My Granny died this morning. She was my dad's Mom and lived here in the Cincinnati area. She was survived by her husband of a zillion years, Grandpa Stan, her three children: John, Susan, and Sarah; three grandchildren: me, Joni, and Curtis; and three great-grandchildren: Patriot, Azlan, and Elias. I don't know the exact cause of death. Her health had been failing for a while now, and she was taken to the hospital last night with stroke symptoms. They determined she had fluid in her lungs and carbon monoxide poisoning. I'm sure we'll learn more in time.

I remember a lot about Granny. She always told a story about when I was a child and she was taking me to the zoo. I was upset because I didn't have new sandals, but I apparently pronounced it "sanders," which she loved.

We used to go to Granny's house for Christmas every year and she always made the best pressed cookies! When she started getting sick and couldn't bake anymore, I secretly tried to mimic her cookie recipe every year, but they were never quite right. I'm sure she'd have given me the recipe had I asked . . .

Granny was quite the card player! She played all kinds of different card games, but we played a lot of Uno around her kitchen table.

Granny loved bird watching. I think cardinals were her favorite. She always had a bird feeder or two set up and could tell you about all the different kinds.

She always used to sing the John Anderson song "Just a Swingin'" -- I have no idea why. She was a Cincinnati Reds fan, especially Johnny Bench. But she was always disappointed by the Bengals (just like the rest of us!). She had also gotten into Nascar and had her favorite drivers, but I couldn't keep up with all of that.

Granny was a spirited woman! She kept up with politics and current events and had an opinion about all of it. She and Matt had several friendly sparring matches, but she always won!

I remember she cried when I told her I was pregnant with Patriot. She said, "I didn't think I'd live to see any of my great-grandchildren." Not only did she live to see them, but she attended Patriot's first birthday party. When Azlan was born, she held him for the longest time and then asked us to take him because he was just too heavy.














She requested to be cremated and have no funeral service, so we're going to have a small graveside service for her. If the circumstances are right, I think I might take the boys (or at least Patriot). Neither have ever been to a cemetery or had any real encounter with death. I don't think Granny would mind if they raised a little ruckus.

My little blog is turning 1 today!

Thank you for reading my random thoughts and enduring my endless pictures of the boys. I see my blog as my electronic scrapbook, because we know I don't have time for all those stickers and stamps that come with regular scrapbooks! The boys and I have already been able to reminisce about Halloweens and snow days by scrolling through this blog. Maybe someday we'll look back and remember how Wii-obsessed Patriot is and how Azlan's appetite is never satisfied. Your comments add to our memories, so please keep them coming!

I hope you like the new look! Change is hard and I keep thinking "Maybe I'll just go back to the pink." However, if I've learned anything as a parent, it's to accept and welcome change because it's coming whether you're ready or not!

Now, do they sell blogiversary cake at Wal-Mart bakery?

It's always interesting to see how your kids react to a new baby. You hope they're going to be kind and gentle, playing peek-a-boo and all those adorable things that make great pictures. This past weekend Matt and I took the boys down to Knoxville to meet their new cousin Elias. We had a great visit, and here's the photographic proof.

Patriot did great with Baby Eli. We had talked a lot about it -- even checked books out of the library to read to him and gathered some of our baby toys to take to him -- so Patriot was well prepared. Plus, he'd already survived a baby brother, so he kind of knew what to expect.

Azlan was a different story. He wasn't unkind to the baby, just not really interested. I had to work hard to even get a picture of both of them. Azlan did fuss a couple of times when I held Baby Eli. Otherwise, Azlan just did his thing.

Matt taught Eli about the iPhone -- looks like Eli enjoyed it!

We tried and tried to get a picture of him smiling. I think this is the closest we got. He's really getting to be a cutie!

And who doesn't need another cute pic of my boys? Especially one taken in the bathroom!

Patriot had a couple of milestones on this trip:

1. He graduated to a booster seat! We've had to scrunch him into his car seat for a while, so I think it's time. He looks so grown up sitting in a big seat with a regular seat belt.
2. He's nighttime potty trained! It's been some time since he's had a wet Pull-up in the morning, but I'd been scared to give them up. This weekend, however, I forgot to pack any, so we gave it a go. He's stayed dry every night so far!
3. He's never allowed to go back to Tennessee. Or at least to leave Tennessee. He threw up again when we came home. Some of you may remember our last fateful trip home from Tennessee. Fortunately, this was not a repeat performance and he waited until we got home to throw up. I cannot explain what about this trip makes him sick, but I'm not doing it again. The good news? My sister is moving to Missouri, so we won't have to make any sacrifices.

Justin, Joni, and Elias are doing well and adjusting to life as a family. Check out Justin's blog to hear about their move (and a lot of bad news about gas prices).