Aging Gracefully...

Last week was spent visiting doctors. Monday was the gynecologist. Tuesday was the eye doctor for Claude and me. And Friday was the primary care physician. At this point all I am experiencing is stuff incident to aging. I suppose I should say..."Yippee". It is an interesting thing that as this process happens, mentally you don't feel younger. Then you walk past a mirror and go, "Gee whiz, when did that happen." But life gives you little bits of joy that put it all into focus. After a full week of medical advice, Claude and I went to a Legislative Breakfast in Georgetown Saturday morning before heading off to La Grange to help Miss Bailey Marx enjoy her own little aging process. She turned 2 years old on Sunday. Andie and Michael were kind enough to have a birthday lunch and family gift giving on Saturday. Papa was then able to join us and we filled the middle of our day with birthday merriment. Bailey's favorite toy is her monkey she has affectionately named Wah-Wah (I could be spelling that incorrectly). She is a bit of a monkey herself so Andie made the best monkey birthday cake a mom could create. Bailey was exploding with those throaty laughs when Andie brought the cake into the dining room. We enjoyed the moment watching blow out the candle after several attempts and then watching her eat all that icing with a fork and mostly her hands. You just have to play with that icing when you are little. We opened presents. It was great fun to watch Papa through all of this. He just delights in all the things little children do. This is also part of the aging process. He's raised his own and watched his grandchildren as he could. Now he can sit back and thoroughly enjoy the actions of little ones. Then Papa headed back to Georgetown and Claude and I stayed to spend the night and enjoy Sunday morning with the mini-Marx's and their parental units. This year I made dress-up clothes for Bailey and Claude and I made strings of beads for necklaces for her. We made plenty so she had some to share with friends as they visit. I also crocheted a hat and put a flower on it for her for dress-up. While Hayden, Michael and Claude went for pizza, Andie and I got a few shots of Princess Busy-bee in some of her duds.

Hayden, who is at the age where you make the posed grin for the camera most of the time, decided to run from Gramma when she tried to take a picture. It was great sport and good exercise to run around the house and into the garage, especially after being couped up for 2 weeks with the ice storm. He did find one great place of refuge where he could feel hidden and safe from the camera but still watch me creep up on him in his reflection in the glass in the back door.

Now, lest you think Claude and I are so ancient we are past the point of having fun...I share 2 pictures of my hubby. Since I take just about all the pictures in our family, I'm very seldom in them. Andie is careful to catch me in them a few times. So...with that explanation...I share two pictures of my hubby enjoying his 2nd childhood with his grandmonsters this weekend.

So...aging isn't so bad. It is great to watch the process again with grandmonsters and to see the future with my parents. This weekend Claude and I will be off to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge for a few days to enjoy our 39th anniversary. So, even our marriage gets older. I am really grateful for this wonderful life I have been able to enjoy. I am blessed with a wonderful hubby, 3 great kids, and 5 wonderful grandmonsters. I get to share my parents waining years. I can sew and crochet and cross-stitch a lot more that in prior years. I live in the most wonderful home in the neatest spot on earth. I enjoy my calling in Church. What more could a girl ask for...not much I would say. Viva La Age!!!