For the past, mmmm…3 weeks I have had the pleasure of having my oldest daughter and her two daughters here with us from Casper, Wyoming. It has been stressful at times, but the joy of getting to see, touch, hug, laugh and love those three girls in my life on a daily basis has completely over ridden the stress.

This picture is of my two oldest granddaughters, they were sitting on the floor discussing what they planned to do and see that day at the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory. Kailie is on the left, she is Melissa’s oldest daughter (the one who lives in Wyoming) and Lexi is on the right and she is my youngest daughter Stephanie’s oldest.

Kailie & Lexi

Kailie & Lexi

It’s too bad I can’t seem to get all three girls to sit still long enough to get their picture together. The one below is my number 3 granddaughter Emily. Emily is such a lovable little baby and is for the most part the quietest child I have seen. She gets a little loud when her sister or cousin don’t let her have what she wants or tries to pick her up when she is hell bent on heading to a certain destination that they don’t think she ought to be at…but other wise such a beautiful, sweet baby inside and out. Of course, all my granddaughters are and I am NOT in the least bit prejudiced.

Emily

Emily

Stephanie is pregnant with her 2nd child, she swears up and down that she is going to break the chain we have going on here in our family and that this one is a boy. She hasn’t had that ultra-sound thingy where they can see what the baby is, but, while I hope for them if this is what they want that they get a boy (Daddy said he doesn’t care one way or another), secretly I am a bit fearful of her having a boy because I have been surrounded by girls pretty much my whole adult life and I don’t know if I can do boys or not. I’m sure once I hold the little one in my arms, my great-big Grandma heart will kick in and it won’t matter one little bit, my heart will be lost just like it has been on the other three. The baby is due at the end of the year, I have plenty of time to adjust.

Smoking that is.

I have a new thingie-mabob on the left nav column there…you can watch my progress and encourage me to keep it up. God knows I am gonna need it.

My youngest brother quit his 2 can a day chewing habit 3 months ago (Yeah! Lee! You go Bro!), and I can hear his words over and over and over again in my head every time I want a smoke so bad I could spit friggin nails…

He said:

“You know sis, Mom was selfish. Your kids got to know their Grandma, but my kids never did. Mom was selfish not to quit all those years ago when she was first diagnosed with emphysemia, if she had quit then, she would probably still be alive and my kids would have had the chance to know her. I don’t want to be like that, I don’t want to be that selfish to my kids, and neither should you.”

He’s right.

I want my grandchildren to know and love their Grandma as much as I love them.

Now that I am past my cold, which was a doozie let me tell you (Lynn…I promise to write you back really soon, honest! I love you woman!), maybe I can get in here and try to write more since I am not outside standing on the deck filling my lungs with cancer sticks.

Maybe the one or two of you that still drop by will wish me much success on this new endeavor of mine. eh?