Forever and Always and a Happy Gotcha Day!

(Pic to right...1st time Papa held Neve .... China 2005)

Today we celebrated

"GOTCHA DAY".

This is the day that Neve officially became ours.

We are so very blessed to have this little girl in our lives.

Every night in my prayers I thank God for all the blessings

He has given me and I ask for protection and blessings for

my Hubby John, John Vincent, Sarah and Neve, Jaime and Mike,

along with the rest of our extended family. I also ask God to bless the woman that had the courage to give Neve life and I ask that somehow this brave woman knows that the baby girl that she had to leave, has grown into a healthy, happy, well adjusted,

beautiful little girl that is loved by her forever family.

I thank her for her bravery and I ask God's blessings in her life.

To my Cutie Patootie Neve....Happy GOTCHA DAY!

Grams & Papa are so glad that you are here and that you are ours.

Forever and always no matter what.

(Pic to Right....Grams & Neve, exhausted after a day of sightseeing.

We slept in this position all night.)

A day of conversation with a four year old.

My Hubby John, AKA Papa, my four year old Cutie-Patootie Neve, and myself went out for a drive in the car this afternoon. The purpose of the road trip was to do an errand, stop at the DQ for ice-cream and then to try to lure Cutie Patooie into falling asleep for an hour or so....plus it was a beautiful afternoon to just take a drive. After errands and ice cream Cutie Patootie was quite content with her blanket and thumb and the Hanna Montanna CD playing and spent most of the drive just watching out her window and enjoying the scenery.
HJ and I also enjoyed the ride. On the way back into town, Neve started becoming more alert and was quite eager to tell Papa and me stories. She is very good at story telling and although most of it made no sense at all to us we enjoyed every thing she said. When we got back home it was off into the back yard to plant magic paper (paper with flower seeds embedded in it) and tomato plants and to scrub down a stool that has been waiting for Neve to get at it for the last two weeks or. While we were working on the various projects Cutie -Patootie kept up a steady flow of conversation. It was pure girl talk this time. We talked about hair barrettes and finger and toe nail painting, the pros and cons of her high heels and why ladies shave their legs and men don't. We talked about her getting pierced ears...when she's a big girl and she also told me why boys shave their faces but girls don't. Apparently boys are scratchy when they kiss you if they haven't shaved. Girls don't get scratchy, well maybe a little bit when they get really, really,really old. (See what I have to look forward to in my old age?) We discussed a certain boy in school, (she is in preschool BUT NOT with the toddlers, her words not mine.) and how a certain boy always calls her names. She told me that her teacher said that he just liked her and that's how boys show that they like a girl. We both decided that boys could be weirdo's sometimes. We also discussed how boys shouldn't wear too much jewellery and that boys shouldn't wear lipstick. After a small comfortable silence Neve looked me in the face and said, "Grams, I'm glad I'm a girl" When I asked her why she said, "Because girls rule and boys lick and drool!" How could I argue with that logic? She obviously gets her intelligence from the females in the family.

PS....I love you too!

Hubby John and I were married quite young. I was only seventeen, he was nineteen. We weren't pregnant so didn't "have" to get married but we were very much in love. I was very naive in the ways of the world and he was not that much more worldly. By love, devotion, and sometimes the seat of our pants we got through all the hard and bad times. Along the way we raised two beautiful intelligent kids, John Vincent and Jaime (who take after their mother of course! hee...hee...) and have managed to create lots of wonderful memories. I have had the pleasure of being married to Hubby John for almost 36 years. That's a lot of time spent together. Like most other couples our age, we are very busy in our lives with immediate and extended family, a cutie-patootie granddaughter that we adore, jobs and everyday living. We get so busy with everything else that sometimes we forget how important the small stuff can be.
The other night at dinner, Hubby John reached over and took my hands in his, looked me in the eyes and said, "I love you so much."
Awwwww............
That was not what I expected him to say. I thought he would say how happy he was or make a comment about the cutie-patootie, or about Benjamin or tell me how tired he has been lately or how he wants to get the house renovations finished. But those three words? Boy, he caught me by surprise with that. It's not that we don't tell each other that often, we do. It's just that he was so serious when he said it.
"I Love You." Even after all these years, Hubby John saying those three little words can make me smile and remind me again, why I married him. He is my better half, my best friend and the man I love. He is everything I have ever needed in my life. He has been with me through laughter and tears, good times and bad times. He is, partly, why I am the person I am today. I am so lucky that he is my husband. I am so blessed! I thank God every day for having brought Hubby John into my life all those many years ago. So John, this blog is for you. I want to thank you for best years of my life.
PS....I love you too!

