THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME # 120 MARCH 2018

Dear Readers,

February was a very gloomy month for me (apart from the weather) as within days of a mandated visit to my doctor's office I was in bed with the flu. As you all know I do not make visits to a doctor's office unless I believe that death is imminent. Unfortunately, in order to receive my supplemental insurance benefits, now that I am on Medicare, I have to be physically seen by my family doctor to get my generic Zoloft prescription renewed twice yearly. So in early February I went to my doctor's appointment and was shocked to see only two other patients in the waiting room. I expressed my surprise to the receptionist since the flu epidemic had caused massive strains on the healthcare system and some facilities had set up tents in their parking lots. She explained that all suspected flu patients were directed to the urgent care section of the building in order to avoid contaminating others. Much relieved that I wasn't going to be coughed all over by germ ridden patients I was in and out with my prescription in minutes. If I was running things I would have offered video appointments to all patients who did not need a physical exam.

A couple of days later I picked up my prescription at the pharmacy and very fortuitously decided to replenish my supply of cough and cold medications as they had been depleted by my children's Christmas visits. That night my throat felt scratchy but nothing too serious so I was quite sure I would be able to enjoy lunch with Sarah, Coryn and Kay the next day and then spend the afternoon at a huge home show with all kinds of projects to get our creative juices flowing: but on Saturday morning I awoke to find myself frequently visiting the toilet with very juicy bowel movements, worse my head was aching, my nose was congested, my throat was raw, I was coughing, ached all over and was burning hot one hour and teeth chattering cold the next. My medical expertise immediately diagnosed the flu. I texted Sarah that I was too sick to go but she suggested postponing it a day in hopes that I would feel better by Sunday. She rearranged everything but I was still in bed on Sunday. Thankfully my diarrhea was gone but all my other symptoms remained. Thank goodness I had lots of ginger ale in the fridge as I had no appetite at all. I decided that if I managed to cheat death I would at least be a few pounds thinner which was a definite plus.

Unfortunately I was not able to watch the children for two weeks or so. Jeremy missed work one day to babysit and one of the children's teachers took another day. Coryn came over a couple of times to check on me, bringing the kids- who I was terrified would catch my germs but they didn't. She bought groceries and washed my bedding for me and suggested making another appointment with my doctor. I confidently explained that there was nothing the doctor could prescribe at this point that would work any better than the stuff I was already taking. Sean stopped by after work one day and looked at my self prescribed over the counter meds and announced that they didn't seem to be working- claiming I looked and sounded like death as I coughed all over him. He went to a pharmacy and came back with a bottle of cough syrup which apparently contained an ingredient guaranteed to help me cough up all the gunk in my lungs.

On the second weekend of being on my deathbed Sarah and Sean bought lunch over for me and I decided that I would go to the doctors the following day if there was no improvement. Something several of my children had suggested for days.

That night I was watching Victoria, a mini series on PBS which I really enjoy, when I realized that I was not taking anything in because I was having to work so hard to breathe. I debated my options. I realized that I could have pneumonia and that it might get worse during the night. I certainly didn't want to call one of my children or an ambulance out in the middle of the night so I called Sean and asked him to take me to ER so very close to my house. We spent six hours there – most of it waiting. The doctor felt my illness had lasted too long to be just the flu and sent me for a chest X-ray and ordered a breathing treatment. I was diagnosed with bronchitis, and given a prescription cough medicine and an antibiotic since I had a fever. It was about two in the morning when we left and I was so grateful to Sean for being more patient about the long delays between the appearances of the doctors and nurses. I was exhausted and just wanted to be sleeping in my bed the whole time we were there. The next morning I went to the pharmacy to get my prescription filled in my pajamas, no make-up and no hair spray! A first for me. Once home I spent the rest of the day in bed and thankfully after a couple of days on the antibiotic I was feeling much better and the following week I was back to being able to care for the kids. My cough lingered and although I never get a flu shot, and even though this year's shot was not very effective I might consider getting one next year.

Thankfully I was fully recovered by the time Josh unexpectedly arrived one Monday evening just before I arrived back from babysitting the kids in Lees Summit. He immediately demanded supper so I pulled out a frozen pizza and promised a home-cooked meal the following night. Of course I had to listen to him complain about how he thought he would be coming home to a feast but I told him that I required more than a few hours of notice to create my meals and besides Monday's were always my easy supper day as between dealing with Owen and rush hour traffic I was beyond more than a can of soup or a cheese sandwich.

Unfortunately since Josh has returned from Mexico and a short stay in Texas the weather has not been very welcoming. I had high hopes of getting several outdoor projects done whilst Josh was around to help me but he has been spending about eight hours a day working at his job and his spare time has been spent helping Sean and Sarah build all kinds of furniture: a bar in their basement, bar stools, an ingenious fold out picnic table that appears to be a park bench at first sight, and built in bench seating and shelving for the nook area in their living room. I spent yesterday fabric shopping with the three of them as I have been tasked with making an upholstered cushion for the nook bench and padded seats for the bar stools. Coryn texted me and asked if I could pick up some clear strap material for a dress that needed to be fixed while I was at the fabric store – that week I had already sewn a button on one of Jeremy's shirt, fixed a ripped seam in one of her tops and removed stains from it which she claimed she had no idea how to do. I shook my head .In May I am heading to Orlando to help Leslee-Ann recover a love seat: I will be working while she points her finger and talks non stop. Fortunately Ray will be demanding a lot of my attention too so I should get lots of play breaks!

Bryn has returned to Los Angeles and was lazing on his brother's couch as he told me that he will be moving into an apartment in Long Beach as he has accepted a job offer there – one of many he claims despite my misgivings about his extended vacation impacting his chances.

Craig will be flying in this coming weekend to attend the Kansas City Film Festival where his documentary Smoke and Ribbons will be shown. It has done well on Amazon Prime and we are so all proud of Craig ! Josh is going to fly back with Craig to Orlando to spend a few weeks with them until he departs for Spain in May, apparently he plans to work in Europe again this summer. As he leaves I will be moving into his spot in the Remsburg's home for an extended weekend, to see my Ray who turned 2 on April 4^th.

Josh surprised me yesterday by announcing that he was going to make some new tables and shelves for my sewing room -I have wanted to replace the huge three piece desk that your dad used for some time as it overwhelms the space and isn't very practical for my needs. I was looking forward to shopping for lumber. Josh said there was already plenty of material to create his vision in the existing furniture pieces-so why would I need to buy new when the old was adequate. I couldn't focus on his vision but know that if you want Josh to do something for you it will be done his way .I put my rose colored glasses on and told him to do his thing. He did take apart the wooden screen enclosed structure that protected my air conditioner from my neighbors cotton wood trees that have thankfully been removed. He used some of the lumber to rebuild the wagon that Ming Jon made me nearly forty years ago to take Marc, Coryn and baby Josh on rides in! It will be a focal point in my garden again this year as he did a great job on the project.

Since recovering from my illness I have spent a lot of time with my grandchildren: Owen has had three sleepovers and Ava Claire one and of course it is even more special to them as Josh has been here! And sometimes Uncle Sean stops for a visit after work when they are here to add to their happiness. Once again Sean and Sarah invited them to decorate Easter eggs at their house and I guess they must have painted themselves as well because they needed a bubble bath to get clean. Good thing Sarah and Sean have a plentiful supply!

