Joey Archives - Page 4 of 4 - Cindy Goes Beyond

July 19, 2014

Day 200: Christmas in July

I know many people who celebrate Christmas midyear. However, my family has not done this, until this year. My sisters, our children, all have families and traditions of their own. It is difficult nowadays to get most of us together to celebrate anything! For my first today, I gathered with many members of my extended family to celebrate with a traditional Christmas dinner.

This was a fun day. Another first for me was the privilege of including Joey and Oliver in this family event. My son Nathanael had to work today, and his lovely bride-to-be, Megan, had a day long class at MSSU. They couldn’t join us today, but they allowed the three children to ride to Broken Arrow, OK with Greg and me. I was excited about this, our first outing. I have to say, the kids did great, riding in the car for such distances and playing with cousins. Many more adventures together await us.

My niece Ashley, and her husband Jon, once again hosted the family for a large dinner. They are such gracious and generous hosts, opening their beautiful home and planning and carrying out these get togethers. Parties are such fun….and a whole lot of work. This young couple focuses on the festive aspect of parties, not the hours of labor involved. I am grateful for them.

Everyone contributed a side dish, sodas or appetizers. Mimi Jerri and Steve brought the chocolate cream pies! Jon deep fried the turkey breast and it was delicious and juicy. We all feasted well and enjoyed a day of visiting, laughing and taking turns keeping an eye on the kids. I was grateful daughter Adriel was able to join us, and grateful for daughter Elissa as well, who was accompanied by boyfriend Josh and his son, Jonathan. Linda’s son Scott and daughter-in-law Nicole were able to be there, with toddler Weston. By the time we say Merry Christmas again, in December, this wonderful couple will have been blessed with a baby daughter. We missed Nate and Megan, my grandson Dayan, who was with his dad, celebrating their Christmas in July this weekend, Adriel’s husband Kelly and Linda’s son Eric and his family. Mom and my stepdad Walter stayed home too, as Walter is recovering from heart surgery.

We didn’t exchange gifts today, or sing Christmas carols, although we did wish each other a very Merry Christmas. The purpose today was to take time now to get together, as a family, and celebrate life and successes and express love and joy to each other. And those are the greatest of gifts, to offer and to receive.

July 14, 2014

Day 195: Shrimp Quesadilla at El Charro in Carthage

What a busy day today, meeting with clients and making phone calls and getting mulch down in the newest part of the garden. In between meeting my last two clients for the day, I had the opportunity to have dinner with my son Nate, his fiancé Megan, and their three delightful children at El Charro in Carthage. I had not eaten at this El Charro before, and to really make it a good first, I tried a new dish there, shrimp quesadilla.

I was missing my son and his family. With their busy schedules and mine, it had been too long since I’d seen them and hugged on the kids. It was great to get to be with them, and fun to go to dinner together. I don’t believe I’ve had dinner with this little group by myself before. We often have family dinners for someone’s birthday, where the whole group gathers. But this was special, too, having an intimate dinner.

I rode with the family in the car to El Charro and Joey, Oliver, Aubrey and I sat in the back and chatted. I loved hearing the kids’ news and stories and listening to what’s important to them. We settled in at the restaurant and ordered dinner. These are precious times. I remember what it is like as a parent. Someone needs to use the bathroom, everyone has something special that they want for dinner, each child has something to say. Like Nate and Megan, I had three kids and they can keep you busy!

The wonderful thing about being the grandparent, the Yaya in this case, is that having a boisterous, everyone telling stories at once kind of dinner is great fun for me. It brings back memories of my own young family. And having raised those kids and knowing how fast the time goes by, it reminds me that these children will grow up just as fast. All too soon, they won’t discuss who gets to sit by Yaya in the car or at the restaurant. They won’t be so eager to tell me their stories and they will be embarrassed to hold my hand. And I definitely won’t be able to pick up each one for a hug and a kiss.

Tonight, I didn’t mind escorting the kids to the restrooms, twice each. Or sharing my rice. Or wiping up drips of queso. These children with their bright little faces, curious minds and their open, loving hearts bring me great joy. Nate and Megan are amazing parents and they have every right to be proud of their offspring. I’m proud of them, as parents.

And, the shrimp quesadilla was excellent! Plump shrimp and sautéed onions and green peppers made a delicious and healthy dinner. I’d have this unusual quesadilla again. The restaurant offered friendly service and our meals arrived promptly. We had a fun, engaging meal with lots of interesting conversations and no one, not even me, spilled a drink or even dropped a fork!

Before heading back to Joplin and meeting with my last client, I drew pictures on the driveway with colored chalk, traced around each child as they lay on the driveway, and participated in car races with Hot Wheels. Oh, the incredible joys of summer and childhood. When I’m with my grandchildren, I get to experience both.