Happy Father's Day.

With today being Father's Day I wanted to make this blog a male theme. I have three favourite men in my life. Today, I am going to put one of these three in the limelight.
Hubby John, you are and always have been a great father and a wonderful papa.
Son by marriage, Michael, you will someday be a good father. Seeing you interact with Neve, Gabriel and Michael leaves no doubt of that whatsoever.
Son, by birth, John Vincent, this blog is for you!
You are an amazing man. Yes, I am biased. You are my son.

But you are also a great daddy to Neve. You spend time with her, not because you have to, but because you want to. You are patient with her when you need to be. Strict with her when you need to be. You love her unconditionally. It shows when you are with her.

I wish you could see your face when you are watching her. The love you have for that little girl shines through, like a glow, for all to see. I am always bowled over at your devotion to Neve. I know I shouldn't be but for some reason it always takes me by surprise every time. I think it is because to me, you are still my baby boy, not a father with a child of your own.
That you would open your heart and life to a child who is not of your own blood shows, not only to me but to anyone who already knows or just meets you, what a wonderful, caring and loving man you are.
I want to say thank you for all that you do for me and dad.
I want to say thank you (and Sarah too, of course) for bringing Neve into all of our lives.

I want to say that I am so proud of the man you grew up to be and of all the accomplishments you have achieved.

Last, but never least, I want to say that I love you very much.
Happy Father's Day!

This Is ...My favourite Travel Memory

Hubby John and I have had a lot of great trips.
Out of all the trips we have been on there are two
that are tied in first place
for receiving a gold star rating.
This is my favourite travel memory....... aka
THE VERY BEST EVER!!!!

CHINA 2005
In October/November of 2005 Hubby John and I were lucky
to be asked to travel to China with
our son John Vincent and his wife, Sarah.
They were going there to pick up their new daughter
and my cutie-patootie, NEVE.
She was waiting in China, for her new mommy and daddy

to come to take her home to her forever family in Canada.
The trip was an amazing roller-coaster ride of emotions.
We waited for so long to hold that little girl.
After what seemed to be a lifetime we finally got her in our arms.
The picture below is of the five of us on part of the Great Wall of China.

MEXICO 2007
In February of 2007 we went to Mexico's Mayan Riviera.
Two complete families went on the trip along with a few extras.
Mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, grandmothers,

aunts, uncles, cousins and some old and some new friends,
all met by the ocean on a beautiful sunny day to watch as
our daughter, Jaime, and her fiance, Mike,

exchanged wedding vows.
Everyone had a blast!
Most of us partied for a few days before the wedding,
and then watched as the happy couple

got married on a beautiful beach.
A good time was had by all!
The picture belows shows our new family.

A big thank you to Hila for this weeks subject choice.

