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The shortest day we loved a baby in
Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 08:44PM 
MelanieSomebody Is Six
Our little Melanie Noel turned six today. She celebrated her birthday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania -- where she was born -- with her "other" grandparents ... Grammy and Pappy, to be exact.
Lots of beloved and seldom-seen aunts and uncles and cousins were in attendance too.
Last Friday, south of the Mason-Dixon line, we observed the momentous occasion as we usually do, a few days early ... in Tar Heel country.
AllissaUnlike last year, there was no snowstorm in Western North Carolina the weekend before Christmas.
Unlike last year, Aunt Erica wasn't able to be there. Work commitments.
Unlike last year, Uncle Andrew was able to be there ... albeit not until the morning after the actual party. Last year he was stuck in the Atlanta airport while we feted our Melly with ice cream, cake, and presents.
Just like last year, Aunt Audrey made the trip to North Carolina to add her special flair to the festivities.
Melly herself was there both years too. She has an uncanny knack for being front and center at her birthday parties.
Born with some difficulties, Melanie stubbornly hangs onto her little developmental quirks as stubbornly as we hang onto her ... and to our hopes that someday she'll catch all the way up.
Meantime, we enjoy her to the fullest and she seems to enjoy life as much as anybody and a great deal more than some.
Every year I buy Melanie a Hallmark keepsake ornament. This year it was Snowball and his little sidekick, Tuxedo, cutting out snowflakes.
She also got a Crayola Model Magic Presto Dots to the Max toy, with which one builds crazy-colored creatures with a non-crumby putty type material.
Audrey got the hang of it really fast. She labored for an hour on her creature, even giving him long strings of white hair.
Audrey had her sixth birthday in 1989.
Melanie liked the colors of the putty and the way it felt in her fingers.
Allissa intermittently watched and begged to use the "rolling pin" to flatten the globs of "dough" so they could be formed into creatures and decorated.
Melanie also received a pink sparkly purse which made quite a hit. That child is nuts about her purse. Just try and touch it ... much less hold it. She'll be ladylike about it (up to a point) but make no mistake: she wants it back.
Other presents included a special pencil holder (complete with pencils) from a missionary friend in Grenada, West Indies, and a Christmas doll with "2010" embroidered on the yoke of her dress.
Not a bad haul for somebody turning six!
(And no, those aren't tombstones decorating her birthday cake. And I didn't do it. Her mother put marshmallow snowmen all over it.)
Send Me Out To The Ballgame
As part of my son-in-law's Christmas, our daughter bought him tickets to a University of North Carolina basketball game.
Despite his Keystone State upbringing, Joel's been a Tar Heel fan since he was a kid.
TG, Andrew, and Joel looked handsome and were in high spirits as they set out after lunch on Saturday for the four o'clock tip-off at Greensboro Coliseum.
(l to r) Andrew, TG, Joel
(I guess it's all but impossible to get tickets to a true home game in Chapel Hill, but nobody was complaining about the neutral venue where the Tar Heels played the Texas Longhorns.)
We girls watched the game at home on CBS. We gasped as the Tar Heels were defeated by two points practically at the buzzer. The one hundred orange-clad Texas fans who'd made the long trip looked very happy indeed amongst a sea of disappointed wearers of Carolina blue.
Ah well.
Sergeant Eckard Is Not Forgotten
A great American hero lies in a cemetery in Hickory, North Carolina. He was laid to rest there last February.
His name was Christopher W. Eckard. He was a husband, the father of two little boys, and a Marine who went to Afghanistan after serving four tours in Iraq.
It was on that fifth tour of duty that Chris Eckard was killed as he assisted combat operations.
He had decommissioned over 240 bombs in 2004 alone.
At the time of his death, Chris was thirty years old.
He had a strong testimony of faith in Christ and I believe he is in Heaven today.
Andrew
Sergeant Eckard's homecoming and burial made the news in Hickory last winter as thousands of citizens -- including hundreds of schoolchildren -- lined the streets to witness his cortege as it passed.
We stopped after church on Sunday, on our way back home to Columbia, to pay our respects.
Somehow these things are harder to deal with at Christmastime.
Javier Finds New Arms To Hold Him
Javier the Chihuahua is loving life to the max now that Andrew is home to stretch out full-length on the floor, a Christmas blankie for his pillow, the triangle formed between his shoulder and his hands behind his head making a soft warm nest for a silly wee dog.
Sue ... Sue, Are You Listening?
I have a bad cold. Started coming down with it on Sunday.
Even so, yesterday and today I hung tough and finished all of my Christmas shopping.
Tomorrow'll be all about wrapping 'em up, baby.
:-:--:-:--:-:--:-:--:-:
And now the days grow longer.
~ Merry Christmas! ~
Reader Comments (10)
Happy Birthday to Melissa! Sounds like a grand celebration. She shares her birthday with another special lady - my Mom, who would have been 76 years old if she was still with us.
Don't tell me you went to Walmart again!
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Jenny. I'm so busy trying to figure out logistics for us all to go to San Diego that Christmas is kind of non-existent around here, except for the music.
Hope you feel better.
Joyous events and bitter/sweet remembrance... And grrrrrrrrrreat photos!
But I'm so sorry you have a-cold-for-Christmas. -pout- -sigh- Please get lots of rest, in between wrapping packages.
Gentle Christmas hugs...
Hey Jennifer, I've missed you. I would be delighted to send you my copy of the book "a good house" as part of my TBR pile clearance challenge. I'm dusting today, and the stack is high. I love your little Melly picturese. She's adorable. and what a great party with all those important people in attendace. And WOW finished Christmas Shopping! I extremely uncreative in that dept. click on my email and send me your address. If we don't meet here again before the big day, Merry Christmas and much love to you and yours.
Melissa sure is a cutie! Looks like all of her presents were hits with her! LOL, love the sculpted creature!
I hope you get over your creeping crud sickies germs. Shoo - go away silly germs and leave my dear friend alone!!! Jim and I send lots of {{{{{hugs}}}}} for getting well.
Hey Mrs. Weber!
I am loving the update. :) The pictures show the young ones are growing up fast. I just found my way back to SC night before last and I'm already missing my snow and mountains. It sounds like you are still doing well.
This semester at Norwich could have gone better academically, granted it could have gone worse. I did all that I could to get the best grades and didn't quite get there. Here's hoping my GPA will be high enough to go off to Air Force training this summer. Thankfully, our new AFROTC commander, Colonel Manning, is a Christian man. He was a squadron commander at Shaw, AFB for a while. He is married to the daughter of a Baptist preacher and they have 2 sons. It's nice to see some good leadership. Now that's "change". Ha!
I'm flippin' LATE to the party!!! SORRY!! And that Cake...tombstones???Hahahaaa....well, you MIGHT have made one like that you little trickster!!Hahaaa
Bless the soldier's heart....
And may God Bless YOU....Thank you for being in my life....
((((HUG))))
Happy birthday Melissa!..awwwwwwww the pics are awesome as always Jen!!:)
TIS THE SEASON!..SO LET'S try to be jolly eh! :) (hugs)
Hey everybody ... thanks for stopping by! Just for the record, there's a Melanie and an Allissa ... no Melissa! LOLOL but thanks anyway for your good wishes.
I have to sneeze ...
Yes Happy Birthday and many more!
As to the cold, my sympathies. Mine turned full blown on Saturday night, still got the hacking cough, nose, eyes, yucky. Just dope me up until it's over, ha.