Kay took a trip to Austin, Texas over her Spring break so she enjoyed the warmer temperatures. She is currently dating a guy, Richard, who lives close to me so she is spending quite a lot of time in Overland Park now! Theo is thrilled because he is a welcome visitor in her boyfriends house and gets to spend some of his days there enjoying the yard when Richard is working from home. Much better than being crated in her apartment all day.

Claudia is visiting us all for a long weekend in July, her first solo trip! I know it will be a fun time with all her Kansas City family! Ming Jon has a trip planned here in August. Our homes are always open to you!

My trip to Savannah is looming and I am looking forward to feeling the sun warming my old bones. It has been so much colder these last few weeks than it is usually at this time of the year. It will be so great to spend time with my friends of so many years once again.

Josh is periodically calling me down to my sewing room to check on the height of shelving or location of a stripped down, recycled, reinvented piece. I think he is going for a more streamlined, modern look than I had perhaps envisaged but it will definitely be much more practical. Hopefully I will be able to find some new flooring to pull my bright Mexican inspired walls and Joshua's design together. Something I can install myself of course!

I still have a few other projects that I am hoping to accomplish this Spring so if anyone wants to come to my deck painting party, my power washing feast or my hillside weed whacking contest out on Quivera let me know. I always have room for one more! Pizza and beer will be provided along with plenty of motherly love.

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOLUME : 119 FEBRUARY 2018

Dear Readers,

As you may recall I mentioned in my last letter that Leslee-Ann was very much hoping that Ray would find entering Grandma's house akin to experiencing the Magic Kingdom of Disneyland: thus I had Christmas decorations hanging where nothing but cobwebs had hung before. Upon his arrival Ray definitely thought Grandma had created a wonderful play-scape for him as he pulled down a bow with six feet of ribbon trailing down some garland decorating the entryway to the dinning room and took apart a centerpiece I had created out of baubles and candles .However it was my Christmas tree that proved to be the piece de resistance: he was drawn like a magnet to it and the glorious fun he found in pulling off all the ornaments he could reach and throwing them as far as possible, causing some of them to break. His parents would sternly admonish this behavior and sit him on the bottom stair for a time out – saying he could join us again once he could behave. Of course he would immediately return, stand himself in front of the tree and start his game all over again! After three days of Ray being constantly sent to time out and my trying to restore my tree to it's former glory every time he napped I decided on the 27^th that the tree was going to come down as nothing seemed to dissuade him from undressing the tree – I even gave him a whole container of fake apples to throw as he insisted on calling my Christmas balls “ apples” but they did not have the cache of my shiny balls!

I was so desperate to get my tree away from Ray that I enlisted Marc's help (?) to accomplish this task. On Wednesday December 27^th,the Remsburgs had bundled themselves up against the sub zero temperatures so that Ray could ride the two story carousel and use the indoor childrens' play area at the Oak Park Mall so conveniently located up the street!

It had taken me three days to get the tree decorated and less than three hours to take it all down and stored away in the basement. Marc complained the entire time that he was allergic to my artificial tree and wasn't too thrilled about having to box the ornaments up by color but over the years I have learned that it is better to do this for ease of decorating next year. That task completed we pulled of all the lights, bagged them up and started pulling the tree apart into four sections .I climbed the ladder and pulled off the top section – Marc as we all know cannot put a foot on the rung of a ladder – and hoped that Marc could pull off the next section. Despite spending $150.00 a month on a gym membership to stay in shape it was his mother( who of course has never been in a gym, leave alone done a work-out) who was able to pull it off. The last two sections were the hardest so we turned the tree on it's side and had a tug of war – I am sure it was my tugging that eventually pulled the sections apart. Thankfully Marc was able to carry the tree down to the basement storage room piece by piece without falling down the stairs.

The Remsbergs were surprised to see the tree was gone when they returned but I said it was better for all the children to have more room to play because the tree took up a lot of space and now Ray would not be spending so much of his Christmas vacation in time- outs! They did point out that I have a huge playroom downstairs but Grandma likes her grand babies to feel comfortable in every room of her house.

Leslee-Ann had outfitted us all in Christmas Pajamas hoping to get a family picture but we had to settle for one without the Logues as they spent Christmas Day with Jeremy's family but the following day we did get the three youngest kids together in their pajamas for a picture. We spent most of the 25^th thus dressed – frankly I was relieved when we were given the all clear to change into clothes that afternoon as I could not imagine cooking in pajamas. Jeans and an apron are required for this gourmet cook to open some cans and boxes!

I have to say that Bryn would have feasted his eyes on the piles of presents under the tree, a sight he has loved since he was a small child. In fact we ended up having two Christmases this year as Sean, Sarah, Josh , Leslee-Ann , Craig and Ray spent the actual day with me and then the Logues arived the following day with presents for everyone and we all had presents for them too so twice the fun.

I received a very unusual gift this year from Lori and Ming-Lee. As I opened their present I pulled out a handful of plush purple fabric and expected to be holding up a bathrobe. But as I continued to pull I found a head and a tail! Knowing that Ava Claire and Owen are very into dinosaurs they thought it would be so much fun if Grandma could turn into one to entertain them so I have them to thank for my winged dinosaur costume, complete with horns and a spiky tail. They also sent costumes for the kids too so I think we will be quite the talk of the neighborhood when we venture out to the community mailbox in our costumes! I did earn a lecture from Ava Claire over my less than enthusiastic response to my present. Hands on hips she informed me that I should be more grateful for my present that people had spent time shopping for and spending a lot of money on. She had been listening to Coryn and me when we were giving her a lesson on the gracious acceptance of a present that was not to ones liking. Of course Grandma had to tell her that she was quite right and I immediately hustled off to pull it on to all the big and little kids delight .Cameras were out as I am sure the siblings not there to witness mother as a dinosaur got a picture instantly.

I was very excited to have so many of my family here for the holidays so for Christmas dinner I roasted a turkey and baked a ham and fixed all the sides myself, except for the green beans which Josh prepared . We decided to have a light lunch and feast on a much later than usual Christmas dinner. There is no way Norm would ever have been able to wait so long – remember how he use to sit the turkey in the oven Christmas Eve and set the timer so that it would start cooking in the middle of the night and be ready to eat by noon at the latest! He definitely didn't worry about bacteria breeding in the turkey as it sat in the oven for hours before the heat came on. Thankfully we all survived every year!

Once Christmas dinner was over I started clearing the table and was amazed when my children announced that they were so full that they felt the need to walk outside in the dark of a freezing, sub zero night. I suggested that it was far too cold to take Ray out but Leslee-Ann said he would be fine all bundled up in his snowsuit, hat, hood and mittens plus a blanket. Marc did not join them of course as he felt it would be detrimental to his sinuses and eczema – which I had to look at daily to evaluate whether it had spread or not. He disappeared and left me in the kitchen with piles of dishes and left-overs to deal with! The kids were back within ten minutes, frozen to the bone, ready for hot drinks and desserts. They claimed they enjoyed looking at the neighborhood Christmas decorations despite the wind chill. I shook my head and kept scrubbing. When I mentioned to Coryn the following day that my children had fled the house to take a stroll in the neighborhood after dinner while I cleaned up their dishes she retorted that I had no one to blame but myself since I had brought them up! She of course was cleaning up in my kitchen to show me who was the dutiful, caring child out of the bunch!

