Sweet Potatoes and the Three-Year-Old

It's just as Art Linkletter thought: Kids say the darndest things.

The other night, I was helping son-in-law Adam with 3-year-old Harrison and 7-month-old Fisher.  Adam put food on Harrison's plate for dinner.  Harrison did a pretty good job with everything except the sweet potatoes. 

Finally, Adam asked, "Harrison, why aren't you eating the sweet potatoes."

Harrison replied, "I don't like them."

So Adam asked, "Why?  Is it the taste or the texture."

Harrison garbled out, "The tex-chur."

Adam smiled and said, "Harrison, do you even know what 'texture' means?"

He answered, "It means it's gross!"


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The Sofa and the Old Woman

This is the story of the sofa and the old woman. 


It happened like this: I spent several days this past week with daughter Mandy; her husband, Adam; their three-year-old, Harrison; and the almost-four-month-old Fisher a/k/a The Fish.

Early in the week Mandy called to let me know that she and The Fish were sick and she had no energy.  As most reasonable folks know, a mother of an infant and an active three-year-old must have energy.  Mandy said she needed my help, so I drove to Murrells Inlet to help as I could.

And it was during these few days that I learned a new indicator of "old age." 

There's a sofa in the room with the TV, the official "hang-out" room at their house.  And there's one spot on the sofa that I occupy when I'm feeding The Fish, or reading, or checking e-mail - well, you get the picture.  It's just the point to which I gravitate. 

One night the family decided to play a joke on me.  They put a "whoopee cushion" under my usual spot -- the place on the sofa  that I seemed to claim as mine for giving The Fish his bottle or for whatever I'm doing. 

So, I - the innocent victim of the prank - plopped down on that spot on the sofa.  And, yes, there was one of those awful sounds as I crushed the whoopee cushion.

And that's when I learned what old age really is.  They all laughed.  I didn't know there was a whoopee cushion there.  It was just a typical sound for me, one that I seem to make all too often -- without the aid of a cushion.

And, my friend, if you don't understand what I'm saying, just wait.  You will.  When you're this age -- old -- you'll understand -- totally!


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Well, Excu-u-u-u-s-e Me!!!!

How do you figure out when to start teaching children manners, etiquette and good behavior? I guess it’s right from the beginning, huh?


Of course, children certainly must get mixed signals, because sometimes we adults aren’t very good examples, are we?

My daughter Mandy and son-in-law, Adam, have done what I think is an excellent job with Harrison, who is not quite three years old.

They started with the usuals – “thank you,” “you’re welcome” and “please.”




Among the many others they taught him was the one they themselves learned at Chick-fil-A. That’s where Mandy and Adam met as fellow employees. (Both, by the way, continue with Chick-fil-A: he as operator of the Murrells Inlet store and she as a grand opening consultant.)

Anyway, if you’ve ever been a customer at Chick-fil-A, you probably know that if you say “Thank you,” the employee responds with “My pleasure.”

So, Harrison learned to say “My pleasure” as well as “You’re welcome.”

And they taught him other appropriate phrases, such as “I’m sorry” and “Excuse me.”

Like all children, Harrison occasionally had to be prompted. After all, it takes time to learn and to let new things become habit.

One day, Harrison, ahem, “passed gas” rather loudly. His parents asked, “What do you say, Harrison?”

He promptly replied, “My pleasure!”

I’m sure the relief he felt did indeed feel pleasurable.

And isn’t that a feeling that we all know?!?!


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It's All Relative -- See???

I'm sharing some family photos.    Do you see how much family members resemble each other?

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It's a Boy!!!!

By this time tomorrow, I'll probably have my second grandchild.  I am SO excited.  If this little one, Adam Fisher Brantley, is half as wonderful as his older brother, Harrison Cothran Brantley, then we are all blessed many times over.

There is one thing I know about Fisher already: he has fantastic parents.  He did a super job picking them!

I want to share what his mom (my daughter Mandy) posted a few days ago.  It made me cry.

"I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him over to the Lord. For his whole life will be given over to the Lord." 1 Samuel 1:27-28

As we closed out 2010 and are full-steam ahead into 2011, I can't help but reflecting on how absolutely crazy 2010 has been for us. I remember that I begged in my first post on this blog for 2010 that it would be a Year of Peace. Well, I can't say that it has. So, I'm not claiming anything this year.

This year has been marked by pregnancy...ones that have not been viable, and one that is about to become to fruition (see my post when I announced this for more info). Anyway, the other day, I was looking through the pictures on my phone when I came across this photo of a positive pregnancy test. The date on it was 5/4/2010. I wasn't sure as I had a few positive tests and against my husbands protest, I always sent them to Allison as she walked through this struggle every day with me.

