THEY HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE DAY

Friday, August 07, 2009 Today was my day to watch Jayden and Bailey. They prefer to stay at their house which is more boring for me and from nine in the morning to five thirty/six in the evening makes for a long day. At one point Jayden could tell I was not overly enjoying myself and offered to play catch with the football for MY sake. Good on yea Jayden it was fun as long as it lasted. The three of us earlier went to their school and played wall ball. Later this evening Corey and his family, Greg and Niki and theirs and I went to Teppanyaki in Lehi for dinner which was fun. Alexa especially enjoyed climbing on and looking at their large tropical fish tank. She did not like it when the Teppanyaki chief made fire on the cooking surface twice. She turned her back to it but peaked back at it through the corner of her eye. Afterwards Jayden and Corey came over to my house to pick up the first book in the Harry Potter series for Stacey. Since I had two copies of it, Jayden took one for himself. He read the first page to me while he was still here. Corey put the last of the molding on in the little bedroom and Jayden and I wrestled. I’m glad Jayden and I are good enough friends that he will wrestle with me and tease and harass me. Bailey and Alexa do too.

G.I. JOE and CPK

Thursday, August 06, 2009 Corey had gotten passed to get free tickets for the sneak preview of the new movie G. I. Joe. I got the passes from Corey and was at the Gateway at a little before 4:00 p.m. when they started handing the out actual tickets. They gave out more passes than there were actual seats so we wanted to be early enough to insure our getting in. After getting the tickets, I got in line for the movie itself and was in the first forty or fifty people or so. Corey and Jayden showed up at a little before 5:30 and joined me in line. While we were waiting for that last hour before we could get in, we chatted including talking to the people around us. There was a really pretty eleven year old girl next to us who showed some interest in Jayden including whispering to her cousin who was with her, and Corey and I as tactfully as possible kidded Jayden about her. He really does handle things like that well if we don’t go too far with it. The movie was a lot of fun. It was action packed almost constantly from start to finish. It was so loud that Jayden kept his fingers in his ears the whole time but watched the show intently. After the movie, the three of us went to the California Pizza Kitchen to eat. While we were there, I told Jayden he was a good sport and handled the kidding about the cute girl well. He laughed and jokingly said. “That’s ok. When I get home I will put the frustrations out on Bailey.” (i.e. take my frustrations out on Bailey.) Bailey and Stacey saw Monsters and Aliens at a theater in Sandy. It is a tamer movie for kids.

BEYOND THE SUNSET

8/25/95 Somewhere beyond the sunset, There shines a bright new day, Where clouds are light and airy, And the month perpetual May. Somewhere beyond the sunset, There’s a hope of better times, Where people do not hurry, And impatience is a crime. Somewhere beyond the sunset, There are children still at play. If I can see tomorrow, I’ll forget my yesterday. Somewhere beyond the sunset, The sunrise shows it’s rays; And I may see that sunrise, If I live beyond today.

I DON’T GO THERE ANY MORE

Fred Jepson Sunday, August 09, 1998 Once there blew a cooling breeze, And there were flowers on the hill, But that was oh, so long ago, Before my longings did set sail. I looked toward the rising sun. My wanderlust began to soar. I traveled down that one-way road— But I don’t go there any more. My recall brings back daisy-times’ And summer evenings soaked with rain; But often too there was the sad’ And winter nights so filled with pain. And access to my wondered past’ Was ever shut behind that door. And that was then— and this is now; And I don’t go there any more. Now there calls yet farther shores, And greater ventures on the wind. I feel the gale behind me blow’ To where tomorrows all begin. Yet low, there lingers ever still, A longing for that former shore. But I know; I’ve tried in vain, I can’t go back there any more!

LIKE ROASTING A HOTDOG

MONDAY, AUGUST 03, 2009 continued At 3:30 Jayden, Bailey and I went to the pool for a little over an hour. As he often does, Jayden grabbed me by both ankles and while I was laid out flat on top of the water, he twisted me round and round. He calls it “rotating” me. Every time my face was skyward I grabbed a breath of air. Today when he finished doing it for the first go-around he announced in a pompous tone of voice, “Like roasting a hotdog!” Observation: Like father like son I have noticed on many occasions, Bailey will give in to Jayden’s demands or desires on what to do etc, though she can, if she gets riled up enough, strike out, demanding her way, and will even lay into Jayden with both fists flying! Jayden’s retort to that is often, “She didn’t get enough sleep last night!” I’m not sure what exactly happened but as we were getting out of the pool, Bailey got angry and yelled out, “Jayden!” She left the pool and ran home. I have no problem with that except sometimes Saratoga Drive can have busy traffic that time of day and I am unsure how careful she is; especially when she is angry and/or in a hurry.

G I JOE and THANK YOU

MONDAY, AUGUST03, 2009 My grandson Jayden is on an especially aggressive “good Manners” kick! He is pretty good with the please and thank you's all the time but today he is above and beyond. For instance today I took him and Bailey to Wal-Mart to get them something from the toy department and me a sandwich from Subway. He and Bailey picked out a G.I. Joe, The Rise of Cobra, Snake Eyes Sword & Mask set with accessories to share. They said “We are sharing the key-chain with my dad.” I must have gotten a half dozen thank yous between picking it out and the checkout counter and even before picking it out. And after buying it, he said, “Oh Grandpa, by the way I want to give you an extra thank you because when I tell my mom and dad, they are going to ask me, ‘Is there someone you want to say ‘thank you to?’” When we got to my house, he borrowed my phone, called his dad and told him what was happening including telling him about the thank yous. As a side note when we were next in line to pay, Jayden pulled our cart out of the way and stepped back and said to the lady behind us, “You can put your stuff on the belt. We are getting out of the way for you.” Or some wording similar to that.