Before the holidays Leslee-Ann suggested to Coryn that we girls have a night out at a wine and painting party; she herself had been to a couple of such events and found it very enjoyable and thought we would like it too. Coryn looked into it and found an event one night taking place at a bar right up the street from me but nearer to Sarah and Sean's house. I have never considered myself to be an artist, although I do love faux finishing with paint, so I was quite nervous about how my lack of skills was going to hold up alongside my daughters who are both good drawers. Sarah was also sure she was going to be very challenged but we decided we would spend more time drinking wine than painting if it was too challenging! By the time we were on our second glass we probably wouldn't care anyway.

With the dads babysitting their kids for the evening we met for dinner at a Mexican restaurant - my Asian children's definite preference and then headed to the painting venue. We were seated at a table in front of an upright canvas with five blobs of paint on a paper plate in front of us and three brushes. We were to copy a winter landscape of a forest of trees covered in snow with a sunset behind them. The pace seemed rushed to me, I had barely covered the bottom half of my canvas as instructed when we were moving onto the next section. However every gulp of wine increased my speed and by the time the instructor reached our table I was the only one to receive a compliment on the highlighting of my snow drifts which I inadvertently created whilst blotting up dripping paint with a tissue! Sarah and I were certainly painting with far more abandon than Coryn and Leslee-Ann whose works were definitely more in keeping with the demonstration painting. Looking around I noticed that many of the other would-be-artists were producing work far better than the instructors. I wondered why they came - maybe for the company? It was certainly well attended, not an empty easel in sight.

Once we were home we ended up with three paintings at my house - only Sarah took hers home to display on the mantelpiece! Leslee-Ann lined up the three remaining pictures in my family room and had the boys guess who the painter of each one was and to pick a winner. Craig and Marc picked mine as being the best while Josh said he would have picked mine if I had not added snowflakes to it and they all thought my painting was the work of Coryn. Just think another glass or two of wine and I might produce a masterpiece! It was definitely something I would do again.

We did have a white Christmas with about a half inch of snow covering the ground but Ray did not seem very impressed by his first sight of snow – certainly not as enthralling as the Christmas tree! Sean picked Marc up about midnight on Monday December 18^th, Josh picked up the Remsbergs on the 24^th and I took them all back to the airport on the afternoon of the 29^th. It was a tight squeeze in my Ford Focus for five with a baby seat in the back! But I was the only available driver as Josh was working and Sean and Sarah were in Minneapolis for a couple of days. Kay missed out on all the family fun as she went home to Washington DC for the holidays and then onto San Francisco to visit friends and celebrate the New Year

As you may recall Bryn has been in Mexico for awhile now and was joined in late January by Josh , Sarah and Sean. Josh elected to spend a month there with his brother whilst Sean and Sarah returned home after five days of vacation to their full time jobs. Apparently Bryn is returning to Los Angeles sometime in February. So Marc prepare to host your brother - while he lays on your sofa, takes over your TV, eats all your food,drains your hot water tank and contemplates the possibility of working again. Could take weeks!

We celebrated Sean's 30^th Birthday the weekend after his birthday party in Mexico- instead of tequila we had sparkling grape juice and a Troll themed birthday cake made by Ava Claire with help from her mommy. I made Lasagna instead of our usual pizza as the kids all felt they had eaten it too much recently. Ava arrived in her sparkling party dress with a troll bucket filled with party favors with boxes of games to play and once again Owen had fallen asleep on the car ride from his house to mine and slept right through our celebration! Ava Claire was happy to have the spotlight all to herself!

As I create this newsletter I am listening to classical music on my newest technological gift from Josh and Sean: an Amazon Alexa, so between her and Siri I have someone to boss around all day! I also was given Joshua's computer as an upgrade over my very slow lap top -initially Sean was planning to give me his work computer as he was getting a new one but Josh decided to buy it from his brother and give me his instead. I was typing away on it one day when it started talking to me – I must have inadvertently hit a voice command button! Another voice in outer space with which to commune! Took me awhile to figure out how to shut this one up!

Evelyn, Sherry and I recently planned a trip to visit Becky in Savannah this April, so we managed to all book flights into Atlanta so that we could fly from there to Savannah on the same flight to save Becky having to make a couple of pick-up runs to the airport. Since we will be staying there for three nights I suggested that it might be cheaper to find an airbnb over a hotel, plus we would have a lot more space. We decided to try it and have found a character home in the Historic District within easy walking distance of all the major attractions. It even has a private courtyard, just perfect for our endless cups of tea or glasses of wine!Several of my children have had great success with staying in airbnb's over hotels so we Grandma's are very proud of our adventurous spirits! Becky also undertook a walking tour of our final selections just to make sure that they were in safe neighborhoods and not virtually derelict!

Since this winter has been so much colder than the last couple of years mild ones I almost look forward to putting on my dinosaur onesie - complete with a rear zipper across my butt for bathroom visits! Snuggling up on the couch with my two little dinosaurs and a pile of books is a great way to spend part of a freezing winter's day! I am sure that many of my children think it a very fitting costume since they seem to consider that much of the verbiage that comes out of my mouth is from the dinosaur age!

Who knows maybe I could rent myself out for children's birthday parties- I can certainly dance as well as Barney! Love from your horny dinosaur of a mother who's tail is always in a spin!

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOLUME 118 DECEMBER 2017

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FREADERS!

Dear Children, Family and Friends,

I spent the first weekend in November with the Remsburgs in Orlando. I was met at the airport by Leslee-Ann in her brand new car - which I had no hope of recognizing by make or color - so I was hoping that my eyesight was still good enough to spot my daughter among the throngs of drivers crawling past me. If Leslee -Ann had to honk her horn to get my attention I knew I would be berated all the way home about what sort of a mother is incapable of recognizing her own daughter !

Since my flight didn't arrive until after Ray's bedtime I missed seeing him that night: Ray likes to stick to his routine so plans are carefully made around his meals times, nap time and of course bedtime. One morning before nap time we headed out for a shopping trip. Once at the mall we went into Home Goods where Ray proved to be very good about sitting in the shopping cart (unlike another little boy I know) but once Craig saw the super long lines at the checkout he promptly offered to take Ray to Best Buy, just a few stores away where Ray loves to watch the big screen TV's apparently while daddy is into the gaming section.

Once our shopping was done we stopped at a fast food place for lunch.I was eagerly devouring my spicy chicken sandwich and french fries when Leslee-Ann declared that Ray was finished with lunch and wanted to go home for his nap. For a horrible moment I thought I was going to have to pitch the hearty portion of my remaining lunch in the garbage - fearing that eating food was not allowed in their brand new vehicle but I was told to pack everything up to eat on the way home. Hallelujah!

