Mia

The school did something different this year. You had to pay for the portraits on the day they were taken. Even though Jaime went through a flurry to get everyone ready that day, none of us thought ahead enough to remember to send the money (if we had it). Something else was different, too. No proofs were sent home. Neither were they available online. When I finally got around to wondering where the pictures were, it was too late. I found that I could still buy them, but only sight unseen. I made a fuss, but it made no difference. Finally, I ordered a small package of Mia's pictures. They came yesterday. I was almost afraid to open the package. There she is along with Harriet (on the left) and beautiful. I don't know if we will get Jonah's pictures or if Cory and Steph got Jill's. But we had to get these first school pictures of Mia.

Fall Comes to Florida

 

Fall in Florida means 80 degrees instead of 90's and less humidity. Waiting for 70 degrees. It means getting out the Halloween and Fall decorations.

 

 Is this a weird seasonal rash???

 

Fall means school activities. Here is Jill and some of her friends in chorus getting ready to perform at Barnes and Noble.

 

Fall means celebrating Fall birthdays. We celebrated Alan's birthday at Senior Tequilla.

I made his favorite apple walnut cake.

 

 

 Everyone had a good time.

 

Unfortunately, fall also meant roof leaks. We finally cut a hole in the ceiling to see what was going on. If you look closely at the picture below, you can see many nails sticking through the wood roof.

 We had roof problems but also car trouble and a broken air conditioner. Arrggggg!

Beach Celebration

Mermaid!

Stephanie and Cory celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary by spending a week at their favorite beach spot. They invited me and Jaime and the kids to join them for a couple of days. We ate at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company. Here are some pictures. You can see that we had a great time. Stephanie's mom also came to spend some time with them before they finished off the week on their own. Happy Anniversary!

Tooth Fairy Visits Grandma's House

Jill drew a picture for the tooth fairy last night. She also left out her report card (all A's). She said that Stephanie told her that each of her teeth had a little GPS for the tooth fairy to find her wherever she was. At first I laughed, but then I thought if each cell of our body has the DNA to make a whole new person, why not a little personal signal device for God and magical creatures to find us anywhere. I like the idea.

Catching Up

 Mia is waiting to be fitted with a hair piece generously donated by a local salon.
Mia and her mom named the hair piece "Harriet".

The ceiling of my hall closet with the shingles torn off. It looks like the night sky through

 the Hubble Space Telescope!

 

 Jonah and Mia at the airport when he got home from Tennessee.

Jill got to spend time with her cousin, MacKenzie, this summer.

I haven't blogged in over the month. Is it the end of an era? I have been using Facebook instead. It is a quick way to communicate with my friends and even my family. Some of my favorite blogger friends have dropped off but I still follow several others. This blog has been a record for my grandchildren. I always thought I would make it into a book some day. I wanted continue blogging at least until Jaime and Aaron's wedding. That has come and gone. But for now I want to catch up with the latest happenings just for the record.

The 3 grandkids are doing great in school. I was really worried with Mia starting kindergarten, and Jonah moving on to middle school. I expected more drama but it didn't happen. Mia loves school. I pick her and Jill up at the circle drive every day after school and look forward to the news of the day while it is still fresh. Jonah catches the bus to middle school and comes home the same way. He is doing fine and he likes changing classes and going to PE. He solved the problem of changing at school by wearing his PE clothes under his school uniform (khaki pants, blue or white polo shirt). After just a few days of being walked to her new class, Mia started getting out at the circle drive and finding her class by herself. Big girl!

Mia got a new hairpiece to help cover her scar from the dog bite. We call it Harriet. She doesn't seem to mind when other kids ask her about her scar and actually seems to enjoy the attention. We had a long awaited court date where we met with a really nice judge. He took a look at Mia and the pictures we sent. He asked her some questions and we got a judgment against the owner of the dog. It was a big judgment, but it is unlikely that she will ever see any of it. At least we tried to make sure she is protected for what she faces in the future. The surgery to correct entails grossly stretching her scalp to grow more skin for a graft. The procedure is slow, painful, and prone to infection. We hoped to get it done before she started school, but now it appears that it will be many years away. At least she will be able to understand and cooperate with her treatment when it comes. I am hoping there is another option before she has to go through all that.

She just met with a new doctor - an oncologist who is interested in TSC (Tuberous Sclerosis Complex). She will analyze Mia's MRI's and investigate possible treatments. Mia takes medicine that controls her seizures, but we worry about the tubers that can grow in her brain and other organs. She is very lucky to have a mild case and no developmental delays, but she has a lifelong disease and we pray for the researchers to find a cure for this terrible genetic disorder.

Roger and I have been dealing with roof leaks in the bedroom and kitchen. My friend, Alan, and a roofer recommended by a neighbor, have been working on the leaks for a month and they are mostly gone. Unfortunately the roof is only 12 years old and a whole new roof is not in the budget this year. Now we are also having car problems even though our Ford Freestyle has less than 50,000 miles. Something always comes up when we think we are getting ahead.

Roger's granddaughter and grandson in Michigan have each had a baby in the last 6 months - a girl and a boy, Briella and Liam. I was hoping we could take a trip up there this fall to see and hold these new great grandchildren, but don't think we are going to make it this year.

Jaime, the kids and I are looking forward to visiting the beach this weekend with Steph and Cory to help celebrate their two year anniversary. I will take the camera.

We watched the Republican National Convention which was held here in Tampa. Our police department in Tampa did such a great job keeping everyone safe and even received kind remarks about their professionalism. We also watched the Democratic National Convention with interest.  Those events and the anniversary of 9/11 have me feeling very patriotic.

I attended a neighborhood meeting last night to meet and hear a presentation from our police chief, Jane Castor. My son-in-law, who is finishing up at the Police Academy, also attended as a new homeowner of 1 year. He was by far the youngest person attending. He said he felt out of place, but they had some good food and he enjoyed seeing our Police Chief. I am hoping he can join our Tampa Police Force soon.

That is the latest news from our family. Happy autumn! We are enjoying a little cooler weather today.

Jonah and Brody

Jonah and Seth

Jonah and Mia

Jonah is home after spending the summer at his Dad's house in Tennessee. But he is leaving Monday to go on vacation in Georgia with his Peepaw. Maybe he will learn to water ski. He has had quite a summer. Then when he gets home, it's off to middle school!

Jill's Postcard to Grandma

Jill's postcard. It says "Dear Grandma, My Cursuf (cursive) has gotten better. We are going some where that's a surprise. Love, Jill" The surprise was an ice cream shop.