Pancake Making and Memories...

Making pancakes this morning (by request of the hubby) and as I made them I requested Alexa to play one of my favorite breakfast making singer/songwriter/folk and child lore master--Dan Zanes.  

As we bopped to some random DZ, I realized that I not only think of fun times with his songs, but I specifically think of Michael.  And I mean YM - Young Michael.  

Not this guy (whom I love dearly): 

Must you take a picture of me, mom....

But THIS kid:

I guess this is part of parenting too....grieving for someone that is not here anymore in a sense...obviously, he is here and even that KID pops up every so often now....

He's so cute asleep!  :-)

But the cute 5 year old little boy has grown up, I have grown older...sometimes a little wiser...but mostly surprised when my spotty memory actually clearly remembers that little tyke and the fun times we have had.  

Huh...time again runs away from me...

So.  I thought I was going to try to keep up on this blog a bit more.  But, well...damn...its already February!

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Willow has been having a tough time lately.  Mainly, it can all come down to: she is a hormonal teenager who is quirky (i.e. probably on the spectrum somewhere) and she is going through Middle School.  So--basically, she is going through the worst years of childhood.  (ask anyone, would they like to be 13 years old again--ah...nope!!)

Last night, she came down and just sobbed and cried.  Her feelings were hurt, she felt bad, she had a bad day--and everything we said to help her---(especially ANYTHING her dad said) just made her cry more.

I cried a bit with her.  

And I know...there was nothing that really could be said.

Sometimes---you just need a good cry.

2022 So far...

Yeah, so far so good...but we are only 9 days in, right?

We had our first snow storm (which was really not too bad).

Since it is cold-ish, winter-ish and pandemic-ish---we have been spending a lot of time at the house.  Sometimes even having some family togetherness times!

Happy New Year!  She even got a little Plum Wine!

Maybe a beaker off plum wine doesn't look as appetizing...

Speaking of appetizers--what's NYE without them?

Playing the game Michael got me for my birthday!

Willow painted my nails!

Knight says hey.

Michael takes on Knight...

Rare photo of both dad and daughter.  

Checking on Lucifer, who has impressed the Vet as to how well he is recovering and healing!

Hanging out, watching a movie...

Christmas/Birthday 2021

So, this year has given 2020 the run for its money...with medical issues and various stages of opening and closing, masking and unmasking, etc.

Finally started feeling like myself on December 22, and now we are having a subdued Birthday/Christmas.

Its been good, even in its weirdly slipshod way.

As Willow said "I am content."

X-mas morning, time for some candy!

New Coat -- and Kif.

Last night--opening gifts....and Kif.

Lighting of our memorial candles.  We remember a memory for each person and then light it. One for Paul, one for Grammie, one for Grandma...the one for Chewy's dad gets lit on New Years Eve.

Michael's gift--Hammer Dracula figure.

Gift from Michael--a cuddly shark character.

Willow wanted a K-Pop band CD--comes with stickers and 

Birthday cake!

Birthday dinner--Japanese steakhouse!

Birthday gift

Complete Lego Advent Calendar!

Ending the Year on an Obvious Note...

Welp, I got Covid-19.  It has been a very busy year for us medically speaking, so why not just finish the year off with THE Sickness that is plunging the world into a Pandemic Rollercoaster!  Sure!

The good news--no one else in the family tested positive.  The other good news---since I am vaccinated, I feel crappy, but not AWEFUL and I am definitely getting better and shouldn't need to be hospitalized.  

I can definitely tell this is "something different" than a normal cold/flu thing though.  My main symptom has been a LOT of Fatigue.  Its a very annoying thing to not be able to get things done because you just feel exhausted (and this is after sleeping quite well!)

So...there is that.

ROAD TRIP THANKSGIVING

We finally were able to make the long road trip to North Carolina to visit my dad and his wife.  We have tried to go two other times, but, you know, the whole PANDEMIC thing....

I was a bit trepidatious, as the last time we made the trip, Chewy was having a massive TNA attack  and Michael was having anxiety/IBS issues...and Willow threw up all over me the night before Thanksgiving (we concluded she was not sick, she just ate ALOT of Oreos).  So, yeah, it hadn't been as good a trip as we would have hoped.

This trip, this bizarre year-of-still-dealing-with-pandemic-and-rampant-people-stupidity actually worked out very much the opposite!  

The worst thing of the trip was the Traffic and the time it took to go there and back.  OTHERWISE, it was great!

We got to spend quality time with family, my children were well behaved AND engaged...a VERY big deal for someone on the Autism spectrum, and especially since social isolation has made its impact too on them.

We played board games, ate good food, had good conversations. We listened to Weird Al, an audio book of the HitchHikers Guide to the galaxy.  

With all the mess of this past few years, it was very much needed and very much life affirming.

I wish my dad lived closer, but at least this time I felt like he was able to actually get to know my children and get some insight to our little family.  It was definitely quality time!

Okay, pictures...

Willow sleeping while we are driving 12+ hours...(that is her bread pillow)

Her eye mask says "meh"  (that pretty much sums up 13 yr. old Willow)

First stop shake at Vernon's Diner

IHOP tree

Grandpa and Margo--Grandpa as a Pumpkin Waffle at Brigs

First Breakfast in NC

Seafood Scramblies and GRITS (YUM)

Dinner at the Olive garden--Willow was treated like a princess.

When in the hotel, Willow had two modes....

Second mode...

Playing one of our favorite board games.  Michael explained it very well.

And even some pool time.

Thanksgiving Dinner!  Thank you Margo!

Thanksgiving Dinner setting.

On the road back...