As you may recall Leslee-Ann and Craig purchased a sewing machine when it was decided that I would be spending the Christmas of 2015 with them sewing monkeys, bumper pads, a crib skirt and blanket for Ray's nursery. It has come out of the closet virtually every trip since. This time Leslee-Ann wanted me to shorten a floor length dress for her by about four inches. She tried it on with the shoes she anticipated wearing with it, so I pinned it to her perfect length, just grazing her toes, and since it was a knit fabric I knew I could just cut off the excess fabric after stitching the hem because it would not fray, and I also knew that Leslee-Ann would try in on yet again once the new hem was finished to check that my effort met with her approval and if she deemed it too short I would not have to add a false hem …. She tried it on, perfect. So I laid the dress out on her dinning room table and snipped close to my hem stitching to remove the excess fabric but somehow I accidentally cut into the fabric above the hem. A hole in Leslee-Anne's dress! This is a sewing mistake I have never made before in all my years of sewing. My blood turned cold, my brow was sweaty, my stomach was queasy. Options raced through my brain as I gave silent thanks that Leslee-Ann was not watching me. Fortunately the snip was about an inch from the side seam so since this part of the dress was very full I opted to take the side seam in enough to encase the hole .Of course I leveled with Leslee-Ann about this calamity and much to my amazement she was very laid back as she tried the dress back on and saw that the repair was not noticeable at all!

Ray enjoys being outdoors, swinging from a tree in his front yard, or chasing lizards in the enormous screened in patio that occupies most of the back yard. He loves animals and finds birds fascinating, he loves to hear his parents complain about the bird poop on the patio and happily points out any that he finds – which is promptly hosed off by his diligent parent.

On a previous visit I had given Ray a wooden table and bench that he uses for crafts and he indicated that he would like to do something on it so Leslee-Ann ran inside and came back with two huge storage bins filled with art supplies. The boxes were unpacked and Ray selected the items that spoke to his creativity that day and with a few strokes of marker he was done. I applauded Leslee-Ann's patience in unpacking and repacking two storage containers for so little enjoyment time for Ray.

I have to say that he was very into dancing while I was there and seems to have inherited his mother's musical ability as he can already repeat note sequences! When ever he feels like dancing he grabs you by the finger, points at the nearest electronic device that can provide the up tempo beat he craves like Bruno Mars for instance and then he points at the floor and expects a Janet Jackson performance which Grandma delivered on a Sunday morning in her nightie, fresh out of bed without even a cup of coffee.

We took a stroll around the neighborhood to see all the new million dollar homes being built around St. John's Lake, the housing market has definitely rebounded there, took Owen to a park where he had the most fun chasing a crow and then we risked life and limb on a walking/biking trail with spandex bikers constantly screaming on your left or right as they furiously peddled past. At least the peacocks we passed were beautiful!

Ray chasing a crow under the picnic table.

Unfortunately I didn't get TSA pre- approved status on my return flight so I had to wait in incredibly long lines with my fellow second class citizens. Just as I reached the check in point with my boarding pass and driver's license in hand they announced that they were going to be holding us in place for awhile until the congestion ahead cleared. I nervously asked the agent how long this wait might be - she estimated at least twenty minutes. She grabbed my boarding pass and handed it back saying I should have arrived at least an hour earlier than the almost two Lesee-Ann had assured me was sufficient. I explained that my daughter and son-in-law were frequent fliers and felt comfortable with the amount of time for me to clear security. She said “well I work here and would definitely have given myself another hour.” People all around me were saying that they had never seen a complete slow down like this. I tried to keep my mind off the minutes ticking away and gave my attention to one man who seemed to think that despite having left his driver's license on his kitchen table that he still should be able to travel. He pulled out every card in his wallet but of course none of his many cards were acceptable alternatives despite his claims – I have to say the workers were very patient and tolerant. Hungry and needing to pee I was finally allowed to inch into the security line where we were subjected to some spiel about signing up for a program that would allow one to bypass all this chaos and endless waiting in line.To my amazement a number of people broke out of line to join the promoters who guaranteed that they would only need five minutes of their time, a sizable fee and guaranteed that they would make their flight. I whipped out my phone and saw that I had forty five minutes until boarding began. I was tempted but knew it did not make financial sense for me to do it as I don't fly often enough to justify the cost. I willed the lines to speed up. Way ahead of time I took off my high heeled boots, precariously balancing on one foot whilst clutching my suitcase handle for support praying that I didn't collapse into a fellow passenger. – quite a challenge as I was packed in on all sides but I didn't want to hold up the line once I got to the conveyor belt. Once my bags, boots and I were through security I zipped my feet back into my boots and tottered as fast as I could on my three inch heels for the tram that takes you to your terminal. A lucky break here as my gate was very close to the tram stop so I was able to run into the toilet, grab a sandwich and make it in time to line up for boarding! Thankfully the flight went smoothly and I arrived back in Kansas City, boarded the shuttle bus to the economy parking lot and found my car immediately for once – even in the dark – and drove home to a nice cup of tea, a good nights sleep and a day of rest before Ava Claire and Owen arrived to spend Wednesday with Grandma. I woke up on Tuesday with a cold that has plagued me ever since.

Thanksgiving was at my house this year and it was one of the easiest ever from my point of view as I only had to roast the turkey (which only took two and a half hours in my convection oven) and make a cherry crumble for dessert. Kay spent her first ever Thanksgiving with us as she usually returns to Washington DC to spend the holidays with her parents but in view of the high cost of airfare and the hassle of holiday traveling she decided to stay here and just travel home over the Christmas break.

Josh, Coryn, Jeremy, and Kay all contributed to the meal, many of them fixing multiple dishes so all my stove burners and both ovens were roasting, baking, boiling and sauteing. Coryn had made a pumpkin pie so I was hoping that my dessert would not be needed but I ended up throwing it together once Coryn reminded me that she didn't like pumpkin pie anymore than I do – the boys all love it – and Josh loves cherry crumble which he claimed was my duty to provide as promised. Fortunately I had made the topping the evening before so I popped it in the oven while we were enjoying out turkey and mounds of salads and side dishes. Sean and Sarah were missing from our celebration as they were on a long planned trip to Minneapolis to attend a basketball game. Ava Claire loved helping set the table and was very into glass clinking with our sparkling non alcoholic grape juice! She asked everyone if they would like red or white, quite the hostess! Owen slept through the meal!

Once Thanksgiving was over I threw myself into Christmas preparations, a full week earlier than usual since Leslee-Ann, Craig and Ray will be spending Christmas at Grandma's house and Leslee-Ann has plenty of plans for her mother – I think of myself as her personal Santa elf as she has me receiving, sorting and wrapping gifts, making sure that Ray will be as dazzled by my Christmas decorations as he would be by Disney's in their home town! Leslee -Ann has outfitted every member of the family celebrating Christmas here with an appropriately themed pair of PJ's to wear for a family Christmas picture! Sort of a re- enactment of the days when you were were all so adorable in your coordinating Christmas outfits!

After a week of decorating inside and outside of my house I was confident that it would meet Leslee-Ann's criteria but then I saw Sarah and Sean's house. Think of our styles as Martha Stewart versus the Griswolds Christmas. I have one huge inflatable snowman (thanks Marc) on my deck, they have three plus a polar bear,a fully decorated outdoor Christmas tree; and icicle lights hanging off all their gutters. I had a giant lighted Wreath, and a miniature Christmas tree on my front porch. True I have a very cute bear themed Chrsitmas work shop display but ...I stopped at Hobby Lobby on my way home and picked up some pre lit garland. I grabbed one of my many tomato cages and wrapped it to look like a Christmas tree and topped it off with a homemade bow. Better .

