Happy Birthday Alexis!

This family LOVES birthdays and Alexis turning 6 was a good reason to celebrate. If you think about it, with a family the size of ours, we can get together, have fun and eat cake on a pretty frquent basis. Last night was no exception, as Alexis celebrated being 6 years old with a Hannah Montana birthday cake, lots of dolls and lots of family.




Now she actually missed eating a piece of cake, which she realized on the way home. Good thing Gram had taken the rest home. Alexis was so busy opening gifts, playing with Chuck E Cheese and playing games that cake was forgotten.

Daniel NEVER forgets cake!



We all laughed as we watched him trying to steal licks from the main cake, eat as many pieces as he could get and lick every drop of frosting from EVERY plate he could find! You would think he was related to Junkfood Grandma!

What a Fun Day

Catie had the role of Snow White in the local children's play "2 Nights Before Christmas" and after we attended her wonderful performance, we all gathered for dinner. When I say all, I mean Joe, myelf, Mike, Andy, Justin, Catie, Nicolas, Cameron, Laura, Alexis, Daniel, in addition to Ruby,Shelby and Dan Graham. As Nicholas said at the dinner table, "Grandma, this feels like a family reunion!" It was a good warm feeling to sit at that table.

The kids were excited to be together and that is not a strong enough word to use to describe it. They were just so happy! They played in the snow, used the sled in the driveway to pull each other and then came in for a snack. Daniel suddenly said,
"CHOCOLATE!" He saw the Oreos and was scoped in on them. They all enjoyed cookies and milk and I enjoyed just watching my beautiful grandchildren.

This is what Sunday is meant to be.

Look at my SMILE!

The braces are off! Mike's new smile is definitely worth the $$.....He looks like a million bucks!

He's DRIVING!!!

The day has come when my youngest child left the driveway behind the wheel alone. It was a milestone for both of us. He was ready....I was not!

We had a day that proved the theory.."If it can go wrong...it will!"
I was happy for Andy as he felt his first day of independence, if a bit nervous.

The day began with plans for Andy to take his Driver Test, so of course, we got up to SNOW! Now, since he took Driver Ed in the spring, it didn't give him any snow driving time. I offered to reschedule the test for a day of dry pavement, but I should have known what the response would be...."I've got it, Mom."

I followed Joe's instructions to take the car to the local garage for fluid checks, tires, etc. before going to the test. The car must be in perfect working order in order to use it for testing. We get to the test site and Andy begins to practice driving in and around the cones in the lot on snow. He turns the car off and seems to be waiting for the instructor.....then I see him motion to me. What is wrong?

The auto ignition has LOCKED UP and the car will NOT start! I could NOT believe this! After 10 minutes of trying, I call Joe, who tells me "It has done that to me a few times. Just keep playing with it." I do not believe this is happening.

I finally get lucky and the key turns after about 50 tries. Andy and I both give a sigh of relief. Now the guy begins to check the car equipment. He informs us that we have a BRAKE LIGHT OUT! We look at each other in total amazement. Is the devil after us today? Since we have 2 part brake lights and one working, at least, on each side, that he will test and Andy passes with an excellent score. I think the worst is over. NOT!

Andy has about 45 minutes before he must be on the Wrestling bus to a tournament, so I tell him he can take my car out for a spin. He calls me 10 minutes later and the car is again LOCKED UP! Mike to the rescue!! I send Mike to get him and as he gets 1/2 way to Andy, the car finally starts.

Mike got to work on time. Andy made the bus and I am exhausted. For those of you who hang around much, you will know what I mean when I say..."Andy is an excellent driver."

Is it really Christmas already?

Saturday night was the Eaton Rapids Christmas Parade and Catie was in it! At first, I grumbled, as usual about having to be out in the FREEZING cold, but of course I went anyway. One stop at Family Dollar and I had gloves, hat and scarf, but I was STILL FREEZING. Then I began to laugh, as I watched all the children running down Main Street and throwing themselves on the street to slide. It was like a scene from an old movie.


I was alone, as Mikey was at work and Joe and Andy were at a wrestling match. It was kind of strange to stand in the midst of all the families, but the Christmas spirit was alive and I began to enjoy myself in spite of the cold. Finally, Catie's float came by and I NEVER EVEN SAW HER!!!!!

Saying Goodbye

It was a tough morning on Thursday, as Cat, Paul and Tate loaded up and moved on down the road towards St. Louis. If we weren't laughing so hard at Paul, it would have been much worse.

