Three Years Ago

9/22/15

                                                Three Years Ago

     After reading and seeing both my daughter’s writings and pictures on Facebook that are titled 3 years ago, I found myself remembering back three years ago.  Was three years ago really that long ago?  When I see the pictures of my grandchildren 3 years ago they look so young, and those three years seem so long ago.  Both daughters had been posting pictures and comments about our trip to Washington DC.  I call that trip, “Trip of a Lifetime.”  I gave it that name in my driveway as we had just gotten home from the cross country trip in a Class C motorhome.  We spent 12 days on the road; I kissed Julie and told her how great it was spending time with her and our four young grandchildren.  She had a different viewpoint, and said she would not take a trip like that for at least 10 years.  On her Facebook posting two days ago, it read “Missing our fall trips right now…but we will take a little blessing in exchange…”  No big fall family trip this year due to the fact that Landon could come any day now.  If we do have another trip all together, it will be called Trip of a Lifetime #5, and it has not even been 10 years, only 3 years! 

     That trip took us to Washington DC to visit Angie.  It is great having her back in NE.  We just saw her in Grand Island last weekend, and it only took 2.5 hours to drive to see her.  From DC we drove south to Charlotte, NC to visit the kid’s grandma Karen and aunt Danee.  We drove to Chattanooga, TN to visit one of Julie’s friends.  From there we went to Hartville, MO to see the kid’s gramie and popie.  We did a lot of sightseeing along with trying to keep the kids entertained with games and projects. Also we worked on their school assignments.  Jocelyn hated working on her spelling words.  I tried to make it fun. The boys traveled in car seats and that became hard for Weston the youngest.  On one traveling video, he is screaming, Mommy”.  Julie was in the back bedroom trying to take a nap.  I was up front helping Pat drive, or was I taking a rest break from the kids?  He sent me back to quiet down Wes, so I did what most grandparents do.  You know give him a cup of fish crackers to stop him from yelling and crying.   

      The older the kids get, the quieter the trips become.  We will be starting over with traveling with a little one again when Landon is born.  This summer we took Katelyn on a trip by herself.  That was really fun.  We still need to take Easton by himself.  Jocelyn got to go to Grand Canyon when she was little.  Weston may still be too young and would miss his mom too much.  My son in law Sean only went on one of the family trips.  He drove in his van and camped in his tent when we went to CO #3 trip.  This allowed Julie and Sean to go river rafting etc. while we watched the kids.  There was also the family trip in 2014 #4 to FL so Julie and Angie could go on a cruise, while we watched the kids.  I was such a mean grandma; I would not let the girls go to the pool at Lazy Days, if their school work was not done.  One girl had to sit on the pool side watching others have fun.  In the fall of 2013 we did a family trip #2 to Niagara Falls.  Angie drove up from DC to hang out with us.  Angie, Julie, and the girls spent time staying and visiting Canada. We also went to see friends in Goffstown, NH during that trip.  For our 2014 trips we moved up to a Class A motor home which was a little larger than the Class C that we had. This next month we will be getting a new Class A which is three feet longer than the one we have now.  I have had it with getting new RV’s.  This new one is it!

    Thanks Julie and Angie for going on these trips.  Thanks Sean for letting Julie and the kids come with us. Thanks Katelyn for being my seeing eye granddaughter.  She will grab my hand and help me walk and not run into things.  I have a white cane to use, but really hate using it.  Thanks Pat for the driving and paying for the trips with the family, as they are growing up so fast and may not want to travel with their grandparents when older.  Julie has the kids so busy with activities that it is getting harder and harder to plan a trip.  Katelyn had to miss a few activities to go with us this summer.  She really wanted to go and we were glad that she did.

      Love looking back on the videos and pictures as we took on our “Trips of a Lifetime.”  I have great memories, and so different than my memories of traveling with Angie and Julie when they were young.  We traveled in a station wagon and slept in a popup camper with no air conditioning, bathroom or fridge.  I better stop complaining about our new camper.  It is so hard not to think about the cost of this new RV.  If it had it my way, I would have tried to purchase one at a garage sale or thrift store.  Just dreaming!

