Christmas Celebration

Christmas got spread out this year like many families. Rose, Ryan and Phoebe went to Peachtree, GA to visit Nana and Rick and the rest of Ryan's family. That didn't keep us from celebrating on Christmas day with Samme's family in Anderson, IN. It was fun and a little looney--ask Great Grandmother Newell about the turtle.


But, the Wallis' got home on Sunday so Monday was the day we scheduled to celebrate with Kate, Steven, Rose, Ryan and Phoebe. Deno and I had looked forward to being with them. Aunt Kate bemoaned the fact of not following tradition by eating breakfast first, but like I told her, there were alot of new traditions being made and there are many more families to consider now.
The breakfast was great--biscuits and sausage gravy, eggs, hashbrowns, and enough calories to kill us all much sooner than we should.

Phoebe is crawling more and pulling up to stand. What fun! Deno and I watched her so the kids could all go see a movie together. She found Kali's rawhide chew bone and enjoyed herself until Papouli found her with it. She even crawled up the one step from the family room to the kitchen. Watch out world, there's no stopping her now!


She played her first "concert" with pots and pans. I gave her a Costa Rican chocolate stirrer and a table spoon and she was able to make plenty of "music".

The afternoon went quickly with her--Yia-yia even took a little nap with her and before we knew it, the kids were all back from the movie. Phoebe is coming into her own, showing some of her personality. She loves to laugh and investigate. She loves to dance and babbles all the time. She doesn't like her mommy to be too far away and gives her daddy plenty of hugs. She loves to chew on Uncle Steven's i-phone, where he gives her guidance on what she can and can't do with it. And Auntie Kate is one she loves to play with! As a matter of fact, Auntie Kate went over Phoebe's house tonight to get more Phoebe time.


So today was nice with the gifts--but the best thing was to be with the family. However, no one played canasta with me. hmmm. I'm going to have to work on that!

Celebrating the Holidays with Family

Yesterday, four generations converged at Grandpa and Grandma Newell's home in Anderson. Cousin Joel and Jen with their daughters Bella and Gabby were in from Phoenix, so we all had to be together! Phoebe wasn't too sure of what to make of all of this, but after having 61 at Thanksgiving at her Aunt Mary's this was a piece of cake!

Who all was there? Well everyone except Cortney, who had to work at the hospital and Stavros who was coming in from Chicago. They were certainly missed.

Great Aunt Becki and Uncle Rex were there with their kids and grandkids. Cassie and James Kirkpatrick were there with David and Haley. Kyle was there too, missing Cortney, I'm sure. Then Great Uncle Eric and Aunt Bonnie were there with Joel & Jen, Bella and Gabby. The newly weds were there too--Shawn and Miriam were there too. They'll be in Kentucky for Christmas.

A Weekend at the Lake

When you're at the beach, you forget all about time! How fun it was for all seven of us to be at the cottage at Lake Michigan this weekend! Thanks to Mary and Harold, we all stayed at their cottage at Bethany Beach in Michigan. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful time. Even though Ryan, Steven and Katie all had work to do, we got in a good game of canasta. Aunt Kate got her "Phoebe Phix" while with us on her fall break.Deno, Steven and I got to do some reading. Phoebe was introduced to solid food this weekend--sweet potatoes! We figured she must like them because she ate the entire jar. It was fun to rock her to sleep. It was fun to see what great parents Ryan and Rose are. Each working together to care for Phoebe and each other.
They say she only falls asleep, holding her with her head on my shoulder, with me. Oh I'm blessed! Papouli and Phoebe share books. I don't know who likes them more.
Uncle Steve had a chance to love on Phoebe too. Not so sure if Phoebe like his whiskers or not!
We all took a trip to the Lighthouse Outlet Mall in Michigan City. Clementines, a harbor restaurant in St. Joseph, MI was the location for a great dinner. On Mary's recommendation we ordered 12 inches high stack of onion rings. The Swedish bakery in Harbert is always a must go when there. They have the most delicious pastries--elephant ears (not Indiana's kind), coffee cakes, breads and more! An Italian lady bought it from the Swedes several years ago, because she wanted to have her own restaurant. Every place she looked, required too much remodeling and costs, so when she found the bakery, the Swedes taught her how to make the pastries. She now has a bakery and an Italian restaurant, Luisa's.

