Adventures of Grandma, Drew, Kayley and Ryan

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Breast Cancer Walk today

Megan and Drew picked me up at 6:45 a.m. for the walk around Tempe Park. It was cool when we arrived as we waited to meet the other gals from Megan's firm but the sun warmed us up rapidly as we walked. I haven't a clue how many people participated in the event but we had many "slow downs" in the crowd. At times it was like merging onto the freeway! I can't say the walk (three miles) got our heart rates up at the pace the group moved but it was certainly for a great cause. Drew was very good and never made a peep from his jogging stroller....just looked around and took it all in with great interest.

When I got back from the walk I planted geraniums in my pots and even planted some petunias. I still feel weird planting flowers in November but now is the time to do that in AZ. When Mark comes for the winter he is bringing canna bulbs to plant. They did exceptionally well last winter and people always remarked about them so we're hoping they do well again this winter.

Speaking of winter, Mark said it was freezing today in Iowa. That just sounded horrible to hear! I cannot wait until his crops are out and he can get his cold body out here to warm up for the winter!

A few pics from today's walk and also one of Drew combing his hair with the dog's brush and one of him lounging in Kayley's seat.

Friday, November 07, 2008

Can we talk?

Kayley has been making lots of sounds lately but every single time I turn on the video camera she gets really "shy". :-) Actually, she is so mesmerized by the red light blinking from the camera that she just stares intently at it....usually in dead silence. But, I will keep trying to catch her talking!

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Then and now

I was browsing through my pictures and came across one of Kayley's very first pictures and was just amazed at the "then and now" difference. Kayley has come a long way since June 9th!

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Monday, November 03, 2008

Sunday afternoon fun

Niece Lisa and her son Taylor visited Megan and Andy yesterday and met Kayley for the first time. We had a good visit with her and Drew had a great time with Taylor!

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween......it's a bird, it's a plane

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Thursday, October 30, 2008

Drew

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Kayley

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Wednesday, October 29, 2008

A beautiful day for a stroll

Well, back in the sunshine and it is really nice here right now. But, I do see that Iowa is going to enjoy some very nice weather, too. I wish it could have come a week earlier so I could have enjoyed it, but such is life.

Megan, Drew, Kayley, Sox and I went on a 2 mile walk in the new double jogging stroller. It was the first time we have taken it out for a spin and it really pushes/steers nicely. Anyone out there in need of a double jogging stroller we recommend the Bob Revolution! Both kids were great on the walk. Drew enjoyed the scenery and sang a bit and Kayley took a cat nap in all that fresh air.
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Monday, October 27, 2008

Last day in Iowa

Tomorrow I fly back to Phoenix and since winter is right around the corner I am not sure when I will get back to the state. I know for sure it will be well after any snow traces are long gone. :-) I just hope the weather behaves so Mark can get his fall harvesting and tilling done so he can join us out in sunny AZ for the winter sooner rather than later. It is all in mother nature's hands right now.

I have really enjoyed my three weeks on the farm. The first week was just beautiful and I mowed, ran up and down my gravel road and dug in the flower beds. Even got in a game of golf with my friend Cyndy before she left for Texas. Lots of family home for Dan and Katie's wedding which was a great time. Went to lunch with Shari in Webster City on Friday and had a great visit with her. Had lunch on Thursday with an old school pal, Pat. Every night it seems Mark is grilling us something delicious. I have been eating way too well around here. I need to get back to the desert just so I can get outside and get some exercise!

Since I will be with my two grandbabies soon, you just know pictures and video will begin being posted again. Here's to a great winter to everyone!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Fun with mom's and uncle's toys

Drew had fun while on the farm playing with Matt and Megan's old farm toys out in the machine shed. That John Deere tractor has a lot of "hours" on it but still provides some fun for Drew.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

I love those SNL skits!

I had temporarily forgotten how good Will Ferrell is as Dubya!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Cold and rainy Iowa!

It is a very nasty day in the state. Tomorrow sounds like more of the same. No harvesting taking place anywhere in the state today. It was a good day for my dental appointment as there was no way I would be going outdoors for recreation!

I found some random pictures on my camera that I had not downloaded yet so will post them now. That one of Kayley makes me want to pick her up and give her a big hug. I bet she has changed in the three weeks since I have seen that little gal........

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Dan and Katie's wedding

Some random pictures taken at Dan and Katie's beautiful wedding! It really was a very lovely ceremony and a fun reception. May they have a long and happy marriage!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Grandpa and Drew take the tractor for a spin

Drew down on the farm

Niece Katie was married this past Saturday so Mark and I had a house full of relatives for the big event. Megan and Drew arrived Thursday, as did Matt,Sharon, Jan, Don and their granddaughters Hayley, Olivia and Carley. It was a great week-end, but busy. We did find time to take Drew around the farm, though. Grandpa and Grandma enjoyed his visit immensely!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Another beautiful fall day

Our good friend Cyndy from Ankeny/Texas came over yesterday afternoon for a visit before I head back to AZ and she heads off to spend her winter in Texas. We golfed the Dayton course yesterday afternoon, came back for Happy Hour and a T-bone steak dinner in the evening. It was great seeing her again. She left this morning around 9 a.m. for a golf tournament at Honey Creek in Boone. Mark is at church ushering this morning and I am lazing around, as usual! I am going to run to Fort Dodge later for some more wood stain for these windows. I am going through it fast as this wood is really dry and soaks it up rapidly! Mark will try to combine beans again this afternoon.

