Another Surprise!

Monday, Yuni called and asked if she, Ryan, and Lya could come and visit me on Tuesday. They came around noon. Lya looked adorable in a cute outfit (Levi/Red Gingham with white tights). She was happy and gave me a kiss on my cheek. Ryan saw it and was so excited. I was too.

I had made soup and barbecue, so we all had lunch together. Ryan was able to rock Lya to sleep and Yuni took a nap on our couch. Ryan and I talked during this time. I asked him if he ever thought having a child would be this wonderful. He told me that he has thought a lot about it and thanked me (and his dad) for being such good parents. I thought I was going to cry. How lucky I am to have such a wonderful family. They have help to lift me during hard times and make happy times the best.

This Sunday will be the first time since Lya's blessing that the whole family will be together without sickness (knock on wood). Conference weekend, Easter Sunday, and family time....what more could a mom (and dad) want!

Surprise!

Marc and I came home from church, yesterday, to a message from Jarem asking us to come to dinner. His message was so cute, but I wasn't sure if it was okay with his parents. :D I hurried and called. Alisha said that Jarem was so excited to have Taco Soup that he wanted to invite us.

It was great fun. We found out that Jarem (and Lexi) can play two of our favorite games when we get together as a family. They both show drawing skills (which I don't have). The way the pictures turns out are hilarious.

All I can say is "Thank You" Jarem! Alisha, the soup was wonderful. Thanks to you all for a wonderful evening.

Alice In Wonderland

When I hear the title, "Alice In Wonderland," I think of the hundreds of time I have watched it and the music. When I was a young girl, those tunes were some of my favorite, like: "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date"..."Alice in Wonderland, How do you get to wonderland"....or my favorite...when Alice sings, "You can learn a lot of things from the flowers"...etc. The tradition of watching That movie (and "Alice Through the Looking Glass)continued on esp. with my youngest child, Andrea. She still loves that movie. She can probably quote the whole movie. Many nights to wind down, she and I would watch it. I usually fell a sleep.

Well...today, Marc and I took Andrea to Tim Burton's version of "Alice in Wonderland." It was totally awesome!!! I loved it. I would not recommend this to young children, because there are scary parts. It was very creative and kept my attention the whole time. I also liked how it ended. I can't say enough about it. I've decided that the live actors, with the animated ones, made it more realistic to me. All three of us left enjoying ourselves. Way to go...to Tim Burton and all those who made this film.

I'm sure that there will be many that will not like this movie, but I'm excited to finally move on from "Alice in Wonderland" and "Alice Through the Looking Glass" (even though I like them both) and for twists and turns of the new movie putting a closer to a classic. Hey fam....maybe after it comes out on DVD...we can have an "Alice" movie-a-thon. :D

My Sister

Last night, my sister called me. I have tried for the past couple of months during different times to call her. I finally wondered if their number changed. I called my niece and asked her to have my sister call me. Which she did and guess what? Her number has changed.

Talking to my sister was really hard. She has developed the beginning stages of Alzheimer's. She still remembered my name, but couldn't remember what she wanted to say. She kept telling me that she has Alzheimer's and that she can't drive anymore. She said that she can't take the chance of getting lost while driving. I commended her for not only thinking of her safety, but the lives of others if she had an accident. It was hard to think of things to say (and I don't have that problem very often), because she kept going back to not driving. I got off the phone wondering why life can be so hard at times. We all have our trials and no matter how different they may be...they are hard. We are told that it's for our growth, but I'm still the same size that I have been for years (I know...that was lame). So...the growth has to be spiritual. If that is the case, then many of us are giants.

One of those giants is my sister. She is 12 years my senior. She babysat me when my parents went out. My mom would tell me that Sharlene would call her friends to say that she couldn't go with them...just to take care of me. I guess I cried a lot (that hasn't changed) and so she had to be the peacemaker between my brothers, because I interfered with their sleep during their sports seasons. When I got older, she was so easy to talk to. She would answer any question I had. Later, I was old enough then to repay the favor and tend her children. When her oldest was a teenager, she would call me to see if I could help her think of ways to resolve problems. (Those dreaded teen years.) We have been close for as long as I can remember. Yes...we were sisters and sometimes didn't agree, but I cherish my memories of our years together. We sang together. I remember once going through a rough time and we had to sing a song that just hit me and the tears started to flow. I can't sing when I cry, so I had to stop and she just kept singing with her arm firmly around my waist. There are so many memories and maybe I will share some in future Blogs. I just know that I am thankful for her.

Right now, my sister doesn't remember things. She's happy and very pleasant (which we are all grateful for). She laughs that she can't remember things...even when I know it bothers her. She can't play the piano anymore because she can't remember the notes, but she told me that she still remembers how to sing. Our talks are more child-like and a lot shorter, but at the end of each conversation...she tells me how much she loves me and how happy she is that I called. Last night, she ended the same way....part of me felt sadness and part of me smiled because this time...Sharlene called me.

Today and Tomorrow!

Today, I went to see my youngest grandaughter, Lya. She's 5 months old and just starting to learn to eat rice cereal. It was pure joy to see how excited she got and how well she is learning this new skill. Her smile lightens up a dark and gloomy day (it was cloudy for most of the morning).

I also received a message about a dear friend, Lola (who use to be our neighbor)that is responding to Chemo. and doing really well. I thought of her positive outlook on life. How she was not dreading the future, but had open arms rejoicing for the many blessings that she has. Is it her positive attitude that is helping her to respond to the cancer treatment so well?

I have been struggling with a neighbor that I'm suppose to Visit Teach. She's makes it really hard and doesn't seem interested. She's a busy young mother going to school and working. Her husband has gone away from the church and yet she faithfully brings her kids each week. Would I be that dedicated? Even though we have no success with visiting her....each time I go to her porch and ring the doorbell....I see a sign saying "Have a positive attitude."

I just read a blog written by a friend of mine from way back. We worked in Young Women's together. She's had some rough roads lately and yet I felt the positive influence of her Testimony as I read many of her blogs. I thank her for taking that time to touch my life (and she doesn't even know it).

Tomorrow, I get to see my other grandkids. Jarem and Lexi are full of life. They love me. They don't care how old I am or what I look like. I am "gramma." How I appreciate their un-conditional love.

I feel so blessed to have these positive reminders in my life. I have so many blessings. I appreciate my family so much and love the times we share together. Thank you Marc, Alisha, Jason, Jarem, Alexa, Ryan, Yunuen, Lya, and Andrea for being so good to me.