June 21, 2014

Day 172: Celebrate Joey’s Birthday

What a fun day, for me and the rest of the family, but especially for Joey as he celebrated his 8^th birthday! This sweet, thoughtful young man actually turned 8 last Sunday. Today, however, was the day the family gathered to take part in a full afternoon and evening of festivities. Joey is the son of my son’s fiancé, so he is welcomed as a new grandson. For me, he is already my grandson, and I am his Yaya.

Nate and Megan went all out to create a special day for Joey, making sure they included some of his favorite activities. The afternoon began with Joey, Oliver, Aubrey and several cousins attending Mudstock in Carthage. Sponsored by the Carthage Fire Department, the event is described as a mix of dirt, water, an obstacle course of rope swings, mud pits and hills, low rope obstacles, sun and fun. The kids are allowed, and encouraged, to get muddy as they play and move through the obstacle courses. What a great idea and fun activity for kids!

After cleaning up, the party began at Nate and Megan’s house. Joey wanted a water themed birthday party. Adults chatted and watched as kids swam, ran and slid down a slip n slide and threw water balloons. There were kids everywhere, mostly boys, as all of Joey’s cousins are boys except for London! It was a hot June day, so the water felt great to the kids and to the adults who were splattered with a water filled balloon. I didn’t mind one bit when the water balloon I was tying off for Oliver suddenly slipped from my fingers and sprayed me with water. The kids enjoyed bouncing on the new trampoline as well and discovered that the water balloons didn’t break immediately when dropped onto the trampoline’s surface. Instead, the balloons bounced and jiggled along with the kids.

After cake and ice cream, opening presents, and a bit more play time, the party shifted to a Sonic in Joplin that has a sand volleyball court and play area for kids. Joey likes to play volleyball and yet the court was always busy when he tried to join in a game there. His great parents solved that dilemma by renting the court for the evening. Joey got to join cousins and adults in his family in fun games of volleyball. I watched from the sidelines and he did great going after the ball and serving it up.

What an amazing day, for an amazing boy. I am enjoying getting to know my grandson. He currently likes the color orange. As the older brother, he watches out for his new younger sister Aubrey and his brother Oliver. He and Aubrey have been known to join forces in plotting out adventures. He enjoys art and has an interest in and talent for drawing. He loves animals, RC cars, and nerf guns. He’s a thinker, quick to show affection and say “I love you” and kind hearted. I look forward to watching him have fun, grow and become the person he is meant to be. He has family who loves him very much and will be there to journey alongside him as he figures out who he is and what he is here to do. Happy, happy birthday, Joey! I love you!

May 17, 2014

Day 137: Jasper County Sheriff’s Office Community Safety Day

Today’s first was special, and actually a double first, as my mom, sister and I took Aubrey, Oliver and Joey on a first family outing! We attended a fun event sponsored by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department. Located just off the square in Carthage, MO, Community Safety Day was geared toward children but had plenty of fun and interesting activities for the whole family.

I often do things with my grandchildren and always enjoy being with them. It is fresh and magical, seeing the world through a child’s eyes. For the first time today, I enjoyed taking not only Aubrey out for some fun, but also got to include the boys of my son’s fiancé. It was great having my mom and sister with us as well. With the crowd and lots of booths to visit, we each paired up with a child and could give the kids the freedom to participate in the activity that they wanted to, without trying to keep everyone together.

Immediately after we arrived, we watched a demonstration by the county’s attack and drug sniffing dog. Later we watched the bomb detecting dog do her thing, alerting her trainer to the presence of an explosive. The kids got to get up close and pet the bomb detection dog, although the attack dog was strictly off limits. Each child also tossed a ball for the bomb dog to fetch. Even working dogs need to have some downtime!

There was also a demo by the county’s swat team and a booth set up with all their gear on display. Aubrey headed a different direction, with me in tow, but Joey and Oliver were fascinated with all the equipment and asked the officers great question. They got to stand behind a protective shield and each one tried on a safety vest, which weighed a hefty 40 pounds.

The kids visited the face painting booth and left with painted characters on their faces or hands. The balloon animal man created two monkeys and a sword for our little group and we munched on popcorn, hotdogs and shaved ice! The big hit at the event was the bounce house that looked like a giant police car. The kids were quick to shed their shoes and crawl inside. Fortunately for us, there was a tent nearby with chairs and tables so we could unload our arms of balloons, bags and food and rest for a little bit.

Sheriff Randee Kaiser and his deputies did a great job creating a fun and educational event. They were on site to mingle and visit and answer questions. I think it is important to be very visible, in a positive way, in the community in which they serve. The kids just knew they had fun playing and eating and learning about safety and being protected. And that made our day, knowing they had a great time. On the way back to their house, we also stopped for ice cream cones at Braum’s. That finished off a perfect outing!