The Crybaby

The Crybaby

©2015 Susan Noyes Anderson

Oh how loudly, oh how clearly

we can hear you blow your top.

Baby boy, we love you dearly,

but the screaming has to stop!

If you're going to wake up grouchy,

maybe you should stay asleep.

Your shrieks make our ears feel ouchy.

Can't you pitch them low and deep?

Must you be so doggone noisy?

Please oh please give it a rest.

Try to be a bit more joysy

when we pluck you from your nest.

You depend on us completely,

so you'd better treat us right.

If you must cry, do it sweetly,

or we may go out on strike!

∞§∞

Can you believe I'm writing about the happy little guy on the right?
I think it's safe to say that he wears his emotions on his sleeve, glad or sad.
(Of course, he and his little sister also happen to be the cutest babies ever!)

I'm sure you agree. =)

Wonderful Women

My cute mom with one of my sisters 

When it comes right down to it, a lot of us would say our moms are pretty great. Mine, however, is in a class by herself. (I may be a bit prejudiced on this point.) Tomorrow she will be 88 years old, and my siblings (including the one pictured above) and I will be spending the weekend with her to celebrate. Needless to say, we are all looking forward to the occasion!

As you can see, Mom looks terrific. I wish she felt equally terrific physically, but as you can see, she chooses to go through life with a smile on her face….enjoying her family and friends and living in the moment. She has had a year of great struggles and great blessings, but I'm sure she would say the blessings have won the battle for her heart. You see, in the past year she has become the proud great grandmother of three sets of twins. That's right, THREE sets! Can you imagine?? I don't think she ever did, not in her wildest dreams, but that doesn't stop her from being the proudest "GG" ever…and certainly the best!

The darling two-month-old twins contributed by my daughter are pictured below:

 Melina

Alcide

I'd show you the other two sets of twins as well, but their grandma (another of my sisters) doesn't like having family photos on the internet, so you will just have to imagine how cute they are (two boys, and a boy and a girl). Our family has been richly blessed this year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM. 

Sure do love you.

=)

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Dads Are Grand

Matt, Todd, Karin, Dave, Ryan

Father's Day has historically been kind of a mixed bag for me. Though he did have his moments, especially when I was a little girl, my dad wasn't always the kind of father I wished for. My husband, on the other hand, is exactly the kind of dad I wished for, and my children (and grandchildren) have reaped the benefits.

Don't get me wrong. Big Daddy Dave isn't perfect, but he definitely has come close enough to get the job done. His success is evident in the faces of my adult children when they look at him; in the security they feel knowing that someone of substance always has their backs; in the respect they have for his integrity and selflessness; in their teasing as they interact with him playfully, knowing for sure that he is and always will be their friend. Loyalty is so important in family relationships, and my husband has plenty of it to go around. Through thick and thin, he has been there for my children, and he always will be. Of that, I am certain. And more importantly, so are they.

With this in mind, I will be celebrating Father's Day with a grateful heart and no small appreciation for the man I married and the children we have raised together, one of whom is an excellent father himself. As for my own dad, he has been gone for many years now. Strange as it may seem, I think my connection with him has improved since his death. Either he has done some growing in his new state of being or I have done some growing in my old one (probably a bit of both), but I'm glad for it. When I think of him on Father's Day, I now find myself remembering the good times…sitting on his knee zipping and unzipping his leather key case, turning the ruby class ring around and around on his finger, feeling safe and secure diving under big waves in his arms, singing silly songs with him in the car as he honored my pleas to go faster over the bumps, laughing at the jokes and teasing that were so much a part of his personality. I'm convinced he meant well, and that counts for a lot.

So happy Father's Day to all you dads out there…and to my own dad, too. Happy Father's Day to my mom's husband of over 40 years, who has been a friend to me and a wonderful grandpa to my children. (Dave's sweet dad was a terrific father and grandfather, too.) And finally, happy Father's Day to my husband, a devoted family man who has given his all and then some to the ones he loves most. No wonder we love him so much in return.

Have a great day, Dave. 

Breakfast in bed is coming your way!

=)

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Alphabet Rebellion

                             

Alphabet Rebellion

 ©1991 Susan Noyes Anderson

I'm dotting every I, and

I am crossing every T.

I'm putting letters down, and

I erase them frequently.

I'm holding whole words hostage

at the point of my pen.

If I don't like the way they look,

I scratch them out again.

G – R – U thinking like I am?

Could our ABCs rebel?

If they went out on a strike,

whatever would we use to spell?