But when I came across this test, I was flooded with the emotions that I felt that day. I remember sitting in my bathroom and saying aloud, "you have got to be (kidding) [getting] me. I cannot do this again." And by "this," I was referencing another failed pregnancy. I felt defeated the moment I saw the blue lines and just knew isn't possible for me to actually have this turn into something.

Well, almost eight months to the day after taking the test and quite a few pounds larger, I'd say it has turn(ed) into something. God is good. That collection of thoughts sent me into cries of adoration for my Father in Heaven that I could not seem to control. It was a tender moment, that I will never forget.


And we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of this little blessing. I called Adam on Dec 30th and said, "how badly do you want a tax deduction? I'm willing to stomach the Castor oil." In typical Adam form he replied, "Mandy, I can wait until Wednesday. I have a lot I need to do in the next few days before this baby comes." He apparently doesn't know what it feels like to be 100 months pregnant....
 
Welcome to this glorious world, Fisher. You are a blessing and you are blessed.   I love you already! 



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WW: The Naked Cowboy!

Well, aren't we glad he had that monkey?

When I gave Harrison boots for Christmas, I figured he would wear more than a hat with them!! 

I "stole" this picture from daughter Mandy's blog.  Her husband, Adam, snapped this but who can imagine what the occasion was? 

The photo that we think is cute is likely to bring him much embarrassment over the years, don't you think?


Harrison loved his boots and wasn't always naked otherwise when wearing them.

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I Am SO Thankful: For These and So Much More!

    

I am thankful. Not just today but every day.

For three fantastic children who are wonderful adults - Tiffany, Tree and Mandy shown here just after Mandy's marriage to Adam.

For a fabulous mom and for memories of a fabulous dad.

For two sisters (Christy & Lorri) and two brothers (Rod & Shawn) I wouldn’t trade for anything (most days.)

For a great son-in-law, Adam Brantley.

For an adorable grandson, Harrison Cothran Brantley.

For remarkable friends, both old and new.

For a warm and caring church family.






For 60 good years of life.

For God-given talents and abilities.

For health.

For a wonderful extended family.

For a sense of humor.

For our military who serve us.

For law enforcement and firefighters who protect us.

For educators who touch and help shape the future.

For the power of prayer and faith.

For the freedoms we enjoy in our country and for the hope those freedoms will be around for a long time.

For volunteers who give so much of themselves in so many ways.

For the beauty of nature - colorful rainbows, glorious sunshine, majestic mountains, rolling oceans, chirping birds, laughing children, refreshing rain, seasonal changes and so much more.

And, this year in particular, I am thankful for the time I had with Carroll a/k/a “The Dawg.”

As odd as it may sound and as much as I would like for him to still be here with me, I am thankful for the way in which he left us – a peaceful death; opportunities to say good-bye to family and friends; no lingering, on-going suffering. I am thankful I was with him and in his arms as he took his last breath. What a blessing!

May you enjoy counting your blessings today - and every day!
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WW: Football and Musings from the News - Comas and Autism

Just a few days until THE football rivalry in South Carolina.  It's the Carolina-Clemson game, or, as some folks say, the Clemson-Carolina game.

I am a graduate of the University of South Carolina.  So was my dad.  Several other family members are USC grads also. 

Daughter Mandy, however, left the "religion" and married into a die-hard Clemson family.  I believe their blood literally runs orange.  :)

And, now, look at what they've done to my grandson, Harrison. 

How in the world can I be on a different side from this cute little one?   

Based on the season so far, the orange team is likely to prevail.  

And, just for the record, I wouldn't trade my orange-blooded son-in-law, Adam, for any number of USC grads. 


Now, for musings on recent news:

1.  I am totally amazed by the news this week concerning the man who was in a coma for 23 years but now has let people know that he has been alert all along or practically all along!  He could hear what was going on around him and was aware but couldn't let anyone know!!!  Does this make you wonder how many times this has happened with others?

2.  There were two stories about children with autism.  Since I have a nephew with autism, these stories always catch my attention. 

One has to do with the mother who said she helped her son and actually saved his life by baking medical marijuana into his brownies.  She and one of the doctors say that this treatment has made a major difference in the boy's health and behavior.  It has also lessened his need for many of the medications he was taking previously.  Critics say this means the boy is constantly drugged or "stoned."