Sweet Dreams

Neve, my three year old cutie-patootie, had to have three cavities repaired. The decay happened because of her birth beginnings in a land far away. That is where she was nurtured for us by others, until we could bring her home to her forever family. It is the norm in that country to feed orphanage babies very bland rice formula and a type of rice cereal/gruel called congee. Sugar and sweet syrups are added to the formula and cereal to make it more palatable for the babies. They eat more and fuss less. Unfortunately, this practice causes early tooth decay in the some of children and one of them happen to be Neve.
On advise from their family dentist, Mommy and daddy took her to a child dental specialist to care for the baby teeth in question. They tested nitros oxide on Neve but it did not work correctly on her. It was then decided then that the best course for her would be to administer a general anesthetic. Both mommy and daddy would have to be there. One to drive home and the other to sit in the back seat with the patient. These were the dentists instructions. Not an issue to worry about. Both mommy and daddy booked the future day off work with their employers. The big event was to be done in a few months time. No Problem!
Insert Murphy's Law here.
Saturday, Daddy left for the USA on a work trip that had been planned and booked for the last few months.
Monday the dental office called and announced that they had moved Neve's appointment up.....to Tuesday.
Mommy Sarah, quickly rearranged her schedule and then she called Papa John who rearranged his work schedule to be a substitute driver for Daddy.
Neve did what she does best and danced around in her fairy princess dress. She was not worried in the least.
Meanwhile, mommy, daddy (by phone and email), papa, grammie, Aunt Jaime, Uncle Mike and others who knew about the change in plans, were, of course, concerned with the upcoming dental surgery. We need not have worried.
Neve sailed through the procedure, got home, slept, ate jello, threw up the jello and slept more. Apparently she woke up this morning barking like the puppy she likes to pretend she is. Mommy knew as soon as she heard the first bark that Neve, my cutie-patootie, was OK! Hopefully, there will be no more cavities and we won't have to go through this again.
If we do, I think I will ask the dentist to give us the anaesthesia too so that instead of worries we can all have sweet dreams.

There's No Place Like Home

For the last nine days I have been away on vacation frolicking at the ocean side in Hatteras, North Carolina in the USA.

http://www.lighthouseview.com/attractions.htm

It was a wonderful holiday. There were six and a half of us on the trip.
The half was my cutie-patootie Neve. Papa and I got to spoil her everyday for a whole week and we enjoyed her company very much!
Neve's mom and dad, Sarah and John V., holidayed with us as did her Nittie (grandmother) Carolyn and her Aunt Sue. It was a wonderful holiday. We rented a beautiful house on the ocean shore and for five days we sun-bathed, read, ate yummy home made meals, napped on the deck, the couches and the comfy beds, played games, collected shells, fed the sea-gulls, ate snacks, lots of snacks, and went for walks.
The beaches along the coast were absolutely beautiful. White sand, clear water and lots of sand dunes. The native year-rounders were very friendly, helpful and kind.
The real reason for the trip was a three day course that John V. had signed up for. He spent the part of the week learning how to Kite Board. This sport involves a kite that looks like a parachute, a body belt/harness and a board that was like a small surf board or a large boogie board, depending on your point of view. One morning we went out to watch John and his course mates as they were or were trying to sail over the ocean. Some of them were being lifted up into the air (it was extremely windy) and others were falling off their boards. All of them were wearing wet suits against the cold wind and freezing water and all of them, or at least those with any brains, wore their sun glasses and sunblock. John V. hadn't taken his diving gloves along on the trip thinking they wouldn't be needed. He ended up buying some to protect his hands against the cold water. Even with the cold temperatures both in and out of the water, John was happy with the three day course.
We ran the gambit of weather: clear, cold, overcast, sunny, hot, rainy and windy.
It was warm only part of the week but it didn't matter to us because it sure beat having to deal with snow. The only shovel we needed was one to help make sand castles on the beach with Neve.
There were a few days that the wind was unbelievable. You couldn't go out on the beach or you were blinded by flying sand. It was also really freaky having the house, furniture, showers, toilets and lights swaying. The house was built on stilts and for a moment or two I think we all thought we were having dizzy spells or the beginnings of a hurricane. That was a very strange experience. The wind was strong enough that it caused most of us to get wind burnt the first few days. I looked like a tomato by Wednesday and it sure wasn't from the sun.
We did get to bask for a day or two in warm sunny weather and that will hold us over until our spring, here up north, gets settled in completely.
There was enough sun later in the week that I got burnt and am now starting to peel. No, I didn't have block on. It was a cool day when not directly in the sun and reading on the deck didn't seem like a cause for sun-screen. In hindsight it was a stupid thing to do. Neve, I am glad to say, did have sunscreen on as did her mommy.
My hubby John, forgot his hat and had to buy one as he got sunburned on his head. He was concerned when he found out that I hadn't brought a hat with me either and surprised me with a new one in a pretty shade of blue. He is so thoughtful and I love him for that.
We spent a day shopping for souvenirs and driving out past sand dunes and seashore until there was no road left.
On the last day of vacation some of us ate lunch at a restaurant known as Dirty Dick's Crab House.
http://www.dirtydickscrabs.com/
This restaurant caught our attention by their advertisement: "I got crabs from Dirty Dick".
Hmmm.....makes you just want to stop for a bite don't it? No pun intended.
I had a fresh fish sandwich and I tried some of hubby John's fresh crab. I liked both, which for me, a non-fish eater, is saying a lot. I also tried some fried potato salad and Sarah and I shared a fried banana split. That was different tasting for sure.
I spent part of the week on the seashore looking for smooth, thin, round shell pieces. I picked up a lot of them. I am hoping to make them, eventually, into buttons for craft and sewing projects for myself and daughter Jaime.
Sarah and her mom, Carolyn, are both avid seashell hunters. Early on the morning we left, they went out for one last shell hunt. I was so happy for Sarah when she came back with a starfish in perfect condition. It was a great ending to the week.
All in all, we all had a wonderful holiday. I'm glad I went.
I am, however, glad I'm back.
I agree with Dorthy, who wears the ruby slippers, when she says,
"There's no place like home."

