Smiles that make me happy

Faye, Jules and Grandma Coral came over today for tea. I was trying to remember that rhyme for bouncing babies and Mom of course the better memory at 87 reminded me of how it goes. "This is the way the lady rides, trot a trot a trot a trot. This is the way the gentleman rides gallopy, gallopy, gallopy, gallopy. This is the way the farmer rides odeleop, odeleop odeleop all the way home." The bounces get higher and higher with each person and Jules loved it. Mom, you had to leave and missed her smiles from this and other songs so I send them to you with thanks via my blog. She has been smiling for sometime, but they haven't been caught on film till now.

We're riding like a lady here
This is the farmer riding. She was laughing out loud and having a great time
Here I'm singing Monkey's jumping on the bed and getting ready to wag my finger and sing, "no more monkey's jumping on the bed." Look at that level of concentration!
Papa Jules is doing pretty good. He and I have been concerned because he is still having trouble with fatigue and has not gained any weight since chemo and radiation. So, we went to a Naturopathic Oncologist last week. He is now taking supplements which he hates, but he has started to gain some weight and seems to have more energy so we shall see. He walked 2 miles this morning. He just took the worst tasting one after I doctored it up and said and I quote, "that wasn't bad".
Her eyes are still a dark beautiful blue
Uncle Ryan and Jules, she liked to be held facing out best so she doesn't miss anything. She is really fascinated by the world, colors and the great out doors. She loves a stroll around the garden. Talking of grandchildren, Kirsten, Rob, Rowan and Dilly have moved back to the states from India. Rob is flying for Delta and they will be living in Salt Lake City. The kids are already in school here, but they have every Friday off. Kirsten and the kids are going to hop a plane (they can fly free) to Phoenix soon on a 3 day weekend. We are so excited to have them back and look forward to seeing them soon!
Jules asleep under her heart blanket knitted lovingly by yours truely.
Faye and Jules looking at something at the beach.
Faye and Jules at the beach. Javier has started back to work and Faye has to start back next Tuesday. She will be staying with Julian and I one day a week and Heather,a friend of Faye's who has a baby boy a little older than Jules. I'm sure they will be good buds when they get a little older.
Here are some of my flowers that are blooming currently. It has been hot still in October, but we have mostly had the AC off and opened the windows. When it gets to 98 or 100 degrees we have to turn the AC on for a couple hours. It's just wonderful that it cools down at night and in the morning. I've been enjoying having time to work in my garden. I've been planting seeds: lettuce, snow peas, nasturtiums and larkspur. I've bought and planted tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower and sweet pepper.

These are my saucy "Rio Samba" roses. They are very prolific, stand up in the heat and are a good cut rose. I just love the way each rose changes color from dark yellow to deep orange to pink to light pink.
I caught a bug peaking out from this rose
This is a spider lily given to me by Mom, given to her by someone else. All a part of our friendship gardens. I also have a spider lily which is a bright yellow/orange.
This is a rain lily which blooms this time of year after a rain. Even a trace amount of rain can bring a bloom the next day!
"That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet". Did I get that quote right?
We have been enjoying the parrots all summer. They other day there were 10 parrots on the sunflowers in the back and 5 or 6 more on the sunflowers and feeders in the front. They chomp on the old sunflowers and walk up and down on the stems causing the flowers to sway up and down.
I sometimes go out not thinking and startle the goldfinches and parrots. They fly up in the air and just for a second the sky around the sunflowers are filled with moving yellows, greens, and blues. It takes my breath away! This is as close as I've come to catching it, you can see the yellow/green of the goldfinches back.

Retirement!

My last day at work was Sept 1. Towards the end of the day, Marilyn ran into my office saying one of the kids fell off the bleachers, she can't get up and her leg looks bad. Well, I grab my wheel chair and we head to the gym. I walk in and much to my surprise the whole school all 850 plus kids and staff are there for a retirement celebration! I have never have been so happily surprised in my life. The principal gave a little talk about how long I had been the #1 school nurse for 21 years, etc and the kids hooped and hollered and stamped their feet. The teachers gave me a framed picture of a tree that said, "Nurse Ayraud, Thanks for being our giving tree." They said, "We know how much you love gardens and love teaching others about them. Madison #1 is going to plant a tree in your honor on our campus. We appreciate all your nurturing and giving throughout your years here at Madison #1. We love that your passion for growing and giving will last a life time on our campus." I could only remember what they said because they wrote it on the back. I spoke about how much I love this job and that I love all you kids and will miss you. I spoke of how blessed I have been to be here all these years, etc. I started crying and the kids kept cheering and stamping their feet. Then several teachers stood up and said that they wanted me to know that they won't forget my most famous phrase, "don't touch blood". Julian, Mom, Faye and baby Jules were there. It was the best retirement party I could ever have had.
Jules and Nana (that would be me)
Jules and Grandma Coral
Jules and Jules
Ryan and Jules. He changed her diaper right after this. His expression changed from this cute smile to apprehension to determination to surprise (when he realized she had a dirty diaper). He did a great job. Didn't even stick Jules or himself with the pin (oh, wait that would have been 30 years ago).
Here is Jules working on a pot which he gave to Larry as a thank you for bringing him wood last year and this year.
Beautiful, Huh!
The story about this rose is that he almost carved it off because he didn't like the first finished he put on it. He sanded all the old finish off and ended up using linseed oil and paste wax to get this beautiful finish.

