You Are My SunShine

So last Friday, May 8th, J, rented some movies and one of them was the
"Curious Case of Benjamin Button," It was an OK flick, not one I would buy,
or one that I want my children watching anytime soon. T wasn't going to bed
and A and D were already asleep. T stayed with us watching the movie (some
parts his face got covered). In the middle of the movie he sat up looked at
me, and starting sing, "You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine, You are my Sunshine, Don't take sunshine away." Later during his bath I worked with him to learn the while chorus. I asked him, "Do you sing that song in school?" "No." he said, "I just know it."
Well, I sing it a couple of time but it has been quite awhile since I have. Grandma Powell used to sing it to him all the time when we went up to see her. Needless to say bath time was a very emotional moment for me.

Dear Grandma and Grandpa;

Easter is coming up and I was thinking of going up to visit you. I want you to see the kids again. I wanted you to go with me to Wal-mart and help me pick out some Easter outfit for the boys. D has a really cute dress that I will have her wear, you would love it. It is yellow and has flowers on it. It has a mock jacket front, so cute.
There is a game that I know you would love to play, “Uno Spin,” I would bring it up, you would love it, maybe we could even get grandpa to play with us.
D is walking an jabbering up a storm. Poor little girl is getting her one-year old molars in. The boys, both love their sister, T plays with her and she loves playing with him. A is a watch dog over her. He won’t necessarily play with her, but he makes sure she is safe at all times.
A is growing up fast, I think being a prize fighter is in his blood. He would give Bud (your brother) a run for his money. It is a good thing Bud isn’t around to give him any pointers.
T will be starting Kindergarten this coming year. I have in enrolled in a good school, now I will be collecting school supplies and clothing. Every once in a while he will come and ask if he can play with Corky and Grandma Powell in Payson. I have to explain that you and grandpa both live with Jesus now, but if he is a good boy he can play with you again someday.
I know you will be having a great Easter. Tell everyone hi for me. Give Caroline a big bear hug for me too. Make sure to give grandpa a hug and kiss for me too, Tell him to behave himself.
I just wanted you to know how much I miss you both and wish you where still here.
Just remember, I LOVE YOU MORE!!
Rebekah

The Sleep Over

This Story is from Rachel (Max and Shirley's granddaughter)

I remember when I was about five or six I stayed the night with Grandma and Grandpa while my family went out. I had a lot of fun. Will earlier that day Grandma gave me a piece of gum and I did not want to get rid of it when I went to bed, so I stuck it on my pillow, in the morning I had gum every where, Grandma had to cut my hair and I felt horrible, because I ruined grandma's sheets.

German Pancakes

I was making German pancakes for my family for breakfast a very days ago. I was not as excited to do this as I normally am.
As I was making them up my mind keep going back to Grandpa Powell (Max). Every time I would go to Payson for a visit he would always request me to make them for breakfast the next morning. He loved my German pancakes. While grandma and I would have them with jelly, jam, or syrup, grandpa had to have his salsa and salt and pepper. It was pure joy for me to make them for him and watch him happily consume them.

Blessings and plane tickets

Toni sent me this e-mail yesterday, and I think this is just so very typical of Grandma and Grandpa. Thank you so much for sharing this story with the family.

IN 1973 Howard decided we were moving to Hawaii. The beginning of March he sent me and Jeremey (5 months old) ahead and he stayed in Holbrook to complete his teaching contract. He moved in to Mom and Dad's Holbrook Trailer.

Those few months were really difficult. Jeremey was sick and I was taking him to the doctor every other week. Nothing helped. He would wake up about 11 pm and cry for hours. I had to take him outside so he wouldn't wake anyone else up. I was really homesick and living with the inlaws alone was hard. I didn't know how they wanted things done and unlike my own family they were very critical. After a couple of months Howard sent me a ticket to come back to Holbrook. It wasn't until I reached Holbrook that I discovered that Mom and Dad were worried about me and the baby and they purchased the ticket and told Howard to bring me back. That meant a lot to me. I knew they didn't have much money and even though then you could fly for less than $200 round trip, wages were similarly low.

I took Jeremey to our doctor in Holbrook and after hearing how often he had been sick the doctor did some tests and discovered that the baby was low in iron. Probably caused by the original sickness. He put him on iron and he literally was never sick again until he was 3 or 4. Not even a cold. He slept well the whole night through too. We returned to Hawaii in June. In Hawaii the baby again woke up everynight and we had to take him outside for a couple of hours. He did it until we moved out of the Lua house. Then never again. I have always thought that strange. I am ever grateful to Mom and Dad for that plane ticket.

Angels Amoung Us

After my baby girl, Diana, was born Grandma Powell and and my Mom (Marie) threw a baby shower for Diana. It was so nice, grandma and my mom worked hard, making chocolates. shaped like baby rattles and diaper pins. The food was simple but very good. We played a couple of games then sat and talked to each other and passed the baby around. Afterwards Diana was blessed, grandma was holding her after the blessing was given and Diana was cooing and smiling at her. It was like they were having their own private conversation. Both are Angels.