The trailer he rented was too small and as he kept smiling and packing (and repacking) we got to listen to Cat. That was enough to keep everyone laughing. It really was funny, if you weren't the one it was happening to! By the end of the morning, Paul had crammed and jammed every crack and crevice in the van and trailer. He ended it all by making his own back door for the trailer to hold it all in! I really did chuckle as he tied it together.

We Are Thankful

Every year, we all begin looking forward to the Thanksgiving trip to the Alberts. Now, we moan and groan about the traffic, change our departure times at least 3 times and finally load up the car, ready to brave Chicago traffic.

Some things never change and that is so good. We begin Wednesday night....EATING! We have decided it is our weekend theme. Actually, it is EAT, SLEEP, EAT some more (while the women scrapbook between naps) and Dave and Paul shop for bargains.





First thing Thursday morning Dave and Paul are looking for newspapers. It is so hard to find, that last year Paul was spotted removing them from neighbors driveways! He said, "Just going to waste! They are out of town for the holiday."



Thursday was great. Dave even remembered to get our Mom's special cranberry dish out and the table was complete with Mom's china and lots of memories. We allowed only good memories. Prayers said, the dishes began to fly and we really did consume 29 lbs of turkey before the weekend was over.

Lots of scrapbooking was done, in between naps and lots of shopping. Cat and Paul made a couple of trips to Ikea, Dave hit the bargain stores with Paul on Friday morning while the rest of us slept off the turkey dinner. On Saturday Joe, Andy, Catie and I went to the train station to head into Chicago. Catie really wanted to see the American Girl store.



I had no idea that it was going to be a day of Chicago living up to it's name...The Windy City. I was absolutely FREEZING! I am not much of a walker to start with and with the wind ripping through me, I was miserable as we waited for the trolley car. Then my phone rang...it was Cat and she was only blocks away! She had followed us into the city and was truly my Angel, as she scooped me off that cold, windy street.
We continued to the American Girl store, where Catie nearly lost her mind. Then on to dinner at a Spanish place that Joe had read about.

By Sunday night, we were relaxed and had enjoyed a great weekend with family as we headed home. It doesn't get any better!

Home at Last

After 6 long months, Paul is home and safe. Tate acted as if it was just yesterday that he had been hanging all over his Dad. From the moment he saw Paul, he latched on and they are best buds, as usual. Cat is both relieved to have Paul home safe and to have 2 minutes to herself for a change. It was fun to watch her enjoy eating a whole meal without interruption, as Paul and Tate bonded again.

A Bittersweet Night

It hit me tonight. As we all gathered on the back porch, making Welcome Home signs for Paul, I realized that it was the last night like this. After 6 months of sharing dinners, listening to Blues Clues in the background and the general noise of the Nuthouse, it would all change tomorrow.

No more hearing Tate shout, "TA DAAAAA!" as he showed me whatever delighted him. No more running in the door yelling "Grammy!" with his big hugs and loud kisses. I will pass the frozen waffles at Meijers and tear up and no one will know why. We will stop eating white rice 100 times a week and start throwing away leftovers. I know I will start looking for a little lunch partner about 11:30...maybe one who really likes broccoli.

If I start singing "You just got a letter...." people will think I am crazy.

Andy and Catie will be lost without Cat's Taxi service, which was at their beck and call for 6 months. She was a pretty easy mark. They had it made! McDonald's runs, "I forgot my homework" runs, go to the mall, get a haircut, pick me up from...whatever! They were just plain enjoying each other. We all knew it.

I told Cat tonight that although I have certainly had my crabby days in the past 6 months, I have always had her company. We bickered little and loved a lot. We shared a tough time and made a good summer out of it. God knew what he was doing. He put us together and then brought Paul home safely, so they could be a family again. It is how it should be, but it still makes me sad. It doesn't even make me feel better now that I can go back to smoking in teh house! My back porch got winterized, thanks to Cat!

I will just miss them desperately.

Chin Kids Miserable

Nothing makes a Chin kid more miserable than helping Mom do any kind of house WORK! Since I am trying to get ready for a yard sale and have health issus that do not permit me to handle the physical labor, they are out of luck!

The idea began as Catie and I were discussing her life's dream to go to Disney World. We set a budget for the trip and began to plan how we could save for it. She asked me if she could have a yard sale and get rid of all her old toys that she has outgrown. I agreed and then began thinking about all the junk we have accumulated over the years. Hmmmm




So I began cleaning house with a mind to remove any items that were no longer used and things I am just plain tired of dusting. THEN I thought of the crawl space....that dreaded place that all Chin Kids hate to go! It began filling in 1995 when we moved here and most of the items put in that day have remained there since. Each kid along the way stashed and stored old items as they moved away. It was the one place they know NEVER changes.

