

find a treasure in a thrift store

laugh with my sisters

I also want you to keep my kids in line

Give them a push and guide them from the other side

On that note, I wanted to say thank you

Thank you for nursing me through the chicken pox

Thank you for letting me take ballet

Thank you for the beef stew and the fish sticks

Thank you for having the strength to leave a harmful marriage

Thank you for working a multitude of shitty jobs to support our family

Thank you for letting me dance ballet in downtown Buffalo

Thank you for making it so I could participate in the Nutcracker

Thank you for buying me the really expensive sheiseido face cream that I needed

Thank you for giving me my own room…twice actually

Thank you for building me my own room

Thank you for letting me come back home to live three times

Thank you for letting me visit my friend in Ecuador when I was only 15

Thank you for giving me my own phone

Thank you for letting me have sleepovers

Thank you for being a mother to Amy

Thank you for throwing me a wedding and a baby shower

Thank you for letting me run the Kirk Cameron Club and the 3 sexies

Thank you for buying me a ghetto blaster

Thank you for taking us to Lake Shannon to learn how to camp in the rain

Thank you for trusting me

Thank you for letting me and Tiney “go exploring”

Thank you for dressing me the same as Justine, even though I hated it at the time

Thank you for putting up with my Grandma O and her bullshit

Thank you for not judging my friends

Thank you for Fluffy

Thank you for every item you ever bought, created, or gave with my children in mind

Thank you for building and designing the most beautiful Victorian doll house ever

Thank you for coming with me to New Orleans

Thank you for coming with us to Salem and Boston

Thank you for restoring my childhood doll house for Eva

Thank you for letting me watch Flashdance and Footloose

Thank you for researching our ancestry
Thank you for taking me to the library

Thank you for sharing your rock collection with Dylan

Thank you for accepting my friend in the middle of the night that ran away from her prison

Thank you for keeping me away from Gary O

Thank you for understanding my friendship with Sandy

Thank you for having a kind heart and a listening ear with her mother

Thank you for letting me go to AC/DC when I was only 14

Thank you for all the care packages you sent me in Spain

Thank you for letting me get a job at Panes at 15

Thank you for putting us under the table at Aunt Linda’s house so we didn’t get stepped on

Thank you for believing I had the flu, all those times

Thank you for caring for Steve’s parents

Thank you for taking care of Steve

Thank you for taking care of Grandma for all those years

Thank you for letting us have Spanky

Thank you for teaching me how to draw

Thank you for being my Sunday school teacher

Thank you for teaching me how to drive

I owe you my strength

I get it from you because you have persevered through everything

Your generosity and thoughtfulness you have passed on to Justine

Jenna gets her independence, feistiness, assertiveness, and stubbornness from you

I see you in Jenna

Mom Vila.  Putting up walls, Jenna climbs them

You have raised three intelligent, independent women

You are leaving behind a legacy

Thank you Mom

You are an amazing woman

There are no periods at the ends of these sentences because that would signify the end

This is not the end; only a new chapter to explore

Mi Mama

It has not been a secret that Grandma Candy, mi mama, has been sick.

Lately, it seems it has been one thing after another.  She is so very strong.  Her strength continues to inspire me.  Her spirits have remained impenetrable.

Dyleva has handled the situation with respect and grace.  

But yet their curiosity has not relented.  They are very open and honest with their questions and things they do not understand.  

Sometimes their questions stump me.

This past year I love how they have each cultured their own captivation with Grandma Candy.

With Dylan, it is mostly the rocks.  He was stunned and fascinated by her rocks and stones.  Even as he watered her garden, he pointed out every unique one he encountered.  

Eva is mesmerized by the giant Victorian dollhouse that Grandma restored.  Room by room she has decorated and adorned it according to era. 

Both of my ninos are fascinated by the history.  I am ashamed to say, I haven't taken much more than a passing interest.  But legitimately Dyleva wants to know.  
Who was the witch?
Which one was royalty? 
What did our grandma do?

My mother is a wealth of historical knowledge and an architect of beauty.

Dyleva still has a ton to learn from their grandma; as do I.

TORONTO!

For Jeff's birthday this year, we all met at the Angry Buffalo and celebrated on the outdoor patio.

When it came time to give him his gift, it was a book of pictures.....or clues.  There was palm trees, margaritas, CN tower, cheeseburgers.  Nothing.  He didn't get it.

So finally we pulled out our hats with parrots on them.  
Finally he got it!  Jimmy Buffet in Toronto!

We drove in early, and spent the day swimming in the outdoor hotel pool.  Even when a downpour came through, Dyleva swam through it!  It was so fun!  Then we relaxed in the hotel bar a bit.  We dressed for dinner, and then headed out.  

We found dinner at a cool restaurant.  Then headed to the show.  It was mobbed!  We ended up all the way to the back by the fence.  But it was fun!

The next day was sweltering.
But we toughed it out; we went to the Toronto Zoo.  What a massive place!
Eva was fascinated by the sculptures made from garbage pulled from nature and spray painted.  Dylan was obsessed with the giant cats.  What a great mini getaway weekend!