Happy 6th Birthday Easton

April 10, 2015

Dear Easton,

     My writing goal this past year was to write a Happy Birthday to each of my grandchildren.  We were in Texas during your birthday, and I was too busy to write you a birthday letter.  Also grandpa’s laptop was not working.  Happy 6^th birthday to my big boy.  I take my memory back to the day you were born.  On Monday, March 23, 2009 your mom called early in the morning to say that she was in labor.  I took the day off.  They dropped off your sisters and went to the Med Center.  Grandpa had to go to work, so Bernie came over to babysit.  This was so I can leave for the hospital when your Daddy calls.  You took a long time to get out.  Your mom would have labor pains and then they would slow down, she only had about 2 ½ hours of hard labor.  The doctor had even left during the evening to attend a baseball game.  Your dad called and said you weren’t going to come until the late evening.  But around 5:00PM Sean called to say to come up to the hospital that things were moving along.  I left the house when the tornado sirens were going off and tried to race the storm.  When I got to the Med Center off of 42^nd the sirens down there were going off.  I was there only a short time and you were born at 6:01PM, weighed 9lb 12oz and was 21 ½ in long.  The baseball game that the doctor was going to attend was cancelled due to the storm, so he was there to help with your delivery.  Julie was having problems with the afterbirth, so I got to hold you and talk with you.  I love being there when my grandchildren are born.  We knew that your name was going to be Easton but we did not know the middle name of Patrick after Grandpa.  So that was a big surprise.

      It was a couple of hours and the afterbirth still had not been delivered.  They were going to take Julie to surgery to remove it.  Mom had some bleeding problems when you were 3 months and thought that she had lost you.  The doctor thought that maybe the placenta had fused inside.  The doctor even said that maybe he would have to do a hysterectomy.  I remember Julie pleading with him to not do that because she wants to have more children.  Sean emailed everyone from church etc. to pray.  I left Julie to go home to put the girls to bed, so Bernie could go home.  I also prayed and prayed.  I wanted more grandchildren.  God answers His children’s prayers.  They put mom out for the surgery and the afterbirth came out with no surgery.  God answered our prayers.

     Some of my memories of you as a young boy before you were 2 years old were the time you climbed out of the pack and play downstairs.   You went into the toy room and found your toy pliers and then went around the room unplugging the electric cords from the sockets with the pliers.  You had this thing about plugging in cords like blow dryers, curling irons, and even crock pots.  I had to hide all plug in devices from you when you came to visit.  You also would take things apart that had screws.  You had really good fine motor control for such a little one.  You did not talk much, since you did not have to.  You had two sisters that did the talking for you.  Then all of a sudden you began to talk.  On one trip to Lincoln you talked about such random things like parking lots along the way, just to talk.

      When you ate you would stuff your cheeks with food.  I was always worried you would choke.  I would tell you to slow down and chew.  You loved hot dogs and still do.  Fish crackers were your favorite snack.  When I would take you kids on a walk, you were so slow.  You would stop and study items.  Your mind was probably thinking about how it was built or put together.  You are so much like your dad.  You love the things that he loves and love going places with your dad and grandpa.  You fish, bike, shoot guns and bows, and build things with your Lego’s or other items that you find.  You can go off and play by yourself and keep yourself entertained.  You also like to cook.  I taught you how to break an egg open a few years ago.  You were so proud that you could do that.  You are a great helper and love to vacuum.  When you were really young and Weston would get into the dirt of my plants and spread it around.  You were right there warming up my vacuum.  I still think at times you may have made the mess just to get a chance to vacuum. 

     Your favorite thing to do now is to play a game called Mind Craft.  You have tried to explain it to me but I just don’t understand.  It is something to do with building cities on your I Pad.  You love sharing with me about the things you are learning such as counting by 5’s, 10’s and 25’s.  You might even tell me about space or science.  Even at age 6, you are still my baby and still love to cuddle.  You like it when I tuck you in and sing you the “Go to sleep” song.  I call you my little snuggle bug.  You love exploring and hunting down bugs and other creatures.  When I take you to the pond behind our house, you are always looking for ways to make your own fishing pole from a stick and old fishing line that was left behind.  I have some great memories of the many camping trips that we have been on.  You were just asking last week when we were going camping.  I told you to ask Grandpa.  You are really interested in helping Grandpa set up the camper and then get it ready to go home.  The sewer system really has always concerned you.  How your poop and pee is stored under the RV and then emptied by the sewer hose at the campground.  You are also in charge of turning the table into you and Weston’s bed at night and then back to the table for breakfast.  You are very patient with me, and will remind me that you are Easton when I call you Weston.  You both look so much alike.  You will always pick out books with big print that I can see when it is time for a bedtime story.  You will ask, “Grandma can you see this book?” You will also take my hand and help me cross streets by watching for cars, etc.  My big helper boy!      I could go on and on about my many memories of you and how much I love you.  I am so glad you liked our present that we gave you for your 6^th birthday.  Angie sent us a picture of you holding the $20 bill with your huge smile.

Love, hugs and kisses to my snuggle bug Easton!

Grandma Rene McQuinn

Dear Unborn Grandchild

April 6, 2015

Dear unborn grandchild,

     You have been on my mind and in my prayers since I first heard about you.  I was in Tx and your family called by Facetime.  When they told me I thought that they were teasing me.  I was very surprised when I realized that they were telling me the truth.  I was so excited that I had to go out to the clubhouse that evening so I could tell my friends the news.  Grandpa was happy also and he told the kids that we would have to get a larger RV.  They all screamed and may have had visions in their minds of some of the dream $500,000 RV’s that we toured in Florida last Nov.  We are not getting a new RV.  We can always put a few kids in a tent outside as they get older.