It has now been filled to the point that you cannot get in.

On Sunday afternoon Cat volunteered "Ok, Mom! I feel sorry for you. I am going in the crawl space." She is my hero.

About 2 hours later the family room was filled with JUNK! Joe was sorting through about 1000 VHS tapes (we told him NOBODY wants them!) and deciding which ones to KEEP! She had found what appeared to be some kids' "fort" set up in the back, complete with a cot to sleep on, a wing back chair, blankets and even a couple of FULL bottles of foul smelling liquid. (Don't ask).

Cat goes home daily with a haul. She has found toys for Tate that I saved from the boys, items to scrapbook with, a lamp, in addition to HER box in storage.

2 sewing machines, computer monitors, video games, cassette player, books and magazines galoere, an aquarium set, artificial trees, dolls and toys all came out. I finally parted with a suitcase that was my mother's (early 1900's), boxes of memorabilia were sorted and we even found a $50 Savings Bond from Deb and Jim given to Michael on his baptism day (tucked inside a baby card).

Catie has worked like a dog to help. Mike and Andy are miserable and keep saying "WE don't want to go to Disney World!" I don't care if they sit on Knight Street forever....they ARE going to help. They have broken down boxes (Joe had at least 10 large computer boxes from computers that have long since died). They have hauled more trash than the average trashman this week.

So the back porch is full. Now they have to set up tables and cart it all out. They are NOT happy boys. TOO BAD! HA HA HA!

CATIE MEETS DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER!

Everyone at the Nuthouse enjoys watching Dog the Bounty Hunter, but Catie absolutely LOVES "The Dog" and his family, Beth, Leeland, Duane Lee and Baby Lisa. Joe, Mike, Andy and Cat were in Ann Arbor yesterday and called to tell us he was signing books. They later reported that the lines were hours long, so although Catie begged, I refused to make the drive.

Catie then got online and found he would be appearing at Borders Books in Taylor, MI on Saturday at noon. Yes, I would take her. She was so excited that could not sleep last night. We got up and headed down (we thought we were early) and found that over 500 people were ahead of us. You had to buy a book, get a ticket and wait for your group to be called just to stand in line some more!

Then Dog and Beth were an hour late! We had a good lunch and waited patiently.

We first caught a glimpse of Beth heading into the crowd after a bathroom break and Catie began to squeal with delight.



As we struggled to survive the crowd for FIVE HOURS, Catie kept trying to SEE Dog or Beth, only to turn around and find Beth scooting behind us trying to get to the ladies room. FINALLY, the moment came and she got the autograph....She says it was DEFINITELY worth it!

Not working?

We highlighted Catie's hair this week, so she could look like her idol, Hannah Montana (from Disney TV). Here is she, holding a pic of Hannah. We did pretty good, huh?

As I ran back looking through the posts of July, I realize why I am so tired! Take off work and rest???? Well, even though I have not been "working", just keeping up with this family is work!

I have spent more family time this month than ever in my life and it has been WONDERFUL. We began the month with Dave, Maryann, Steve and Elizabeth, which leaves me wondering why we don't do it more often. By the 9th we were into full scale birthday week with Cat, Tate and then Nick. Lots of parties.

By the end of the month, I am actually school shopping, since Catie can't wait. It's ok, since I am getting in on early bargains. Andy is off to camp this week and needed stuff and college classes do start in August for Mike.

Hopefully, August will bring more summer rest as we head north for a week at a cottage on the lake. I am ready for that rest!

Busy KID Week!

You will see pictures here on our busy week between a visit with Nick and Cam, a trip to the Skate Park and Catie's adventure at Vacation Bible School.

Catie and Nick had a great time at the Skate Park, although they were humbled by the older kids who were unbelievable on their skateboards. They climbed into the "bowl" and began to skate around, Catie pretty carefully after her recent fall. She is still covered in Band-Aids!

Nick got new Heelies for his birthday and I told him I hope his Dad isn't ready to clobber me if he is soon sporting scraped knees and Band Aids. Of course, he had no fear and was ready to take right off.

We got to see Cam and of course, he had that ready smile of his, which I couldn't resist. Catie also posed in her costume for Vacation Bible School. Their theme was SonForce Kids, based on the Mission Impossible Theme and they all dressed like spies. We had fun hunting through the dollar store for the right gear. She looked great!