On Sunday we had a laid back morning and then all went up to the beach.
I say "up" because you have to go up a steep sand dune and then over it and down. But what a site! I think as our kids grow older, it is so important for us to spend time with them and share special moments together.
We sat Phoebe in the sand by the grasses, and then by the water with words Kate had written in the sand. It was great to feel the lake's breeze on our faces.

With the weekend well spent, we all headed home in the afternoon. Of course there was a Colt's game on the radio. Steven took Papou's and Yia-yia's picture for Great Grandmother Newell. She's working on another Christmas calendar. That warms my heart too!

Phoebe has a sleep over

Here it is the middle of October and we can go outside with mums blooming, the sun shining and our beautiful little grand daughter with the pumpkin and flowers. Papouli and I took her outside this morning to get some sunshine and take some pictures.



So much for reading. Papouli has a full lap of love--Phoebe and Kali!




Boy, she'll be crawing before we know it. She just loves that transitional period between diapers being changed and getting her clothes on!



The little hooded denim jacket and the orange stripe halloween outfit I purchased at BJ's resale shop and the Goodwill Outlet store. At the outlet store you buy clothing by the pound. I purchase a little pink and white striped denim jumper and the halloween sleeper (which still had the tags on it) for 83 cents!(both!)





Here in Indianaopoulis, it's suppose to be in the mid-to-upper eighties. Phoebe and I will definitedly need to go outside for a good walk and that vitamin D!

What gift do I want to give Phoebe today? My presence.

Fall has arrived

Fall is in full swing with leaves changing and temperatures are cooler. My tomato plants are slowing down and producing less. However, my "nieta", my grand daughter Phoebe is growing!


Last night I got to be with her and Rose, feeding her her cereal, playing games of peek-a-boo with a toy penguin, singing to her, helping with bath time and rocking her to sleep. Could it get any better? I don't think so.

An afternoon at Uncle Steve's

Phoebe's almost 5 1/2 months old. And as her Yia-yia, I would love to write something really profound, inspired, insightful, but I can't find words to express the joy it is to being her Yia-Yia. I'm sure Deno would agree. I think if anything, I want not to make my words in this blog so meaningful, as I do the time Phoebe and I get to spend together. I want her to know that her Yia-yia and Papouli loves her and prays for her that God would be the closest friend she ever has.

One thing I'm experiencing is being a grandmother who is present in her granddaughter's life. This is a completely new adventure for me and for my kids, but one I'm sure will be treasured for years to come. Growing up Deno nor I never had the privilege of having extended family living close by. The Newells and Rousopoulos' were blessed by the church being our family. But now, we're blessed by having our kids living close by and the joy of their company.
This is Steven's new home. It's a townhouse down in the Broadripple area close to the Indianapolis Art Center.


After church today, Rose, Phoebe, Ryan, Deno and myself all went to Steven's home. He's so proud of it and we all celebrate with him in this new purchase. We pitched in and had lunch together. Phoebe slept through part of lunch, but then awoke not quite having slept enough. She's having some challenges of not sleeping long enough to be well rested during the day. She is doing pretty well through the night though. Rose and Ryan are doing great as parents.


Phoebe never fails to make us laugh and say all kinds of babyish things. She's wanting to sit up by herself and she's getting stronger every day. She's curious about her hands and feet--which both find their way to her mouth often. She loves to try to mimic sounds or have hers mimiced. She loves music and watching her mother dance. Note, I said mother and not yia-yia.

I had a new experience this week in regards to Phoebe. I went to a friend's resale shop and found some cute things to have here at the house for her. I love denim and found a little jacket and jumper for her. Last week I went to a neighbor's garage sale and got some baby blankets and a toy. So we're slowly getting our home "grand-daughterized!"

Making eyes, giving smiles and electing a President

I don't think anything can quite melt my heart like Phoebe's smiles, chuckles and grasping my finger. Phoebe's laughing and babbling more which is amazing. She desires to pull up and lean up. She is getting stronger by the day.She will stretch and twist just to see the TV. Rose and Ryan are doing really well to block it from her view. Isn't it amazing that she is so drawn to it?

Before she's one, she'll be living under a new president of the USA. As I listen to Barrack Obama, I hear something is stirring, I hear it's not about the candidate but the person who stands to vote,I hear about change that is needed and a change that will come to Washington. Those things I can support. I feel so responsible--probably more now than ever before in my life--because of Phoebe--that I study the issues, I weigh the differences, I seek God's wisdom to know for whom to vote. There are so many moral issues that can be impacted through the election.