They had set up another Christmas tree in their living room and around the base they had a running train set (I have masses of white tulling to imitate snow )but as Ava Claire and Owen were with me I could see that this was a winner with them and doubtless Ray was going to be equally as enthralled. I looked at the Yeti on top of the tree and asked Sarah how she could possibly allow such a thing but she said she actually liked it! Could this be the same girl that picked out the decorations for me to make her front door wreath – definitely one of my Martha looks

I was shopping at Mennards recently and spotted some strobe Christmas lights, I grabbed a red and green one which would throw a kaleidoscope of seasonal color across the front of my house. I rushed home, plugged it in and felt I had the decorating edge – until Josh came over today and said that they had two of them at their house now! Bah humbug!

A few paragraphs ago I mentioned that Ava Claire and Owen were with me when visiting Sean: this was because their parents were spending the weekend by themselves in Branson , Missouri – that's right the place people my age like to visit – so they were spending Friday night with Grandma and Saturday with Sarah, Sean and Josh. I was already invited for lunch that Saturday before I knew we would be babysitting so it worked out well. We all had lunch together and I left early in the afternoon as it was a nice day for them to take the kids to the park and hopefully help wear them out for bedtime. Sean and Sarah came through the door with the kids the next day shattered claiming that they had hardly slept a wink – the kids snored, coughed or seemed in dire danger of rolling off the bed!I had my tale of woe with the children too.

On Friday night I took them to McDonald's for supper and ordered two happy meals, fries and a hamburger for myself and decided to indulge myself in a vanilla milkshake. A big mistake. Once our food was ready I grabbed our food laden tray and headed over to get napkins and straws. Ava Claire asked to hold the straws which I handed to her, Owen immediately made a grab for them so I gave him the napkins but he was not happy – in a split second I knew he was going to throw them on the floor so I held my tray with one hand as I reached to save the napkins only to have my milk shake fly off the tray. I managed to grab it but squeezed so hard that the lid popped off and sprayed milkshake all over me and the floor. What a mess. An elderly couple sitting close-by bore witness to this tragic scene and shouted over to the workers that I needed some kitchen towels to clean myself up, I dripped my way over to the serving counter apologizing profusely for the mess I had made and started cleaning off my clothes and boots , grabbed some more napkins and tried to soak up big blobs of milkshake from the floor. My guardian angels promptly told me to stop my efforts assuring me that the employees would be bringing a mop out to take care of it – they shouted out another order to the serving counter and urged me to find a table with my grand-babies and enjoy our food while it was still hot. I had just got to a table, organized the food in front of the children when this lovely lady approached me bearing another milkshake. I thanked her profusely and offered to pay her for it but she explained that she had told the workers that since I had dropped mine accidentally they needed to replace it! I would never have asked after the mess I had created! Such a kind couple who were obviously regulars at this McDonalds to take us, complete strangers, under their wings. A great learning experience for Ava Claire and Owen too.

Marc Andrew is now in the house, he flew into Kansas City around midnight, was met by Sean, spent the night at his house and this morning called me to pick him up at the crack of dawn. He was freezing at his brother's house – they keep the thermostat at a cool 62 degrees. Marc will be here for almost two weeks and is already complaining about his dry skin and sinuses! I may have to up my dose of Zoloft to ensure my sanity as I deal with his hypochondria, bowel and bladder issues- that always leads to at least one of my toilets needing new parts.

Marc has just mentioned the possibility of my making a batch of Oreo balls - I told him that if he mentioned the idea in front of his brothers that I would personally take care of his balls and hang them on my Christmas tree! This afternoon I have to take him Christmas shopping as he doesn't seem to have heard of on-line delivered to your choice of destination shopping. At least my presence will ensure you all get a decent gift this year! Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and the Healthiest and Happiest 2018, love your all in the spirit of the holiday(much needed with Marc Andrew around) Mother. Cheers!

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 117 OCTOBER 2017

Dear Children, Family and Friends,

Kay and I made plans early in the summer( before our surprise July 4^th family reunion) for a fun Grandma/ Granddaughter road trip to Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend since Kay had not visited them for many years in their home.

Kay had to work on the Friday prior to Labor day so we couldn't leave until Saturday morning. This was probably a blessing, for although we lost a whole day in Indy, we avoided road construction delays en route – of which there would have been many on a week day. Kay arrived at my house about nine after dropping Theo off at the dog sitters. Since this was our first long road trip together I made sure that she knew the rules way ahead of time: no liquids, no stops for sight seeing, and no pulling off the interstate to go through a drive thru' window. Grandma's fully loaded Ford Focus only stops for gas.

Kay settled herself into my passenger seat and I put her in charge of the radio and navigation with a Garmin, map quest printed directions and of course google maps on her cell phone. I think she thought this was a bit much but having got lost in Indy the last time I drove I was determined not to waste time, in a panic, trying to figure out how to get to where I needed to be. Her most important task was un wrapping hard candies and passing them to me for hours - my liquid alternative!

Kay had bought some snacks along for the road trip: an entire grocery sack full of salty items like potato chips which she started munching on almost as soon as we pulled out of the driveway. I questioned the wisdom of eating this thirst inducing snack but she claimed starvation and assured me that salty things didn't make her gasp for liquid. “Just as well!” I retorted heading down the highway as far as our first tank of gas would take us with no stops. After hours on I70 we finally stopped for gas, lunch and a bathroom break. While we were sitting in the fast food restaurant Kay was gulping her drink while I nursed my small coffee. She actually went to the bathroom twice in fifteen minutes knowing there would be no more potty stops unless I needed one and as Norm said I have the bladder of a camel!

Fortunately for her, as we neared Indianapolis, I decided that we needed to top the gas tank up again as I didn't want to have to worry about finding a gas station in heavy city traffic. As soon as I pulled up to the pump Kay took off like a greyhound to the bathroom. I think we had gone through about half a bag of hard candy to stave off thirst by this time but I am a creature of habit and this has been one of the ways I keep stops to a minimum. I like to get from one place to another as fast as possible!

As we were driving I remarked to Kay that if her present relationship didn't work out she might want to consider dating someone in the truck manufacturing business as we seemed to pass by hundreds of semi trailers: there is nothing I hate more than having my Ford Focus boxed in by one on either end of me and each side of me but it must be a lucrative industry. We arrived at the Indy Lowes house in plenty of time for dinner so after hugs all round Lori gave Kay a tour of their beautiful home while I kept Ming company as he cooked and I enjoyed a nice cup of tea.

As we all know I love to turn junk into cool funk and I think Ming Lee has definitely got my artistic bent. He is in a class way above me as he has turned out some amazing pieces with his impressive self taught carpentry skills. Lori is so lucky to have a guy who can bring her ideas to fruition! Kay was amazed to see all the tile work, built-ins and furniture he has handcrafted. She noted that her dad has none of these skills – just like Marc, the other lawyer in the family, who can barely change a light bulb.

Ming-Lee made us a delicious hearty seafood stew including crab-legs and mussels. This was a special request on my part as I had enjoyed it so much on another visit. After dinner we headed out to the yard to play a game that was new to me and one that I know the rest of the family would enjoy too. We formed teams of three each and faced each other across an expanse of lawn and had to throw broomstick thick wooden dowels at several blocks of wood – the team knocking the most down winning. This game could definitely leave a player black and blue if they failed to keep an eye on the dowels hurtling towards them. But it was great fun, especially if you were on the winning team like me! I might try to make this game for my KC family.