Brother Kevin and nephew Lee came over yesterday morning for target practice and sighting of their guns, getting ready for deer season in Iowa. It was great to see both of those guys. Saw Katie the evening before as we went to the church to try out their sound system so I know what I am doing at the wedding next Saturday. I hope she and Dan have a nice day for their big event. My sister Jan and husband Don are driving down from Osakis, MN and sister Sharon, Megan and Drew are flying in from AZ on Thursday for the wedding. It should be a great week-end of family and friends.

This video is one I shot of Drew before I left last week. It makes me really miss him more watching it! Can't wait to go to Omaha on Thursday and pick up Drew and Megan at the airport!

This video is a short one I shot of Kayley one day. She has already changed a lot both size-wise and in her actions since this was recorded!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Depressing national news is getting tiresome

Too much depressing national news of late......but this does give me some hope. :-)

Fall in Iowa

I am spending a few weeks back at the farm while Megan is on family leave with Kayley and Drew. I am really enjoying this nice weather but of course, miss my two grandchildren like crazy! Thanks goodness Megan and Drew are flying in next week to attend niece Katie's wedding so I can get my Drew fix. Mark and I have been enjoying each others company and having dinner together, etc. He is combining beans today and I am sanding down windows and staining. The years and the weather have taken a toll on the wood trim and it is past time for me to do something about it!

I don't have any pictures to put on but do have a video of Betty White on a talk show that gave me great laughs this morning and hope it does the same for you. The old gal "still has it". (comedic timing)

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Kayley

Our busy little cleaner

Drew does not take after Grandma. He loves to clean, whether it is vacuuming, dusting or sweeping. :-)

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Monday morning chuckle

This VP debate satire on SNL was pretty darned funny. It digs at everyone involved in the debate. Tina Fey is truly remarkable as Sarah Palin, once again!

The baptism

Happy Birthday, Madison!

Drew and Kayley's cousin Madison from Omaha celebrates her birthday this coming Thursday so along with Kayley's baptism cake Megan had a 10th birthday cake for her! She entertained Butch, Mark and I with her gymnastic abilities during the evening. Happy Birthday, Madison!

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Kayley baptized this morning

Kayely was baptized this morning at St. Bernadette's Catholic Church in Phoenix. Her godparents are Andy's brother Matt and wife Kim. They made the trip here last night from Omaha with their three children: Brandon, Madison and Jackson. Grandpa Butch and Uncle Mitch had arrived from Omaha earlier in the day yesterday. So, she had a nice family representation at her baptism.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Drew jealous? No..........

Yesterday Drew wanted me to put Kayley to bed when I was holding her. He would go to her bed, say "down" and when I did he immediately said "night, night Kayley" and would grab my hand and want my full attention. Last night he went a step further when his dad was holding her, basically wanting her out of his house! :-)

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Another Sunday morning chuckle

Tina Fey hits another home run on SNL. She is actually quite remarkable in her impersonation of Governor Palin, not to mention hillarious.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Another busy week

Random shots of the grandchildren from the week. Drew likes to explore in grandma's purse and yesterday found her reading glasses. Why do they look so cute on him and so old on me?

Kayley went for her weekly "weight watchers" weigh-in at the pediatric's office yesterday and went from 8 lbs. 12 oz. to 9 lbs. 5 oz. in just a week. While real weight watchers staff would be horrified, we were all ecstatic about her good gain in 7 days! :-) In fact, she is gaining so well that Megan does not have to take her in weekly anymore. She has been bothered by reflux at feeding time so we were all pleasantly surprised at the gain. The doctor gave her a prescription for the reflux so hopefully that will help her at bottle time to be less uncomfortable. All in all, Kayley is doing wonderfully and does not look/act like a preemie at all.

Drew continues to be lots of fun, making us all laugh with his antics and discoveries. He is talking a lot more now, stringing together short sentences that we can actually understand most of the time. I think when Grandpa arrives next week he will notice big changes in both his grandchildren in just a short absence away from them!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Don't call PETA....

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Sleeping angel

The week went well. Kayley keeps growing and Drew keeps learning new words. Grandma must watch her language now when she stubs her toe or has a mishap. He listens and watches intently! :-)

Andy is taking Megan out for a belated birthday dinner and movie so I will be doing some Saturday night babysitting tonight. I am resting this afternoon watching the Hawkeye game. If they don't start playing better soon I am not going to get much quality resting done! Well, have a great week-end everyone.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Wednesday blogging......

