Only One Mother

When I was in first grade, my teacher, the dear Mrs. Sanders (who just turned 109 by the way), had a chart with the poem 'Only One Mother' printed neatly on it.  I, of course, could not read, but each day we would recite the poem until one day without even realizing it, I was reading!  Now, Mrs. Sanders was brilliant to use this to teach her small pupils, but the real inspiration for me was the connection I made instantly with the message.

Only One Mother

by George Cooper

Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky,

Hundreds of shells on the shore together,

Hundreds of birds that go singing by,

Hundreds of lambs in the sunny weather.

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,

Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,

Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,

But only one mother the wide world over.

Today, 51 years later, the poem came back to me just as I remembered it as a little girl who adored her mother.  Today I lost my mother, my one mother, my friend.

Today, Heaven celebrated her arrival.

Hundreds of kisses, Mom~

Caterpillars!

There were other guests at the house during PDub's visit over spring break...caterpillars!  It seemed that everywhere we went and everytime we turned around, there was another one!  Maybe they are taking over the world and we are turning into one big butterfly nation!  PDub was uncertain about handling them despite Grammy showing him they were harmless.  He couldn't resist the urge to stomp on one poor catty...squish!...now he knows they're green and gooey on the inside.  Ew...


It brought to mind a wonderful book I am sending his way.  This is the 40th anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.  It's a wonderful story of a caterpillar that awakens to a ferocious appetite.  As he eats his way through the vegetation, holes appear in the pages.  (Which is why I am buying the board book lap edition, so PDub can poke away!)  Sold at a rate of one every 30 seconds somewhere in the world, this wonderful book teaches counting, days of the week, metamorphosis, colors, fruits, nutrition, and most of all, that beauty can not be judged by what we see on the outside. This year, there is a special commemorative pop-up book that is especially fun for telling the story.

Here's hoping all those caterpillars, minus one, revisit us in their new butterfly bodies!

'cuse me.  I'm suddenly very hungry~

Lost and Found

Diapers...Buzz Lightyear...3 lbs...

What do they have in common?

Those were all lost during PDub's week with Grammy. 

I hope he keeps wearing the big boy underwear he wore while he was here.  It may not have been his favorite activity at Grammy's, but he sure made some great progress in using the potty. 

Buzz Lightyear, one of his favorite toys, went MIA somehow.  It's not exactly something that blends in easily, so I think it was a clever plan on Buzz's part to fly the coop. 

I lost 3 lbs.,apparently just from chasing PDub around and playing outside and not having time to stuff my face.  Pretty sure they will find their way back. 

Be on the lookout for Buzz~

Papallama and PDub

During Camp Grammy, we discovered that PDub was a different little guy around his Papallama than he was with the two of us.  I had to attend an out of town meeting, leaving the guys behind.  PDub was calm, easily entertained, soft spoken...

until I came home.

Then he was a wild child. Why is that?  I guess I just have that effect on my guys. They love me.

It's mutual~

Under Construction

Who doesn't have fond memories of playing in the sand box when they were little?  It is one more sign that spring and summer are back!  My daddy used to have a truck deliver wonderful clean sand right to the back yard sandbox frame.  (Why a truck? No such thing as Walmart back in the day, and he would have never guessed that one day you would buy sand in a bag.) Nothing beat that fresh sand. 

We thought a sandbox would be great entertainment for PDub, too!  We purchased an under the bed storage bin with a top, some bags of sand, and a set of Caterpillar trucks and tractors.  Total? Less than $20.  It turned out we could have saved a few dollars because the bin only held one bag of sand, but who can't use sand around the yard to fill in holes.

It was a huge hit!  He spent hours playing with tiny dinosaurs or trucks or both!  Being on the porch provided a safe, cool, and dry place to play just about any time of day.

Oh, I still love that wonderful cool damp sand.  Thanks, PDub, for taking me back...

Still diggin' it~

Day Two

PDub and Papallama couldn't wait to show me the 'sticks' PDub stacked on the trailer.  Hmmm...a grandson may be good for more than just kisses and hugs.

Take a load off~

Spring Break!

Kids will travel to Fort Lauderdale, Key West, and other exotic locations, but there will never be a match for a week with Grammy and Papallama.  Day One: playground, lake, geometric sandwiches, m&m's, chopping down trees, watching Scooby Doo, wearing big boy underwear, mashed potatoes, playing on the trailer, riding a tricycle, playing in a sprinkler, bubble baths, storytimes, lots of hugs and kisses...



Don't get too close to the...




water!


 Splash~