We don't know where we're going, if we don't know where we came from

About a year ago, my grandmother passed away, less than 24 hours before Kanani was born, and Matthew's grandfather passed away about a month and a half later. I just wanted to share a few memories and stories as a tribute and so that these significant events would be recorded in our family journal.

My Grandmother was always known as "Nanaw" to us. Her Name was Verna Lee Bandy and she was born January 15, 1937 in Earlimart, California. Her mother already had 6 other children and suffered with poor health. Her mother, being unable to care for her, had her 2nd cousin adopt my "Nanaw". At the time that she was adopted she was 6 months old, sick with milk poisoning and malnurished, her skin was falling off her and she could fit into a shoe box. During the process of the adoption, the man in charge, asked if the 2nd cousin was sure she wanted this baby and told her she could have a perfectly healthy one. The 2nd cousin replied, yes, this is the one I want.

Well, that pretty much became the story of her life: so many struggles and a lot of sickness, but she had the strength and will to survive, sometimes having to find the strength in those who loved her.

What I know of my Nanaw is mostly what I've learned in recent years. We didn't always have the opportunity to visit my grandparents or talk with my them, but I know that they always loved us. My Nanaw was a very thoughtful person. My grandparents have struggled financially, but every birthday, she would send a card and it would be filled with confetti and a 1 dollar bill. Not just me, but I think several siblings would save those 1 dollar bills, feeling that they were just too special to spend. I bet some of us still have those. When we got older and had kids of our own, she would send us coupons for diapers and baby food.

She loved to play games, especially this game called Forkle. It's a game you play with dice. The last time we visited her, we sat around her kitchen table and took our turns rolling those dice over and over, enjoying the time we got to be spend together rather than the actual game.

My Nanaw had smoked most of her life and eventually got emphazima. She was determined to not let an oxygen tank slow her down. However, her health worsened and she just never got better. There were times that her health permitted her to do things and other times where she ended up back in the hospital. About 4 years ago she was in the hospital and nobody was sure she was going to make it. I was scheduled to go with Matthew to visit his parents in Colorado, but just a few days before our trip, we found out my Nanaw was in hospital and struggling to breathe on her own. My mom, 2 sisters and I went down to Texas to see her. I can remember that she wasn't able to respond much, so my sisters and I sat and held her hands and sang to her. It was the first time I had seen her in years and had really regretted it. It was good to be with her and eventually she recovered enough to go home.

You know, sometimes it doesn't matter how much time you spend with someone or what you do with that person to be able to feel the love that God intended us to feel for that person.

My "Nanaw" lived the best she knew how on this earth and was full of love for us.

I love her and am blessed because she was my Nanaw.

Our sugar plum fairy

Last Saturday Aleah went to her first Ballet class. She thoroughly enjoyed it! I have to tell you, she was just so cute! When class started and I saw her out there, looking so happy, my eyes welled up with tears. I know, I'm much more emotional than need be. It's just that she's becoming such a big girl and her own little person, that I felt so much joy to see her happy and I was proud of my little girl. I know, yet again, just too mushy mushy.
My poor kids, I never realized until this very post that my kids are going to be so embarrassed of their over sensitive mother, wow, I really gotta reel the emotions in. Anyways, back on point, I told Aleah several times before we went to her class, not to be shy and to try her best to listen to the teacher. She replied, okay mom.
Then when we came home and we asked her about her class and if she liked it and if she wanted to go back, it was a DEFINITE YES! Then we asked her to show us what she learned. She remembers first position, but needed help with the others. Then last, but not least, with a teeth revealing grin and looking so proud, she said,
"Mommy, I wasn't shy and Mommy and Daddy are so proud of me!"
I mean, c'mon, what could I do?! I didn't well up with tears, give me some credit, but I did get the look again...the my little girl is growing up, I'm so proud of her look. I just love that little munchkin!

Not always so sweet moments...

Well, lets just get it out there, Aleah broke her first window, wait I mean her last and only window that she will ever break because we so calmly and patiently dealt with it. Now she knows that we do not throw rocks, except in the river where we try to skip rocks. It took her awhile to calm down after the incident, but she learned her lesson...okay I wish she learned her lesson, but something tells me she still doesn't quite understand Newton's whole "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction", meaning whatever she does, there's a consequence, weather good or bad. Needless to say, the next day her play time outside got cut short because there she was, throwing rocks. It's okay though, because instead of dealing with it calmly the second time, I just decided she'd probably learn better if I just threw rocks at her. Lesson learned again, now she promises to never throw a rock again. ( I hope nobody really thinks I threw big rocks at her, just little ones and not very hard, okay none really....I hope I don't come off as a mother who would throw rocks at her child, maybe during my postpartum, okay not then either. Besides all the postpartum is taken care of.)

This isn't a picture after the incident, it's just a cute, sweet innocent picture to help remind me that she's just a little sweetheart that didn't mean any harm. Love her, keep her!!

My sweet girls and those sweet moments

(don't mind the small itch)

Aleah and Kanani were just sitting and watching Baby Einstien together and I was on the computer, I looked over and they just looked so cute that I had to video tape it on my high quality digtal camera. Suprisingly, Kanani sat there for awhile and just let Aleah hold her and rub her head. As a mom, those moments are just too precious.

our 2008 OBX group

A little R&R

The Crown Jewel--that's the house we stayed in and that was the name of it.

OBX 2008

Outerbanks, North Carolina is the best family vacation we've ever had, well, I guess it's really the only vacation we've ever had. Most trips we take a filled with plenty of people and places to see and things to do. Don't get me wrong, I love doing all that, especially when it's visiting family. The thing we love about going to Outerbanks, is that we don't have to do anything. Everyday we wake up and said hey, what do you want to do? Well, hey, lets go to the beach...and then all you have to do is throw on a swim suit and walk out to the beach. We boogie boarded, played in the sand with the girls and played volleyball. The water is comfortably warm, the weather about 85 and when it's lunch time we just walk back to the house, eat and take a nap. After nap time, we go back to the beach, swim in the pool or just hang out. At night we played games and the Wii(lots of fun, by the way!!!) and watched the RNC. I tell you, we loved it. The girls loved it too! No worries and no stress. It's hard to come back. We had a blast with our little family and we had great company. (We went with 5 other dental student families. It's a great idea-rent a beach house together and you get a place to stay for your little family for $323 for a whole week--oh, and it's on the beach. Now what other trip can you take for that little? Yes there's gas for a 6-8 hour drive and what ever other little costs, but c'mon)
So, like I said before, I definitely recommend it! Even when we don't live on the East coast anymore, I think we'll have to come back, but I guess it will cost a little more for travel. Enough rambling, here are some pics to tell more about our trip!

Our last afternoon on the beach, it was pretty choppy and they didn't allow anyone in the water after noon because of Hurricane Hannah, so we didn't swim, just watched the waves.

This was after Aleah FREAKED OUT because a dog came running up to her. There was no putting her down after that.

at the beach house on Sunday afternoon.

Aleah wouldn't even take off her sunglasses in the house.

Nani loving the pool.

My Co-pilot with his girls.

We're back from the OBX and here to stay...

We made it back about an hour ago, and of course it's nice to be back in your house and all, but when you go on a real vacation, it's hard to come back. And for all of those who were worried, or not worried, we left before the hurrican hit.
When I get the pictures uploaded to the computer then I'll post about out trip.