Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Favorite Staycation Fotos

Call it a denial tactic, but I've been too busy to think about the fact that my house is empty (except for the six remaining children- Molly went home with her older sister for a few weeks- my husband, and my grandchild-deprived self.)

So viewing pictures of all the fun and chaos was not a good idea until I was ready to face the fact that my grown children and grandchildren live hours and hours and hours and hours away from me.

Twelve loads of laundry later (and after the washing machine repair man left), I am ready to relive some of the fonder moments of last week's staycation.

My oldest daughter posted today on her blog about De-Grandmafication. You'll have to go over there and read it yourself to see how she traduced her own poor mother (!)- but suffice it to say she thinks I may have (inadvertently) done a little spoiling of her children while they were here.

Imagine that!

I'm tempted to say something about how I would not have to hold them so much or be at their beck and call if they lived closer to me....But of course, I won't mention that.

As a matter of fact, my children have been going through a little of their own "De-Grandmafication", but theirs stems from the fact that I spent so much time "spoiling" their nephews and niece that they got away with murder - or at the very least unmade beds, 1/2 done chores, and way too much time on the Wii.

But what can I expect of my younger children when their older siblings had this kind of a laid-back attitude during the Staycation? :)

That picture is especially fetching to me because these two spent so much of their growing up years in "costume". They were the neighborhood detectives (more like spies...), then advanced to script-writing and movie making.

So many of our pictures of Eli have him trying to eat something inedible. I like this one because he looks so determined. I mean after all, it is a fish, right?

In this one I can't figure out whether he's just embarrassed that I caught him trying to eat a diaper, or whether he's taking a big whiff of it before he digs in.

Thomas doesn't eat diapers and fake fish. He prefers sand.
He ate several handfuls during his first 10 minutes at the beach, which would've totally freaked his mother out if he had not been a third-born.

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Another favorite picture because of the memory it evokes.
This is Winston's walker left on the shore after he decided, back injury or no back injury, he was going to get in on the Beach Fun! With his shirt hanging from the side, it almost looks like he was raptured, doesn't it? :)

I may just do a whole post about Staycation Food. We had some amazing meals - some at home and some at restaurants. (When you don't spend any money on gasoline you can afford to splurge a little!)

This is the birthday cake that Brite made me. I've had a different kind of cake for my last three 50th birthdays, but I think this is my favorite. It tasted like a turtle candy bar, and the main thing I remember about it is that we should've had two since there wasn't a morsel left over.
I'll get her to tell me the official name and recipe and post it later.


This picture just epitomizes Jacqueline's little family. The world revolves around Eli (in the good kind of way.) They LOVE having a baby to kiss on.

Speaking of my birthday, I got so many cool presents. A silver purse, a watch, a necklace, some antique rooster canisters, and these embroidered handprints of each of my four grandchildren, with their ages. We're not sure whether we're going to put them in red hoops or maybe use some white distressed frames.


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Thomas was probably ready for a nap in this picture, but I prefer to surmise that he is chagrined by his cousin's spit up on the outskirts of the Block Town.

In addition to a Staycation Food post I think I'll do a post on the Dive Contest the older kids had one afternoon. If I ever need something to make me smile I can just whip out this photo of Shep, the writer and artist, trying to go All Athletic on us. Looks more like a plie (plee-yae) than a dive to me.


Maybe the best part of the Staycation (if you don't count the spoiling of the grandchildren) was watching the Big kids play around with their younger siblings. I'm truly grateful that they have such enduring relationships. Even with families and busy lives of their own, they do a great job of being Big sisters and brothers to those who are "left behind" and still stuck with the old-fogey parents (who couldn't even think about lifting them up like this!)

Since I only have one granddaughter (so far...) I decided to take her under my Beauty Wing and show her the ropes of Velcro rollers. Here we are heading to breakfast Sunday morning before church. We really bonded during this visit. I speak her language (which is lip gloss and jewelry).
When she turns 3 I promised her a tutorial on pore minimizers.



I miss this face!

21 comments:

busymomof10 said...

LOVE the pictures! Looks like y'all had so much fun! You are so blessed with such a fun loving, crazy family! (Wonder where they got that from??)

Dayna said...

I. LOVE. YOUR. BLOG.

Although I can't relate to the feeling that a grandmother gets once all of her children/grandchildren leave, I can at least sympathize.

My mother is trying to reconcile in her mind the fact that we're moving to Africa in 23 days. You're acquainted with that feeling, too.

