Official retired as a grandma!

It's August, 2018, and I have returned to Issaquah, officially retired from the State of Alaska, as of September 1st, to spend my time with grandkids full time!  Yea!  Anah & Shital, Ayani & Roven are waving at me from an overpass hike around Mt. Rainier.  We did a 3-day trip right after a 4-day camping in the Northern Cascades.  Anah still is planning amazing outings, as is Shital.  How lucky to be part of the family, wanted, loved and cared for.

Ayani and Roven just finished 2 weeks of swim camp at the Tiger Mountain Equatics.  This pool was built by a husband whose wife liked to swim laps.  The private facility is amazing, clean, and wonderful for swimming lessons; and... it costs about the same as regular lessons here in Klahanie.  Good find, Anah!

Yeung and Michael took a weekend to play with Lio and Mila on the shores of Pudget Sound, renting an Air B&B house.  It was a nice break from Yeung's very busy medical research in downtown Seattle, and Michael's studies for his Master's in programming.  One more semester and Michael should be finished.

Ayani and Roven begin Kindergarten in one week at Endeavor Elementary, just a mile away from the house.  It's a big step, after graduating from Bella Terra Montessori preschool in June.  They also attended pre-preschool at the Children's Garden Reggio program in Bellevue for a year, so this transition should be natural. 

My days are spent now with women's bible study, prayer, kick-boxing, stretching, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, driving kids and family around, and the best part... playing with the kids. 

I still get to play a bit with E4L and the University of Alaska, developing curriculum for Growth Mindset, the Design Process and T3 (automated robots for land, sea and air).  I head to Hawaii for 10 days in October, after spending 10 days in Elfin Cove again to host the electricians for the Cove.  Bill & Kathy Walder are house-sitting for me this winter, so hopefully, it will be a big improvement on how the house winters.

3 and 1 more on the way!

Had a baby sprinkle today for "Jumpy2" ... Yeung's new baby girl, due in September.  We shared a stress-free day, with the three women and three children.  Played games, ate wonderful food and best of all, just hung out all day together in Everett.  The theme was Angelina Ballarina; very pink and girlish since Lio is all boy, and we wanted to really center around the female side of this baby.  

I am so lucky to be part of both Anah and Yeung's daily lives and also get to be with Lionel, Roven, and Ayani constantly.  They are getting to be so much fun; loving to play games and talking and singing up a storm.  Some of their expressions and viewpoints just crack me up.  They all are very intelligent and very strong willed.  I like how Yeung and Anah are taking such good care of their families.  What a treat for me to be around.

New Grandson

On January 25, 2014 my daughter, Yeung Lo Tutterrow and her husband, Michael, had a son, Lionel.  He is beautiful, alert, and very easy-going.  On a recent visit with Yeung's parents from Hong Kong, the three kids (Ayani, Roven, and Lionel) were playing "Peek-A-Boo Barn" - their favorite app on grandma's iPad.

What a wonderful treat to have the cousins so close (well, an hour away, anyway).  Yeung has one more month at home, and then she is supposed to return back to work as a research doctor.  I hope she is able to stay home more and enjoy Lio.  If not, I hope I get the chance to do some care and get a relationship with him, as well.

I can't believe I have been able to live with Ayani and Roven for their first year of life.  How wonderful to wake up each morning to their beautiful smiles, wanting to just snuggle into my plush bathrobe from the Salish Spa.  Changing their diapers and feeding them their morning milk in the soft recliner/rocker is always a nice way to start the day.  Even the diaper changing is a treat, because we get some very close alone time to whisper sweet things and play with their toes and nose.  It's bonding time.  

Haves and Have Nots

The world we are living in is full of destitute and deprived people who live and suffer daily just to survive.  Right next door is the rich and well-off, with little empathy for their neighbors.  This image makes me realize how much an impact just one person can have.

Serving is a fantastic way to spend the day.  I wonder in what ways the rich on the right in this photo, could possibly serve the poor, on the left in this photo.  It feels like the starfish on the beach... even though you can't save them all, each one you do rescue or touch has made a difference.

Will our world ever be fair and equal for all?  Is there any way to get past the greed and selfishness to really work together for the good of all?  Our church in Snoqualmie (Church on the Ridge) is headed with a team to Honduras to help the poor.  I'm certain the team will return changed people for what they were able to experience there... learning from the 'poor' with little or nothing. (http://cotrhonduras.tumblr.com).  Please pray for them, and especially for the poor in this world.  I know God has a plan that includes treasures in heaven, but it would also be nice to spark a world-wide love for our neighbors.

Putting Family First

I am amazed at how everything has turned out.  Today the sale of my Alaska home was deposited into my bank account.  I also got a call from a former neighbor sharing that low-cost housing was just announced next to us, due to start construction this summer.  Sales just feel to the bottom.  Is it luck.. or just God watching over me, once again?  My new Smart Car that was delivered to my home in California the day after I left provided an opportunity for a road trip with my other daughter, who announced that she, too, is pregnant.  They live just minutes away from my current home in Washington.  So, besides the twins, it looks like I will have another baby in my care.  Which brings me to my posting.....

Moms and dads... our jobs are not finished when our children grow up.  Much to the contrary of today's society beliefs.... we need to support our children even more as they grow older and their choices are much more complicated.  That's not to say we need to enable them or coddle them.  They must be allowed to make mistakes and live with those consequences.  The struggle builds character, as long as they are taking responsibility for their choices.  However, wouldn't it be nice to just provide a LITTLE break, once in a while?  I'm taken aback by how rare it is that someone my age (53) would drop everything to support my family, both physically and mentally.  We need to help our children, when they ask.  Not to judge or tell them how to live, but provide some honest hard work, wisdom and just being there for them.

My parents were always there, if I ever needed them; although my pride ensured that I rarely asked.  Just knowing they were there really helped me through some difficult times.  So, now, it's my turn to help in any way I can.  How lucky for me that I have such loving children who have married well and accept me into their homes as adults.  I am relishing the time with the grand babies and also the precious moments with my adult children now.  We have so much in common to talk about and so much with opposite opinions to keep things lively.

My daughter's Facebook post that said, "Mom moved in." is getting amazing responses from her friends.  I was surprised at how many kids all wish their parents would help them out.  Are we really too consumed with our own personal lives to not be able to lend a hand?  What keeps us away?  Is it really that important?  I hope, if anyone reads this, that they will be inspired to look again at their actions and ask themselves if they are doing all they can to help their children, even as grown-ups.

New Doors Opening

I am in awe at God's grace and gifts that are placed in my path.  Leaving Alaska is tramatic for me, and I still have Elfin Cove for dreaming.  But, now I'm in Snoqualmie, starting a new life as a grandma.  Nothing else seems important any more.  My dreams of changing education are still passionate inside, wanting to find venues to place talent and opportunities, but they are quickly fading as I go day-by-day through the routine of feeding, burping, changing diapers and look for new opportunities to fill their little minds with good things.  Roven and Ayani are totally consuming my energy and passions, and I'm glad to be able to give it away so easily.  Thanks to the wonderful support and welcoming arms of Anah and Shital, I now have a complete family near Yeung and Michael, too.  After all, what's more important than family?  These past four years have really shown me how quickly time passes, and I'm plunging ahead to not miss a day of my new grandbabies' development.  How cool to be able to be a part of their daily lives.  Thanks, Lord, for your guidance, once again.