All My Children # 22

Hi kids,

Thank the Lord; our beautiful Vivianna has come home from the hospital a couple of days ago! Our prayers have been answered indeed. I haven't stopped smiling since Bill called me while on his way home with Vivianna from the hospital. Really ! I believe I am smiling even in my sleep, that is how much joy I have bursting outwardly. And you know what ?? It feels great !! Bill & CJ are getting into the routine of having a 3rd person in the house now. Being responsible for her every need. Loving her with all their hearts. I am so proud of them both for how wonderful a job they are doing of being the best parents to Viv. I am getting to go down to visit (and help out in any way I can), next week ( July 20th ) and I am certainly excited about it. I intend to get plenty of kisses and hugs in with my grand daughter. I can hardly wait to hold her in my arms again. My only wish is that Dad could have come, even for a short visit too. It just wasn't the right time with his work.

I am leaving on Thursday morning (this week) to drive to Ohio. I am going to get the two refrigerator's cleaned out and the all the appliances cleaned in the Chardon house. Everyone else will be arriving Friday. Then on Saturday, Ed,Dad,Grandma,Grandpa John and myself will move Ed into this new home ! So exciting for sure !! I think Nancy & Jerry may be coming out on Saturday to help too. Nancy called an offered, and seemed excited about it. We will try to get some pictures of the move ! I am so happy for Ed. Each of you will have to make some time to go and visit him there in his new home!

The news on Marc ( Erica's husband ) is still not great. The blockage has not resolved itself as they had hoped. At least not at this point. They are giving him thru tomorrow (from my understanding )and if nothing happens, they will have to do surgery on Tuesday perhaps. Aunt Margaret is keeping us informed. I will try to keep you all up-dated. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers OK ? Aunt Margaret is probably going to travel there again if he does indeed have surgery. It is a difficult time for sure.

Tom & Jen are on their travels down to Florida. I talked to Tommy a couple times while they were traveling ( said some prayers for their safety). I hope they have a good time visiting with Bill,CJ and Vivianna, and also a nice vacation too. They are staying in St. Augustine on the beach for part of the time. ( don't get sun-burned !) I am excited that I, too, will at least get to see them on Monday the 20th ! They are picking me up at the airport. That is an added bonus for me.

Angela finished the first summer class with another 'A. She has really done well with her classes. She has started the 2nd summer class and will look forward to getting it behind her too ! So will I, because after she finishes this one, she will get to come to Hammondsport for a week visit ! Yah !! Really looking forward to it !

Dad and I had such a nice Sunday(today). One of the best of this year. We walked in town to breakfast, walked to church, walked around the square viewing the art show, then packed a picnic lunch, some cocktails, and headed out on Kueka Lake. A 3 hour tour. ( heehehee) Really... we were out there 3 hours and I loved it ! It was certainly nice to hang out with my sweetheart on such a glorious day. I love you Ed.

Well, My next blog should be filled with all my travels and excitement happening in the next two weeks.

"When we choose not to focus on what's missing from our lives; but are grateful for the abundance that's present...we experience heaven on earth."
--Sarah Breathnach

So ... until I see you, just know you are always in my thoughts and payers.
I love you ! Momma G ( and Grandma)

All My Children #21

Hello everyone !

Our beautiful Vivianna has arrived, and she is perfect indeed. I know you have all seen the pictures, but I will tell you, she is even more beautiful in person ! When I try to decide who I think she looks more like, it is a toss up. I see CJ in her, I see Bill in her, but you know I think she has her own look too. I cannot wait until you have all met her ! I just love holding her in my arms. She has the sweetest little face, and when she opens her eyes, she just looks all around. Her little lips are perfectly shaped. Well, I could just look at her for hours on end. It was very hard to leave. Then, getting the call from Bill during our travels back home, about Viv having a blockage in her intestine, well, my heart was breaking at the news that she had to endure surgery. I am however, very grateful that the doctor discovered she had a problem, and was able to get it taken care of so quickly and safely. Those doctors and nurses, they are very good at their jobs. That hospital is amazing. CJ is indeed fortunate to have such wonderful care. I hate it knowing Vivianna is in the hospital, hooked up to all those tubes, but ... I know she will heal fast and be home where she belongs healthy and happy soon. CJ did such a good job thru the C-section surgery. It was good to see her feeling better and stronger each day we were there. We are so proud of her. Bill did such an awesome job for CJ and his baby daughter each step of the way. Dad and I felt so very proud seeing him take such wonderful and loving care of both of them. Seeing Bill,CJ and Vivianna together just warmed my heart. They are a wonderful family unit. Just as it should be, strong and full of love.

