Trivia at Dooleys

We got an invite from our daughter to try our hand at some trivia up at Craig's place. Dooleys!

She celebrated her birthday there last week and won $10 playing trivia, so she thought it would be fun for us all to go back and play.
I thought we had a pretty good chance seeing we had people on our team ages 63-14.

Mike, Brian, Stacy, Logan and Dylan

Our team was called "Bullshit corner" because that is the sign hanging in the booth we were sitting in.
We sailed through the first 2 rounds (4 questions in each round) getting all the questions right. Did I know the answers to them all - Hell No, That's what being a team is all about. I did know that Redd Fox was older that Joan Rivers and that there is a sailboat on the "old Spice" bottle. But the Bram Stoker answer came from Stacy and the Devo answer came from Brian.

Third round we missed 2. Some alien movie thing and what year did the Bears draft Matt Forte? We missed it by a year. We had 90 points after 3 rounds. Felling pretty good!
Round 4 the questions got tougher. 20 points each.
Who shot Jesse James in the back? NO ONE knows that.
What yellow spot on Monopoly does not have an avenue in it's name. Brian says "Marvin Gardens". I had no idea.
At this point I am happy just to be the Secretary and write down our answers.
Then to my surprise I knew a movie question!!! ME - a movie question.
Who was in the movies American Beauty, The kids will be all right.  and American President?
American President is in my top 5 favorite movies of all time so I shout out all the people in the movie. Annette Benning. Piece of Cake.

Last question - a sports question.

What position did Harry Potter play? How in the hell is that a sports question?
Everybody knew but me. Seeker, really?
So we finish with 150 points - IN FIRST PLACE going into the final round. The closest teams had 140, 135. 130.
Category is Islands.
Dylan, Mike and Brian wanted to go all in. Stacy wanted to bet 50.
I had control of the pen so I went in the middle and bet 100.
They gave you 5 islands and we had to name the state that they were in. All you needed was 4 out of 5 correct.

Well we got 4 of them correct. It was pretty easy.
Now we just had to wait to find out the results.
IN SECOND PLACE - Bullshit Corner.
Yup we took 2nd, and yes, I heard it from my grandson, Dylan. But we got a $20 coupon to come back. We had some awesome family time and We took 2nd place.
This is the one time somebody is going to remember who finished second - I'll remember. US!

Off to Kindergarten

Roger graduated from his preschool and is headed to kindergarten this August.

His preschool had a ceremony with singing and diplomas and CAKE.
This little boy next to Roger is Quinn. He and Roger started at this daycare on the same day and his birthday is July 22. The day before Roger's. They have been through it all together.

Saying the Daycare Pledge

 They sang 4 songs.

You are my sunshine

After this song they each shouted out what they wanted to be when they grew up. No surprise Roger wants to be a Construction Worker.

Look Out world - Here they come

Each child got a medal and a diploma. Miss Cathy, the one putting his medal on him, is the teacher that helped him with his speech. He really likes her.

Miss Cathy giving him his medal

One of the teachers at the daycare put together a 10 minute slide show of the kid's last year. All 3 of Roger's teachers were crying.

Then we posed for picture. They have also been practicing their smiles. Roger had that down.

Showing off his medal

Proud parents

Proud Grandparents

Proud Brother

Then we had Cake. With strawberries in the center.

Luke is digging for his strawberries

Roger wanted CAKE

So Bryan's first born is headed off to Catholic school in August.
It really does go fast.

Playing Grandma

Or maybe I should say Being Grandma.
Mary is in San Francisco for her new job orientation so I am staying in the city to help Bryan with Roger and Luke. Owen is in St. Louis with the Murpheys.

Mornings I wake up, early, 6am (that is early for me)  to giggles and naked boys running around not quite ready to get their school clothes on. I don't fight it - I just giggle along and they finally stop and put some clothes on. same goes for after baths at night. I think - yeah, this is what it's all about. This being a Grandma thing.

I read them bed time books and get snuggles. It's a squeeze, but both boys fit on my lap. They are good about taking turns too. That goes for everything they do, They truly are best buds.

They got a package in the mail from Mary and wanted to send her one so here they are coloring her a picture. Face time with her at night is huge, and they are crossing off the days on a calendar. Bryan does a awesome job. I don;t think I am needed all that much, but I am having a wonderful time with all my boys.

Coloring a picture for Mommy

Saturday was a big day.
After t-ball for Roger (who spend 90% of his time playing in the dirt in the infield with another boy) Papa came with lumber to build a sandbox.
He had all of it cut 5'X5'. All they had to do is screw in the brackets. Lay down some dirt to level the spot. Place the weed guard down and fill it. The boys have a sandbox.
The cover was made by Papa in advance too.

