Ellie asked for a surprise party this year, so like a good mom, I planned it, inviting a few of her friends. But when Ellie walked in the house to hear a loud "surprise!" she was shocked. And not in a good kind of way. In the kind of way that made me as a mom want to just go find a relaxing hot tub some where. My child, who never ever has a loss of words, was speechless. She was upset for oh, about 20 minutes. But when Whiskers the Clown appeared, and our good friend Claudia started the face painting (isn't it wonderful? Face painter for hire) then she forgot all about her embarrassment and enjoyed her seventh birthday party. I think
You've heard about those people who have a special connection with nature. Well, Ellie is one of those people. Last week, we found a frog (but maybe he's really a toad) at her school. So, she named him Trojan the frog (which she pronounces Trojran.) Anyway, we took pretty good care of him, at least better care than our last frog, Squiggles, who we nearly killed. We even bought him some tiny crickets to eat at PETCO. And I for the first time in my life witnessed a frog slurping up a bug with his tongue. But the time had come to let Trojan go free. I could tell he was looking a bit sluggish and we took him to a nature preserve to let him hop to freedom. Ellie was crushed. She agonized over where we would leave him and then cried real tears when he jumped off to his new, green home. She has a soft heart and a big heart and I'm so happy she's mine!!! 
Do you remember Grandma's Quilt Lotto she held in July? Just for fun, Granny sewed a festive Independence Day quilt, and the whole family bought raffle tickets! We swarmed to her house to purchase the tickets for a chance to become the proud owner of a precious quilt handmade by none other than Grandma I. On July 4th, we all gathered around for the big moment, the drawing of the winning ticket. We held our breath, and with our stomachs feeling like they were exploding with fireworks, waited to see whose name she would draw. When she read the name "Melanie," off the slip of paper, to tell you the truth, it was a bit deflating. While many of the grandkids had gathered in her tiny house for this moment, Melanie was in Florida, where she lives with her husband Lew, and 3 children. There was no one to clap or cheer, but when Mom gave her a call to let her know the good news, we understood exactly why Melanie's name was drawn. You know, nothing happens involving Grandma Ida, that isn't touched by the hand of God. Mom said, "Melanie, we want to let you know that you won the quilt!" Melanie broke into tears and said, "that's what will bring me comfort when Chris (her son) goes to Iraq." So it was, on this day, September 1st, that Chris' send-off party was held in Broken Arrow. It was this day, that Melanie received the stars-and-stripes quilt from Granny, and it will be just a few days away that Chris, a marine who just finished boot camp, will leave friends and family and the comforts of home to honor his country, and fight for our freedom. Please put Chris in your prayers, and pray for him to return safely to his fiancee and his family, who will all be waiting for him with open arms. 