It was great to get to go and be there with them. It made it more special to be able to have Angela, Grandma and Aunt Patty also be there with us. It was nice to have some time together. Aunt Patty and I sang to Viv, " You Are My Sunshine ", so fun and a precious memory for sure. Ang and I stole away some alone time together. We went for a walk in the afternoon,Thursday, in Jacksonville, down by the river and had a Margarita ... ummm good. Dad,Angela,Grandma,Aunt Patty and I went swimming two nights in a row at the hotel too. ( with some drinks) Dad even got in a conference call while there. It was a good couple of days. Now, we are back home here in Hammondsport. Aunt Patty stayed with Grandma for the month of July. It will do her good(and me too). Dad and I went to church this morning and then out to breakfast. We had wanted to take the boat out for a ride, although ... it clouded up and rained all afternoon ! Geez !! I seem to never get to enjoy the lake ! So, we really just loafed around the rest of the day. Hmmm ? I guess that is OK huh ? After all our travels, we needed a day of rest. Aunt Margaret said Erica and Marc are coming tomorrow and staying a week. I guess they are staying at the cottage. She still doesn't know if they will get married while they are here or not. But ... please do not mention anything about it to them, Aunt Margaret didn't want anyone to know about it. So we will see if they do or not ? Personally, I hope they do. I sure would if it were me !

I hope you all have a good week. It is hard to believe it is almost July. Anyone having a 4th of July picnic ? Dad said we should drive to Tommy & Jens place ! ( it would be nice ! ) Bill ... send us pictures when ever you can and while Viv is in the hospital, we do appreciate a phone call up-date each day too. If ever you decide you need help there, just ask. It is never an imposition, only a joy. I can imagine you will just be happy to get into your own routines as soon as possible ! That will feel so good.

Our family is growing, and it feels wonderful. I always have you each in my heart, in my thoughts and prayers, and in my treasured memories.

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose."
- Kevin Arnold

Take care, have a good week, take good care of each other. God bless each of you, I love you, Momma G

All My Children #20

Hello my children,

Well, today was fathers day, and it was nice to get to talk several of you. I think dad had a nice day. Eddie came here to visit with us this weekend, it was good to have him here with us. We needed that. Dad,Ed,Aunt Patty and I went to see that movie called " The Proposal ". I definitely recommend it. We laughed all the way thru it. We all enjoyed it very much. Eddie took us out to dinner also. Thanks Ed, that was great ! It was nice for Oscar and Tucker to play together. They always have fun together. They both are sure tired out. Today, Ed cleaned out the van for us and dad mowed the lawn, and Aunt Patty and I made an early lasagna dinner. ( it turned out good). Ed left around 2:30, and dad and I took a Sunday drive and got a coffee. It had rained all day yesterday and this afternoon, so it felt nice to go for a drive with some sunshine !

Our yard sale went well last weekend. Between Aunt Margaret and Dad & I, we made about $1ooo. So, hey ... some extra money for her and extra money for us and we got rid of stuff we didn't need ! Dad took all the rest of the stuff to goodwill and the church. So we will try to De-clutter more items in the future. Our back porch is finally cleaned off. ( first time since we bought the house ! ) We are going to try to power-wash it and then stain it. Dad will put up the wood slats for the ceiling too. Can't wait. So ... maybe by the end of summer, it will look nice out there. I planted some daffodil bulbs this past week. I also have the crib sanded and primed. I will get it painted soon. Hey ... I will be ready for when my grand child gets to come for her first visit !! The crib was bought by your grandma Gaio. She bought it for Dad and I when we were pregnant with Ed. I have a new mattress for it. I am hoping in the future years it will get used a lot by ALL of my future grand kids from each of you out there. ( heeheeheee ! )