Luke had to have his hand on the tool to help Daddy

 Bryan and I took a run over to Menards to get 8 more bags of sand. (22 bags total) and of course some sand toys. Papa got some one on one time with the boys.

Filling it up

 Every time I would pull Rogers pants up to cover his butt crack,  he would pull them back down around his hips. "That's where I like them!"
After about 3 days of hearing that I stopped worrying about what was in the pictures.

Then we play

Bryan picked a good spot that gets shade in the afternoon.


AND after being on a waiting list for 3 and 1/2 years the city decided Saturday was the day for their new tree out front on the easement.

They boys would run from the front of the house to watch the tree going in back to the back of the house to make sure the sandbox was getting put together right.
They had to keep their eyes on both projects.

They held a tarp up to catch flying chips

 They had to grind out the old stump and man did this thing make some noise. The boys were a little disappointed they couldn't see it working. The men let them look into the hole before they put the tree in.

SOOO loud

Their new Aspen tree

Roger announced that "Watering the tree will be my job". He also said he would share the chore with Luke.

Luke needed to wash the sand from his hands and then his feet multiple times. I tried to tell him that sand will stick more on wet hands and feet (and clothes) than dry. Roger caught on right away. I think Luke just wanted to play in the water.

My feet are dirty too

Bryan grilled some burgers, hot dogs and some asparagus and we had an outdoor picnic "by the new sandbox".

Bryan Grilling dinner

This Grandma thing is pretty special.

Logan's 8th Grade Promotion

So it's not a graduation anymore.
8th grade to High school is now called a promotion. Makes more sense to me.
What ever they want to call the ceremony, our Grandson, Logan is now a high schooler.
Stacy now has 2 in high school and 1 in middle school. My, my, how time flies.

 Logan waiting to be called. He has his "Come on get this over with" attitude showing. (He was hungry.)

Grandma, Logan and Papa

He didn't mind taking pictures after though.
I am so, so, proud of him.

My Mother's Day

Technically I am a Mother, Step-Mother, Mother-in-law, Grandma and Step-Grandma. I really don't care how they all came into my life I am just so happy and blessed that they are part of me.

Bryan calls me Ma and Mary calls me Karen so Luke asked me if he could call me Ma - I said no, because I am not his Mother. Then how about Karen?  I just laughed and told him if  a hug comes with it he can call me anything, but Meemaw will work just fine.

I had a whole weekend of visits, but one is going to stand out the most.
Bryan and Mary and the boys are over for playing and pizzas. Brian calls so I invite him over too. When a car pulls into the driveway and our 16 yr old Grandson, Dylan, unfolds himself out of the drivers seat, Mike and I look at each other and smile. Did that just happen? He had his Father's car and didn't have plans till later.
He's all by himself - no Mother, no Siblings, just him and he came to see me. The smile on my face was big, but the lump in my throat was huge.


We walked in the woods to hunt for sticks for the fire. They found so many we stacked them in a pile to be picked up later. We had a pond and a waterfall to see. (The water fall is a small one in the creek, but in their defense water is "falling" over the rocks making a noise)

Roger, Luke and Owen went one way.

Brian, Mike and Dylan the other

Owen HAD to drag this one all the way back

Stopping for a family picture with sticks

Mike and the boys (big and small) build a fire for roasting Marshmallows.

Brian and Bryan showing Roger the art of roasting 

Owen's first time 

We kept the fire small and not too hot, but marshmallow were burnt and some even fell off. That's all part of the process.
There were some that did make into the crackers though. Proof is in the pictures.

This was Owens first taste of a smore

Yummy!!!
They even would pose for a picture with me. Feeling the love.

Me and the younger group

I can say my Saturday Mother's Day celebration was perfect.

And on Sunday the older set of grandkids came over bearing flowers. 

OMG, I forgot how teenagers can cause so much chaos and I loved every minute of it.

Being their Grandma is the greatest gift and I can say my Sunday Mother's Day was perfect too.

Sharen with an "E"

So the story goes that Sharen, my twin, was named first. Dad liked the name.
Mom thought that Karen would do nicely with it so hence they named me Karen.

To make Sharen look like Karen they changed the spelling to be with an "E" instead of the normal "O".
That's the story I remember - if it's not true - I don't care. That's what I remember being told.

I know for sure one thing that is true is...
She has spent her whole life saying  - Sharen with an "E" whenever she was asked how to spell her name.

So, as I am reading James Patterson's  "Private Paris" book much to my surprise I see this. I couldn't help but text her a picture. Yup, the lady detective's name in the book is Sharen with an "E".

I wonder if they wrote this book on a computer with spell check because Sharen is not recognized.