A New Life

It took a very long time for me to give in an accept the fact that I should not be working. The pain has been gaining on me for the past 2 years. However, it always seemed as if the right thing to do was to get up and get to work.

One day I was talking to a friend about the fact that God certainly seemed to be sending me more than I could handle lately. He asked me if I thought God was trying to tell me something. I thought about that comment a lot over for days.

On the Monday after I returned from vacation I was aching so badly by noon that I could not believe the difference from the previous week when I was resting. Catie was calling every hour and as my patience wore thin, it hit me. I could no longer deny what God and my doctors were telling me. I needed to be at home.

In the past few weeks I have experienced a metamorphosis of sorts. I woke on Monday mornings longing to put on a suit and head to work. Instead, I poured the first cup of coffee and headed instead to Vacation Bible school with Catie. I got to see the smile on her face as she made new friends and take pictures of the kids. I could no longer stand on my feet for hours and run the kitchen, but I could snap the photos and help the mentally challenged child to find his room.

Catie took a bad fall on her Heelies and scraped up what seems like every part of her body. I feel good every time I am here to inspect those cuts, clean and re-bandage her. It feels like love, because it is.

I have had the time to take rides with Andy and hear a lot of things I would not have heard. (I also convinced him to let me dye his hair back to normal, thank God.) I have had time with Michael to talk about college and life in general, in between his job and band rehearsals, because I am home.

Cat and Tate have kept me company and I got to teach him silly things like making big loud noises when we kiss or how to push his train. I figured out that "Toe Toe" meant that he wanted Blues Clues on TV by sitting with him and watching it with him until I heard the puppy make the same sound as "Toe Toe". We spent a week working on that one!

I was able to be here for Nicholas on his birthday, help Catie plan her Kool Aid stand and encourage her through some difficult pre-teen moments. For the first time in years, I wasn't too tired to join Joe for dinner and a movie on a Friday night. That alone seemed like a miracle since I usually head right for the couch to ease the pain and refuse all invitations.

Tonight, Nicholas put an ice cube down the back of my shirt and last night Tate squirted me with the hose, laughing in delight. A month ago I wouldn't have been laughing as I was just too crabby from being in pain. Those little boys make me laugh a lot now.

Our house is the neighborhood hangout and in addition to my own kids, I have had some great conversations with the various boys that seem to nearly live at my house. They are some great kids.

I won't lie. I very much miss heading off to work. However, I have found that there were a lot of very important things that I was missing and didn't even know it.

ANOTHER July Birthday.....Nicholas!

July is a big month for birthdays in the family and we celebrated the 3rd one tonight when Nick arrived just in time for his favorite birthday dinner.....Shepherd's Pie! (Joe groaned, but ate it anyway). Of course, we finished off with cake and ice cream and tonight a was Harry Potter cake with 4 different ice cream flavors.

Nick had wanted Heelies for a long time and you can see his reaction when he opened them.


Nick is 11 now and wanted to light his own candles. He learned the HARD way that you light the ones in the front BEFORE the back when the flames got too hot on his fingers and Papa helped finish.

Nick got some new Action Figures from Aunt Cat and Tate who joined us for a birthday dinner. Grandma Bustamonte sent a Nick some money and I promised him a shopping trip tomorrow to complete the birthday loot. After cake and ice cream, Nick headed out with Andy to learn to roll on the new Heelies, followed by trapoline jumping and dip in the pool. He and Catie finally wound down by 11pm when we insisted that bedtime had long since passed.

Good thing we have no more birthdays till September when we start the next round of Cameron, Joe and Andy (wonder why the clusters?), as I am almost sick of cake!

PARTY!

It was time to PARTY and no one can have more fun than a bunch of Chins! Cat had planned an afternoon at Birchfield Park for Saturday, but threats of rain caused us to postpone until today. Tate loved the balloons on Saturday and has been enjoying his birthday all week.

We arrived at the park and found it was beautiful and filled with wildlife. Tate enjoyed an afternoon swim and then decided that he didn't want his clothes back on. Aaaahh, the beauty of being 2 years old and loving to be naked! He decided to RUN from Cat to avoid pants.... Speaking of the wildlife, in the middle of the party a very LARGE deer came running through, quite close to us. Catie and Alexis had to be stopped from chasing the big Goose, that we were sure was about to turn around and attack. Catie had already injured herself on her "heelies" and had to be bandaged from knees to shoulders. Luckily, that was the only casualty of the day, although Tate and Daniel were quite daring on the jungle jim. Thanks to Uncle Andy for swing pushing and scooping children off the playground.

