Family Fridays...James

It took me a while to decide whom I might like to blog about next. However after reading Tiffany's blog about the baby of the family (And then there is....) having it hard, I thought I'd give my reasons for the baby of the family being a great position to be in.

My baby...Ames Momas Too Too Train (name given by Casey)...aka Jimbo Jumbo (bet you didn't know that James), Jamie (when did he stop being Jamie?), aka JT (given by himself) , aka James Thomas Unwin (he was going to be Benjamin, but that's a whole other story)  

Memories of James:

• Chubby little feet that wanted to be kissed each night
• Loving to watch the movie Back to the Future
• He and Casey hiding behind my bed pretending they hadn't found their Christmas presents of various Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• "Al be gur" (Disney's movie Oliver)
• His love of his binkies and having to have warm milk in his bottles
• Picking him up from his mission and his surprising us by being at the airport in the Dominican Republic
• Covering for Casey by wiping messages off of the answering machine that said "today your student missed one or more classes...."
• Lying on the couch with "DeeDee" watching cartoons and each of them drinking their bottles
• Christmas Eve 1989 when he split the back of his head open
• Soccer, soccer and more soccer (Casey too!)

Reasons why being the baby last child in the family is the best:

• Trips to England that others missed because they were married or on a mission
• Always around to move furniture for parents or family members
• Being lucky enough to help do odd jobs around the house
• The opportunity to bond with  parents not only on holidays but at breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Having a car to yourself
• Having a house to yourself
• Fussed over by older siblings 

Ok maybe there aren't sufficient reasons that being the baby is a great place to be but when all is said and done James is the ideal baby last child of the family.  He has always been easy going, kind, patient, helpful, slow to anger (and to be honest, I don't ever remember him angry as a teenager or adult).  He is a great father to Annie, (last Friday's Family Friday) husband to Kristin, and son to me!  James, I love you!

No apologies to James...but he will always be my baby! 

(and to his older siblings...I'm sure they wouldn't have it any other way either...RIGHT?)

April 1987

Family Fridays....With Annie

Our adorable little Annie joined our cute group of grandchildren in December 2009. She is a real cutie and I think I have finally gained her love and trust. She was a little character from about 2 months on. She just didn't act like she liked me. It didn't stop me kissing her and telling her one day she would love me.

Things I love about Annie:

• She loves her mommy and daddy
• She loves the movie "Little Mermaid"
• She loves to sing and dance
• She loves her cousins
• She loves Missy

Sweet Memories of Annie:

• Hearing her first sweet newborn cry.
• The night she decided it was okay to stay and play with Nana and Grandpa
• Her funny face expressions.
• Our applesauce fight (I might add she won!)
• Watching "Little Mermaid" with her for the first time and watching her sing along. (she was only 14 months old at the time)
• The Sunday Annie was sick and was laying in my arms watching videos of herself on my phone.  She turned around to look at me and gave me a half smile and buried herself into my chest as if to say "I'm safe and love you." 
• The Sunday night when I was playing with her 5 month old cousin Lucy on the floor.  Annie came and sat on my lap and put her little arm around my neck and held on tight. (I can still feel that hug.)  She wasn't sure if she wanted to share me!  
• The day I gave her an Ariel sing-a-long doll. 

Although she wasn't sure I was who she really wanted to be around a few months ago she has decided that maybe just maybe she will keep me around...I told her she would love me lots one day...

 and she really does love Nana!

Do you know where you were?

Some events stick in our minds and it is very easy to remember where we were and what we were doing.  Twenty eight years ago today was such an event!

Although this picture is 27 years old, a lot of joy, happiness, love and a sometimes pain in the backside (no pun intended) came with that event. I love you!  Happy Birthday Casey!

Family Fridays...My Nana

Edith Louise Mangus Bonner

My Nan was born March 27, 1909, in Logan, West Virginia.  I was the second of five grandchildren and the first granddaughter. We had a running joke in the family...I was told that I was her favorite...and you know what...I was!

Memories of My Nana:

She loved to travel.

