Things I'm going to miss about Zoey and Ruby

My girl left for kamp today. They'll be gone 3 months, all summer. I would be totally bummed if I had not spent the past 6 Wednesdays with them, trying to give Jenni a hand while making summer-sustaining memories with my precious granddaughters. Zoey is almost 2 1/2, and Ruby is 8 weeks old. Here are just some, but certainly not all, of the things I'll miss about them while they're away:

1. Zoey's playfulness and sly little grin when she's pretending to try to get away with something.

2. Ruby's huge dark eyes exploring her world.

3. Zoey melting my heart when she asks me to sing "Deep and Wide" to her.

4. Ruby's toothless grin.

5. Zoey's spontaneous praying and singing.

6. Ruby's sooooooooo soft skin and hair, and her chubby baby folds.

7. Zoey's love for her new baby sister.

8. Ruby's fascination with her big sister.

9. Zoey's amazing memory and rational sensibility beyond her years. (Wonder where she gets that?)

10. Ruby's sweet, heartbreaking cry......."Muh-waaaah!"

11. Both girls' sweet tenderness, and the loving bond they've already established with their Grammy and Papa.

Have a wonderful summer, my sweet angels. Have so much fun, but hurry home to us in August! Grammy and Papa love you so, so much.

Happy 35th anniversary!!!

35 years ago today on a beautiful, warm, sunny Jacksonville, Florida day, Tony and I were married at St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church. Seriously. Neither of us is Greek, but I was attending this church at the time. Tony was basically agnostic, and I had been raised in the Russian Orthodox Church. I would have been happy being married on the beach, but Tony thought we should be married in a church. Since there was no Russian church in Jacksonville, we opted for the Greek church. The ceremony was all in Greek, and we said no vows. To this day, we joke about wondering if we’re really married. (We are; we have the paper to prove it.) In 1980 we became Evangelical Christians, and we’ve often thought of renewing our vows in a “real” church, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. We met under unlikely circumstances which, in retrospect, were perfectly orchestrated by our Lord. I had recently moved to Jacksonville from my hometown of Endwell, NY, having just graduated from college. I was teaching 6th grade, and another teacher friend and I had just moved into an apartment in a singles complex, overlooking the pool. Originally from St. Louis, Tony was in the Navy stationed at Cecil Field, with only a few months left of his 4-year enlistment. He and 3 Navy buddies had an apartment at the opposite end of our building. One weekend in late August of 1973, the 2 gals next door to my roommate and me were having a party. They didn’t know how to tap their keg, and they spotted a couple of scruffy Navy guys in the pool. Dating protocol in Jacksonville, where there were 3 Navy bases at that time, strictly specified avoidance of any Navy guys below officer grade. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, so the neighbor girls went down to the pool and reluctantly offered to let the guys come to their party if they would tap the keg. Of course, the guys jumped at the chance. After all, there would be women and free beer. That evening, as I sat on the floor with my roommate and some other people, I looked up to see 4 clean, nicely dressed young men parade past the sliding glass door and enter the apartment. Two of them weren’t bad. I talked to one, then the other, during the course of the evening. The second one turned out to be the keeper. Tony and I talked pretty much all that night, and we’ve been together ever since. We were engaged by Thanksgiving, and the following April 20, we were married. We were both 24. Our wedding was pretty unconventional. Tony had finished his Navy commitment and had recently started his career with IBM. We didn’t have a lot of money, and we had to pay for the entire wedding ourselves. We decided to have our reception at the recreation room at our apartment complex. Everyone had to stand and visit because there were only a few chairs and sofas. Our rehearsal dinner consisted of pizza and beer at the rec room as we decorated for the reception the following day. Not being very wedding savvy, I forgot to appoint someone to add the ginger ale to the fruit juices to make punch for the kids, so they served themselves from a punch bowl full of thick, brown glop. Our honeymoon was very brief -- a long weekend in an old hotel in St. Augustine with no air conditioning, just 30 minutes south of Jacksonville -- because I was in the middle of the school year and Tony had just started working at IBM. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Like all couples, we’ve had our ups and downs, our crises and joys, but for the most part things have been smooth sailing. Jenni was born in 1977, with Erika to follow in 1979. They have been the light of our lives, and now that they are married to wonderful, Godly men and have produced 3 amazing grandchildren, our lives are full, satisfying, peaceful, and happy. We are so blessed. I have to brag about Tony yet again. When he retired a year ago, I was unsure as to how his being home all the time would fit with my working from home. I can honestly say that we coexist very well together in this new lifestyle. He is so amazing, and his love language is clearly acts of service. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t ask me what he can do for me that day. I am so spoiled! He willingly does laundry, dishes, cleaning, yard, pool, bills, home maintenance, and any other “honey do” chores I can think of, taking so much of the pressure off me as I continue to work to help supplement his pension. And it’s just so nice knowing he’s little more than a room away. He is also available whenever the kids need assistance, and he adores spending time with our grandchildren. Like Tony says, he was made for retirement! So, to my husband Tony -- my soulmate, my friend, my love, and my life – I wish you a very happy 35th anniversary, and many more wonderful years to come. I love you. And don’t think I’m going to let you off the hook for our celebration even though you have to go to Sherman today for federal jury duty. Remember, we have a date to have dinner at Pappadeaux as soon as possible. May God bless us during our next 35 years!