Rambo Grandma

I was cleaning up the toys off the floor in the front room and as usual the kids where running around making an even bigger mess. I then decided to just watching the Christmas tree and was remembering back over the years.
One year when my family was living in Maryland, Grandma and Grandpa come to visit over Christmas.
We as kids woke up as usual really early to see if Santa had come to the house. Santa always left a movie for us to watch in the morning, while my parents slept. I can’t remember the movie we got that year. All six of us where sprawled across the couch or on the floor watching, when all of the sudden streams of water came our way soaking us . When we recovered from shock and screaming we saw Grandma standing there in her house coat, a bandanna around her head and Nathan‘s Super Soaker, laughing so hard at us kids and the genus plan she had successfully pulled off. We gave her the name “Rambo Grandma,” which we called her all the time after that.

Polor Bear Swimming

Now that the weather is getting colder, a memory came back to me about Grandpa Powell.
I moved to Arizona in 2000 after grandpa's big heart surgery. We lived in an apartment complex in Mesa. Grandpa loved sitting in the hot tub, once the doctor gave him the OK.
Well, grandma would go with us when the weather was warm, but once it got really cold she would stay in the apartment. I had to go in order to make sure grandpa wouldn't stay to long in the Hot water.
Grandpa had a way to make anyone do anything he ask them to do. I haven't figured that one out yet.
Soooo, When it started getting really cold he would sit in the hot tub and make me do laps in the very cold swimming pool, before I could even step foot in the hot tub.
I know, I was in my twenties and knew it was insane to be in that cold of water for very long, but it was grandpa. I think he had some secret Jedi mind trick powers. Needless to say every night I did two laps in the FREEZING swimming pool. All the time Grandpa laughing really hard (remember the huge belly laughs he would have) at me. Well, at least he was able to laugh.

Christmas Scarf

Christmas Memory from Marie (daughter of Max and Shirley)

One year for Christmas, I don't remember if we lived in Williams or Flagstaff Arizona, I was about 6-7 years old. We didn't have much money and my parents were worried about what they could give us, without spending too much. Christmas morning came and there where some nice presents under the tree. Mom had knitted scarfs for all of us kids. What was very special about these scarfs was that mom didn't knit, but had spent months working on them so we could be warm and have something for Christmas. To this day I treasure that scarf.

Christmas

Last weekend, Andrew, Alex, & I put up our Christmas tree. This is something I've done since I left home - put up the tree Thanksgiving weekend. It might have to do with the fact that I love the holiday season. While we were decorating the tree and living room, Andrew & I started telling each other stories of when we were younger and how we remembered Christmas. We also asked each other about the most memorable one, & I had to talk about a particular one.

The year Grandpa had his first heart attack, Christmas came up pretty quick. I was living with Grandpa & Grandma while working full-time and going to Mesa Community College. My job & school were both keeping me busy, & Grandma had her hands full with Grandpa as well as helping Aunt Betty & Uncle Kenny with Great-Grandma. We just hadn't had time to really decorate or get the trailer ready.

I had to work the morning of Christmas Eve, but when I got home I grabbed hold of Grandma and took her out to the shed and told her to point out where the tree and decorations were. We needed some cheering up, and I was going to make sure that tree was up in time for Christmas Day. We found the tree, no problem, but we just could not find the decorations anywhere!!!! They had a couple boxes somewhere, but we just could not find them at all.

Grandma & I went back into the trailer & put up the tree & a few other things we found, but the tree looked pretty desolate without the decorations. I grabed the keys and drove down to Wallgreens in the hope that they were still open & had a few decorations left on sale. I was a bit lucky as I found a small strand of lights, a box of balls, and a few other bits and pieces, but it just wasn't going to be enough to make the tree look like something other than Charlie Brown's tree.

When I got back to the house Grandma was in a better mood, & had started to cut out some strips of wrapping paper and glueing them together to make a chain. I rumaged around the house even more and found a few more things, and together we got the tree decorated with the few shop bought decorations and the ones we were making. Before long we were putting things on like Jock's leash, one of Grandpa's colorful handkerchiefs, and so on. Grandpa was home by that time and got involved as well - he tried to cut something out of a Pepsi box to add more color, but we got laughing so hard it kind of got ruined.

We finally finished at about 10 that night, and when we looked at our 'invention', all three of us realised we were missing one important piece to the tree - the star. We looked all over to try to find something that would work for the star, but without any luck. Grandpa did suggest I sit on the top of the tree (ha! ha! ha!) as well. I then happened to look in my room again and saw something a friend of mine had given me - a tube of M&Ms with a Peanut M&M figure on the top. The figurine had a piece of string on the top. The figurine was bright yellow wearing a Santa Hat. THE FIGURINE WAS GOING TO BE OUR 'STAR'!!!!

I was giggling by this point and Grandma asked what I was laughing at. I told them I found something, but they were going to have to close thier eyes until I got the 'star' on the tree. You should have seen the looks on thier faces - they were priceless.

My biggest regret that year was the fact that I didn't have a camera to get a photo of the three of us next to our tree. But the memories are there, and this year it is that memory that's been getting me through the last few weeks. I miss them very much, and I'm sure all of us have our own memories of Grandpa & Grandma at Christmas. So, what are yours?