Speaking of that ... the count down is on. As you all know, Wednesday is the day !! Bill and CJ will become parents. Dad and I will become grand-parents, and each of you will have a niece !! Uncle Ed, Uncle Tommy & Aunt Jennifer & Auntie Ang !! You will become uncle's and aunts !! Cool huh !!? Dad and I will leave tomorrow as soon as he gets in from work, head to Erie, where Ed will meet us and pick up Tucker, ( thank you Ed for taking such good care of Tucker for us while we are gone ! )then we will head to grandma's and spend the night there. We will get up in the morning and grandma will join us and we will begin out trek to Florida. We will see you soon Bill & CJ !! Angela will be joining us on Tuesday night, fairly late I suppose ? Or you could leave early Wednesday morning Ang ... we'll talk, just be safe ! I am looking forward to celebrating this wonderful occasion with you. Vivianna will certainly come into this world surrounded by the extended love of this family. She will know and feel the power of love from family. We all our so fortunate to have one another in our lives. God is Good !

I am going to close and get myself bed, I have lots to do tomorrow before we leave.

Tommy & Jen, I sure do miss you both. I hope you get thru this very busy week your having with good results for each party involved ! I know you will have some great photos for all these folks ! Enjoy your trip to Italy, as quick a trip as it is, try to grab some special moments for yourselves if you can ! Be safe in your travels. Eddie, I hope you are able to lock in a low interest rate this week. I know you will have a busy week at your work this week too, I hope you do OK with two dogs ! That will keep you busy in the evenings too !

"The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible."
-- Richard M. DeVos

Love and Blessings to each of you, I love you dearly, Momma G

All My Children # 19

Hi all !

Hope everyone is doing well. Our week went fairly well. We spent the bulk of this past week getting ready for our impending yard sale. Each day sorting thru more things and having to carry some things down two flights of stairs. ( from the attic, uhhhgggg ! ) You know ... we have had several yard sales over the years, it is funny, how you sort of forget how much trouble they are !! But I guess in the end, you just figure you want to dE-clutter your house and perhaps make a little cash too. We did alright. Aunt Margaret made about $350, and Dad & I made about $600. So ... hey, we made some cash, and dE-cluttered the house from a lot of stuff ! Goal reached. The rest of the stuff is collected into boxes and bags to be taken to the church and the salvation army. Waiting outside , under tarps, not to ever come back into the house, (that would have defeated the purpose) and will be taken away soon.

Thankfully, Dad is certainly feeling better this weekend. Geez !! He was battling this sickness for about two weeks ! The bad news ?? Well ... I think I may finally have succumbed to it my self ! Uhhgggg !! I have the same symptoms, cough, sore throat, yucky feeling. Oh well ... maybe I can kick it quickly ! I keep taking some airborne and coldeeze in hopes of a lesser duration if anything ! My main concern will be that Aunt Patty avoids it ! Hey CJ, can you tell Vivianna ( for me )... to please wait until grandma is all better to come into this world ! OK !! That is my main concern. Oh !! Please let me get better first !!

It feels good to have the temperature's remaining warmer now. I love to sit out on the porch and just relax with a hot cup of tea. It is nice for a lot of reasons, one of them being, that so many different people will stop while walking down the sidewalk, and chat with me. Love that. Such a friendly little village. Right now the rain is falling softly and it is a grey cloudy day, but you know what ? I am loving this day anyway. While I am not particularly feeling great, it seems sort of comforting in some way. After all the hard work of the last week and weekend, I am just loafing today, sitting on the porch and laying on the couch, and it seems sort of nice to have the sound of the soft rain showers and the cooler weather. I had my tea on the porch, and was quite relaxed and enjoyed it. We really needed some rain. It hadn't rained in over a week, so the plants,trees and grass are celebrating. The smell of the fresh rain is just wonderful !

