Two Weeks, Timber, Triplets, Trauma

The last two weeks have been very full!  After Baby I.T. was born, we had a full weekend of lots of excitement!  Elder B's landlords from The Dalles, Oregon, displayed the VIP (Very Important - Toilet - Paper) at the Sportsman's Expo.  Elder B asked us to go up to see them, but before we gathered up the two new big brothers (Z and J) and dropped J off to play with his cousin, I snuck a visit in with our newest wee little grandkidlet.

What a perfect little sweetheart!  I picked up his brothers and hubby, then we headed up the interstate 15 miles. 

We found where the booth was and walked up just like any other people, admiring their booth and asking about their product.  Then we asked them where they were from and they said, “The Dalles, Oregon.”  And I said, “Oh, how interesting, we know someone there.”  They said, “Oh, really?” And I said, “Yes, and he lives with you!”  They looked perplexed and a little stunned.  I’m sure they were wondering, who are these weirdos?  Then we told them that our son is Elder B.  It was really cute how excited they got.  Sister W came right over and hugged me and she smiled the whole time! 

 Turns out they have a son serving in West Valley City!  Z enjoyed the show, sorta...

It might have just been getting a little late, but Z was a little wary of this cougar.

Later that night big brother J slept in a toddler bed right next to mine.  (This bed was left at our house by the previous owners and it is the perfect size for him).

The next day was a big one.  First J woke up and before even saying good morning, he asked for "chereal."  This is his word for cereal which sort of sounds like Cheerios but ends in an L and he LOVES cereal!

We had a lot planned, but first, a bath.

This was new experience for J.  He realized you could soak AND watch cartoons.  The pre-school equivalent of Nirvana.

Back when we moved into our house last Spring we realized that eventually the 100 foot high trees on each side of our backyard would need to be taken down because they were nearly all dead.  This process had to happen sooner rather than later since we have new neighbors building a house in the back.  Luckily, son-in-law J, the BBQ'r is also knowledgable about such things and so we decided Saturday was the day.  It just so happens Baby I was born that week and I needed to be focused on child tending and making meals for the workers so I spent most of the time with the grandkidlets inside.  It was a tension filled day.  Would the trees fall on a house, a fence, a person?

So Hubby and J got this cool machine delivered to our house.

 You can drive it from the basket which lifts way up high.  Daughter, K, came over to help and asked if I could keep an eye on Big Boy M.  Well, what’s one more little toddler and she could help a lot so I said sure.  Then Daughter A had to go to SLC so she asked if maybe her girls could come over and play while she was up there.  I thought that I could be a big help with Z so I said yes.  (I forgot what a little girl tornado that A is!)  All of the kids were really fascinated with what was going on.

 Eldest grandson D was already planning to come over and help.   

They started on the trees on the garage side first.

 

That’s J, the BBQ'r in the basket.  He cut the limbs off, then went higher.  He really knew what he was doing!  But I was still nervous, very nervous.  What if the trees fell the wrong way?

These were really tall trees!

Hubby, D and K were tethered to the rope that J attached to the tree top, pulling with all their might.  My camera didn’t snap fast enough to get it coming down, but the first tree went well, piece by piece.

 

Here’s what that side of the yard looks like today.

 The neighbors in the house straight over were watching and everytime a tree went down everyone cheered!  J said from his perch he could see the people in the house on the left sitting in their hot tub watching the whole process!

It was really windy and cold earlier and warmed up just a bit as the day wore on.  Eventually we went outside to watch and listen.  By this time, Daughter M and Big Girl S had come over.  The kids loved being on the deck out back.  I can’t wait until we have some stairs going down to some soft, green grass back there.

 The three musketeers!

I bought a cheap little bubble gun and Biggest Brother J had a blast with it! 

The little prodigies!

The guys made their way over to the other side of the house and inside I was going crazy!  M had to leave to pick up husband S from the airport (he won the treadmill challenge at another tradeshow in SF again and got another $2000!).  Big Girl S was sleeping so I told her to go ahead and drive up there and leave S  The flight was delayed and I ended up with all three toddlers and Jared by myself.  I thought I would go crazy because I was also making chili for lunch and Café Rio for dinner.  I am SO glad I never had triplets!

 This one was really dead.  It shattered when it hit the ground .  J is coming back to clean up all the wood.  He thinks that he can get upwards of $1000.  There’s a lot!

 Here’s what it looks like now.

Biggest Brother J had begged me to roast marshmallows so we did – using wood from our yard!

 Z didn’t have a jacket, so he got to wear an old one I had.  I think it was Daughter K's!  He looks like such a cute little girl!

 Daughter K deserved a break and M seemed to like the whole experience, too

Daughter A brought some of her kids over to eat and then stayed to help me clean up. D and little brother N liked it alot except that the smoke kept following them around the table!
 

I set up the basketball hoop in the mudroom and the kids had fun.

The next day Z and J stayed with us.  It’s sort of a love/hate relationship between Shadow and the babies.  

 She wants to be around us all, and she enjoys the attention they give her, but their pets sometimes aren’t as gentle as she expects.  Z has gotten a lot better.

J can write his name now and wanted to know how to write mine.  He was thrilled when he found out how easy it was!  N A N A.  

 We took them over to their other grandparents' with mixed feelings.  It was a memorable weekend but I was very ready for a good night’s sleep and for a house not cluttered with toys, diapers, shoes, socks, “pokeys” from the field, coats, and people! 

Well, that's the first three T's - Two weeks, Trees and Triplets.  Now for the Trauma.

My Nana has pneumonia and after being diagnosed with this serious disease and a bad heart eleven days ago, her loving children have decided that 96 years of an exemplary life is all that is necessary.  My lovely, wonderful Nana doesn't have to "hang in there" anymore and has gone back to her home of more than 60 years to depart this life from there with the kind help of hospice.  I am so blessed to have had the unconditional love of my Nana.  I love her so much and recognize the value of her influence in my life.  She is all about family.  She loves Jesus Christ.  She loves her precious Jack and will be reunited with him very soon.  The trauma has been that my own mom, has been so snowed in at Lake Tahoe that she has been prevented from joining her mom . . . until today!  Now Mom has made it safely through the snow packed Sierras to her dear mother, who, I believe, has waited for her before laying down her mortal body.  

I will write more about Nana in days to come, but for now, in her honor, I am "hanin' in there, honey!"