A week to bounce

With all of our running around and activities, last year I had the brilliant idea of renting a bounce house during the week.  

It's not that expensive; because really, who rents bounce houses during the week.

I do!

Dyleva could have playdates, I could garden and day drink.

Last year we had an amazing time.

This year, eh.

We had a bunch of playdates, but the children spent very little time in the actual bounce house.  

And holy cow did we have high maintenance children this year! (Including my own....)

Like some of them were bored.

I almost choked on my cocktail. Bored?????

We have a bounce house, a swimming pool, treehouse, swing set, sand box, hot tub, and all the toys in the world.

Bored?

Spoiled little shits.  Go fold my laundry!

Killing time during the rain..

Ninety-seven and still kicking!

Grandma Grandma is 97!

She is better than ever!  She had quite the entourage this year for her party.

It was a beautiful day.  Mom did a lovely job of preparing such a wonderful gathering.

It was a lesson in patience, watching her open her gifts.  She refuses to rip the paper open on the cards; she trys to unseal the glue!  And then the wrapping and tissue paper- she will not rip it.  She then folds each piece into a perfect square.  

Three hours later we had cake.

Grandma would not blow out the candles!  "I'm not blowing them out!"  The grandkids eventually had to do so.

So funny!

Since so many family members were there, we took a lot of family photos.

Happy Birthday Gram!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bNyGtgADeDYKYZfY9

Proyectos

I do not always stop to appreciate the wonderful things my children have created.  They are truly remarkable.  It is self-motivated.

I do guide Mommy school, but believe me when I say whatever idea I have, (at any time) is the exact opposite of what they really want to do.

Dylan

He is constantly building.  Creating.  He is my little architect.  Well, violent architect.  Because then usually a battle ensues and someone gets destroyed.  But then he builds it back up again. 

 This is a praying mantis habitat Dylan created one day out of a beer box just because.


Eva Magnolia

My social butterfly.  She is taking surveys, and making questionnaires to gauge public opinion.  This morning she spearheaded a research project about dogs.  What kind of dog are you most like?  She researched and read about many different dog breeds.

During summer vacation!

This is a pottery project that Eva worked on for a very long time this year at school.

So long in fact that the last week of school, Eva said her teacher was like, "Just finish painting it!  We are out of time!"


I love finding what motivates and guides Dyleva!  And again...Mommy stays out of it.  Because the moment I have an idea they don't want to hear it!

Camping:for better or worse

I love to camp.

I love being outdoors, I love roughing it, I love listening to the birds in the morning, and watching the stars at night.

But sometimes, oh yes, sometimes those stars are not aligned.

Jeff booked us a site in Watkins Glen after we procrastinated a site for Memorial Day.  Later we found out it was redneck weekend, I mean 'Race at the Glen.'

Jeff also had began having back problems about two weeks prior.  He insisted he was not cancelling.  Okay.

So I finish up all my school stuff, which was a lot this year, due to my move.  I have an important family meeting.  All goes well.  Game on!

Wake up and go camping!

Well, kind of.  We made it there about 6PM.  

Beautiful.  We set up camp.  Dyleva is whining something about not having a park.  I don't know, I tuned them out while I was sweating.

We get all ready, about to have dinner, when Dyleva experiences their first redneck experience.  A neighbor child apparently bit neighbor baby daddy and all hell broke loose.  Earmuffs.  

That child used words that would have made Tio Chris blush.

Moving on.  We have a great night.

Saturday morning.  Jeff struggled a bit with his back.  And I had an awful night.  The air mattress Eva and I slept on deflated  sometime in the middle of the night.  I cannot reiterate how awful that was.  I would have rather slept on the ground.

Jeff investigated, he found I didn't push the valve in.

"You gotta push the valve in."  Whatever.

We decided to gamble on the weather and hike the glen.

I was nervous because it said it was 'very difficult' for part of the trail.  

It was not.  It was gorgeous.  By far one of my favorite all time hikes.  Dyleva were wonderful.  They were careful and listened, and kept exclaiming how cool everything was!

A picture is worth a thousand words so here are about ten thousand of them!

We came out and found a park.  I got out the lunch and the heavens opened.  

Now I'm not talking a sprinkle.  I mean monsoon! 

We make it back to the site, and unfortunately must nap because it is down pouring so hard there is nothing else to do.

I woke to sunny skies and drenched earth but I'll take it.  Jeff woke up not well.  Sick from all the back meds he had been taking.  

So I took Dyleva to play on some parks.  We came back to cook dinner, which was really delicious by the way.  Getting the hang of this camping thing.

Then it started to rain again.  So we moved inside the tent, but honestly with the water pooling on the ground, there was nothing else to do but sleep.

Except Jeff couldn't, because of his back,

And I couldn't because of my air mattress deflating again!!!!
I'll give you valve!  Two nights in a row with minimal sleep!

And then.
The cherry on top.
My final straw.

Dylan woke up in the middle of the night and started throwing up.  I'm done!!! I'm so done!!! I'm going home!!!

And we did.  A full 24 hours early.  Stupid unaligned stars.