I Love Being Granny!

Remember how I said that 3 was lucky - well I also have 3 adaorable grandsons. My oldest daughter, Tamara Guida, is the mother of Dante (6), Vincent (23 months) and Dominic (4 months). I am truly blessed to have them so close to me - just a 20 minute walk. One of my biggest joys is when I arrive at their house and they shout, Granny! and come running to me. The feeling is just hard to explain. My daughter is such a wonderful Mother, also. She has the patience of a saint, always keeping a even temperament, always explaining why they have centain rules, always enjoying her role of mother watching and teaching her boys the wonders of the world around them and the joys of loving each other. I admire how she lives in each moment and conciously wants to give them a variety of experiences and make every day a special experience with them.

Her husband, Mike, does marketing for an internet based ad company and is a mortgage broker. It's so fun to see him give each boy special attention as they just love their Dad.

Dante just started 1st grade this year at the same school my daughter Jackie is a 9th grader, Compass Montessori School. He enjoys learning and reading, even though he can get frustrated when he does not do something perfect. He is very vocal and loves race cars and playing with his neighborhood of friends. Vincent is just a happy toddler learning a new word almost every day. His smile can melt your heart. It's fun watching him communicate with you in sign language, which he is pretty proficient at. Dominic has started smiling and even laughing - so fun when they respond to you. He weighed in at 9-1/2 pounds so he is quite the chunk - so different from the slimness of the other guys. All three so different - all bringing joy to their Granny!

My beautiful Kate!

My middle daughter, Kate, is my fun-loving adventurous child. Hardly a child anymore, she works as a flight attendant for Skywest Airlines after getting her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Colorado State University. She will randomly call me one day and say she is on the beach in Santa Barbara or e-mail me from Budapest with just a "hello" in their language, of course. I think she got the travel bug from me, but her passions extend far beyond mere travel. She wants to become immersed in the cultures - she truly wants to learn about the local people and experience their way of life. When she was in high school, she went on a mission trip to Ecuador and they actually stayed with a family. That trip lit the flame for her desire to help and enpower especially the youth of other countries. Then after college, she became involved in Invisible Children - visit their web site by linking to her blog. She went on a road trip - her territory was California - where they showed a film to high schools and churches. It depicted the plight that the children of Northern Uganda face in that war-torn nation. It was an effort that culminated with one of the most moving events I have experienced in my life. With her encouragement, my youngest daughter Jackie and I, talked our church into attending the Global Night Commute on April 28, 2006. We walked from the train station to Civic Center in Denver and then sang songs and wrote letter to government officials. Then we spent the night - slept in a park in downtown Denver. I lay there looking up at the stars and thought of those children in the streets of Uganda - we were all one that night. I spoke with Kate that night - she was heading up another commute in California - one of 126 cities participating. It makes me tear up just thinking about it, such a moving event, such a just cause. Someday she will make it to Africa.....she is all about making a difference....thank you, Kate, for making such a difference in my life!

My youngest keeps me young!

My daughter, Jacqueline, or Jackie as she now wishes to be called, has always had a love of horses. This is pretty typical for young girls, so we went along with the horse collections (all types - stuffed, Breyers, etc). Then at age 9 she wanted to join Westernaires. This is a local horse club for Jefferson County residents age 9-18 who wish to learn more about horses as well as ride in teams. She started as a Tenderfoot with early morning Saturday rides in any type of weather. They were tested on parts of a horse as well as grooming and tack. She advanced to Pony Hoedowners, which is riding bareback on ponies while perfoming a sequence. She was assigned to pony cart which she just loved. The following year she was a part of Mustangs - a AA base team and moved on to the AAA team of Colorado Stampede. At the end of Westernaires annual show in November they have what is fondly known as "move-ups". This is a time of drama in the organization as it is mostly made up of teen girls.....well you get my drift. So, last November she was moved up to Red Division. This is very prestigious in the organization. She now wears a red bandana, which is a badge of honor and these girls are looked up to by the younger ones. She joined the Nighthorse Rangers for a time and within a few months was moved up to Crimson Rangers which is where she is now. Throughout her years in Westernaires, they have required much bookwork along with riding. They diagram each element of a drill, often doing several drills for each team. There move-ups depend on many elements of their participation including attendance, diagraming, riding precision and more. They have a program where you can rent a horse from them for a nominal fee which she did for awhile until she got her own horse. She bought it from a neighbor for $300 - I think they felt sorry for her. His name is Woody, a white Tennessee Walker and Arabian mix. He has served her well until she found another horse - one she wanted to train. We added 4 year old Razor to the family in April. She has been training him diligently and as it goes with most horse enthusiasts, they love them all. So, here are a few pictures of my daughter with her first loves.

Three is Lucky!

Yes! I am the mother of 3 beautiful daughters. My first daughter, Tamara, turns 30 this October. Oh no, I can't be the mother of a 30 year old......seems I was just that age myself. My next daughter is 24 and my baby is 14. Yes, I know I spread them out a bit, but it has worked out to never have an empty nest. I was also able to enjoy them all separately as babies and toddlers. My life is full.