Happy Easter!

It's spring in Texas, and tomorrow is Easter Sunday. It's supposed to be stormy all day, so I thought I'd get a jump on things today and take pictures of the lush, cheerful spring flowers scattered around my neighborhood. This time of year is a riot of bluebonnets (Texas state flower), irises, daffodils, forget-me-nots, and flowering shrubs and trees. The new growth and beauty of creation is a reminder of the new life we have in Christ, whose resurrection we celebrate tomorrow. It is positively staggering to think of the enormous gift we have been given by our great God, who sacrificed his only Son to a horrible death so that we, who deserved the punishment He received, could have our sentence commuted. And all we have to do to receive this pardon is to believe in Him and ask His forgiveness. Wow! Happy Easter, one and all. Christ is Risen!!!

Happy Leo cracks up!!

As promised, here is the anticipated video of the cutest little boy in the world, belly laughing at his Mommy. Erika caught Leo at such a great moment when he was totally responsive to his toys. If this doesn't cause you to at least crack a smile, you must be an Obama voter. Enjoy!!

And now we are 9!!

Our most recent family addition came Saturday, 3/21/09, at 1:06 p.m. Beautiful Ruby Ellen Cribbs came into the world weighing 8 lbs 8 oz, 21 1/4" long, tons of jet black hair, pretty as a precious jewel. We already adore her. Zoey took to her right away and constantly wants to hold and love her. So, the Leo clan is up to 9: Tony and me; Jenni, Dave, Zoey, and Ruby; and Erika, Josh, and Leo. We were all together last night at the Cribbs casa for pizza and get-acquainted time, and it was so much fun having a houseful of family, especially the 3 little ones. Leo entertained everyone with his 6 1/2-month-old antics, particularly bouncing like a marionette in his jumper seat suspended from the doorway. Zoey jabbered continually in her precious toddler voice, and Ruby enchanted everyone by just being there. We are so thankful to God for providing another wonderful, healthy child, and we welcome Ruby with loving and guiding arms. Zoey has been hard at work, practicing to be a big sister. Dave and Jenni have prepared her very well, and she has pretty good comprehension for someone just shy of 27 months of age. To help things along, Papa and Grammy gave her a new baby doll in an infant carrier ("carseat" in Zoeyspeak), and she knew exactly what to do. She made sure the baby was securely fastened in the seat, swiveled the handle just so, and carried the baby up and down the sidewalk like a pro. Back inside, she got out some books and started reading to the baby. Oh, yeah -- she's going to be a GREAT big sister!!! Meanwhile, retiree Tony has been channeling his inner lumberjack. For 34 1/2 years, he maintained his corporate image at IBM, staying crisp and clean shaven. We had always wondered what he'd look like with a beard, so he decided there was no time like the present to find out. It wasn't exactly a disaster, but we all (especially Zoey!) decided he looked and felt better without it. Here are the before and after pictures. I'm sure everyone will agree the after is far preferable to the before, and now it's out of his system. Stay tuned for next month's Tony and Mona 35th anniversary installment! Also, if I can get it from Erika, there will be a hilarious and adorable video of Leo belly laughing hysterically while being entertained by his fun and creative mommy.

