Memories from Wiard's Cider Mill...

Fun at Domino Farms!

Week with the girls!

The week has come and gone but we had a blast with them!

Bela is starting to balance now without holding onto anything, giggling at whatever anyone else giggles at, can tackle her sister into a wrestling match and is too quick for anyone to catch when she spies any kind of food anywhere. You'd swear she was never fed! Bah, Bah, Bah are her favorite noises to make and if you start them first, she'll jump right in there with you. She got to eat her first cider mill donut and boy, was that a hit! She also got a feast of Italian spaghetti and thought my floors should enjoy the feast too! LOL! She loves Baby Puffs as they melted in her mouth but hates socks on her feet no matter how cold it is. You can't take your eyes off her, not even for a second, as she'll find whatever it is she shouldn't be in and then try to eat it. Bela is also the biggest snuggler I've ever seen, burying herself into Melissa. She loves kisses on the neck and giggles hard whenever she gets tickled.

Emma had a blast at our little park, finding that she really does love to swing higher and faster, can go down a slide faster than any kid I've seen without using her hands and can sing her ABC's and do a jig to the little piano located under the slide. "Kids, I swinging by self!" she kept repeating to the other kids once she overcame her fear of the swings. After buying her a new pair of brown suede shoes, she kept prancing throughout the condo with her Mr. Brown shoes thinking she was all that and more! With her Momma's dress on, she thought she was Cinderella and started singing Bippity Boppity Boo... Too funny... On a tractor, where most kids were just steering the big wheel, Emma was switching the gears and trying out all the gadgets. I don't think I've ever seen her so excited as she'd turn around on the ramp and start singing and dancing only to start driving the tractor again. She's our little farm girl and princess all at once.

A big thank you to Braden for letting them come for the week and letting us enjoy our time with them!!! The week absolutely flew by for us but I know it dragged for you. We all missed you and wished you could have been here as well.

Here are some pics of our little trips to Domino Farms (Old McDonald Farm, EIEIO), a visit to see Great Grandma Cobb and Wiard Cider Mill. I'll be posting more in the very near future. Enjoy!

Christmas Spirit

I just figured out that the holidays are just around the corner which normally throws me into a tiz about where I'm going to come up with the money and having to rack my brain once again for the perfect gift for that someone special. Not this year! I've decided to do things a little differently. With the business venture that I just got into - Mary Kay - I plan on donating all the proceeds I make to a needy family. My kids and family have more than enough and I know they'll be more than willing to give to others who are less fortunate instead. I'm already looking forward to Christmas - something I haven't done in years!

If you're interested in helping and would like to make a purchase, check out my website http://www.marykay.com/gcobb. Any purchases you make - I'll donate all the profit I would have made toward this fund. Tell your friends and family as everyone is invited to participate.

I'll put the cutoff date as November 30th so that I have time to know where I stand money wise, do all the shopping, wrap the gifts, and deliver them to some special people.

Call me if you have any questions or concerns!

On the mend

Had it been Halloween, Ron and I could have been some wonderful zombies these past couple of weeks! I never knew that eyes could swell up or get as ruby red as Ron's did! The black bruising underneath was a nice effect too... He seems to be on the mend as his eyes are just pink now with no swelling whatsoever... Me? Day 13 of the nastiest summer cold you'd ever want. Slowly getting better though!

On to better news! Jamie is finally home!!! She's been extremely busy trying to get everything she owns sorted and put away which is no slight task as space and the time to do it are very limited before school starts. I'm not sure how she's doing it, but everything is slowly finding a space somewhere.

Jamie got to see Emma and Bela in action via the WebCam yesterday! What a hoot! Bela is in constant motion now, not wanting to crawl anymore but consistently pulling herself up and wanting to walk. No more being left behind by her sister - not if she can help it!!! Emma showed Aunt Jamie her new purple monkey (which sings "Hey, Hey We're the Monkees") while wearing Bela's pink wrap around sun glasses! She's too cool for words! Boy, do I miss them!!!

Well, back to work... Take care everyone!

More pics from Aug visit!

Visit to the grandbabies!

Five wonderful days with the grandbabies! Although they were both sick, it was still fun to see them and take care of them as much as we could. Emma's fever got up to 105 degrees with a double ear infection, eye infection and a cold to boot. Bela got the cold and a double eye infection. We pretty much spent the days wiping leaky noses, running to buy popsicles, doing the doctor visits, and comforting them when they'd let us. That's ok as the temps outside were over 100 degrees with our final full day getting to over 105. You couldn't enjoy yourself outside for more than, oh say, 15 seconds without breaking a sweat! Me, I got treated to a full makeover from my new Mary Kay rep!!! I love the new look and can't wait to put on my new face - once I get over my cold (hence the red, runny nose)! LOL!!! We got to enjoy watching Bela going for everything she shouldn't have (and boy, can she crawl fast!), Emma's loud snoring (poor thing couldn't breathe), getting to watch Dumbo a thousand and one times (that movie seemed to comfort Emma), and Bela's knack for eating anything within reach (paper, my knee, cords, etc.). Bela's instant taking to her Momma's doll that we brought her was a hoot to watch as she sucked her thumb and played with the doll's hair.

Congrats to Eric and Niki!!!

A big congratulations goes to Eric on his new job promotion! Sounds like BB is treating you well and that you're enjoying your new career. Everyone is so happy for you!!!

Congrats to Niki on making it to New York what with everything that has happened recently. Bee sting in the eye and an emergency room trip for the leg? Please take care of yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So much excitement!

There's been so much happening of late...

