I am not getting old ... I am not getting old ... I am not ...

Okay, so when my oldest daughter has another birthday which brings her just a little closer to the "40" mark, I wonder if I should be feeling old. I'll admit, since I've been a little 'under the weather' due to surgery, etc., I wonder if I might be aging more than I'd like to admit. But, give me a few months and I think I'll be back in the thick of things.

Roxanne celebrates her 38th birthday on Tuesday -- she had dinner with three friends last night, Sara, Martha and Raquel.

The Other Four

Four of our grandchildren live nearby and it's such a delight to be with them -- for the most part, that is. (Being honest here!) If they get to fighting (brotherly style) or throwing pillows (which is such a great temptation) or shooting some sort of dart gun in the house (I find the darts -- they are soft) throughout the house), then I might fuss -- okay, the girls would say, "Kids, Nana does NOT want you throwing pillows in the house." But, it is fun to have them here and some of the most fun times are the conversations! Tyler sometimes uses words I don't know but if I were to look them up in the dictionary, they are there! (He takes after his Papaw!) RJ is usually intense in a conversation, very deliberate and gets quite amused at himself when he has shared something particularly amusing. And then you have Kamen, who at the dinner table, wanted us all to explain the difference between Republicans and Democrats in short order. Hmmm .. that was an interesting discussion to say the least! Of course, Kasi is dealing with hormones and the arrival of a baby next month, so my discussions with her are on a totally different level. But, I enjoy all of them and feel blessed.

I don't get to see the "other four" very often since they live about 1-1/2 hours away and have one of those schedules that reminds me of when our girls were young. Yesterday, Roxanne ran me over to do some business in Auburndale and then we headed on to Teri's. Rudy was taking a nap, Bailey was home from school not feeling very well (although I think her mom wondered how sick she really was!) Rudy awoke and since I hadn't seen him in a couple months (other than when I was in the hospital and rather 'out of it' at the time), he was a little tentative. That changed quickly and then he wanted to entertain us all!! From standing on his head to trying to show his expertise on the computer, he was on a roll!

At 3pm, it was off to the school gym where we were able to watch Regan play volleyball for a little while before heading home. By this time, Rudy had decided he really like being with me and also loved Roxanne -- she picked him up, he laid his head on her should and patted her back. It was pretty cute. He was not a happy camper when we left even though he was sitting on his Nana Ann's lap (Jeff's mother). But, it was fun to be with them even if only for a few hours. By the way, there are only 14 months bestween Marley and Regan even though Marley is much taller. Regan will probably always be shorter than Marley be she doesn't mind a bit. She's a great volleyball player even if she is the shortest on the team!

Roxanne -- Super Woman!!!

Roxanne needed to take a large table over to Sandi's today in preparation for a baby shower for Kasi on Sunday. Sandi was going to come over and help her but Roxanne decided to play the role of "Super Woman" and load it and take it over all by herself. I told her she was crazy -- since I'm stuck in a wheelchair or walker, I couldn't very well help her. So, as she passed my way, I grabbed my camera to her, "Oh, Mom!!"

Oh, by the way, those are Christmas decorations still up on my mantle! I thought I would keep the "Joy" all year long! I'm not sure why I forgot to take it down -- but it is a reminder to all who enter to smile. (Okay, that sounds cheesy! Oh, well!)

Soundproof Room Needed ... like now!

Kamen came home with a trumpet today. (For those who don't know, Roxanne, Chris and the kids have lived with me since Bob moved to Atlanta.) I heard a noise and wondered what had invaded our home!

It didn't take long to figure out what it was -- a trumpet and Kamen was working hard to make sure it would make noise! And noise it made!

Was it a pleasant noise? Well, from time to time, he did pretty well. But, he did tell me he had no clue why they had those three things on top because they did nothing to help him change tones. I assured him that when he took some lessons, they would make a big difference. (Like I really knew anything about playing a trumpet! Where's Phil Driscoll when we need him?)

So -- again -- anyone have a soundproof room? The kids' room does hold in some noise but not necessarily the sound that comes from a trumpet played by someone who doesn't yet have it mastered.

Someday, we will really laugh about this day! It's quiet right now -- but Chris is on his way home and he does know how to play a trumpet so I'm sure we will hear some pleasant sounds. Right?

They start at all ages ....

RJ is in kindergarten now and loves it -- for the most part! There is a little girl in his class who has latched on to him and has caused him some grief since she likes to either be right up in his face or talking during school -- which is a no-no, of course. At this point, RJ isn't necessarily into girls -- however, maybe I should take that back. He has been a flirt since he's been old enough to smile at someone!!

Soooo, Shonna explained to him that it was important he not talk in school (which he already knew) but had to explain it again.

RJ thought the best way to get the point across to the little girl was to explain to her that his mom had told him he could NOT talk in school and since he needed to mind his mother, he could not talk!

His teacher told Shonna that whenever the little girl tries to talk now, RJ says, "Shhh. We have to listen." While that may have slowed down the conversation, it doesn't stop her from wanting to be with him as much as she can!

RJ is a cute little guy and since Bob had his first girlfriend when he was about 6 years old, I wonder if RJ has inherited some of his charisma!

Then again, all four of our grandsons seem to have this same charisma!!

"Has anyone told you ...??"

RJ came to Shonna a few days ago and said, "Mommy, I saw you in a movie." Shonna thought he was referring to a family video but he assured her that was NOT the movie he was referring to. She asked him where he thought he saw her.

He took her to show her a movie in which Sandra Bullock is the 'star'. He had her play the video and said, "See, Mommy. That's you!"

For years, Shonna has heard the question, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Sandra Bullock?" I thought that she had outgrown it until the EMT's that were taking care of me when I fell took one look at her and said, "Uh, has anyone ever told you ....??" We arrived at the hospital to hear it again -- more than once!

Jumping from a plane??? Yikes!!

My brother, Joel, did exactly that at 4:30pm yesterday afternoon and was safely on the ground by 4:37pm. (The trip is "officially" five minutes long.) He jumped from 5,000 and was securely fastened to a very experienced jumper. He said there was some anxiety as they 'shoved off' .. although he said you just sort of lean out of the plane and you are on your way. He thought he closed his eyes for a couple minutes but then he began to look around and said the trip down was awesome.

He said it was very loud during the free fall (50 seconds) but after the parachute opened, it was suddenly very quiet and they just floated through the air. He was intrigued by how the experienced jumper guided them -- making turns this way and that and landed right on target.

This trip was a 50th birthday gift from his kids, Jacinta and Joel II. Joel II (better know to all of us as Joey) rode in the plane with him so was able to videotape part of the trip.

Joel said it was fun -- and he probably would do it again. I could assure him that there is not another sibling who would ever join him!!!