All That Matters

As long as I can remember I have wanted to be a grandmother. I waited, and waited and waited for almost 10 years after my son John Vincent , who is a great kid, got married to a wonderful girl by the name of Sarah. It was a long wait and I kept my fingers crossed and hoped it would happen...sooner than later.
I must admit that I made it clear to the kids and anyone else who would listen that I wanted to be a grandmother....NOW.....! In hindsight I was probably a real PITA (pain in the ass)and I think John V. and Sarah could have cheerfully strangled me on more than one occasion. It would have justifiable homicide to be sure.
So when the kids gave us a pink card that had a picture of baby feet on the front and "Congratulations"" on the inside I was sooooo excited.
After what seemed to be a long time later, we went to China with the kids and we were lucky to be there when their new daughter, Neve, was presented to them.
It was more than just exciing. It was a dream come true.
I was so happy when I held our Neve for the first time. She didn't say anything and I didn't say anything. I was content just to hold her and smile and she was content just to be held.
We understood each other then and we still do now.
I have gone through two names during this whole process. I started out as gramma. I am now and think I will remain as ...grammie. This last title was Neve's choice. I don't know why or how she came up with it but it fits me and Neve likes it.
I am, I think, a good grammie. I hope that my "cutie-patootie" Neve, thinks of me and will remember me, in the same fond way that I think of and remember my own "Grams".
I tend to be the strict one with our little three year old granddaughter.
I say "NO" more often than her beloved papa,and my husband John, does.
John doesn't work on Fridays, oh the joys of owning your own business, and he babysits Neve on the last day of every week. He has done this since she has been a baby. He simply adores her and boy, does she know it. Talk about being wrapped around her little finger.
John is more likly to turn a blind eye to the little things. She is his "sunshine pal". It is a very exclusive position.
I, on the other-hand, tend to see everything and am quicker to say NO, STOP or DON'T. In Neve's words, "Grammie is mean."
Oh well, somebody has to be the bad guy and I have big shoulders.
Neve doesn't always like me, and that's ok because I know that she always loves me. We have an agreement, Neve and I, she can be mad at me and not like me as much as she wants, but her and I will always love each other, forever and for always, no matter what.
She is my "cutie-patootie" and I am her grammie.
And that's all that matters.