Origins of our party fever

These were the days of the "Banana Bunch".

Here are pics of Ron Cain female fans in Fairmont, WVA. part of Dad's past secret life of fun times.

I marked him then as the one for me. It took

over two years and 900 miles to convince him.

Ever once in a while my party fever from those days kicks in and I have to have a Cain event or party. However, sometimes Dad escapes into a corner or the car. In the old days though he could party with the best of them.

News but Not Really

Hey Everybody,
I'll start posting here instead of emails, to make ma happy and so maybe next time when Lauren and Sean show everybody else up there will be enough for another book. Anyway, a lot of stuff have happened since I have written last. I'm not sure what people know and don't know. I guess I will just start with the obvious. I have a blood clot in my lung. Hurray, good times were had by all. At least that's what I tell myself so I don't have to think too hard about those three days. I don't really want to rehash all that but if you have specific questions I'll answer them. I have yet to get the genetic test results back, but I think they are in and I will be scheduling an appointment tomorrow. Amongst all this craziness and scariness Mike and I try to find the good stuff. We enjoy spending time together and interacting with the dogs. The pups sure do lighten any mood. So do the cats, but they don't like to get their picture taken.
So here are some cheery pictures that make me smile and that's what we all need to do a lot.

Pop Tart Walker

Marshall's favorite meal is breakfast or "freakfast" as he likes to call it. For Marshall freakfast is 3 course fair that always starts with a pop tart at 6:30 am. In fact i usually wake up to a small hand slapping me in the head and a small voice yelling "Poptart, Mommy!" After horderves de poptart Marshall likes to move on to the main course of cereal, oatmeal, or Woccles (waffles). At this time Grace will usually join her brother at the table for some quiet morning conversation and a warm bowl of oatmeal. Topics can range from deeply intelligent (MOOOM, Marshall's trying to stab me with a fork!) to light and jovial (Sissy, NOOOOO milk!) After the milk is spilled and the dogs are enjoying a plate of half eaten waffles that was flung on the floor ever patient Mommy scoops the kids in the van to take Grace to school. After we get back Marshall is ready for his final freakfast course, a little something to clense the pallet. Marshall feels nothing does this better than another poptart. Good thing each packet contains two.

Christmas and other Stuff

Hi Everyone. I figured we best get some new posts up or Mom will hunt us down. Christmas flew by but we had a great time visiting New York. I was glad that things fell into place for me at work so I could get some extra time off to visit. Adam enjoyed Christmas, I think, especially the wrapping paper. Now he has another new stash of toys to play with. Things are plugging along in Indiana. Sean started his final semester, EVER, of school a few weeks ago. He was hired as a T.A. for an undergraduate class. So far he hasn't had to do all that much but gets paid. So we can't complain. Adam is going to daycare two days a week now, since Sean accepted the TA position, and is doing really well. He is starting to not throw a fit when I a drop him off. His teachers distract him and I sneak away. So he's making progress. He has a few new teeth coming through, including some molars. So we've had some cranky days and restless nights, but things are better now that the teeth have finally broken through.

Adam is entering into the "tantrum throwing" age. He threw a pretty good one at Target the other day because I wouldn't let him push the cart. It was a sad moment for me because I realized I now have "one of those kids". I couldn't help but feel embarrassed as people stared at me and their expressions clearly stated "Um, lady shut your kid up!" But then I realized, it's Monday, 11 a.m. at Target. Who else is here besides old people and other moms? There's gonna be some crying and screaming kids.

Last week on Marting Luther King Day we wen't to the Indianapolis Children's Museum because it was free that day. This place is amazing. Of course it was packed because of the free admission, but it was worth going to. They had a huge play room dedicated entirely to kids under 5. So we spent most of our time in there. We even ran into a few families we know from church. We followed up our trip to the museum with some stellar Turkish food downtown. All in all, a great day.

We hope everyone is doing well. Stay Warm!

Adam opening a Christmas present

Adam sporting his new frog backpack from Grandma and Grandpa G.

Adam plays in the water exhibit at the Childrens' Museum

Adam looking cute! (Dad gave him a haircut the other day)

Thanksgiving in January

My New Years Resolution for 2011 is to live a more grateful life. I am to record in a journal one blessing I recognize and am grateful for each day of the year. Little did I know in December when I made this decision how soon I would be recording some very large blessings. On Wednesday, Jan. 12, Sheryl called to report that she was being admitted into the hospital with a blood clot in her lung. What? Sheryl is only 23. The blood clot showed up on a scan ordered by her primary care doctor earlier that day because Sheryl had made an appointment about having difficulty and pain breathing. She had visited a doctor in Sept or Oct. with the same complaint but that doctor sent her home with orders to take a decongestive. The scan showed a blood clot and Sheryl was sent to the hospital via Mike. She was given blood thinners and kept quiet. This was a very scarey experience for her and the family, who were notified by me and Natalie's posts on Facebook. So far no one knows how long that clot has been floating around. Dad and I are so thankful that Heavenly Father answers our prayers for our children. We were again given a big reason for Thanksgiving when Cara called Thursday to tell me she could not come for a visit, that was postponed from Christmas, because she had been in a car accident. A boy, who is the son of former employers, hit her broadside while she was crossing an intersection in Vermont. Cara was not hurt even though her car received heavy damage. Sheryl is on the mend and Cara's car is being repaired. I can tell already that I will have plenty of blessings and gratitude to record in my journal. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. We pray for our children and their families each day, and continue with thoughts and prayers in our hearts. Already I am learning that a grateful life will focus on the things that really matter. Some will be very obvious others will surface from inspired thought.

A Christmas 2010 memory

Happy New Year Cain Clan.

We had a white Christmas 2010 and a special surprise that arrived on our porch around 1:30 Christmas Eve afternoon. I was busy rushing around trying to get things ready for Christmas Eve dinner for Natalie and Mike, Zachary and Sheryl and Mike. Of course I was hot, despite the snow on the ground. I had most things under control for the dinner. I had set up and decorated the small fiber optic tree, the windows and the dining room. I still had some presents to wrap after everyone went home. My big challenge, as always, is cleaning off the magnetic dining room table full of stacks of mail, bills and stuff. The doorbell rang. Now what. When I went to the door a little face was peeping in the side window. I knew that face. I had just seen in before Thanksgiving when we drove to Indiana for Adam's first birthday. I opened the door and there stood Adam, Lauren and Sean. " What are you doing here?" What a surprise! Dad came home from his last minute shopping and he got the surprise too. Lauren had traded shifts with someone and they decided to drive all night to surprise us for Christmas. Adam, who had just started toddling his first steps at his birthday was now tooling around the house like he had been walking for at least a year. Mike and Sheryl, Natalie and Mike and finally Zach, who got off early at 8, were all here. We had a great buffet ham dinner and lots of visiting and oogling over Adam who had gone from a four legged crawler at the beach to an upright elf.
For the weekend we all enjoyed being together and catching up. My only sad thoughts were missing Amber, Carl, Grace and Adam and Cara and Aubrey. And missing Abbey who
had her last Christmas with us in 2009. As we all get older and the families grow
with more responsibilities it is harder to get together for holidays as one big clan. So how special it is when we can gather.