The other item is about the boy with autism who survived for 11 days on the NYC subway system.  He says he survived on snacks and water. 

Both of these stories are truly "food for thought."  One thing I know is that people with autism cannot be judged the same as others.  Perhaps "judged" is the wrong word.  Regardless, especially for those with more than minor autistic symptoms, their world is different.  And so is the world for -  and daily lives of  - their families.


 Other Wordless Wednesday participants here.                                           Other Wordful Wednesday participants here.

PH: Surprise!!!!

Surprise is the theme for this week's Photo Hunt. Life is full of 'em!!!!

Several years ago, the folks at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, were surprised to have the tallest soldier and the shortest soldier to ever go through MOS training there at the same time. The short one is Tiffany, one of my daughters.



I was surprised when part of my eBay purchase arrived like this!

I was surprised when I forgot that I was boiling eggs on the stove!

Grandson Harrison is surprised about something!

Sometimes people are surprised to learn how one of my brothers, Shawn, teaches children to water-ski. He pulls them on the ground first, behind him running!




This is Shawn's daughter, Kendall. Can't tell if she is laughing at the joy of skiing or at how tired her dad is getting while doing the running & pulling!

My dad took the easy way out years ago, but folks were just as surprised to learn that he pulled us on skis behind a car!!

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Photo Hunt participants are throughout blogland. Click here to see other surprises this week!

WW: A Good Catch

Son-in-law Adam was either being caught or he was doing the catching on the trapeze. Either way, I'm glad it worked!!

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PH: Ripples and More Ripples!

The Photo Hunt theme this week is RIPPLES.

Last weekend, about 25 family members gathered at Hickory Knob State Park (McCormick, SC) to celebrate Mom's 84th birthday. These two skiers - son-in-law Adam and brother Shawn - created lots of ripples in the water.

Shawn was skiing but he's hidden by the water in this photo.






These two photos show Adam creating ripples. Adam is married to Mandy, my youngest daughter.

Brother Shawn is in the next two.

Okay, maybe I stretched it a bit. These may be bigger than mere ripples, but they were ripples by the time they reached the shore -- maybe??? How else was I going to show off my brother and my son-in-law?

More about this "camping" trip can be found here.

Other Photo Hunt ripples are here.

"Camping" and Happy 84th

Most of our family went camping last weekend.

Now, I’m using the word “camping” very lightly and extremely loosely.

So, sorry, all you outdoors-people, but using the word “camping” extremely loosely is the only way I want to use it.

We spent a weekend at Hickory Knob State Park near McCormick to celebrate Mom’s 84th birthday. Since we were all relatively close to our respective homes, it’s what is similar to a stay-cation ‘cause we stayed in South Carolina – all 25 of us, ranging in age from 84 to 16 months.

There was a campground at Hickory Knob, or at least that’s according to the brochures and signs, but our idea of “camping” was to stay in cabins. Electricity, refrigerators, stoves, beds, chairs, air conditioning, showers, indoor plumbing.

And did I mention air conditioning? Yes, I know I did. That was a priority for me.

You get the picture. That’s as close to roughing it as I want to do. The cabins even had televisions with remotes but they were used very little. Better yet, there was free internet access. Now that’s my kind of camping!

Brother Shawn brought his boat and lots of family members skied. Others were content riding in the boat or lounging at the pool. The park has horseshoes, pool tables, checkerboards, a grand piano, skeet shooting, golfing and more.

We had other necessities of life with us: Rod and Dan brought their guitars and we sat around singing while eating Glenn’s cooking. You just can’t beat food and music!

It was a nice weekend, and, on top of all that, what snoring Mom did was hardly noticeable!
Who could ask for anything more?

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jog

Grandson Harrison Cothran Brantley has moved to South Carolina from Denver -- thank goodness. How wonderful it has been to spend some time with him this week.
Oh, yeah, and by the way, his parents moved also. Harrison brought them along.

We're not all in the same town but at least we're finally back in the same state. They are home once again. Hurrah!!!


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PS - I looked up the strange word and found all kinds of variations: jiggety, jiggedy, jiggidy, etc. Some things are just easier to say than to write!

WW: Wordless/Wordful Wednesday: Try It: You Might Like It!

When grandson Harrison came to visit on Sunday - along with his parents, Adam and Mandy - he seemed intrigued with the Playhut filled with balls, but he wasn't so sure about getting inside. So, Mandy got in to show him it was okay. Still, he remained outside and looked in - at first.

C'mon, Harrison. Try it. You might like it!

After just a bit of watching, he decided to crawl on in and give it a try.