What does this week hold for each of you ? I know Angela is counting down to the end of this week!! It marks the end of this school year ! Yeah !! A little time to relax for the summer ! Ang, Dad & I are hoping we can get you to Hammondsport for some R& R !! Hows your schedule for the summer ? Be thinking about it !

Ed, well, he is taking care of business. Getting all things done for the facilitation of buying his home. He has a a ruff time with his pup Oscar too. Just some health issues. Hey Ed, believe it or not, you are getting a little taste of how it is to be a parent ! Haa haaa ! The love and care of a pet has some similar responsibilities. I sure hope things will settle back down for him and he gets to feeling good again soon ! I can't wait to help you move in and get setteled Ed ! How exciting !

Tom went to California last week to the Connan O'Brian show ( sp ? ). He said he had a good time. Say's he loves it out there, but, I for one ... am hoping he never chooses to live there. It is just to far away ! Please !! If you have to move anywhere, stick with Chicago ! ( as if my vote counts anyway huh ? ) I would guess this is the start of Jennifer and Tommy becoming very busy with some weddings huh ? Do you think you will fot NY in this summer or not until fall ?

I know Bill & CJ are looking forward to Wednesday to see what the doctors will have to say. Call us Wednesday night to let us know how the visit goes ! Gosh, each week is so important now ! Your lives will soon be changed forever. You will very soon become "parents" . That is a gift of a life time. A wonderful blessing. I will let you in on a little secret (that you will ultimately learn one day yourselves), here you are, all grown up, living your own lives, and although you may not need us ( your parents ) as much in your daily lives now, as parents, we STILL need you in our lives, as much as possible. You are the most important part of our lives. You are the most valued and treasured blessings that have been given to us. " Parenthood ", it is the most wonderful experience to have in your lives. It helps you to grow leaps and bounds personally. It helps to set firm beliefs within yourself, into action. It brings out the qualities you hold value in and helps you to instill them not only within your children but to grow them stronger within yourself. It will transform your lives. It will bring you the most deepest joy you will ever know, and some of the most difficult heart ache too. It is worth every minute you are blessed with. The good, the bad, the funny, the mad, the glory, the frustration, the happiest of times and the saddest too. Parenthood, IS, as far as I am concerned, the most blessed gift in your life. You will learn this as soon as you hold your beautiful daughter in your arms. You will come to know the incredible depth of love. Vivianna will be one of the most important parts of your life.

Well, I guess I will close for this week. Remember Grandpa John tomorrow. He is having a heart catherization, and most likely they will be putting some more stints in to open some veins again. He has been having lots of angina in recent weeks. I know he feels frustrated and well, fearful. So, say a prayer for him. Aunt Patty ( Harvey/Neely) is in the hospital again too. She has had heart trouble lot. Her heart is dying. Nothing they can do about it. It is a hereditary condition. She seems OK with that, living the best she can with it. But the reason she is in the hospital now is she has a blood clot in her pancreas. So keep her in your prayer's too.

Give us a call us when you can. Look at your schedules and see if Hammondsport fits in sometime this summer maybe ? The lake is gorgeous and " the price is right " is calling your names ! Hahaahaa !

A HARMONIOUS BALANCE
"I have been through a lot and I have suffered a great deal. But I have had lots of happy moments, as well. Every moment one lives is different from the other. The good, the bad, hardship, the joy, the tragedy, love and happiness are all interwoven into one single, indescribable whole that is called LIFE. You cannot separate the good from the bad. And perhaps there is no need to do so, either."
-Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

My love is with you, Momma G

All My Children # 18

Hello my kids,

I hope you are having a good week. Ours is going good so far. Dad and I worked in the yard here in Hammondsport this past weekend. It felt really good. Number one ... just to be here and stay put from all the traveling back and forth ! Number two ... just because I really do love this old house, this village and this lake, and it just felt good to make some changes in the yard. I had dug up some of my Hosta plants and Day-Lilly plants from the Chardon house on memorial day weekend. So ... now we have a little of Arbor Glen here with us. We put in a small bed of plants between the drive-way and the Arbor Glenn room. ( back room on the house) It looks nice. Then we put plants all along the fence out front. ( on the inside, our yard part ) It looks real good. We also planted some by the side porch too, and by the one tree in the yard where there were already a couple Hosta's there, we continued placing them around the tree in a circle. So ... although we have a lot of work that needs done outside, hey ... we started doing something ! It felt great. Unfortunately, Dad has been sick for a week, so he really didn't have his full energy level. But he is on the mend.

