THESE ARE THE DAYS I’LL REMEMBER

These are days you’ll remember

Never before and never since, I promise

will the whole world be warm as this

Guini’s birthday celebration was delayed by the Heaven Fest craziness.  So how could I refuse when she asked for a really big cake, purple and yellow, chocolate with buttercream icing and lots and lots of color and flowers…plus sparklers on the top.  Presents first, dinner and swimming, then cake and ice cream.  A lovely way to spend a summer Sunday evening.

And as you feel it, you’ll know it’s true

that you are blessed and lucky

It’s true, that you are touched by Something

that will grow and bloom in you

Left:  Amelie Belle is 4 and a half months now and she is good buddies her Aunt Stephanie.  Center: Guini the birthday girl loves her baby cousin.  Right:  Aunt Tara is always popular with nieces Averi and Gemma May.  

 My amazing and insightful sister-in-law, Dawn recently commented that these family times together, the little cousins playing tug-of-war over some toy or the other and whatever mischieviousness they can all find to get into will be memories they will cherish as they grow up.  I hope they’ll know that they ARE “blessed and lucky” and that the love of these days will grow and bloom in their lives, too.

These are days you’ll remember

when May is rushing over you with desire

to be part of the miracles you see in every hour

Here we are, Dave and I and our 6, very longsuffering grandbebes.  They pose for us, they smile and coo and endure photo ops.  They act silly and one day, when they are old enough, they will really wonder about us!  Perhaps they already do.

You’ll know it’s true, that you are blessed and lucky

It’s true, that you are touched by Something

that will grow and bloom in you

It was Guinivere’s birthday celebration.  She just turned 5.  Hunter is 5 and a half.  Gavin who is holding baby Amelie Belle, is 7 and baby girl is 4 1/2 months now.  Best friends and cousins Gemma May and Averi are 3 and 2  1/2 respectively.  These are the grandbebes on a summer’s evening in August.

These are the days

that you might fill with laughter

until you break

Left:  Jovan is such a good mommy to her girls.  My son married well.  Middle:  These are the men of the family – Dave and Tristan, 2 sons-in-law who could not be more wonderful if they tried, my husband and lover of 29 years (and a very flirtacious friend for almost 3 years before that), Dave and Rocker-Bo, the kid probably most like me in the world…only waaaaay better.  Right:  And my beautiful firstborn, Tara with her beautiful firstborn, The Little Prince.

These days you might feel a shaft of light

make its way across your face

Dave’s hair looks really  gray in these pictures, but not in real, up-close-and-personal life (except for the salt and pepper facial hair and a little in the temples).  Hmmm…wonder what is up with that?  I KNEW that camera was trying to make me look old against my will.  This is proof!  The little girlie-grandbebes rely on Poppa to keep them safe from the splashing boys in the water.

And when you do

you’ll know how it was meant to be

Left:  Averi following the grandbebe swimming ritual, which is, you get out and dry off so you can go right back in again.  Middle:  Steph loves her cake.  Right, Gemma and Averi are always in deep discussion and generally some disagreement about some topic or another.  But they are besties.

See the signs and know their meaning, it’s true

You’ll know how it was meant to be

The grandbebe painted, wooden stools…crazy-looking-maybe-I-should-have-planned-before-baking-but-the-brithday-girl-loves-it-anyway cakes…a zinnia that both Amelie Belle and I took a fancy to last night on our way around the yard (where new bikes for Stormie and Rocky, no less, were being assembled, a game of catch was going on, kiddies were splashing in a pool and sweet conversation floated on the summer air).  These are the signs…

Hear the signs and

know they’re speaking to you, to you*

NOTE TO SELF:  To get over myself {for the love!} and get over my ridiculous heartbreaks…See the signs, hear the signs…it’s true.  These are the days…

* LYRICS:  “These are the Days” by Natalie Merchant