I'm tempted to give her the link to your blog, but that could be a dangerous thing in her hands. You grandmas tend to stick together. :-)

I can sort of relate, since I'm very sad to be moving so far away from my precious great-niece, Ava. She won't know me when we return. Check her out:

http://www.contra-mundum.net/Site/Blog/Entries/2009/3/23_Giddiness_and_Giggles.html

sally said...

Debbie! I am just cracking up at the picture of you girls in your Velcro rollers!!!!! :) That is absolutely ADORABLE!!! You are a sweet grandmother.

brite said...

I hadn't seen that roller picture...that's the best one. Great pictures, and the spoiling was only expected, so I hope it didn't come across as a negative thing. :)

Anonymous said...

THE PICTURES!!!!!! Tons of them!! And they're good ones, too. I am simply blown away.

Mrs. Pittman said...

Dearest Brite, I would never accuse you of negative talk towards your own mother! (Plus...in GrandmotherSpeak, spoiling is actually a compliment.)

Davene said...

Great pictures, all of them! Great, crazy, fun, loving pictures!

But the cake picture caught my attention the most. :) Looking forward to seeing the recipe for that one...

Laura said...

I know a Grandmama who could do a little more spoiling without me minding. That's what Grandmothers are for, after all!

Lovely mid-air plie (feet could use some work).

When I got to the velcro rollers I got to LOL! So fun!

hunter said...

first picture is actually your 2nd and 3rd child making fun of your 4th child by wearing his accessories. luckily, some of my accessories are attached to my body.

Mrs. Pittman said...

Thanks for the reminder, Hunter.

Actually, they were just jealous that you have such cool accessories (but not the permanent ones...)

Lauren Bretz said...

this post, like a few of the ones before it, were torture to me. :) miss you all so much. LOVED everything about this.

Sarah said...

PICTURES!!! I love all of them! (especially the one with the hair rollers) Thank you so much, Mr. Camera, for reminding your loving and caring owner to take lots and lots and lots of pictures. You went far beyond the call of duty and even reminded that aforementioned, gracious care-giver to post the pictures on her blog. Job well done!

Mrs. Pittman, thank you so much for posting all. those. pictures. It was so much fun to see the whole crew and to read your hilarious commentary on each one. I can't wait to see the official 2009 "Wow! What a Great Family!" photo.

Anonymous said...

Hey Mom, I thought I would kill two birds with one stone. First I am commenting on your blog ( which meant that I read it). Second, I made my bed, and did my chores ALL the way, during staycation.!

Mary-Faith

Mrs. Pittman said...

Dearest Mary Faith,
You Had No Bed to make during the Staycation, since you slept at various different locations in the house during that week (which, btw, we greatly appreciate.)

And in defense of MF and all the younger kids, they did do quite a bit of work during the week. You can't have 19 people for 3 meals a day for a week and not have everyone chipping in.

But...it was well worth it. Right, MF, W, J, Al, An, MG, and CDP?

Kahlua Keeping Koala said...

YOu make me want to have more kids... But I think I wouldn't do as good a job as you have.

jodi said...

happy belated birthday....i have a card (and gift! and part of the pool table..the brush, we forgot to give you) around here somewhere to send once i get my act together. i'm no longer dreaming about cardboard boxes and full cupboards anymore, so there's hope.

i hate not having my oldest in on everything with us anymore (she went somewhere else for july 4th, even though we had company). i so sympathize with you. i took karis to panera yesterday and she wasn't near as much fun as you (but we agreed the tally location is bigger and cuter, if possible)

look for a package soon
j.

Mrs. Pittman said...

Jodi, get used to it girl!
The oldest is the hardest, and then you start to realize that your family is still a family even as the older ones start to leave.

I used to not even be able to read aloud to the kids unless everyone was home and seated around my little hearth, but now I just hope that as we continue on with life, the older ones will want to be here as much as possible.

Kelley said...

What a precious family! I always feel like I've been a part of your get togethers after I read a post like this. How fun!

Anonymous said...

OK, I don't usually have time to peruse blogs, almost none to "do" e-mails. But you got me with the "Staycation" blog!

Looking at the pics gave me big smiles!

Thinking of you!

Jayne, JK and Joey's mom

Mamajil said...

awww!!! It looks like it was a wonderful Stay-cation!
Debbie you have a wonderful family you inspire me!!!

Julie said...

That picture with the hair curlers is SO cute! I also love love love the embroidered hand print towels. I'll have to learn how to do that!