On Saturday morning, Dad drove me out to the Rochester area to get my blood panel taken. Geez ... they took 6 tubes of blood. Then today ( Monday ) I had to do a saliva test 4 times thru-out the day. ( 4 different tubes ) I still have the 4th one yet to do, at 12:30. Then I have to put the tubes in a box and mail them tomorrow morning to the lab. I will go back on July 1st to find out where my hormone levels stand and what Bio-Identical Hormone's they will recommend for me. So ... maybe by the fall I will be regulated and balanced !!! Yeah !!! I am so excited about this !!! This is a good thing. I am setting the pace for you younger women here !! Someday you will know exactly how to help yourself so much better than in my day ! Never ... Ever ... take synthetic hormones !!

Aunt Margaret and I went out to the " Windmill " market Saturday afternoon and we bought some hanging baskets of flowers. They are so pretty. She hangs hers by the pool and I put mine on the side porch and some by the back door area too. They are so pretty. Then yesterday, she called Dad and I frantic to come to the cottage quick !!! It had been strong winds all day and our boat broke loose from the front of the boat and the dock and was banging against her dock hard, it would have broke loose all the way had she not went there to check it ! It took the 3 of us quite a bit of time ... but we managed to get it pulled back to the dock and tied up again. Whew !! That could have been a disaster ! Aunt Patty and I went over there today to check on it, everything was good. The water is calm today. We need to get a boat lift. Then we will never have to worry when the weather is bad.

Ed had his house inspection today. One step closer to owning his home. It went well. Ed, the realtor and the inspector met there. Only a couple of minor things to fix. Probably the current owners will do the fixes. His pup Oscar has been sick. Poor little guy. He has allergies, so Ed is in the process of giving him shots. He has to build up slowly to the correct dosage. Then he should start to feel better. He has lost most of his hair. He is itching all the time too. He should start to see some improvement soon. Ed took good care of our Chardon house and got it ready for the open house Sunday. Marybeth said he did a great job. Thanks Ed ... Dad and I are so proud of you for all the help you give us. Only 3 couples showed up for the open house. Uhggggg ! Oh well ... nothing we can do. It was even featured on TV Saturday too ! I guess there is at least one of them that have a little interest in it. Hey ... as Dad said, we only need one buyer ! Say prayers for us !

So ... as most of you know, Vivianna is trying to make her entrance early !! Bless her little heart ! She has her own agenda. I think she is going to be a strong little girl. She is already thinking she is big enough to be born. CJ has been on bed rest and taking some medication around the clock to stop the labor. The doctors have decided to have her stop taking it on June 10th, so when ever she goes into labor after that, it will be fine to have her come and she will be OK. So ... we will most likely have our newest member of our family join us sometime in June ! They are also thinking ( 90% ) that CJ may have to have a C-section, due to Viv is still in breech position, and there may not be enough time for her to turn. So , we shall see ! I know we are all in agreement of being so very excited to meet her. I can't wait to see what she looks like. Hair or no hair ? Round little face? Chubby little cheeks ? Will she have green eyes or brown ? ( of course we wont be able to tell that right away ! ) Will she have curly hair or straight ? Dark or light in color ? Well ... let me tell you, she can be any of those things or none at all. What ever she has or doesn't have, who she looks like , what ever, it will be just the way she is meant to be ! I know she will be perfect as she is ! God Bless her !

OK, I guess I will get off here. Below I attached the final baby guess contest. Hmmm ? after this latest news, she will most likely not go full term, so most of us or all of us, will be off in the weight. Hey closest one wins !

