The most important things

 You know I can remember holding little Hayden in my arms and thinking, oh my all the things I am going to teach my son. I want him to always remember his dad and I are always looking out for him and that he can always come to us for anything. But the main thought that came to mind was I want this boy to have empathy for others and truly care about people and their feelings. I know boys have a harder time with this than girls. I'm not trying to stero type, it's just a fact of life.  As more and more boys came along in our family I was just beginning to believe that boys just can't be loving to their brothers, especially when they are all three teens. Well I just wanted to share this glimmer of hope I saw this weekend. Ethan is doing the play Captain Louie, he didn't  tell many of his friends about the play because he didn't want to be made fun of, and he also knew his brothers would also give him a hard time after they saw him singing. Well Friday night was the opening, we ALL went to the play as a family.  As the last song was ending I looked up to see that Ethan's big brothers were the first to stand and clap for their younger sibling. It was so amazing to hear his brother's compliment him and say things like, "man E I would have puked if I was up there on stage." At that moment when I saw them stand, I felt like I had instilled in them a little of what I wanted them to have, and I tell you the impact of this moment really made me thankful that I was able to catch a glimpse of what exception men I have in my home.

My GG's dressing

1. Well my dad 's birthday was this week and he wanted me to cook for him. So I asked him what he wanted and he thought, then said Chicken in dressing, now I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but in our family my mom's mother has made it every Christmas and it is a family favorite. Well as you know GG has dementia now and is unable to do alot of the things she used to, so I just thought my mom would be the one to pick up the spoon, and start making it. But now I'm thinking it's going to be me.. I know nervous about dressing, come on. I just want eveyone to say, "oh it taste just like GG's", so that we can have that after she is gone. I have one possession, that is so precious to me ( besides my wonderful husband and my 5 kids) it's my cookbook. In 1991 my grandmother took all of her "famous recipes"  and copied them in her own  handwriting and gave them to me. She also wrote me a note that gives me comfort, now that she is not herself. This book is so special, I often read the letter and just get chilly bumps, because alot of the things are like she is telling me it's ok now. So back to the dressing, I am making the corn bread and hoping it is just like GG's so that it can bring those wonderful memories to my family now like it did then. I'm using my cookbook to help me, and I kind of feel like she's right here telling what to do. She always would say we want it to be moist, do you think it is, she always had a way of making me feel like I was the most important person in the world, when we cooked together. I will never forget these times and hope I am creating the same times with my kids and someday my grandkids.