Jamie arrived with a full truck of her stuff 2 weekends ago which we now have to find the room for. We're not worried about it - We'll figure it all out eventually. She still has to work for another 3 weeks in Chicago at her Architecture firm so she'll be back permanently around the end of August. We know she's just thrilled about being back home with Mom and Dad... Right.... And if you believe that, I have some land to sell you... She's become a true Chicagoan and will probably end up back there someday.

Congrats to Alex on his new Architecture job! We hope things are going well for him there and that it's everything they said it was!!! Know Alex that you're always welcome to come see us and stay with us anytime you want. You can come see Jamie too for that matter! hee hee...

Congrats to Niki on reaching the triple digits! Wow, to have hiked more than 1200 miles - I just can't begin to fathom! You're my hero and are definitely "Persistant"! I don't know of anyone else who would do what you're doing. Keep up the great work, keep away from the those nasty ticks and snakes, and keep us updated on your web page! I love reading about your adventures. See you very soon...

Congrats also to Melissa and Braden on being happy "unhomeowners"! That's a wierd thing to say, I know, but with today's economy, I'm glad I get to say it! We're thrilled that the closing took place without too much event after the recent thefts of your downspouts. Go figure! Now who would be desperate enough to steal downspouts the night before your closing??? No more dead squirrels, live snakes, or mice for me!!! Your backyard was a wild kingdom for the animals! That's one thing I won't miss!!! LOL!!! I will and do however miss your closeness more than you can imagine!

Ron was busy repairing the french drain from our side yard to the back alley this past weekend. With the last storm and the amount of flooding that occurred in the side yard again, we figured out that the grate we put in didn't fix the problem. It had to be something more. With a lot of digging in mucky clay and rocks, it turns out there were 3 something mores - 3 places where the buried drain pipe was completely busted open and Ron had to replace. Thank you to the people who installed the fence, caused us to be evacuated due to the busted open gas main, busted the french drain pipe, and then walked away. It's been 3 years of floods (one in our basement) and clay filled muddy shoes every time it rained hard. Not fun! Now, believe it or not, we think it's totally fixed and are praying for rain to see Ron's excellent work succeed. At least we have our fingers crossed! So much for maintenance free condo living!!! LOL!!!

Another 11 days and we'll be headed to see the Grupp Clan again! We're counting down the days! Not looking forward to the actual trip through those scary mountains - just the getting there!

Me, well I've been putting in a crazy amount of hours working as I now have 3 huge projects on my plate with more on the way. Funny how my team leader looked at my list of 48 things to be done at that time and told me that it would take me 5 years to get through them all. She's the one who gave me all these to-do's to begin with. Every time I turn around, I get more added and don't have any idea which one takes priority. Guess it's whoever screams the loudest! Ron had to drag me away yesterday just to get me out from in front of my computer. I totally felt guilty about not getting more done, but truly enjoyed the time we had in Brighton just walking in the park, together, alone.

Thankfully, Ron and I get to see Emma and Bela on a fairly regular basis via the computer camera. Today was no exception. What a trip those 2 are! They manage to make us laugh like you wouldn't believe. Today, Emma gave us a rather lengthy but hilarious rendition of a song she was making up on the spur of the moment. She did the dance moves (Irish jig) to it too! I wish Melissa could have taped it for everyone to see. Bela was rather quiet today but that's only because she had one thing after another in her mouth. That girl loves to eat anything and everything - computer cables included! She's awfully quick about it too. Melissa, you definitely have your hands full with those 2.

Well, it's back to work for me. My 10 minutes of relaxation of relating our recent lives is up and over. Talk to you all soon!

Wonderful Week!

Ron and I got to spend a wonderful week with the kids in South Carolina and although I tended to melt in their heat (I think I found every shady spot SC has), we came home with many wonderful memories...

Bela's beautiful big smile at all times, her falling asleep in my arms at Monkey Joes amidst all the music and kid noise, her Superman attempt at crawling (on her stomach with legs and arms up as if she's flying), and the total mess she turned out to be after her meals (Dominoes will never be the same). I still can't figure out how she sleeps with Emma running up and down the hallway squealing with surprise when her cat chases her... What a beautiful little baby she is!!!

As for Emma - she's a whirlwind unto herself! Her never ending energy and ability to run a hundred miles an hour or climb up and down steps - forever (the handrails will probably need to be repainted at Coldstones since Emma's hands were green from all her endless climbing!), how she was able to instantly use her new screwdriver, wrench, and cordless drill (you need to teach Grandpa how to use his... haha!), Emma's lit up face as she bit the pieces off of her candy necklace (yummy!), and watching her climb up to snuggle in her Grandpa's lap to watch her cartoons every morning.

Thank you Braden and Melissa for turning your heads and letting us spoil them just a little. It meant the world to us!!!

The week absolutely flew by and before you knew it, it was time to give our last kisses and say our good-byes. I don't think Ron and I talked for the first 2 hours after we left - it was just too hard...

The trip home!

The weekend home for the entire family was an absolute blur and flew by faster than expected. It was an absolutely fun weekend though as Emma picked up right where she left off - asking for Baby TV, treat milk (chocolate milk), and playing with Grandpa. It was as if she never left. Bela has grown so much in the time they were gone and is starting to scoot around. Before long, she'll be crawling. Sadly enough, the weekend came to an end and we had to say good-bye. Jamie got on her train and the Grupp clan flew back to South Carolina. Monday night there were no running footsteps, no requests for more Baby TV, no cooing in the background, no noises of any sort. The fun just came to an end...