Once the family returned from church on Sunday morning we headed out to a nearby park for a hike while the temperature was still bearable. Kay and I did a good job of keeping up with these fitness fanatics – they had probably agreed before hand to go at a snails pace – and returned home for lunch. That afternoon they took us on a sight seeing tour of Indianapolis. Lori was very excited to take us to the cat cafe to have coffee and play with a room full of cats. Unfortunately once we arrived we were told that it would be at least an hours wait so we decided to go elsewhere. Lori suggested we head to the interesting architectural library building and enjoy the ambiance of their coffee shop. Unfortunately it was closed! The Indy Lowes were mortified and so we headed off to find an open coffee shop, successfully doing so in a combo coffee and handmade chocolate store. Lori loaded up on delicious chocolates for us all to enjoy. I am sure she realized that my sweet tooth was beginning to niggle at me by now!

We found a spot to sit outside and discussed dinner plans. They had a restaurant in mind that they thought we might like – I suggested making a reservation since it was a holiday weekend so Ming called and learned that it was closed too! We ended up at a Thai restaurant. I have to say that Kansas City is alive and kicking every day of the week!

In between these activities we played games – I would classify it as a fun marathon family game weekend. If you get more than four Lowes in a room together you will be playing a game of some kind. Blake and Claudia were so patient with Kay and me as we tried to get up to speed on all their games – not at all the typical moody teenagers!

After breakfast on Monday morning we headed back home – after Ming had checked the air pressure and on a whim he decided to check my spare tire and was appalled to find it contained only three pounds of air! He pumped it up, we all hugged goodbye as Lori sneaked Kay a water bottle for the trip and sped off. A couple of hours after making it through Indianapolis and back onto I70 I fortuitously happened to look at the gas gauge and realized that we were very low on gas. I had not thought to fill it up again before we left – usually the first thing I do on a long road trip! Kay and I realized we might run out of gas driving across the barren plains so we anxiously kept our eyes focused on the road signs: far more miles down the interstate than I would have liked we finally found one that kept us from being stranded on the side of the road! Kay was thrilled too because she needed to use a bathroom desperately after drinking with abandon at breakfast – I of course had limited myself to one cup of coffee !

Our trip home took us a little longer as we had to make another stop for gas on our way into Kansas City. I pulled into my driveway around five , Kay loaded her stuff into her car, got behind the wheel and turned her key in the ignition. Nothing. I booted her out and tried the key myself. Nothing. I found the battery charger but could not find the power cord so I raced over to my friendly neighbor 's house because I knew that Roger was always fixing something on one of the five vehicles he and his wife own. He came over with his jumper cables and Kay's engine started up immediately. Roger thought her alarm system might have caused the issue. We were both thankful that he was able to start her car so that she could get home and spend some time with Theo before she had to return to work the following day. We had a fun time with the Ming-Lee, Lori, Blake and Claudia and would certainly do it again!

Owen decided that he was going to potty train himself about a week after July 4^th – just a month after his second birthday,coincidentally the same age his sister chose to do so too. Initially he did very well, especially when running around commando style all day. He would run to his potty, squat and pee and enthusiastically applaud his success. Things were going quite well until one day I noticed emerald green slime running down his leg. I grabbed him and set him on the potty . Coryn hopefully suggested that it might be play-dough that he had stuck to himself- as he was playing with some earlier but after seeing green poop in the potty of a very runny consistency we cleaned him up, the carpet on the stairs and put him in pull ups for the remainder of the day. Coryn reported that his poop stayed bright green for a couple of days but Owen seemed to have no ill effects thank goodness. I invested in a new carpet shampooer after this incident. I have used a few times!

Ava Claire and Owen are now back in pre-school three and two mornings a week respectively. I am once again driving over to Lees Summit on Mondays to pick them up from preschool and stay with them until Coryn returns from work. On Wednesdays they still spend the day at Grandmas house. I have them trained them not to expect fun Grandma to appear until I have consumed at least two cups of coffee and watched the news first thing in the morning. They arrive at the crack of dawn in their pajamas so after breakfast and dressing I take on the many roles of the day that Ava Claire and her make believe world demand. She loves to pretend that she is another family member like Claudia or Auntie Leslee-Ann and then I am told to be Claudia's friend or Leslee-Ann's sister Coryn. Owen is also given a role – frequently that of a baby girl called Lily! We then act out going to the movies, where I can guarantee that the movie of my choice will not be showing, a restaurant where everything I try to order is off the menu, “sorry we are not serving that today” , or a dress store where everything you like does not come in your size. Ava Claire loves to disappoint and tell you what you can have!

Leslee-Ann and Craig were affected by the hurricane that hit Florida recently. They sheltered from the high winds and heavy rain in a friends bunker – apparently Ray slept through it! When they returned to their house the only damage was to their landscaping unlike some of their neighbors who sustained roof damage. However they were without power and despite having a generator it was too hot to stay in home with sub standard air conditioning – we all know that Craig hates being hot! So they moved in with friends for the week about forty-five minutes away who had power. I will be visiting them at the beginning of November and then they will be here for Christmas so I will get to spend lots of time with Ray – and his parents of course! Ming -Jon visited them this past weekend anxious to meet his new nephew.

Marc just returned from a trip to Amsterdam,and Paris, Bryn moved to Mexico City a week after the earthquake: when I questioned the wisdom of this he assured me that his apartment was still standing and that he was more than willing to help with the clean up which he says is going well. Sarah and Sean are heading to Honduras this coming weekend for a short vacation and amazingly enough Josh has committed to working in Kansas City for the next four months until the travel bug bites him again – which I am sure it will in January.

I had been thinking about adding a coffee table to my upstairs family room for sometime as I had been without one for sometime since your dad fell over the one we previously had during a seizure. For many years I have had a big spare space in front of my sofa's which also worked well as a playing area for my grandchildren while they were still using play mats, crawling, and napping on the floor . Now that they are older and enjoy playing and doing art projects at a table I decided it might be time to finally add a coffee table back into the room. I knew I didn't want something I would have to worry about the kids ruining so having decorated this room in a rustic theme I decided that a pallet table would be perfect! I mentioned this idea to Josh, making some design suggestions that were ignored of course but Josh built the table almost as soon as I mentioned it which was amazing! I also asked for two matching stools for Ava Claire and Owen to use so that they could play and snack at the table. I got these a couple of weekends later! I painted and stained it in three different colors - already in the room's color scheme and love how it turned out. I pointed out to Josh that we could go into business as I found one on Etsy distressed like mine for five hundred dollars with no adorable matching stools. Josh rolled his eyes and declared that only an idiot would pay that much for a creation out of free pallet wood!

Sarah's parents, Cindy and Joe recently came to Kansas City for a week and we had some fun get togethers. The whole family went over to Sarah and Sean' homes for a Sunday barbecue and of course to play games set up in the backyard. They had also invited some of their friends so it was quite a large gathering! Their large kitchen table was laden with food and Owen must have been very hungry that day as he sneaked back inside, climbed on a kitchen chair and hollered out the open window “ Hello Daddy!” I found him gorging himself on chips. Throughout the afternoon others reported that he was moving from chair to chair sampling everything before him!”

