From the beginning: July 2011

Sunday, July 17, 2011

You will be missed. You were so loved. See you in heaven Great Grandma Velma

Yesterday morning July 16th 2011 my Great Grandma Velma passed away in her sleep. She was the funnest, kindest, smiliest lady I knew. She lived in Missouri so it was a rare treat for me to get to see her, but in my 31 years I was blessed to see her enough that I knew her, loved her, and will miss her. She lived all her life with no running water and had a water pump and outhouse! She was 2 months shy of 96years old... she lived a very full happy life. I was so blessed that my Mom paid for me and Kinleigh to fly out to Missouri last June to visit my Great Grandma one last time and get 5 generation photos of us 5 girls. age 94 down to age 7mo old... What a special thing I was able to do that not many people can say they have done. My Mom also flew Kaeden and I out to Missouri when Kaeden was 3 weeks old in 2002........... Grandma Velma was able to meet her first Great Great Grandchild. Kai never got to go to Missouri, but Grandma Velma came out here and he too was able to meet her. I am so glad to have photos of all 3 of my children with my Great Grandma Velma. I know they won't remember her, but the memories for me are priceless and they will always have those photos. My Grandma taught me a song that her Mom taught her on the piano that she made up called Jesse's song...... I know have to get out the videos of me playing that song and re-learn it so that I can someday pass that song down to my children and keep it in the family. My trip out to Grandma Velma's when I was 9yrs old and her teaching me to play two songs on the piano sparked my love of piano playing and I took lessons for 4 years after that...........
When I think of Grandma Velma I will always see her smile, her silly faces, her laughter and jokes, her leaning outhouse, her new outhouse, her front porch with her swing... lightening bugs, terapins and ticks and chiggers. I love you Great Grandma Velma and know that you are in heaven with all of your loved ones having a great family reunion. Hug Great Grandpa Shorty for me. Tell him that I have a little one called Shorty and we'll all meet again someday.

Our first 5 generation photo... Kaeden, Jenny, Vicki,, Marcelle and Velma

Great Great Grandma Velma meets her first Great Great Grandchild Kaeden Scott Olivas.

Kaeden had to pump some water even if he was only a few weeks old.

No trip to Grandma Velma's is complete without a visit to the double seater outhouse!

5 generations with Kailer added to the family!

Grandma Velma was listening to music playing ... Note little Shorty in the background. Grandma's husband was Grandpa Shorty so it's so fitting that Kai's nickname is Shorty.

Shorty, Jenny and Grandma Velma

Shorty Jazzi and Grandma Velma. So sad to know that only a few short years later and Kai is the only of those 3 still with us on earth.

I love this lady!

Always with a smile!

My Mom, Grandma Velma and my Daddy

More laughs from Velma!

Sweet treasured moments.

Kinleigh by the water pump

First Meeting between Great Great Grandma Velma and Kinleigh ShaeAnn Olivas.

More silly faces and smiles from that Grandma!

Mother and daughter........

Great Grandma's church. This is where she will be in a few days so everyone can tell her good-bye and wish her well.

When we were there June 2010 she told us she'd be here someday.... that day has come. The final date will now be added. Rest in Peace Grandma and hug Grandpa!

Very special family gathering in Grandma's little kitchen.

5 generations on the porch swing. I have this picture with Kaeden as well but it's not digital...

I love the way Kinleigh is looking up at grandma in this pic.

5 generations of hands......