Move over, Tiger Woods ! (or Wayne Gretzky)

So Zoey stayed with us overnight last weekend to give Jenni and Dave a chance for some alone time before their family increases to 4 very soon. I had seen a little golf set at Wal-Mart and bought it for something new to do at Grammy's and Papa's. Zo took right to it and was doing pretty well until I made the mistake of telling her to "hit" the ball with the club. I forgot that 2-year-olds take everything literally. Our putting game became more of a hockey match, but she had a blast. We also went to my friend Fran's to feed the sheep.

As you can see, Zoey isn't the least bit afraid of them. The sheep are gentle and take the bread with their lips (?) rather than their teeth. We've done this so many times that Zoey knows several of them by name.

Our precious 6-month-old grandson, Leo, is now able to sit by himself for long periods of time. He's a happy boy, now that his perspective on the world has been raised up a notch. He was over 18 pounds at his 6-month checkup, and the doctor added rice cereal to his steady diet of Mommy's milk. He is the sweetest, most content baby!

It looks like spring is here in Texas at last. We could definitely use some rain, but it's so pleasant that we have the windows wide open day and night. Some prankster must have scattered weed seeds around the neighborhood, though, because we are all fighting a losing battle against dandelions, clover, and other indestructible flora. Tony always thought we should tear up the lawn and put down green asphalt, anyway. Maybe this year.........

By the way, if anyone is interested in buying our 2006 350Z roadster, this is the perfect time. The price is right, and it's definitely top down weather. Tony and I have decided to try living with just 1 car now that he's retired and I'm working from home. It will save money and give us more room in the garage. It's a great car and we've enjoyed it so much, but the Suburban is infinitely more practical. Besides, Millie hated riding in the trunk of the Z!

Probably the next time I'll post will be after little Cribby's arrival, so stay tuned. It shouldn't be too much longer. Please pray for a safe, easy delivery and a healthy baby. Thanks!

My sisters come to visit!!

As usual, Alix's blog postings are vastly superior to anything I could write, so I'll jot a few notes then refer you to hers. We did have a wonderful time last weekend when Lisa and Alix came to spend a few days. We had many laughs and so much fun with the grandkids. My daughters were happy to get together with us every day, and the little ones cooperated with great naps, smiles, and fun. Here is Lisa playing "Ring Around the Rosy" with Zoey at Jenni's and Dave's house. Notice the Pittsburgh Steelers banner adorning the front door. During football season, we all live, sleep, and breathe Steelers football. This year we have good reason to be thrilled!

Next we have Auntie Alix holding precious little Leo, with Auntie Lisa in the background. Leo has a great smile, but it's hard to catch it with the camera. He's a very mellow, happy little guy.

One of the highlights of the weekend was accidental. Josh and Erika found out quite at the last minute that there would be a baby dedication (one of only 3 during the year) the Sunday the aunties were visiting, so we all were able to participate in Leo's very moving and meaningful dedication to God. It was an honor and privelege to be included, and I'm so glad my sisters could be here for the occasion. Here is our extended family at Irving Bible Church, laying hands on Josh as he humbly kneels in submission and offers his and Erika's son to the Lord.They say dogs can't see 3 dimensions, but as you can plainly see below, Millie defies that concept. She frequently watches tv with us, and she almost inevitably rushes the tv and barks when she sees other dogs. Here she's expressing her enthusiasm for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. I'm probably prejudiced, but she has them all beat. As always, I was terribly sad to see my sisters leave, but we'll be getting together again in a few months, so we have that to look forward to. I just wish we lived closer to each other. Maybe God has us spread out for a reason. As kids, we tried our darndest to kill each other, so I guess absence truly does make the heart grow fonder!