∞§∞

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My Marvelous Mother

My beautiful mom and me, 1952

My mother, the youngest of seven children, was a bright and talented little girl who lost her father when she was only ten years old and has missed him ever since. She and her mother, my Grandma Johnson, grew even closer as they bonded together to overcome their devastating loss and maintain a good life for themselves. The older siblings had already left the nest, so it was just the two of them at home, determined to make the best of a difficult situation.

Money was hard to come by in those days, but my grandma made sure Mom continued to take the violin lessons that had become so important to her by baking two or three extra loaves of bread each week to give the teacher. My uniquely gifted mother became a concert violinist, and I have cherished memories of listening to her practice and perform over the years.

At school, Mom was an outstanding student with lots of friends. She excelled in both English and mathematics, winning a full-ride scholarship to Stanford that she never used because she married my father instead. Mom had wanted to be a doctor, and she would have made an excellent one. She also had a talent for teaching; and thanks to her efforts, all of us could read well by the age of four. In fact, every one of Mom's children is an avid reader today, and we are pretty decent writers, too.

My mother had a wonderful example in her own mother. Perhaps that is why motherhood was and is the most important thing in her life. After struggling with infertility, Mom was lucky enough to adopt one child and then bear four more, with a number of miscarriages along the way. I remember how excited she was with a successful pregnancy, and she made us all feel like participants in the thrilling, 9-month process. She also loved caring for a new baby and managed to make each of us feel blessed rather than displaced by the new lives that entered our home. Mom knew how to make nurturing and raising a household of children a team effort, and every one of us felt a strong sense of belonging. I am lucky enough never to have questioned her love and devotion for me, and I am certain my siblings would say the same.

Like my mom, being a mother is the best and most important work I have ever done. I love and will always love it absolutely. Every sacrifice made to nurture my children has been more than worth it; every heartbreak, past and present, is more than compensated by the joy they bring me. In fact, I cannot imagine my life without the amazing young people that fill it so naturally and willingly, reminding me that I will always have a place in their hearts as they do in mine. I hope I am worthy of that honor.

So thanks to my devoted mother and grandmothers, my three handsome-is-as-handsome-does (and they do!) sons and my one-and-only, sweet and lovely daughter. Thanks also to my grandchildren, whom I adore, and my "children-in-law" (Heather and Bobby), who selflessly support and embrace the family. We're glad they belong to us. Most of all, thanks to my husband, who played a fairly significant role in making me the very grateful mother that I am!

I love them all.

And you know what? 

They make it easy.

♥ ♥ ♥

 Thanks for teaching me, Mom.

And for loving me.

{all of us}

You do it well.

∞§∞


TO ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL MOMS OUT THERE 

X-cellent Athletes, X-tra Proud Grandma

Our 5-year-old grandson is getting to be an expert batter,

and he's not too shabby at manning third base, either!

Our middle-schooler (age 11) is swimming in team meets now.

Check out that breast and back stroke! Not bad, eh?

As for our granddaughter (in blue on the left), she likes to play hoops.

She is following in the footsteps of her dad and uncles!

Too cool.

=)

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Round the Bend

 

 To climb the hill is hard indeed

 but at the top, your soul is freed

 

 to sail beyond your wildest dream

 or coast into a tranquil scene.

  

 The pace, of course, is up to you.

Go BIG, or just enjoy the view.

But either way, each journey's end

 

 is always waiting 'round the bend

 and better savored with a friend.

 =)

As you can see, my grandson and his buddy are into longboarding these days.

Don't they pursue their new hobby in beautiful surroundings?

Thanks to my talented daughter-in-law for the photos.

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Birthday Snake

 

Yes, folks, that's a real, live snake from my grandson's fifth birthday party. And the whole thing made him very happy, as you can see. (But am I wrong in noting just the slightest bit of anxiety in that great, BIG smile?) I am told this rather affectionate boa constrictor wrapped himself right around our birthday boy and started squeezing hugging! And I'll bet Mr. Snake was a heavy load to carry around, too!!

But all's well that ends well, and Bryce has survived to enjoy all the wonderful birthdays to come. Now if we could just get him to wear a helmet on his skateboard!

=)

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Playing Together Is Forever

Leigh is starting another 52 weeks of happiness posts, and I just had to rejoin.

Look for frequent pics of my grandkids, who bring me more joy than I can say.

To play together is a joy

for every girl and every boy.

For siblings, it's a binding tie

that deepens as the years go by.

 The game they play counts not at all.

 It could be frisbee or football.

 

 It's more the freedom and the fun

 that bring them close, when all is done.

Boy or girl, it matters not. 

But playing matters quite a lot.

Memories made.

Never fade.

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