You are loved and missed

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Lovely trip to the ER today

Lindsay and I had planned to take the kids to lunch at the middle school and then to the movies for the free movie which was How to Train Your Dragon. We had it all planned out, soda pop in our purses and split the cost of a tub of popcorn.... We were outside having a smoke before loading the kids up and we started hearing the same noises we'd been hearing all day long. Kai crying. Oh how it was a trying day on my nerves today. The kids were fighting, arguing, and just plain making me nuts. So of course the sound of him crying reminded me of the boy who cried wolf and I was ignoring him. He came into the living room and I opened the door to see what he was crying about this time. He moved his hand and I saw a nice gash in his forehead that didn't look like a bandaid was going to fix :( My stomach dropped. The thought of stitches and needles makes me ill and I wanted to run and hide in a corner and pretend that never happened. I started having flashbacks of when Kaeden got nailed in the head with a rake and had to get a staple right on the top of his head. I did ok while they did what needed to be done, but I almost passed out when they were finished. It was horrible. So I threw my smoke at Lindsay and grabbed a washcloth. I was getting ready to ask Lindsay's opinion on it when Steven walked in the door for lunch. Unfortunately they both confirmed my suspicions. That needed a trip to the Dr to be looked at :( So rather then head out to the movies, Lindsay took Kaeden and Kinleigh to her house and I took Kai to the ER. I was VERY relieved that they were able to glue it rather then stitch it HOORAY! I think I was probably more happy about the glue then Kai since I knew what was coming and he didn't really understand the concept of needles in his head :( He was a trooper and I'm pretty sure he learned absolutely nothing from this bonk on the noggin... such is life with a boy! Oh and I finally got the story on how it happened while we were sitting in the ER waiting on the doc. I thought he was throwing a tantrum cause he was mad at Kaeden. He kept telling me I was telling Kaeden yes Mom. I said well Honey you don't get a gash in your head by telling your brother yes. Finally he demonstrated at the ER how he was telling his brother yes. Apparently Kaeden had asked him to stop hitting him, so he was shaking his head yes very hard up and down (being sarcastic and ornery as usual) and ended up wacking it on the corner of my hope chest. Ouch! Life is rarely boring with a Kailer in it!

The booboo

Typical Kai Kai couldn't stand to not give me a smiling picture along with his crying picture ;) Love that lil man

Wonderful 4th Weekend

Saturday we went to Moses Lake for a birthday party get together for Tony and Samir. Was wonderful hanging out with family and watching the kids play together while gorging on super yummy food!

Grandma Bea and Kinleigh playing in the pool

The crop dusting plane kept flying over and the kids loved it! It was almost as if it we could reach out and touch it because it flew so low!

What do you think the kids thought of Tony singing the Star Spangled Banner?

Just a little dress in the butt crack after an afternoon of swimming.

Abbe loved Uncle Steven's hat.

Steven with the girls. They are awfully beautiful!

Cousins! Samir, Kaeden, Kailer and Abbe

Birthday presents being put to good use.

Looks like Samir caught the criminal!

What's a birthday party without cake?!?!?! YUM!

After we were done there we headed home to get ready for a night out on the town. Hired a babysitter and she showed up a little before 8. The boys were SUPER excited to have a babysitter again! It happens so rarely that they beg for us to go out and hire one LOL Headed down to AJ's for our friend Diana's birthday party and I was 3 sheets to the wind before we got there... It was a Looooong chatty night ;) No need to go into details but let's just say I won't be drinking that much again for awhile! I made friends, Lindsay made a friend... ;) Was a great night! Some might even say AMAZING! Sunday I was pretty worthless. I wasn't really sick or have a headache or anything like I expected but I was DRAINED of any and all energy. It was ridiculous how worn out I felt! Pretty much slept and watched netflix all day while the kids had run of the house. Looked like 3 lil tornadoes went through here!

Sunday evening was Tate's birthday part at Lions park. Would you believe the baby that was 10mo old when I met Steven turned 11? I think I might be in a bit of denial.......Happy Happy Birthday Tatum! Sunday night we went to Soap Lake to watch the fireworks show... Can you say W-I-N-D-Y!?!?! Ridiculous wind. I was hoping they didn't cancel the show after we waited so long for it to start! The kids enjoyed it, but were not pleased that we weren't lighting any fireworks of our own.

Blowing out candles was pretty impossible since the wind did it way faster then Tate could!

The birthday gang.

Big Sis and Lil Sis. She's an amazing big sister to Kinleigh.

Opening gifts

Yup she finally got that Ipod she wanted so badly!

Waiting for fireworks to start... see those waves on the lake? Crazy wind!

We woke up Monday morning unsure of what our plans for the 4th were... by around noon Lindsay had come over and inspired us to get a little BBQ together and let off some fireworks. Ran into Lynn while we were in town and told her to come on over. Ended up having a great BBQ with Lynn and her family, Christina and her family, Lindsay and Taylor and our friend Matt. Lots of kids, Lots of food, Lots of fireworks, lots of fun! Lindsay came up with the idea of a water balloon fight...Adults VS Kids... Adults kicked bootie! But the kids were a bit sore losers :p Next time we're going for 2 buckets of balloons, one for the kids and one for the adults so the kids can't cry and make excuses when we smash them again ;)