Choosing Her Religion...

I know I'm in trouble when my kids, mostly Mathew, ask me not to put something in my blog that I find extremely funny. So, Matt...I will try my best to behave.

Maddie strikes again...Matt and Rhea were having a conversation with Madalynn one night last week whilst I was attending one of my Board Meetings. Madalynn announced that she was seriously considering joining the Catholic Church (predominant religion here in the Chicago area). Quite curious as to her selection Matt asked her what made her come to that decision. The answer was quite simple..."It is the closest church to our house," said Maddie.

She's Got the Look!

I watched Sofia the day before Easter so Katie could go out and do some Easter Bunny shopping. I was taking a couple of pictures of her when she gave me 'the look.'

The Irish side of may family calls this 'the go to hell Hanlon look.' A goodly percentage of the Hanlon side of the family has inherited this delightful face off. I am sure it isn't genetics - rather it is an Irish Attitude - and my lovely baby granddaughter has it.

I watched Mikey, Ella and Sofia this past Sunday afternoon so their parents could have a little adult time. Madalynn went with me and kept Ella and Sofia occupied with teenage activities. Mikey and I played the Wii Star Wars Lego game. Mikey is amazing because he knows every one of the characters from the original trilogy. His favorite ride is Bobo Fett's Slave - personally I am all over the Millennium Falcon.

My grandchildren keep me young and, somewhat, active. Each child has brought something special to my life and make me better because they are here on earth! I normally do not discuss Jim Brown but today I will digress. It is very difficult to understand his behavior. He has not seen nor held four of his grandchildren. He hasn't seen Michael or Mathew in almost 15 years and it has been about 6 years since he last spent time with Trisha. I am sorry for his loss...these children of mine have grown into lovely people and have blessed me with beautiful and intelligent grandchildren - albeit a bit boisterous at times. I don't want to miss watching these babies growing up!

"Children will not remember you for the material things you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them." ~Richard L. Evans~

Oh No...Snow

It is hard to believe this is what we woke up to on Monday morning (April 06, 2009)! I knew we were in trouble when I saw the snow falling early Sunday evening. I had to find my gloves, hat, heavy coat and, most importantly, that doo dad that scraps ice and snow off of the windows. Thank goodness we didn't need to go searching for the snow shovel!

I am not going to go on and on about the snow but goodness gracious enough is enough!

Mikey...My Favorite Grandson...

I love my Mikey! He is so much like his mother in temperment but he sure looks like Michael. I must add that I am delighted he has his mother's temperment. She is kind and compassionate - both excellent qualities.

Mikey played T-Ball last year and football. He was very good at both but you can tell he LOVES football. He does well in school and is very considerate to everyone but Ella...just kidding! For a while he had a sign on his bedroom door...No gurls can come in. Ella has become a bit squeamish about sleeping alone so Mikey lets her come in and sleep in his double bed. One day he confided in me - telling me he thought Ella had issues (his words not mine). Quite funny coming from a 6 year old about his 4 year old sister.

He is very sweet with Sofia but there are times when he has just had enough of the gurls!

He loves all things WII and I have contributed to his enjoyment of computer games. He and I play Zelda together though it is for an older age group.

Mikey is all things wonderful and 500% boy! I have been blessed with truly fantastic grandchildren!

Plating...not to be confused with skating!

Maddie could keep me in stories forever. I wish I had time when my children were growing up to keep a blog about their comings and goings. But then again we didn't have the internet when my kids were growing up...
So...Matt and Rhea flew to Southern California last week to attend Allison's Bat Mitzvah. Maddie had school so we stayed here and it was business as usual. I decided I would go home early every night I could so I could spend more time with Madds. Last Wednesday night I walked in about 4:30 p.m. - to everyone's surprise. Yes...I mean everyone's surprise. Maddie had a gaggle of girlie girls at the house...Sam, Emily (Maddie's partner in most crimes), Yugoda, Carrie and Jaylynn. On the table were a stack of nice white glass plates. The girls decided to take a walk around the block before I was going to take them to church. My last words as they departed..."I'm not sure what you are doing with those dishes but DO NOT throw those dishes. Put them in the trash before you get yourself into trouble." Yeppers...famous last words!
So I am cleaning up - doing a bit of laundry and I get a phone call from Jaylynn's mother - asking me to go to the high school because the police are holding the girls. It seems the girls decided to use the plates as skates. They broke glass all over the school parking lot with their antics. The police made them pick up all the glass. The principal of the school asked the kids involved to meet him on Saturday morning to clean up the grounds of the school.
Madalynn was quite upset because her friends did not confess and own their misdeeds. Perhaps she will find the lesson in this and understand she must make her choices without influence from her friends.
Anywho...she was restricted to the house for the weekend and had to do copious amount of chores! And that is another story!!!

March Madness

I can't believe it is already March 12, 2009! They say time flies when you are having fun but I think it really works both ways 'cuz I'm not having fun but time is sure a flying!

The weather has been so unpredictable. It rained all day Saturday and most of Sunday. We had this really great weather going on and yesterday I walked out in the morning and scooted back in to grab a coat! It went from 62 degrees on Tuesday to 18 degrees on Wednesday. Today is quite cold as well.

I got my car washed this morning and watched the water beading on the window shield. It reminded me of my first winter experiences last year. The funniest was the day I rushed out to go to work - now most know if it has snowed there is no rush to work because you must spend a minimum of 15 minutes prepping the vehicle and getting it all warm and cozy. This particular day I had stuff all over my wind shield so I took out my bottle of water and poured it over the windshield to clean it off. The water turned the window into an ice shield. What a mess to try and scrape off. I needed a chisel and hammer.

This year I was pretty much down with the program. I get out there and shovel the driveway (when Matt isn't around), pry the frozen doors open, start the car with all the defrosters going, and finally I scrape the snow and ice off... The order is somewhat crucial.

I know I am babbling on but I wanted to make sure I got something posted and in all likely hood I will edit this again and add a picture but I need more time...Got any?

All Right, Already!

Okay... So it snowed on Saturday, February 21, 2009. We got between 2-3 inches of the white stuff. And it snowed on and off all day long - during Ella's birthday party. On Wednesday it warmed up to 50 degrees and all the snow was gone.

Yesterday was the winner...it thundered, lightening and RAIN!!! I had a Board meeting last night and driving home was a thrill with the sky lighting up, the torrential downpour and the newly formed rivers that we normally call streets.

At 10:30 p.m. last night I received a call from a Board member - one of my buildings with a subterranean garage was flooding. Oh, Joy! So much for getting a good night's sleep.

There is water everywhere. Everyone says the past two years Chicago has had the worst weather in many, many years! As I drove home last night I thought about Noah...at what point did he know it was time to build the ark?