Cindy and Joe were delightful company and enjoyed Kansas City very much, I was happy to have them over to supper one night and I really have to like someone to go to all that effort as we know!

I am now gearing up to paint my upper windows exterior sills as the paint on them is peeling, seal my concrete patio, pressure wash my siding, dig up my Canna and Dahlia bulbs and keep my newly planted trees and ornamental grasses alive out on Quivera. I don't want to fall too far behind on outdoor chores at this time of year as winter approaches. I am never bored! Wish I had more time to sit out on my front porch like one of my pumpkins (I know at least one of you is thinking I am the same shape these days) and watch my real spiders spinning their webs. Mother knows she can be bewitching but I don't think I can create enough magic to have my chores done for me – unless I can use my broomstick to prod one of my kids to do it all for me! Love Mother

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER : VOLUME 116 AUGUST 2017

Dear Readers,

July 4^th was a glorious celebration this year thanks to some dynamite planning on my children's part! About a week before, Ming-Lee called to let me know that he, Lori, Blake and Claudia were coming over the following weekend as it was about the only time they could due to their activity packed summer. Since they would not be arriving until late Friday, ( as they could not leave until noon due to summer school for Claudia) Ming said they would spend the first night with Coryn and Jeremy as it would shorten their drive time a little. The plan was to have lunch at my house the next day.

In case they decided to sleep over at my house for the rest of their stay, I cleaned upstairs and thought of possible meals plans. Towards the end of the week I got a text from Lori telling me not to fix anything for lunch as they were bringing it over with them. I wondered if she meant all the way from Indianapolis … This meant that I decided not to go grocery shopping until they arrived and thus had a better idea of which meals Sean, Sarah and the Logues might be planning to eat with us all.

Joshua arrived back unexpectedly from Texas on the same Friday as the Indy Lowes - showing up at around dinner time. I thought he was going to be arriving the following week. I rushed up to the Hen House to pick up dinner, and instead of thanking me, Josh berated me for not having a fully stocked pantry and fridge at all times in case one of my children arrived – starving – unexpectedly on my doorstep. I replied that since all the groceries that mother would need were just a block away it was more convenient to shop their aisles than have groceries clogging up my fridge and pantry.

Saturday morning came , with another text to let me know that Ming-Lee and family were on the way with lunch. I decided to await their arrival pulling weeds in my front garden,and paid little attention to a white sedan that passed by assuming it was my neighbors. It pulled into my driveway and out they all tumbled laughing at me for not realizing it was them – they claimed they had even been waving frantically at me! I had been expecting them to arrive in their mini van but they decided to use Blake's newly purchased car to give him a chance to get in some practice!

Since it was a relatively pleasant morning we decided to lunch on the deck and I was thrilled with their choice 'Chick Filet' knowing how rarely they eat fast food! I was a little perturbed that Josh was not back from the gym – I had questioned the wisdom of heading to the gym at the same time that family and lunch would be arriving but he assured me that he would be back in time. However Sean arrived and distracted me from fretting about Josh. Lunch was finished by the time a grinning Josh stepped out on the deck, shortly followed by Craig who I immediately thought was making a flying visit to finish up his documentary on the American Royal Barbecue. I hugged him and asked if the other Remsbergs had come too – thinking probably not as I knew they were going to Dubque, Iowa later in the month and that Leslee-Ann also had a work trip to Boston as well. But as I stepped in the kitchen I saw my little Ray of sunshine and his Mom! I was floored! What a wonderful surprise, Norm would have loved that you all had pulled one over on me as he always enjoyed that sort of thing. Josh even left the house in his gym clothes with his bag so I had no clue he was on his way to the airport!

Later in the afternoon Coryn arrived with the kids and visited for awhile before leaving to help Jeremy clean up their Condo in downtown Kansas City before their new tenant moved in. The kids stayed with us and Ava Claire was very into “baby sitting” Ray. Owen was a little less aggressive than he was on their first encounter over Thanksgiving but I noticed that Leslee-Ann and Craig kept an eye on him when ever he was within striking distance of cousin Ray!

I started thinking about dinner but was promptly told that we were having Pizza and that my children were taking care of all the other meals for the rest of their stay so Saturday through Wednesday I was banned from my kitchen and the grocery store! What a gift, just having so much family around me and no pressure to produce my Martha Stewart quality cuisine!

At some point that Saturday afternoon I said it was a shame that Kay was missing out on seeing so many family members but she had gone to Chicago to meet her new boyfriends parents -Sean had told her the previous weekend about the surprise and she was bummed but had already made her plans. Ming-Jon missed out too but he had visited just a few weeks before and had concert tickets that weekend. I also remarked that it was too bad that Marc and Bryn were not with us either but knowing that they both hate the heat and humidity of the Midwest in summer - I doubted they would have been keen on making the trip.

During the course of the afternoon I learned that Sean and Sarah were going to be hosting us at their house on Sunday, that Monday we would all be at my house and Tuesday, July 4^th would be spent at the Logues with the grand finale being enjoying their neighborhood fireworks.

Coryn and Jeremy returned in time for pizza whilst Sean started checking his phone, with the excuse that Sarah -who was in Pittsburgh on a work trip -was trying to wrap things up so that she could fly home that night instead of as scheduled on Sunday morning. Claiming that she had secured a seat on a flight he eventually left to pick her up from the airport. This made perfect sense to me as I would want a good nights sleep in my own bed before being invaded by our big family.

Leslee-Ann decided to bath Ray and get him ready for bed so this meant of course that we all had to keep noise to a minimum so everyone moved to the downstairs family room whilst I attempted to clean up all the toys and party debris on the deck. Coryn and Lori joined me and soon we were chatting away. As I stepped back into the house I heard Owen screeching so I flew downstairs and threatened him with terrible consequences if he woke up baby Ray. I was so busy telling him off that I failed to notice that Marc was sitting in my recliner. Finally one of the kids said something about Mother not even acknowledging her own child so I whipped around and saw Marc and the best I could greet him with was “What are you doing here?”His siblings loved this and teased me for days for my seemingly less than enthusiastic greeting and eventually I realized that Bryn - who was hardly recognizable – was sitting on the couch! Sean had spun a very plausible tale to hide the fact that it was his brothers and not Sarah who needed a ride from the airport.

I started doing mental gymnastics with my bedroom situation with the Remsbergs and Josh already in residence but was told that Marc and Bryn were staying with Sean and Sarah and that the Indy Lowes were staying put at the Logues. It is so nice to have three homes to accommodate us all now but of course only one has the perfect location!

Time to return to Bryn – he has the worst haircut I have ever seen, a sort of a cross between Friar Tuck and a Mohawk and not unlike the style of North Korea's despot. I am afraid that rather than disguising his receding hairline it emphasized it. I think he may need to buzz it like Ming-Lee, Marc and Craig. I told Marc that if he and Bryn were out at the bars a girl would be more likely to hit on him than his brother - something unimaginable before this horrendous hairstyle! Bryn declared that his hair was cutting edge and very appreciated by his LA friends but we all noticed that he was wearing a ball cap most of the time after putting up with us all teasing him about it!