Names	Weight (pounds.ounces)	Length (inches)
Bill	8.8	21.50
CJ	7.2	20.00
Claire	6.5	17.50
Momma G.	7.8	18.00
Poppa G.	8.3	18.50
Grandma	6.0	19.00
Grandpa John	7.7	17.25
Ed	8.7	21.25
Tommy John	8.10	21.75
Jennifer	6.12	19.00
Angela	7.4	19.50
Laurel	7.0	19.50
Aunt Margaret	8.0	18.25
Erica	7.3	19.75
Kathy Scotchel	7.60	21.00

Here's to looking forward to getting together to celebrate our newest arrival !

"Love consists in looking together in the same direction."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I love you all ! Momma G

All My Children #17

Hi Kids,

I hope you each had a wonderful week. I think we had a fairly good one. The weather is finally warming up with each passing week now. Love that. I have gotten to sit on my porch a little more. I enjoy it so very much ! So does Aunt Patty. She loves to have our lunch out there. The one day, she sat out there from lunch until supper ! I have gotten some hanging flower baskets and some flowers in pots to set around out there too, oh it makes it so enjoyable.

Dad, Patty & I went to Chardon ( again) Friday night. I must say it was a productive two days there. We cleaned out the barn,top and bottom. We had rented a dumpster and pretty much filled it up. We sorted thru things, pitched a lot, set some aside to keep and some slated for a yard sale. We stacked the things we will keep neatly in the back of the barn. We will have to bring them later when we sell the house. I did get the porch floor painted a solid grey, if it were still my " home" , I would still want the checker-board pattern, but ... it is for someone else so, back to boring solid. It looks nice. I did dig up some of the flowers and hosta plants to bring here to Hammondsport. So, I have some work ahead of me to get them all planted in the ground here somewhere. I still may get some more later on before we sell the house. There are so many and they really needed thinned out. It will look nice to have some of the plants here too.

Anyhow, between Dad,Ed and myself, we knocked down our " to-do-list" quite a bit. We had more that we would have liked to do, but as Dad put it; " we could certainly make a career out of working on the Chardon house". So you know what ... for now, we are just done with what ever we accomplished this far, it will be enough for awhile. There is an open house next weekend and our house will be one of the ones featured on a reality show too. Say a prayer now that someone will just come along and love our house and want to buy it ! YES !!!!!

Dad,Ed and I loved the concert. Elton and Billy Joel are certainly the top piano men ! They both have so many great songs ! Truly dripping with talent. We heard all of our favorites and had a great evening. To top off the weekend, Ed got a call Sunday from his realtor that he is now a proud new home owner ! Yes ... they excepted his final offer ! Yeah !!! Dad said he is a hard-nose negotiator ! Haaaaaa !! We were all so happy. It is certainly an exciting time in Ed's life. His closing should be July 10th. I will be so excited to help him move into his house. It is a very nice house and in a nice neighborhood. I can't wait for each of you to come and visit Ed and see his new home one day. That will be really cool. We are so proud of you Ed and so full of joy watching you go thru this next step in your life. It is very rewarding for us as your parents. I know you will do great at taking care of your own home. You will have fun settling in and getting everything the way you want it. We will have to make my bed up as soon as we move you in, I want to be your first guest ! :) Click this link to see pictures ! ( I hope I did this correctly !)

Picture Gallery for listing 3010455

We came home today(Monday) and after we unloaded the van, we went over to Aunt Margaret's for a picnic. Laurel was there too. It was good to visit with everyone. She was asking all about the shower, and the baby, how CJ is feeling and how excited Bill & CJ must be getting. She is just very excited too. She said " you know I'll be a great Grandma soon ! " I sent her the pictures of the babies room painted, she loved it. She was also asking all about your new house Ed. Dad showed her and Aunt Margaret pictures of your new house, they loved it. They can't wait to come and see you there. Laurel was asking about Oscar too. You should try to go visit her soon.

I drove Dad and Aunt Margaret to the marina to get the boat today too. Then they drove it back to the cottage where I met them and we tied it up at her dock. So ... make time to come and see us this summer so we can go out on the old " Price Is Right " !! Haaaaaaa !! I can't wait to go out for a ride. I told Aunt Patty we will pack a picnic lunch soon and go out on the water.

