Granna's Brag Book

Following Addi’s game on Tuesday night, I made the comment to David on the way home that I though Addi loved playing softball more than any of the other girls in the whole league. I told him I guessed I was just prejudice, and maybe everyone else did not see it that way, but she was just having such a great time. She has even patented a little dance when she gets on base that I heard one of the coachs refer to as “The Addi Dance”. If grins are any indication of happiness, she has had one on all season. She has had so many people come to see her play, probably more than any of the other girls in the league. She developed a Miss America wave that she would wave at the stands as she went to bat. Everyone soon fell under her influence and would look for that wave. We worried that she might have a hard time learning to hit the ball at her age- wrong. I don't know what her batting average was, but I will say this much- it was higher than some of the girls that made All-Stars. Next year if her fielding catches up to her batting, she will probably be an All-Star. She was, even if she is my grandchild, a definite crowd favorite. Well, last night proved me right. Addi received the award for Most Outstanding Player in the Sweeties League, 2007. All of the coaches voted on this award. The commissioner gave this special 2 or 3 minute speech (little did we know that Addi was about to receive the award) about all of the wonderful attributes that the winner of the award had- then they called Addi’s name and a little red-headed girl came running in from the outfield, grinning from ear to ear, to the applause of everyone in the crowd. I teared up. She was so cute, having not a clue as to what she was receiving, but loving every second of getting a medal. I hate that Paul missed it- who would have guessed that one of the very few 4 year olds in the whole league would win this honor. After the ceremony she proudly showed her medallion, telling everyone that it was very special. Am I proud- you bet! If she never wins another medal, ribbon, trophy, or award, last night was a crowning moment for her Granna. What fun it is to have grandchildren!

New Blog Name

Okay- I am faced with a dilemma. My blog has had the perfect “rhyming” name- “Addi, Levi, and Hannah’s Granna.” With the arrival of baby Lila (or at least we THINK baby Lila), I am perplexed with what my new blog title should be. I have had the kids in chronological order, but I am tinkering with Addi, Levi, Lila, and Hannah’s Granna. The Hannah and Granna just have such a good sound. What do you think?

Granna, he usted to know my name….

Sunday was Mothers Day and I had the joy of spending time with my children. Daniel called, but he was preaching so I did not see him. We had celebrated earlier with a wonderful meal that Daniel cooked. I love my kids, and they were very kind to me on this special day. I had a moment of thought about my own mother and I could not even start to write about how wonderful she was, or how much I still miss her after these almost 9 years.
After lunch, David, Kim, Addi, MaMa, and myself made a trip to the nursing home to see PaPa. It was after lunch and PaPa was sitting in the TV room sound asleep. We shook, and called his name, but PaPa was out of it. Addi got in front of him and started yelling,
”PaPa, PaPa!” Finally David helped him get on his feet and he looked down at Addi and for a brief second, there was a smile. Addi asked Kim, “Why doesn’t PaPa know my name?”
I took Addi for a walk to the front hall to see the bird atrium. As we were walking Addi asked- “Why do these old people like me?” That was a simple answer- you are cute and they don’t see many kids. Then she said, in her absolute sweetest voice ever, “Granna, he usted to know my name.” This, of course, was in reference to her PaPa Courington. Yes, he “usted” to know all of our names, but now that is no longer the case. Sometimes he smiles like he recognizes that we might be somewhat familiar, but hardly ever a name. Addi does not understand Alzheimer’s , nor do I. It is a sad disease. It is a cruel disease. It is indeed, the long goodbye. So, we have to remember when PaPa did remember our names, and hold on to those memories. It is hard to watch someone that you love turn into someone that does not know you. But, he has no control over this disease, for if he did he would argue it down and overcome it! We love you, PaPa, and we know that your heart knows us even if your mind does not.

Let me tell you about my children.....

Let me tell you about my children……

Okay, I told you about my grandchildren on the last post, so today I will write about my children. I have 6 children- Kim, Paul, Josh, Katie, Daniel and Mandi. I only gave birth to 3 of them- Kim, Josh and Daniel. The other 3 are children by adoption- through marriage.
I will start with Kim. What can I say about the best daughter a mom could have? Could I say that I adore her? I do. She is just the best. She is a great wife and mother. She has my heart- as do her brothers. I would be lost without her, to say the least. I look forward to her calls and to hearing about her life. I am proud of the woman that she has become. She certainly has given us a lot of joy in the past 28 years. And then she found a young man that has to be the best in the world. Paul is part of our family, and I count him as my own. He has to be in the top ten of Dads in the world. He is such a hard worker and a good provider. He is shaping lives at school and at church. I am thrilled that in this whole wide world, Kim found Paul. I don’t know how God works in everything, but I do feel he had his hand in Kim and Paul’s meeting and marrying.
My middle child, Josh, is certainly special. I can’t imagine having a son any better. Josh has also brought an incredible amount of joy to our family. His excitement about life is contagious. I don’t know where he inherited his love of the outdoors, perhaps from my Indian heritage? Josh has always been such a hard worker and today he continues to rise early, work late, work extra jobs, and go the extra mile. He is such a fine Christian man. His prayers are so meaningful and sincere. He has taken to fatherhood, and Hannah adores him. His turkey calls are her greatest delight and I am certain that in time she will be in the woods with her dad. Josh added Katie to our family, and what a blessing. Katie belongs with us, I know. She has such a wonderful attitude about things. Katie is a great mom. She watches after Hannah so carefully. I have always been a little paranoid about certain things, and I can see the Katie is not going to make me nervous. I know that Hannah will not be allowed to walk through the parking lot without a hand to hold! Katie is a great daughter and I thank God for her.
My baby, Daniel- where to begin??? We kid a lot about Daniel, but what we would have missed if we had stopped short of #3! Daniel kept life interesting for us when he was younger. He was such a smart little kid (and still is), and now we are proud of where he is today. I know he is still finding his niche in life, but I think he is on the right track. Daniel has excelled in everything that he has tackled. Daniel’s love for God and for the church makes me the proudest. I know he is going to do great things for the Kingdom. He is my baby, and I love him dearly. My dear Mandi is my newest child. She is Daniel’s heart, and it thrills me to see what a great match they are. Mandi, like Paul and Katie, is a special member of this family. Being an only child, Mandi inherited a lot when she got this bunch. Mandi always has a good story to tell and she is interesting to talk with. Mandi loves Daniel, and I thank her for that. Mandi cares for people of all ages, from the youngest to the oldest. I feel that we have had her all of her life.
Okay, so now I have told you about my children. They are special, aren’t they?