Craig was soon begging me turn my thermostat down from the very comfortable 79 degrees I enjoy to 75 degrees or preferably less – this despite the ceiling fan over his bed! I did turn it down a few degrees for the duration of his stay and had to wrap myself in my comforter to stay warm in my chilled bedroom. Craig actually left Leslee-Ann upstairs and moved to the too cool for me basement to sleep on the sofa, padded with the pillow bed I made for the kids! Why someone who hates being hot lives in Orlando, Florida is beyond me!

Sunday we met up at Sean's where he was firing up the grill for lunch! It was an extremely hot and humid, typical ninety degree plus Midwest July day so I secured a spot on their shady back porch and watched Ming-Lee, Blake and Claudia trying to set up a volley ball/badminton net which they had brought with them.. They were having trouble finding a wide enough spot with enough depth to play. After awhile I suggested that perhaps it was too hot for anyone to want to play but Ming was determined (he has always loved family games) and eventually found a big enough area on the side yard. I never budged from my shady spot but I think all the kids played in different combinations. Unfortunately Marc Andrew had to make a couple of barefoot runs after the volley ball as it sped downhill to Quivera. He badly bruised his big toe but kept playing although of course I had to look at it numerous times throughout his stay and assure him that he didn't need a trip to the ER!

At one point 17 of us were sitting on the carpet in Sean and Sarah's bare living room playing family games! We all stayed for dinner too and kudos to Sarah for hosting us all after a very early morning flight into Kansas City, she was so welcoming to the family, playing with the kids, feeding us all and playing volleyball on very little sleep. I left with the Remsburgs as Ray's bedtime approached but some of the other family members decided to sit around the firepit and make S'mores in Sean and Sarah's enclosed courtyard. It must still have been in the high eighties when we left but the kids were enthused about roasting themselves as well as the marshmallows I guess!

Monday was spent at my house. In the morning I took Ray and his parents to Deanna Rose so that he could enjoy the animals. He loved feeding food pellets to the goats but unfortunately he decided to give them a taste test himself causing his parents to be concerned but I assured them that they could not possibly be toxic since they were intended to be handled (though not consumed) by small children. They must have been quite tasty as Owen tried to eat a few more!He was very comfortable petting baby goats whilst Leslee-Ann bottle fed them – thankfully he did not attempt to take a drink from the bottle like his cousin Owen! I can only imagine how stressed his parents would have been! Craig took lots of great pictures of our time there.

Bryn and Marc picked up Barbecue for lunch. Leslee was in touch with Josh Dinwiddie , a former high school classmate, who happens to live near me so he, his wife, and young son, also named Ray were invited to have dinner with us. They arrived to find half my children playing basketball in my driveway as I screamed at them every time a ball bounced into my flower beds. There were so many of us that we had to use both my dinning room and downstairs pub table that sits 6 to accommodate us all. The boys made another trip to a different barbecue place to pick up some more food to supplement the left overs from lunch.

Ming-Lee and family had to leave on Monday as they needed a day at home to prepare for their summer vacation in Canada, starting that Wednesday, so they missed being with us on the fourth. But the rest of us spent the day in Lees Summit with the Logues.

Coryn and Jeremy had prepared a wonderful array of side dishes and salads to accompany Jeremy's barbecue meats, working that grill in the broiling heat! Some of the kids added their contributions – once again nothing was required of me! Coryn had even set up a dessert bar and cocktails were served too!

Ray was more reserved for awhile when we arrived at the Logues. It must have been quite bewildering for him to find himself in yet another strange house surrounded by so many relatives and of course Owen who was making sure that his cousin understood whose toys he was attempting to play with. Ava Claire was smothering him with her mothering so it took him awhile to adjust but by the time we were ready to eat he was comfortable enough to chow down. He has an amazing appetite and unlike his picky cousins will seemingly eat anything. I noticed that his parents kept him supplied with a constant stream of snacks in between meals!

The Logues neighborhood cul-de-sac has their own fireworks display which starts in the afternoon and goes on well into the night – we are talking flatbeds worth of fireworks here. They are permitted in Missouri but not on the more refined side of the state line of Kansas where of course I live! Jeremy had taken Ava Claire with him to purchase some fireworks, including some intended for the children's enjoyment. He was very fired up about having his Lowe brothers there to light up the sky with him but unfortunately Marc and Bryn had to leave to catch their flight back to LA at eight that evening so Sean and Sarah were leaving too to drop them at the airport. Marc muttered that Bryn had made all their travel plans and that he was not looking forward to arriving at LAX and possibly having to deal with masses of traffic in the midst of firework displays to drop his brother off in downtown LA!

For Jeremy this was a bit of a fizzle on the night's festivities but he was sure the kid's excitement would more than compensate. We all gathered outside in the driveway as he set up the first round. As soon as the first firework popped Ray burst into tears and was hastily taken into the house to be comforted by his mother. Jeremy had lost two more people. Next he coaxed Ava Claire to watch the snake fireworks and colored smoke balls she had picked out. She decided that since Ray was frightened by the noise and had gone inside that that was where she would rather be: she practically jumped into my arms and begged to go indoors. Now Jeremy was left with Owen, Coryn, Josh and Craig and all too soon he lost Owen and Coryn! I am sure Owen was aware that Ray was inside the house and playing unsupervised with all his toys! Not a tolerable state of affairs for a two year old who screams “Mine” every time a hand gets within reach of a toy, even if he hasn't played with it for months!

Leslee-Ann, Ray and I left shortly before Ray's bedtime, leaving Craig behind to ride back with Josh. At least Jeremy had a couple of fired up brothers to enjoy his fireworks !

The next day I tearfully dropped the Remsbergs off at Sean's house as he was taking them to the airport along with Sarah ,making yet another work trip, coincidentally to Orlando although she was flying on a different airline. So hard to say goodbye to my little Ray of sunshine as I know it will be months before I see him again and he will have changed so much!Thank goodness for Face Time!

Of course my children had fun with me – they loved it when I used my empty carbonated fruit water bottles to amuse my grandchildren by filling them with water, dish soap and food coloring, declaring the mixture a magic potion. One of the the children left their bottle on the table by my chair and being the same color as my real juice bottle I took a swig and rushed to the kitchen sink to spew it out! Yuck – wrong bottle. Of course I got no sympathy - although they did agree that the colors were very similar but even so only someone as dumb as Mother could have done such a thing!

They enjoyed family game time when I was acting out the word Jack Hammer and all my wobbly bits were threatening to fly off my body!The boys were ordering me to stop which only intensified my acting out!

One of the most stressful moments for me was when I caught my boys throwing ping pong balls off the deck into my solar powered water fountain bird bath, artistically set in one of my flower beds - more balls were landing in the flowers than in the bird bath. I made them set up far away from my garden beds , even finding containers that they could fill with water for their entertainment. They soon had an organized game complete with a scorecard. My children are so competitive that they can turn anything into a sport. The grandchildren enjoyed playing with the ping pong balls in the water filled containers too!

This time with so many of my family will be a treasured memory. I hope it won't be too long before we can have another family reunion with every one present. A few more of these surprise visits where I don't have to grocery shop, prepare gourmet meals and have my house in pristine condition will convince me that my children really are all grown-up and don't need me hovering over them with constant advice about everything in their lives – maybe! Thanks for making July 4^th such a blast for me this year ! My heart is exploding with love for you all.

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