• I remember traveling with her on many occasions.  
• She took me to California, Denver, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming and many other places.
• These trips enabled me to see my first fire flies in the back country of West Virginia.
• While my Nan stayed with her daughter, my Aunt Gene, my Uncle Carl took Bill, James and me to Washington D.C. to visit and see all the sights.
•  During one of our trips to San Francisco I went to my first major league baseball game and saw the San Francisco Giants play.
• Nan took me on my first train ride to Wyoming. 
• I remember standing in the middle of the Logan River in Logan, Utah in fishing waders and her fishing with me.

She loved to spend money.

• I remember Poppo, my grandfather, sitting at a desk paying bills and turning to her and saying "What's money any way if you can't spend it?" (and she loved to do that)
• I remember she bought me a pair of tan shoes that to this day I will swear were the most comfortable pair of shoes I ever owned.  I think they were about $50 and that was in 1970. (We won't even go near the subject of her shoe collection!)
• She love, loved, loved her Cadillacs.
• I remember her sitting me down once when I was 15 or 16 and showing me all her different savings accounts and where and which bank to find them. There was only a little in each one one but I am sure there could probably still be a bank around the area with an account in her name!

She loved to talk on the phone.

• There are many times I can see in my mind her sitting and talking on the phone and doodling on a piece of paper.  She used to draw squares with "X's" in them.
• I have more than once been in the car, at the store, even walking down the road when my cell phone has rung and it made me think of her.  She would have been one of the first people to own a cell phone...remember those big brick style phones with an antenna...yup, she would have had one of those.

Nana was no saint.  You didn't cross her and you didn't cross her family! However with that said, she was a very generous and kind person.  She would help those who were down and struggled to find a way out of their problems. She was loved by many.  She was always my biggest ally!


There are many fun, sweet memories I have of her. Far too many to put here.  I can remember the white board that used to hang by our back door. Several days had passed and I had forgotten to call her.  There written on the white board was a big message...CALL NANA! Unfortunately, one day it became too late.  She had had a stroke.  I went down to see her.   She couldn't talk but as we stood in her hospital room and my mom and Aunt Gene (Nana's other daughter)  started to tease me and Nan about me being the favorite.  I held Nan's hand and her thumb gently rubbed my hand.  The only words to describe the communication at that time was her spirit spoke to my spirit.  Words were not needed...she was expressing her love, and how thankful she was for all our adventures and most of all she was telling me that "Yes, I was her favorite!"

Family Friday's...(on a Monday) My Brother

My brother came into my life when I was 7 years old.

Early memories of him:

Poppo, Nana and David
circa mid '60's

• Dragging Having him accompany me in his blue push chair when I went to my friends to play.
• Babysitting him and our cousin Lynn and telling both of them to go play on the freeway.
• Tickling his toes and making him laugh as a baby.
• He was always "Mr. Dapper Dan" in his Sunday dress.
• Playing Superman with his cape that our Aunt Bev made.

Things that I Admire:

• He loves his family.
• He loves the gospel.
• He is very giving and if you needed the shirt off his back it would be yours!
• He loves to grow a vegetable garden and share when my garden isn't liking me. Which is often, cause I don't enjoy the gardening just the fresh veggies!
• He will always tackle the hard stuff when the rest of us whimp out!
• He is very knowledgeable when it comes to politics and current issues. 

Things I have Yet to Figure Out:

• How he survived attending "Terror Tech" Boy's School in England!
• Why when we have a family dinner all my kids will come in and change the seating name tags so that they can sit by him? 
• Is he the "thorn between two roses? (Melanie and I)   Or the "rose between two thorns"?

When all is said and done...he is lots of fun to be around and can make us all laugh until tears stream down our faces. He is my little brother...he is my friend.  He supports and gives words of encouragement when needed.  I love and appreciate him for all he does to make our family a great family.

Just for the record I still wouldn't "trade him for a $100.00. Even if it was cash."

Family Fridays...

...WOW you are going to have to hold that thought! I'm defintely behind schedule!

Actions...

It is said actions speak louder than words.  Why is that? Don't words also bring happiness, respect, or sadness just as actions do the same? Are they one in the same?  You get people who "run off at the mouth" but do you get people "who run off at the actions"?

There are people who are good at speaking up, speaking out, speaking words of comfort, speaking kind words, speaking unkind words.  There are people who lead by their actions, scare you away because of their actions, make you want to follow or make you want to run.

So which are you? I imagine we are a little of each....why then is it said "Actions speak louder than words?"

Just a question I have today?