Conversations with Elmo

We received a package in the mail yesterday from our beloved Lora, aka Big Bird. She has been up to her usual.........spoiling our James! She is far too generous, but then, that's just who she is,........and we all love her to bits and pieces!! Thank you, dear one, for loving us the way you do!
Anyway, she sent James the newest Elmo, and he fell in love with it! He's CRAZY about Elmo, and has several different ones, but this one quickly became his new favorite.......and he just had Heather and I cracking up when he began to have a conversation! Enjoy!!!

"They call me the fireman"........

While in town this past weekend, Pa-Pa and I met up with my precious daughter and her precious son at Wal-Mart. WELL, that meant we just HAD to go check out the toy department!
Pa-pa and James had the best time trying on all kinds of hats, but the fireman hat seemed to be the favorite. Being the crazy in love Gammo that I am, I just happened to have my camera in my purse, and captured the moment! LOL. I'm so glad I did......

Problem Solving

When James started playing with his new "kitchen", I got out some dishes, etc., for him to play with. One of them was a blue enamel cup, which he loves. But he got rather put out with me when I wouldn't just pour his milk in the cup for him to drink.......so he came up with his own resolution. He got his sippy cup out of the fridge, and put it IN the blue cup, and was pleased as punch with himself when he could drink from it that way. I just adore watching his little wheels turn as he problem solves!! GO, COOTER, GO!!!

Toddler Mania!!

Sharing his "pretend" juice with Barney.

"James, are you a goofy boy?" This is his reply.........

Somehow, wrestling with Grams turned into singing and finger-plays.

Gammo makes GOOD chile, but it's even better when I get to feed myself.....

The first order of business after getting his new stove and refridgerator? Putting his
cup of milk in the fridge, silly!!!!

Oh, how I wish you could hear the goings-on at my house on Thursdays!! The walls just
reverberate with peals of laughter and mayhem!! And I love every sweet, crazy, NOISY
second of it!! Sometimes I don't know who eggs whom on the most.....LOL. My little Mom
is SUCH a kid at heart, and when you mix that with an overactive toddler, you never
know WHAT the day will bring! James has enjoyed "cooking" for quite a while now, and
I've been wanting to get a kitchen set for him, but they are always pink, and while pink
happens to be MY favorite color, I'm not about to push it on James. LOL. So, when I
found this little set last weekend at an auction, I nabbed it up! I do believe it's one of
the best dollars I've ever spent on him. That's right.......a WHOLE dollar! Woo-Hoo!!!!
Gotta love a bargain!!! There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with it, all I had to do was
wash it up and Lysol it, and we were good to go. To be honest, we get alot of razzing about
all the "stuff" James has, but the truth is, at least 95% of it has come from auctions and
garage sales and such. Hey, I've EARNED the right to spoil him, and we ARE teaching him
to take care of his things, even if they ARE cheap. He will still learn to appreciate what he
has, and at the same time, learn that used can be just as good as brand new. And in the
meantime, "Pa-pa" and I are having a ball! No harm, no foul, is how I look at it.

O.K., it's getting late, and I need to re-charge for another big day tomorrow. Thank you
for spending a few minutes with us. God Bless!!!!

For the love of Bella......

Our sweet Cheryl, manning the money table.

I just adore that smile.....Grams helping in the kitchen during J's nap.

My darling daughter, SO excited, getting the trailers ready the night before the sale.

YUM!!!! The house smelled SO good all day Friday while these baked!

And here is the princess of our hearts......isn't she just beautiful? We love you, sweet girl!

Wow! The past 2 weeks have just flown by! We had a big yard sale/bake sale in honor of our precious little Bella, who is facing a bone marrow transplant in about 6 weeks. First of all, I have a list of people to thank:
Mom............without you here to care for James, we never could have pulled this off. I know we wore you out, but as usual, you just kept smiling, and helping wherever you could. I LOVE YOU!

Cheryl...........The fact that you have taken Bella into your heart just melts mine! You have been a tremendous help, and a simple thank you doesn't begin to express my gratitude. I LOVE YOU!

Beryl............Honey, you always support me in whatever I want to do, and you will never know how much that means to me. You are always there for me, and just roll with the flow, and I don't know what I would do without you. I LOVE YOU!

Phil...............Bubba, you have so little time to be with your family, and yet you always have the time to help out whenever the need presents itself. You not only helped with the sale, but you also found the time to go over and help my Mom, and we are so grateful for that. You have a huge, loving, generous heart, and I'm so thankful to have you and your family living near us again. I LOVE YOU!

Heather...............Heather, Heather, Heather,........you simply amaze me! How in the world did I get so lucky as to have the best daughter in the whole world? Your love and generosity for others simply shines in your beautiful eyes, and is a wonderful example for your son to witness as he grows up. Oh, the lessons we learn from our children! Not every Mother can claim to be able to look UP to her child, and I am one of the lucky few. You continue to be the brightest beacon of light in my life, and I am so proud to be your Mom. I LOVE YOU!

And to the countless people who came to the sale, and gave so generously, and showed such concern for a little girl that you don't even know.........God Bless You!

With that being said, the sale went well overall. The Kansas wind reared it's ugly head and gave us quite a challenge! But the GOOD stress is that because of the cold wind, we were selling chile by 10:00, and even had to go back to the kitchen to make more! The baked goods sold out, and made me wish I had made even more. We sold 4 dozen cinnamon rolls, 8 pans of brownies, and 6 cakes, and I never got a nibble of any of it! I was proud of myself for not even licking the spoons while I was baking! LOL. That is HUGE for me! And here it is, 2 days post sale, and I'm still tired and sore. But it was worth every minute of it for our little princess! Please keep Bella and her family in your prayers, as they are battling the insurance company now to get Bella to the University of Minnesota for her transplant. Corporate red tape and greed just makes me furious!! Don't get me started!! GGRRRRRRRR!!!!!

O.K., my friends, I really need to go do some more cleaning, and get ready for another day of James mania tomorrow. He is such a little love, and a joy to my heart that grows and grows with each new day. Thank you for checking in on my little corner of the world. God Bless You All!!