Larry and Jules

We went to Flagstaff for Labor Day weekend. Mom went with us and this is a picture of a meadow filled with wildflowers.
Faye, Javier, Jules and Grandma
Here is our family picture in honor of Larry's visit. Notice me retiring on the table practicing for my retirement. I haven't really done the best job at relaxing so far but I can always dream.

Happy Birthday Julianna Luna Gonzalez!

Baby Jules was born on July 15 2010 at 7:06 in the morning. She weighed in at 6 lb 7 oz and was 20 and 1/2 inches long. Poetry in motion, personality plus, cute as a button! Just look at how beautiful she is!
Faye and Jules taking a very needed rest.
Nathan, Niko and Maceo getting to know their little sister.
Papa Jules meeting baby Jules
Uncle Ryan visits. I know he held her after we left however, I will have to get that picture later.
Just look at that cute little face
My sister, Jacki was visiting for a week and we were hoping that Jules would be born while she was here. Well sometimes hopes and wishes come true because she decided to come into the world a week early. It was great having Jacki here she got to see Faye while she was still pregnant and get to see Jules shortly after birth!
Taking a well earned nap
Great Grandma Coral meets Jules. Jules was born on the day after my Mom's birthday. Faye went into labor on Mom's birthday!
Four generations
I was so blessed to be there for labor and delivery. These pictures are actually backwards in time. The last were soon after birth. They were all taken on her birthday or the next day.
Faye and Javier
The first picture of Mom, Dad and baby Jules together
She has long fingers and toes
Grandpa Nick holding Jules. She was so alert for the first couple hours after birth, so she got to meet all of her Grandparents and Great Grandma while still awake and looking around.
Nana and Tata Gonzalez meet their new granddaughter.
This was taken minutes after her birth
Faye did an amazing job of labor and delivery. She was so brave and athletic. After she was 10 cm dilated and the doctor had arrived, Faye pushed through 5 or 6 contractions and Julianna was born! Jules had her eyes open when she was only part way out. It really reminded me of Faye's birth because Faye also had her eyes opened and was looking around during birth!
Love at first sight!

Kelly visits

Kelly and Dean visited us in Arizona the week of June 23. Kelly is Julian's daughter who lived in Atlanta. We really, really enjoyed their visit. Jules was feeling pretty well so we were able to do stuff! We took them up to Flagstaff. We hadn't been up there since the cancer diagnosis, so it was great! Mostly just spending time with them and visiting was priceless. The thing about cancer is that it certainly increases your appreciation of friends and loved ones and opens your heart to each little joyful moment in each day. This picture was taken in Oak Creek Canyon at our favorite lunch stop, Indian Gardens. They have a pretty little garden out back that makes you sit back, sigh with contentment and relax.
Kelly and Dean with the red rocks of Sedona in the background. Now you have to have a parking permit to stop anywhere along the roads or parking lots in Oak Creek or Sedona. We stopped to find about a year ago to find about them as we often drive through Oak Creek to or from Flagstaff. Since Jules has a Golden Age "geezer" card, all we have to do is show that and we are home free! At much the same time they started building round-abouts in Sedona. They didn't just put in a few, they probably put in 15 or more in Sedona and on the highway between Sedona and the Black Canyon Freeway!
Red Rocks of Sedona
Kelly and Dean outside Northern Arizona Museum. Kelly celebrated being cancer free (breast) for 5 years and she took her last pill with great happiness on the Saturday she was with us. 5 years cancer free! What a celebration!
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
An eternity in an hour. By Blake (I think).
Kelly and her Dad
This was the Schultz wildfire. You can see how far up the peaks it got! They had almost 1000 firefighters (986 I think) fighting it at it's peak. I don't think it burned our favorite aspen grove of which I've put many pictures on this site over the past year or so. I'm not for sure as it was definitely in that area. We will have to check it out next time we're up there.