Fun with Michael

While Jill and Michael were here last week, we took Michael to the park close to our house. There are always so many kids there because it is such a cool place for little ones. Michael wasn't quite sure what to think of so many people being around, but he had fun. I can't wait for spring to finally decide it is here to stay - we will be spending a lot of time at the park when they visit. Who knows - I may even try to do his one year old pictures there with his mom and dad.

The surface of the playground is rubberized (not the kind that gets really hot). Michael was not sure about that feeling on his little bare feet!

Holding on while watching all of the activity around him.

Beginning to explore...

Starting to enjoy it a little more...

It's a whole new world!

Michael also enjoyed helping his grandmommy around the house (ha ha)!

Pulling the tupperware out...

and looking for the pieces that got away...

Looking for a lost movie...

and his favorite toy.

And finally, helping with the laundry!

I really enjoyed having the two of them here for several days. Jill was finally able to get a lot of scrapbooking done while she was here. As you can imagine, it's not easy to find time to get little luxuries like that done when you have an active baby around the house. Michael has just started crawling and is everywhere now. I need to baby proof my house!

Family History

It's been a while since I have done any blogging. I have been busy looking into my past!  I have recently become interested in genealogy and am trying to research my mom and dad's family roots. It has been pretty easy up to this point because my mom kept a lot of records on both hers and my dad's families. Also, both my mom and dad have one sibling left and I was lucky to be able to interview each of them and get a lot of information. Have you seen the "My Ancestry" commercials on TV? Well, they grabbed me. I went online and started doing more research. I have stored all of the information I have found along with some old pictures on the "My Ancestry" web site. Now the hard part begins. I have run out of known information and am beginning to get ancestry hints on people in the family tree on which I have no historical information. How am I supposed to know if these hints are really on my relatives? There is a lot of information out there - I just need to learn how to make it all fit. I have been able to get copies of my grandfather's World War I draft registration card and copies of census records back to 1910 so far! It's really pretty amazing. Below are some pictures that I have found in my mom and dad's things. I'll keep on digging and see what else I can come up with. It's pretty addicting. I have spent up to 6 hours at one time on the computer. Just one more thing to keep me distracted from all of the other mundane chores there are to do around this house!

My maternal great-great-grandmother.

My maternal grandmother and grandfather.

My mother at age 2, 1932.

My mother's graduation from Roosevelt High School, Atlanta, GA 1949. Pretty fancy for a public school! Those are real roses she is holding. In the class picture, each girl is dressed in a formal gown and has a bouquet of roses. I counted at least 18 from what was visible. There are probably 2 dozen of them.

My paternal grandfather, doing what I remember best - eating Whitman's chocolates!

My dad's graduation from Commercial High School, Atlanta, GA 1947.

My mom and dad at Grant Park prior to their marriage, 1952. This was probably an Easter Sunday since they both have flowers on. My dad's parents lived within walking distance to Grant Park.

My mom and dad's wedding, May 15, 1953.