Happy Birthday, Theresa . . . Kevin & Nathaniel on the 17th

By the time I send this along it should be just about August 14th! We hope you have a great day, Theresa!!

I hope we can all gather on Sunday, August 31st, to celebrate the August birthdays!!

Kevin, we'll be in Utah, but hope your day is full of whatever pleasures you can conjur up.

Nathaniel, if I am correct you are 6 years old this year!! Wow!! We hope you have a very special and happy day!

Ryan (Webb's son) also has a birthday this week, too.

AND... let's not forget Dunc, Jr. who follows up at the end of the month.

Happy birthdays one and all!!!

xoxoxo

CAMERA SHY?!?!?

I am thinking it is funny that the (Kevin) Taylor family is so shy . . . at what age does this predicament begin? And when... exactly... does it end?

Having spent some quality time with the (Chris) Taylor family members I realize it has not hit them yet. They are very good at posing for the cameras that are ever in their way!!

Andrea has several types running and takes some of the loveliest photos ever.

The (Greg) Baker family almost always has some great shots, too, and mostly sunny faces clowning around at the time.

Then take the (Craig) Bingham family and the entire family is photo shy, except perhaps for the dog...

SO, when is it, that folks become so camera shy?

Any thoughts about this, anyone???

xoxoxo

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CATHLEEN!!!

This blog is for you . . .

Wherever you are - hiding in a box, a closet, a huge cubby or that fantastic new kitchen of yours - we hope you have a wonderful birthday all day long!!

I hope your girls/guys are able to make you a wonderful birthday cake and that you'll enjoy this year beginning almost right away!

I'm also happy to hear your parents will be living in Pennsylvania. Grandparents on the east coast sounds pretty grand to me!

Your gift is in my car and will be on it's way as soon as I find your new address...

Have a wonderful day. We all love and miss you so very much!! J.

xoxoxo

A NEW MONTH!! Happy Birthday, Draper...

We will be celebrating lots of birthdays this month ~ perhaps celebrating isn't the right word, however.

July flew by with lots of family around and visiting so we have been kept very busy and away from the computers quite a bit.

So much has happened I'm sure I'll forget something or someone, but here goes!

The Binghams' sent Dray along before their drive to Carlsbad for their annual week of camping. This has become a routine no one wishes to miss ... so Riley & Megan flew out and stayed three nights at the campsite, too. Four Bingham guys out of five wasn't too bad, right?

Megan, 3-4 months pregnant, isn't showing at all, YET! We hope to learn the sex of this baby "Schming" while we are in Utah later this month!

Landon finally got his call into the Coast Guard and enters basic training in Cape May, NJ, on August 19th! "Way to go, Landon!"

Collin finished his 1st year of college - and made nice with girl/pal Breanna while in CA. He'll be off on a mission next April when he turns nineteen!

Kate and Draper had a great time together at Carlsbad. I guess having the whole outdoors to "play" in kept them very busy and occupied. Kate and Dray are definitely growing UP!!!

Connor saw the "Dark Knight" while in Carlsbad and offered to tell me all about it. Thanks, Connor, but I sat through the whole 2 1/2 hours myself!!

Greg & Cathleen disappeared from all blogs as they bought and sold their home(s) and had to move in 2 weeks. Ever done something like this with 8 kids?! YIKES!!! We hope they have survived this move...

Sydney got a "new do" and looks much better with her hair short and in a bob.

Andrea and their three came to visit for 3 weeks (excluding weekends) and we have done the OC Fair ~ Seth and their four joined us for the afternoon ~ and also the Ringling Bros/Barnum and Bailey Circus in one week.

It is always nice to have the young ones around and these kiddies are no exception!

Andrea is running in the NYC Marathon on Nov 2nd.

Poppy is surviving pretty well, all things condidered. I only wish we had the VA Bakers around, too!

As I said it has been a busy time and hopefully August will settle down a little bit for those of you in the 'throes' of the BIG move.

We'll be in Park City Utah from Aug 15th - 27th - wish Tory could be there then!!

Also heard that the Cildermans(Cathleen's mom & dad) are moving to Pennsylvania immediately, too!! Great news for Cath, Greg & family!! Lots of room for visiting grandparents who will be quite close by!

Hello to everyone . . . much love, too!! xoxoxo Grammy

What is "MOTHERHOOD" all about?

As Tory responded to how she would like to be remembered I felt some of the same things she had been feeling over a period of time.

MOTHERHOOD is the most underpaid, under appreciated 24/7 job I can possibly imagine.

Then why are so many mothers willing to stay at home, changing diapers, cleaning up messes constantly, having no real "break" time (period) and/or losing sight of themselves as "women" in any worldly sense, for years on end.

Did I mention how thankless it can be when the child reaches their teen years, rebel, decline to accept any of their parents "teachings" or values and keep their moms up many nights, worrying and stressing over the smallest of transgressions?

Women, having been given God's greatest blessing - the ability to carry and bear life - are the mothers who soon learn that parenting their child(ren) is the most positive reinforcement they can bring into the lives of these miracles of birth.

It is the birthright of a woman, to become the first and best teacher a child will ever have. By their EXAMPLE and loving care; good upstanding citizens are formed.

Tory, my dear granddaughter is finding this out - from her mother, of course.

GONE FISHING . . .

Okay - so "How you want to be remembered?"

"What does CHARACTER mean?"

And now "gone fishing" have in common.

A sole response - from that HAPPY man who is also my son - and complete silence from everyone else!

My happy son thinks I'm a bit looney tunes - or at the very least desperate for attention...

So perhaps I am.

Daughters-in-law - "hello, where are you?!?!

Grandchildren - I awaiting something that tells me you haven't gone to bed for the entire summer - okay???!!!

If this doesn't work I guess I'll just have to "go fishing" like all the rest...

XOXOXO

My last post went over like a lead balloon...

Soooo... let's try CHARACTER, okay?

Now having strong, courageous, impeccable character is some thing we'd all pretty much desire to have. It's also something no one is going to "brag" about, that's for sure!

So I'm going to talking about a real character we can discuss freely... like the guy in church that blurts out the funniest (but most inappropriate) things during testimony meeting.

Now HE is a real CHARACTER!

And while I hate to mention this following that (ummm) characterization, I think the Baker brothers can be major characters in their own rights.

Since Webb doesn't blog, let's move right on to Greg. Greg has a style of writing - and in real time he has a way of thinking and speaking - that is so unique, I would designate him as one funny character. Even when he's SERIOUS he "sometimes" makes me laugh.

(Right, Gregory?)

AND... that goatee ~ shall I say more?!!

Can you think of others for whom living their lives their own way might make them be considered a character in their own right?

I honestly think having character (you do, Greg) and being a character are often one and the same thing! Three cheers for you!!

Now anyone else out there you'd like to nominate, do you suppose?