Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Adventures in the Trent Household

From the past few months:

Jillian was involved in a dance program at the local community center. At the end of the 8 week class, there was a big performance from all the classes in our area. She did a great job and even had a solo part in her dance -- she cartwheeled across the stage! We loved watching her and presenting her with a little bouquet of roses afterward.



The newest member of our family. Echo came home with us unexpectedly after a trip to the mall. My dad decided he wanted a pet to keep him company. She is lovable and completely devoted to him, following him wherever he goes. She loves to fetch and play tug of war and chase the cats. That last part we're still working on... I can't tell you how many times I've had to get a cat out of a tree since Echo came to live with us, lol.


Wearing his favorite shirt -- a monster
face that says "happy" under it.
Wyatt turned 2! And how did he celebrate his birthday?? With a visit from his great grandma "Grammie" and his great-great grandma "Mamoo"!!!! Mamie turned 90 on the 19th of June and her one wish for her birthday was to come down to Arizona to see us! So, she and Grammie loaded up in the car and drove on down for a few days. It was great to see them and to have the kids get to spend time with their beloved grandmas. I covered that a little in the previous post. One of Mamie's favorite adventures was when we went to the pool so the Biggies could show off their mad swimmin' skills and so Wyatt could scare everyone with how much he loves to throw himself into the water. There's no fear of water with that kid, that's for sure! :)
I love this picture, taken at the bead store.
Grammie and I took advantage of the time together to go through my closet and create outfits for me to wear to work; she knows I can't wrap my head around a "professional" me. She cleaned my sewing machine and gave Chloe her first sewing lesson and also let me use her Costco card for some bulk shopping too! We went to a bead store and then took Chloe to a free session at one of the local gymnastics gyms. Mamie and Grammie loved watching her use her skills and try new things during her trial session. She has such a love for gymnastics!

Since the grandmas left, Chloe has started going to Flame gym 2 hours a week. She began in level 2 and is already working on her skills to be promoted to level 3!
Jillian wants to take the tumbling class Chloe took through the community center so I think we'll start her in that once school starts back up. For now though, she's busy with swimming lessons! While I'm at work, my dad takes the kiddos to the pool for Jillian's lesson and then sometimes stays to let everyone swim. It has been such a blessing having him around this summer.


Lead singer of Everclear
We're even spending some time together just the two of us! Last weekend, for example, he talked me into going to my first rock concert. It was 90s rock -- Sponge, Filter, Live and Everclear and I was surprised as how many of the songs were familiar to me. It was loud and kind of small but we had a good time together. :) And I think I might download some Live from iTunes.....

Sack races
For the 4th of July, we went to the local  Buckeye fireworks at Youngker high school.  It was a quiet, fun afternoon. The kids participated in the sack races, the water balloon toss and played tag and catch in the grass. We ate watermelon provided by the Lions Club and then enjoyed the fireworks. Last year Hubba slept through them and I was looking forward to him enjoying them a little more this year. Instead, he watched about 4 explosions and then turned over on my chest and fell asleep. It was a fun family evening that reminded me of why 4th of July is my second favorite holiday. There is no pressure to cook or buy presents, no frantic running from here to there... There family, and taking time to be thankful for our freedoms and our blessings.


Blessed




Milestone


June 19th, 1923
My great-grandmother was born on this date 90 years ago. A couple weeks ago, she and my grandma drove down to Buckeye to spend a few days with my family. That was her wish - the only present she wanted for her 90th birthday was to spend time with the Trents. We had a glorious 4 days together. We drove around so she could see all the places associated with our family's busy life - the kid's schools, our workplaces, church, the local Walmart... We ate dinner together, the 9 of us and laughed and talked and looked at old pictures. The kids showed off their rooms, their school awards and shared stories about their daily lives.
Many of you know that I was raised by my Great-Grandma - affectionately known as Mamie. Even at 90, Mamie still lives independently, drives herself around and is the head of volunteers at the hospital in San Andreas. She volunteers 2-3 days a week there and is in charge of training all new volunteers. She also works with my grandma making jewelry which they sell at a time share in Angels Camp each Friday evening. While at my house, she insisted on mopping my kitchen floor and helped me with some laundry. She is quite amazing in her ability to flourish even at 90 years old.
Lowell and I marvel thinking about how much she has seen in her 90 years. The birth of indoor plumbing, electricity, and telephones. The progression of buggies to automobiles to airplanes and technology! from cell phones to computers, she has managed to evolve with the times. Admittedly however, she only has a "dumb" cell phone and no real understanding of the Internet.
She was born at the end of the Depression, lived and traveled west during the Dust Bowl, married and lost her husband in World War 2, spent time as a single working mother in the 40s and 50s and then remarried and raised a blended family, helped raise my own mother, took in my father and then raised me.
An accomplished life, a lasting legacy and still more memories to come.
Happy Birthday Mamie! We love you very much and can't wait to see what this coming year brings!