      Your mom had gotten rid of all her baby things when they moved.  I got rid of all my baby things except a high chair and baby toys.  Before we left for Tx I went through all the toys and had picked out all the baby toys along with other baby items that I had not sold and would sell at our spring garage sale.  They will all go back into the toy room, so you will have something to play with when you visit with your family, or I get to babysit. 

We do not know your gender, but I had a dream in Tx that we were coming back April 2016. We stopped by to see you kids and I was holding a little girl 6 months old with brown eyes and light brown hair.  She looked like Weston when he was that age.  No I do not believe in dreams.  It does not matter whether you are a boy or girl.  My mom knew that my first Angie was going to be a boy.  She even bought boy gifts for her shower.  I remember a wood wagon that she bought, that Angie did play with as she pulled her dolls around in.  If you are a boy it will be noisier around your house.  You can wear Weston’s  hand me downs, plus you will have siblings closer to your age.  If you are a girl, it means more girl tears and moods to deal with.  Plus another wedding that your parents will have to pay for when you fall in love.   

      I was able to be at the births of your siblings, so I hope things work out to be at your birth also.  It was four of the joys of my lifetime.  To witness the birth of a grandchild is indescribable.  I am praying for you and your birth.  The Lord has a great plan for your life.  My job as your grandmother is to pray for you as you grow and mature as you follow God’s plan for your life.  I also get to snuggle and love you as I shower you with kisses.  I gave you my first kiss when I kissed Julie’s baby bump a week ago. 

      This will be my first entry into your binder that I plan to start for you.  Your siblings have two binders full of pictures, letters, and writings.  You will be able to read about family members who are no longer living, and other things that I have written about.  I will write about your birth and other developments as you grow.  I kept journals for your mom and your aunt Angie.  

     Let me tell you about the family that you will be born into.  Your mom my second daughter, is the best mom one can ever have.  Sure she is not perfect but she does want the best for her family.  She gets really tired and gets really cranky when she is hungry.  She has been that way her whole life.  She would come home from school and take a nap.  I had no trouble getting her to take naps or get to bed early.  She is following God’s plan for her family.  She is homeschooling and teaching her children of God’s love and grace.  She is a child of God and believes that Jesus died on the cross for her sins and rose again.   She has believed this fact since she was a small child.  She is so beautiful and I am proud of her as she works so hard to educate her children and others.  She is turning out to be a kind loving sister to my oldest daughter Angie.  Angie recently moved to Grand Island and Julie and Sean have welcomed her by inviting her to dinner and play time with your siblings. 

      Your dad is a great dad.  He loves your mom and the Lord and has the desire to follow God’s plan for his life.  You will grow up learning to shoot, hunt, and fish, use a bow, swim, bike and learn to build things.  You will also need to learn how to handle a play sword or towel to defend yourself against your dad.  

      Jocelyn will be your second mother.  She was great with Weston when he was little and could settle him down when he was missing his mom.  She is such a great big sister to all you kids.  She will be a super helper around the house.

     Katelyn will be your third mom.  She is older and wiser now and will be a great help.  She has such a kind heart and is always looking around for ways to help.  She loves reading and will read you many books.

     Easton will be able to teach you how to build things.  He is so much like his dad.  He is a young engineer and is always thinking about how things are made and put together.  He will be able to answer your many questions about random things like electricity and space.

     Weston will be your best buddy, since he will be closest to you in age.  If you are a girl he will watch over and protect you.  If you are a boy you will have to learn to defend yourself when you get older and will spent a lot of time wrestling you to the ground.  He may even share his Spiderman costume with you.   

      Angie will be your aunt that will shower you with gifts and love along with your great aunt Nan my sister.  You will have other family members on both sides that will love you as much as we do.  PS -If Angie is watching you, do not have a poop blow out.  She still has not forgotten the time she was left with Jocelyn and had to give her a bath due to the poop blow out.  She still remembers the smell.  She was the one that had taken Jocelyn out to eat and let her eat foods that were new to her.

    I and your grandpa will take you on trips and go camping.  We are going to wait until you get older unless your mom is along with you.  You will probably be my last grandchild, so I will cherish the memories that I make with you.  I will read to you bedtime stories, and sing you the “Go to sleep” bedtime song as I tuck you in.  I might as well as tell you now, that you will not find many sweets at our house.  No pop to drink either.  Grandpa will buy popsicles or ice cream sandwiches for the kids to eat.  This way he can eat the ones that are leftover after the grandkids go home.

    Can’t wait to hold you and witness your birth if everything works out timing wise.

Love and Kisses.

Grandma Rene McQuinn