I took dinner out to my maternal grandmother tonight. Thursday's are my night to take dinner into her. We (my mom, sisters and sister's in law) take a different night of the week to fix her dinner. She will be 90 on Valentines Day 2002. She is doing amazingly well. She doesn't drive any more but she still works in her garden and around the yard. Anyway McKenna, my four year old daughter, came with me to deliver dinner. We did a drive by dinnering because we still had other places to go. But we went in and gave her hugs and kisses and chatted for a minute. As we were walking out the door grandma said to take the newspaper that was sitting by the door and drop it off to my dad. As we were driving away McKenna asked why grandma was sending the paper to my dad. I told her it was because she couldn't read it very well because her eyes didn't work as well now that she was old. Then McKenna asked me a question that brought tears to my eyes. "Old like the spider, mom? Old like Charlotte?" She was talking about Charlotte the spider from Charlotte's Web I couldn't answer her because I was choked up. Then she asked "Is she going to die?" When I finally found my voice I told her that yes one day we all die. "But little kids don't die. Right mom?" That was a question that I didn't think could be answered while driving in a car, her in the back seat and me in the front. I will answer that one later.
As I had time to ponder her question about Charlotte and how it related to my grandmother I realized just how much my mother, my mother-in-law, my grandmothers and all women are like Charlotte. We all do some pretty amazing things during our lives. Sometimes the world sits up and takes notice and sometimes they don't but the things that go unnoticed are just as amazing, and most times more so, than those that are noticed. Everyone paid attention to what Charlotte wrote in her web. It was out there for all to see and it saved the life of her friend, Wilbur. But she considered her greatest accomplishment to be her egg sac, her family, her posterity.
I know that I have been amazingly blessed to have six beautiful "Charlotte's" who have influenced my life (there are many more "Charlotte's" that I know but I choose to focus on the ones that are dearest to me). First and foremost my mother, then two incredible biological grandmothers, an amazing mother-in-law and two wonderful grandmothers by marriage. The time is coming, not far off, when some of my "Charlotte's" will no longer be where I can be with them physically. My paternal grandmother's 85th birthday is coming up in March of 2002 and yet it is highly unlikely that she will celebrate that day. But I will celebrate. I will celebrate all of these women because even though most of their works were not held up for the whole world to see they will be held and treasured and kept by me, in my heart. I will carry them through the years and hopefully pass them on to my children. For I know that my six "Charlotte's", like the one created by E.B. White, hold their families to be their greatest accomplishments. And that, I believe, is as it should be.
I started shopping for Jona's birthday today. It isn't until next month but I need to get started. I got him a talking Larry Boy doll that has ear plungers that you can shoot out of his head. And I got him a Spiderman set. I would like to get him one of these as well but I don't know if there is any place around here that sells them. I will have to call Toys R Us, maybe they have one. He also wants a Veggie Tales T-shirt...anyone know where I can find one of those??
Mckenna is playing with a cousin today so it's just me and George until later this afternoon. He was with me when we bought the stuff for Jona and he is upset that he can't play with them. Birthdays are hard on George...well the birthdays that aren't his. He still is trying to figure out why he doesn't get presents.
I also need to get Halloween costumes going. McKenna wants to be a Princess and we are hoping that my sil has a dress that will work. She got a tiara for her birthday so we will just use that. I want to get George a Buzz Lightyear costume and I am going to "attempt" to make a Larry Boy costume for Jona out of poster board. Cross your fingers that it will work. If it does I will sure post pictures so you can see what it looks like.
I also sat down and started my Christmas lists for the kids. Hopefully I can go out this month and get everything put on layaway. Don't you just love layaway departments? I sure do. I wish Target has one but they want you to get a credit card so that they can make money off of the interest. Oh well there is still KMart and WalMart.
--------------------What do you know?
Gosh so long since I blogged. Just haven't felt up to it I guess. Plus not too much to blog about. I've been walking and doing sit-ups to help with my back pain and it seems to be working. If I can't get out and walk for a couple of days my leg and back really start to hurt but I just get back out there and walk and the pain goes away. A side benefit of the walking is that I am slimming down. I still need to lose about 25 pounds but I am down 25 from my heaviest and hopefully I wont let myself get back to there again.
I was able to attend the Women's General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was wonderful. I was actually able to be in the Conference Center. That place is so immense. It doesn't look that big from the outside but it is indescribable once you get in there. It was wonderful to feel and see the presence of a Prophet of the Lord. I watched him off and on through the meeting and it was just so comforting. And when he left he had his wife on his arm. It just made me smile. Although I wonder if President Hinckley ever has marital problems? I doubt it. One of the women spoke about how important Motherhood is and how we need to recognize that in our lives. The talks should be online tomorrow night, I will link to them once they are up. Very good advice. I rode up to Salt Lake with three other women from my ward, a mother and two of her daughters. We talked about the events of September 11th among other things. It was nice to have adult conversation.
As we drove home we had guys try to pick up on us a couple of times. It was very strange. Once on the freeway I looked over and there was this car right next to us with this guy waving and smiling. They stayed next to us for a while then when the realized that nothing was going to come of it they took off. Then again on State Street in American fork a guy comes cruising past and looked over and smiled and kept looking back. Then as we hit the stop light he puts his top down...he was in a convertible. One of the ladies made a comment that the strutting of males doesn't just occur in nature, it was occuring right before our eyes! It was cracking me up because of the four of us only one was single. The mother of the two other ladies is getting close to 50 and the married daughter is expecting her first child. I can't even tell you how long it's been that I have had a guy try to pick up on me. Not that I want to have a guy try to pick me up but it was nice in a strange way. Maybe some of the reason that I don't get hit on too often is that I am usually with my husband or have a couple of kids in tow or if I don't have the kids they can still see the car seats in the back...think that makes a difference?
My smile for the day came from George who, while sitting at the table with his mac and cheese for lunch, would sing "Happy Birthday You You!" (this is actually what he says) each time before he blows on his lunch to cool it off. It just gave me my smile for the day to see and hear him do that. What a cutie.