Yeah !! We are back home !! And the best part is ... we get to stay put for awhile !!! I am really liking that !!! Keep Dad in your thoughts, he came home today just really not feeling well. His throat is a little sore and he said he just has that yucky taste in his mouth that you get when your not feeling well. I am sure he is just worn down and his immune system is not at its best due to that. His one leg looks all beat up from getting bruised and scraped with all his hard work in Chardon this weekend. He needs rest. You certainly give a lot of yourself my dear husband. I love you so very much, I will pray this all ends soon.

Well, I will close for now. I miss you all. I am throwing out a great big hug your way !! Grab on !!

"Hope smiles on the threshold of the year to come, whispering that it will be happier."
-- Alfred, Lord Tennyson

I love you, more than words can say, Momma G

All My Children # 16

Hello to all,

well now ... number 16, that is my favorite number. I have always liked that number since I was a young girl. Isn't it cool that our house number and post office box #, here in Hammondsport are both 16 ! Yep ... that's my number and I am sticking to it !
So how is everyone doing ? The spring is here, and I love it. We have had a few days where the weather is in the 70's but mostly in the 50's & 60's here. The sunshine has been great. I am looking forward to the warmer temps for sure. I love sitting back out on our porch ( so does Aunt Patty ! ) It is so delightful to ear the birds singing again.
Dad and I worked in the yard this past weekend. It was our first weekend here in Hammondsport in 2 months ! Geez ! It felt good to just be able to stay here. I can't wait to be able to get some things done here again one of these days. We are actually running back to Chardon tonight, just to be there for tomorrow ( Tuesday) to work all day on certain things, then we head back tomorrow evening, yes just a 24 hr. trip. There is a crew coming to our house to take pictures and we need to finish up a few things. (paint the outside doors frames dad installed the last time, paint the porch steps, re-tile some of the craft room floor, and just a few other things) Then we will head there again, this memorial day weekend, Friday night, thru Sunday. We are going to the Elton John/Billy Joel concert ( can't wait ... it will be fantastic !) with Ed and finishing up whatever other work we can for the summer. Even though it is Memorial day weekend, we will want to be back here on Monday to do stuff. (pick up the boat for one thing)

We sure had fun at the shower huh ?! I am so happy that so many of my cousins came ! What a wonderful turn out. Grandma sure did a great job organizing everything. I enjoyed myself all weekend just getting to be with everyone and visiting and laughing a lot !! That really did me good. Every time I would look around, it was just so nice to see each of you having such a good time. Gosh Bill & CJ ... you received so many wonderful baby things ! What a nice start to raising Viv !! I can't wait to see your baby furniture. It will be so nice. I can't wait to see your nursery. I wish I was there to paint it for you. I would have liked being able to do that for you. I will miss getting to see you as you get toward your due date. It was just so great to be able to sit around grandma's porch and enjoy visiting with you. I sure hope your mom had a nice time CJ. I am so happy she came too ! It would have been perfect had Ed, Tom & Jen been there too. We missed you ! We have a " guessing pot " going on. You need to send me your $1.00 and your guess for Vivianna's birth weight and length. Below is everyone else's guess so far, I'll let Ed, Tommy and Jennifer get back to me with your guess first (quickly please) then send an email to Laurel, Margaret and Sheree and let them guess too. ( it is just the birth weight that will win the pot, the length is just for fun )Then the pot will be a whopping $ 15.00 !

Names	Weight (pounds.ounces)	Length (inches)
Bill	8.8	21.50
CJ	7.2	20.00
Claire	6.5	17.50
Momma G.	7.8	18.00
Poppa G.	8.3	18.50
Grandma	6.0	19.00
Grandpa John	7.7	17.25
Ed
Tommy John	8.10	21.75
Jennifer	6.12	19.00
Angela	7.4	19.50
Laurel
Aunt Margaret
Aunt Sheree
Kathy Scotchel	7.60	21.00

OK kids, I love you all. I miss you too. I sure wish we could see each other often. Take care of each other. Call when you can. We love you so very much.

Life is like a mirror. If you frown at it, it frowns back.
If you smile at it, it returns the greeting.
- Herbert Samuels
Love & Blessings, Momma G