That didn't take long! All's well that ends well!

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During this visit, there was some great news! They'll be moving back to SC from Denver in June. This is one happy grandma!

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Lights, Fans, Shampoo and Wine

Grandma is tired. Oops! What I really meant to say is that grandma is having a fabulous time!
I’m about 1700 miles from home, babysitting my only grandchild, Harrison, who is 11 months old. I’ve been in Thornton, Colorado, over a week now. His mom and dad (Mandy and Adam) had a business trip, then returned home for less than 24 hours, then took off on a pleasure trip.

If you’ve been around an 11-month-old recently, you realize this is a stage of pointing. Harrison points at several things, but most especially fans and lights. And when he points, he waits for me to say “light” or “fan,” as appropriate.
Well, during the last week, I have said those two words (fan and light) one-thousand-one-hundred-thirty-seven times. At least. I’m sure of it.
I’m so glad he knows these things and that he can point, but I’m about ready to show him something else – like where the wine is!

When Harrison’s parents came home between trips, Mandy commented about the fact that I’d washed his hair, and then asked, “What shampoo did you use?”

I just answered that I used baby shampoo.
She said, “But what kind?”
Well, goodness sakes alive, I didn’t know what kind of shampoo. I told her it was whatever kind was in his bathroom that said “No tears” and “gentle for babies” – or something similar.
But Mandy continued to ask, saying that Harrison’s shampoo was in their bathroom, not in his.

So, a bit later, she held up a container and asked, “Mom, is this what you used?”

“Yes,” I smiled and answered, so glad to have the mystery solved.

“Oh, great,” she said. “That’s baby sunscreen.”

And I hadn’t even had any of that wine!

Christmas, Sniffles & Puffs

Christmas was – well, it was hard to describe this year.

For one thing, I’ve been sick since the 23rd or 24th. If I had money to invest, it would be in Kleenex or one of the other brands of tissues.

Actually, the investment would probably be in the Puffs brand. That’s because my daughter has decided that her son should call me Grandma Puff. That’s a whole ‘nother story!


If had a nickel for every time I’ve coughed or sneezed, I would definitely have the money to invest in Puffs, Kleenex and lots of other things.

But Christmas was also wonderful. Daughter Tiffany came home from Nashville; son Tree was home from D.C.; daughter Mandy, her husband, Adam, and their son, Harrison, were home from Denver. Could there be anything better than having them all at home at the same time, even if for a short while only??

And on the 26th, I played with grandson Harrison while Tiffany, Tree, Mandy and Adam cooked dinner for all of us. They shopped, cooked and cleaned up afterward. What a treat! Everything was SO delicious. I'm still eating leftovers -- enjoying and remembering.


The night before – on Christmas – we were all up at Mom’s house with my two brothers and two sisters and their families. Lively and loud the whole night.



Clement Moore wrote “not a creature was stirring” about Christmas Eve; on this Christmas night, when our family was gathered, ALL of the creatures were stirring – and more. It was certainly not a "silent night."


Even though I was sick and had a splitting headache, I still enjoyed being with family. (The Dawg was sick, so he didn’t get to go to Mom’s. Or perhaps he would say he was sick, so he didn’t have to go.)


The celebration part with family is over but Christmas should never be over.
May you live Christmas all year ‘round – the way it’s meant to be!

Reindeer Games

There are reindeer in my house.
Sort of.

Years ago, my children – like all children, I imagine – would look for hidden presents before Christmas. It was never very easy to hide gifts. I believe that when a child found a gift with his or her name on it, that child would shake the gift or maybe even peek under the wrapping paper in hopes of finding out what might be in the box. The "evidence" led me to believe there had been what one might call "tampering."

So, I simply quit hiding the gifts. Instead, I put the names of various reindeer on packages. (As daughter Mandy pointed out, this was not an original idea; a long-ago neighbor did the same.) Each year, it became a game to figure out which reindeer was which person. Usually, each child was two reindeer.

This has become one of our family traditions. It just wouldn’t seem right to have gifts with the real names instead of reindeer names.

Now, the children are grown – ranging from 26 to 33 – and the family has grown to include a son-in-law and a grandchild.

They’re all living in other states, but their gifts are ready with reindeer names, awaiting their arrival home for Christmas.

Since there are more people, I’ve added Frosty and a few other names, although I haven’t yet had to use Scrooge or the Grinch, thank goodness.

Of course, there’s been another change: I’ve gotten older as well, so the biggest problem now has to do with remembering which person is which reindeer and keeping up with where I’ve hidden THAT list!