We enjoyed barbq chicken (or Baak/Baak as Tate calls it), and Tate's very favorite chocolate chip cookies. The kids were much more interested in playing on the playground and running through the park.

By 6pm Mr. Tate was ready for night-night after a great day in the park!

Happy Birthday Tate!

On July 11, Tate turned 2 years old. It seems like just yesterday that Joe and I were racing toward St. Louis for the birth of our grandson, when we got the phone call with the baby crying in the background.....we were stuck in a traffic jam in Chicago.

Those 2 years went so quickly! We didn't get to spend as much time as we would like with him, but due to the misfortune of Paul's deployment, we have been enjoying him these past couple of months. We understand his language (for the most part) and yesterday I figured out that "Toe, Toe!" means he wants to watch Blues Clues.

His actual birthday was a bit on the quiet side with our gift of a Thomas the Train and a morning of watching him play. Party is on Saturday at the park, with all his cousins and uncles. Pictures will be forthcoming, of course.

Happy Birthday Cat!

The cupcakes were glowing and everyone was singing, except Tate, who was watching his favorite Disney show and not willing to leave for cupcakes. Catie and I had the best time of all....we shopped all day!

Catie knew she wanted to buy Cat the cupcake tower and had planned it for weeks. It was at Michael's, which meant I had a good excuse for another Michael's trip. That is worth at least 2 hours! We headed out at 11am and just made it home in time to deliver the groceries so that Joe could cook Cat's requested chicken stir fry. (yech, but it WAS HER birthday).

Sunday in Ann Arbor

Cat wanted to visit Ann Arbor for her birthday treat. Actually tomororrow is her birthday and we will have Chinese food, per her request. Today, more specifically she wanted to go to Zingermann's Deli to eat. We left home, after Tate's nap at 2pm and soon entered the most interesting deli I have ever visited. SO much food in SO little space!

The food was great, although people are lined out the door waiting for a sandwich, but it was worth the wait. The atmosphere makes it an experience, with the outdoor tables, kids play area and 2 restaurants side by side serving some really good food. Tate and Catie enjoyed the day, complete with helium balloons for the kids.

We then moved on to Trader Joe's a specialty grocery store. The prices were unbelievable(reasonable) , considering the foods that they carried.

Let's see, Joe and I came home with bread, gourmet butter, bruschetta spread, sweet potato chips, Trail mix, candied almonds, shrimp, oatmeal/cranberry cookies, jelly beans, organic oranges, gum, fresh ground French roast coffee, organic soap and shampoo, vitamins....well, you get the idea!

I began ripping bags open on the way home. Could not wait to sample some of the good stuff we bought. When Catie asked, "What's for dinner?" I just looked at Joe and we both groaned.

GREAT 4th of July!

4th of July is the traditional Uncle Dave and Aunt Maryann holiday (in addition to Thanksgiving). UD did not disappoint the kids who were waiting for the BIGboom (see above). AMA made her famous pasta, fruit and cucumber salads...mmmmm, too bad Andy left one on the counter all night during a midnight snack!

Then there was the BOAT! The adults enjoyed an evening cruise with a few beverages and Jimmy Buffet playing away as the fireworks went off in the distance. THAT was a great 4th of July memory.




The next day UD took the kids for the wild ride and turned them loose on the jet ski while Maryann and I relaxed at home in the air conditioning with all our scrapbook paraphanalia. Great pages WERE created. Of course, we ate and ate and ate....

Those 2 men CAN cook and Maryann and I really do not mind sitting all weekend with our scrapbook stuff, while they feed us!

Maryann and Elizaeth decided to teach Catie to play softball. This is not a skill that I can pass on to my dear granddaughter. She loved it so much that she can't wait for Spring to sign up, especially after watching Elizabeth (the pro) play a game on Thursday night. Steve hung out, watching the world go by and providing the support (i.e. running to the store for more coffee, taking out the mounds of trash and pop cans). Josie and Rocky went along for the ride and Buddy the BIG Lab was extremely tolerant of the little ones running around HIS house.

Back on the home front, Mike and Cathy took care of the rest of the "farm". Paco apparently gave Cat a few days of hell. He growled at her repeatedly, even with food. At one point she had to get a blanket and drop it OVER him in order to pick him up without getting bitten!!!! Her quote, "I HATE THAT DOG SO MUCH!!"

All in all, we had a good 3 days of relaxation that was much needed, thanks to the Alberts, who do know how to run a great luxury hotel! Great company, food and all the boat rides you want!