The Sun Will Be Out Tomorrow!!!

Indeed, the sun did come out both Saturday and Sunday, at last! Thank you God! Saturday two friends game to visit Roxi at the lake. Steve and Rob came up after Rob took Annie to the airport for her year long visit to London. (We'll miss you Annie, but have a bloody good time!) Jason and I watched the disastrous Illini lose again, so after Anni's nap we took her to the park with her friends in the sun!!!

But Sunday, was the best sunny fall day celebration. Even though Katy was very sick, she drove up from Champaign to meet us at the pumpkin farm. Anni had been waiting for this all week, and was so thrilled to see her Auntie Katy. Katy and Anni choose a "special" pumpkin!

My three girls running from

one thrill to another!

For more pictures of the day see Roxi's blog

After about half an hour the men took off to watch football at the pizza place down the street. Since Roxi and Jason are leaving tomorrow for Cedar Rapids, we celebrated Steve's birthday when we joined them later. Anni helping Babu eat his cake and ice cream.....yum!

It was a wonderful, fall day to do things with your family. And I was blessed to have all three of my children, and my grandchild in one place, at one time. A feat for our family. The damper on the day was that the Bears played even worse than the Illini the day before! I think I'm ready for basketball season to start. In fact, thanks to Katy's friend, Rich, we will get to see her dance Friday for the Illini's first game of the season, and then back to football Saturday. So for Halloween, the Engstroms will be visiting the Engstroms, and we will be back at U of I. However, Katy who had a terrible drive back last night in the RAIN AGAIN, was still very sick today, so hopefully she will feel better after some rest this week.

Roxi had another ultrasound today, and I got to see my new little grand daughter. The doctor has some concerns, and is going to be watching her carefully. We are waiting for blood results to determine how dangerous the risk may be, but Roxi feels the test will be fine. Her faith and determination is incredible. She just wants this whole pregnancy to be over, so she can feel normal again. I am just so grateful she is here to get the care she needs, even if we have had only 2 days of sun.

Tomorrow it will be difficult to say goodbye, but I know they will be home again soon, and again we can all be together. And the sun will come out again, but not tomorrow........

Rain, rain go away!!!!

We are still at the lake house, and it is still cold and rainy! We have had no summer, and now no fall! Global Warming my arse! Although I am enjoying my time with Anni, it is certainly dampened by the lack of sunshine and constant rain!
Today one of Roxi's friends and her son came to visit. It was great hearing the shrills of glee coming from the monkey room as the two of them played with every toy they could drag out. The darling room has been too silent for too long. After lunch, naps were requested. Roxi was taking some needed rest, when I found Anni playing in the livingroom by herself. She had snuck down two flights of stairs. I put her in bed with me, and as hard as she fought it, she was soon sound asleep besides me. What a sleeping beauty she was! After her royal rest, we all headed to town to shop and go to the park. Even with a huge beach towel, we couldn't wipe down the slides enough for the kids to go down. Soaked and defeated, we headed for Pot Bellies for dinner. While the Moms chatted and tried to eat, the two kids ran amok. We thought they were darling, but I'm not sure the teenagers there were as amused as we were. After a trip to Target, we headed home.
Once again, I heard those wonderful words, "Me want Bibi to give me, me bath." Last summer she was so worried about her sick Mama, she only wanted "Papa", or sometimes, "Auntie Katy."But for right now, I am the chosen one, and I love it! She loves swimming in the big tub with Noah's Ark and all his animals. Because it is cold here, I have to dry her hair with a blow dryer. (Something she never uses in Zanzibar.) Well, the first time I dried her hair, I blew the hot air on her belly button, and down her PJ's and up her pant legs. She loves this, and it has now become our own little ritual. The second I start the dryer, she pulls her top up to show me her belly buttom, then the pants, etc. I am so thrilled that we have our own secret little game. Then she giggles as she jumps and falls down on my king-size bed while I sing,"Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed." Is there a better sound on earth than the laughter of a grandchild? I think not.
I am so blessed to have this bonding time with her before she leaves for Cedar Rapids, and eventually Africa again. These memories will have to warm my heart when the silence returns to the monkey room again. A child's playroom without a child....the silence is as gloomy as the constant rain. But whatever the weather outside, I have my own little Miss Sunshine for awhile.
Sunday, Auntie Katy is coming to take her to the pumpkin farm. Something Anni has been waiting for all week. A little help with the weather would be greatly appreciated.

Home at the lake

After many days catching up on sleep in Wheaton, and seeing the doctor for Roxanne and Anni, we headed up to the lake for some R&R. Yesterday was beautiful, with golden sun and gorgeous fall leaves. Today we have rain, but Roxi is teaching me how to improve my blog, so I hope you like the new look.

Anni enjoys Bibi's tub!

Home, home, thank God Almighty, they are home at last!

My family is home safely, and are all tucked into bed. Anni is darling! She let me read her "Beauty and the Beast" before tucking her into her bed. She loved swimming in my jaccuzi tub, and was overwhelmed with the books and toys I had found in Katy's old room. I checked in on her before retiring myself, and she looked so precious sleeping in Katy's old bed.
Roxi and Jason enjoyed the "American" food, the hot tub, and the comfortable bed too. Robbie is also here, so our family is almost complete, except poor Katy is off studying at school. The holidays will be wonderful with them all home, unless Rob leaves for Iraq. Right now, I'll take whoever I can get, and cherish this special time as they rotate through my door.
Tomorrow I'm taking Anni to see "Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D! So I better get some sleep too. Thank you God for bringing them home to me again.....

Exhausted, but too excited to sleep

This morning Roxi texted me while she and Anni were flying to Dar, their first leg home. Last week I got the new carpeting in, and the bedrooms cleaned out. This weekend was Homecoming at U of I, so we took off Friday in the rain to see Katy dance, but at the last minute it was cancelled because of the weather. Saturday the sun finally came out, but it did not improve our team's ability. Another disappointing game, but I did get to spend the third quarter with my old roommate, Steffie. We had been grade school age friends. We tried to catch up on a yearful of updates. After the game, some tailgating and dinner at Dos, Katy and I hit the hot tub for some Mom and daughter bonding time. She is "not dating" a new boy. I hope he is worthy of my great gal. Sunday we rushed home because we had theatre tickets to see "Hairspray". Steve and I had a nice dinner, the quite before the storm of this week.
Today I bought enough food to feed a small army, but I wanted to have anything Roxi, Jason, or Anni might want after their long flight home, and a year and a half without their favorite foods. They are probably boarding their flight to London as I write this. I am so upset that this cold weather and rain will dampen their homecoming. I want everything to be perfect. I even got two big balloons to take to the airport so they can find me as they come down the escalator at the airport. Wed. at 2:10 pm I will be there with bells on (and coats, socks, and blankets) to bring my family home!!!
I am hoping to take Anni to her first real movie theatre experience on Thursday. She wants to see "Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D! I just learned tonight that next summer "Toy Story 3" will be out next summer, but she will be gone again by then. But like Scarlet O'Hara, "I'll worry about that tomorrow."
I really do have to try to get some sleep, so I will be able to keep up with them all. Steve and I are going from empty-nesters with a spoiled dog, to a house full again. Roxi and family, Robbie and his dog, Data, are all coming in TWO DAYS! I hope I can enjoy it all......just breathe and take it all in......