All is going well on the babysitting front.....I had my first "solo" job last Sunday when Megan and Andy attended the Cardinal's game. It went well, I didn't panic and the grandchildren were awesome. :-) Megan and I have been kept busy this week watching them both, keeping the house in order, etc. Drew has accepted having his sister in the house. Once in awhile we might notice that he needs some attention when we are feeding Kayley but on the whole, he is doing exceptionally well welcoming his new sibling into the household. I figure that will all change when she gets more mature and starts establishing herself into the family. Then it will be every man, woman and child for themselves..........

Learning to summersault

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Water boy

Drew is doing just great in the swimming pool. His daddy has taught him a lot in the past few months. Grandma is truly amazed with his talents!

Happy Birthday, Megan!

Daughter Megan has a birthday today. To celebrate, she and Andy are going to the Cardinals football game and I get to watch Drew and Kayley. I am looking forward to that! Here is a picture of Megan and Kayley now and one when Megan was a baby. Her baby picture and Kayley look an awful lot alike!

Sunday morning chuckle

In case you missed Tina Fey as Gov. Sarah Palin last night on SNL......she was dead on in her impersonation...you could swear you were looking at and hearing Sarah! Amy was good as Hillary, also. Funny stuff.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Ouch!

I took Drew out for a walk and it did not turn out all that well. He was in heaven toddling on the sidewalk but then his Nike sandals had a different thought and his face met up with the sidewalk. He was fine but looked like he had gone 9 rounds with Ali. :-( Grandma obviously felt awful but I will say by the time I left tonight he was looking way better. Ahh.....the resilience of youth. It takes me days to get rid of a simple bruise!

Back in the saddle

I started going back over to Megan and Andy's on Tuesday and have enjoyed my time with my two favorite grandkids. Kayley continues to gain around an ounce a day and is now at 8 pounds, 6 oz. Drew is as active as any 19 month old and loves to be outside. Yesterday it actually got under triple digits so he and I played outside quite a lot. It has been cool enough in the mornings now to begin taking Sox on walks in the early morning. I am still drenched when I return but Sox doesn't seem to mind and loves all the new smells along the way. Some pics from yesterday.....

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Kayley's exit from the NICU

I am sure some have noticed I had not posted for several days. I was in "quarantine" at my town house so there really wasn't a lot to write about. I have been having cold/allergy symptoms and we couldn't risk giving anything to Kayley. That would not be good, obviously. But, I finally am able to visit today and the posts should be more timely from here on out! Here's a video of Kayley leaving the NICU and her first peek at her new home......

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Drew finally has a sister in his house!

Now, I am not exactly sure what Drew thinks about that but life as he knew it is....over. :-) Megan and Andy got the call today that they were discharging Kayley today. All of us were overjoyed, them more than me. I am working on a scratchy throat and stuffed up which I think is either allergies or sinus but I could not take a chance that it might be a cold so I had to sit today out and let Grandpa get in on all the fun of her coming home. I cannot begin to tell you how hard that was for me but as Megan said, I will be seeing plenty of Kayley in the future. Mark flies back to Iowa in the morning so it was a blessing that he got to see her come home today before he leaves. I told Megan to take plenty of video of her leaving her "home" of three months and entering her true home so will put that up later this week. Some pics of grandpa, mom and dad tonight with them all at HOME!! All I can say is this is a grand day!!

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Coming home soon?

Mark and I spent some time at the hospital with Megan yesterday and today. Her doctor won't release her home until she consistently takes 67 cc's every 3 hours. Well, today she took 70, 67 abd 70 the first three feedings. That is looking pretty good to us. We so want the little gal home!

Arizona Cardinals

Friday night Sharon, Arne, Mark and I went to the Cardinals game against the Broncos at Univ. of Phoenix Stadium. It is a beautiful structure and it is fun to watch a game there. The Cardinals looked as horrible as ever but we had a great time anyway. :-)

Monday, August 25, 2008

Sitting up

When we got back from the north country yesterday I headed downtown to the hospital for Kayley's 6 pm feeding. She did great, taking the whole bottle. The nurse and I decided to put her in a chair for some pics rather than always in her bed. She did pretty good considering she isn't even supposed to be born quite yet.

Sunday in Sedona

We left Flagstaff Sunday morning and headed back to Phoenix via Sedona and the beautiful Oak Creek Canyon and the red rocks. We stopped at Slide Rock which is usually rocking with kids and adults alike sliding down the mini-rapids on their backsides. But, yesterday signs were everywhere saying no swimming due to high bacteria in the water. We assumed that had to be connected to the vast flooding that hit that area a while back. It was still beautiful and probably much more serene without tons of people screaming and having a blast as they rode down. All in all, Mark and I had a wonderful trip north.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

The most beautiful place in the U.S.

Mark and I are in Flagstaff this week-end and I took him for his very first view of my favorite place ever. The Grand Canyon.......