we go to clarksville sometimes.

since my dad has been home from the hospital, i have tried to come up with some things that might make mom and dads week days a little shorter.  and since i always have lil bit in tow, what better way than to make your day fly by than bring a tornado of a two year old, her camera happy nanny and some taffy.  sweet water, that is.


my dad is obsessed with taffy, and since he is in the later stages of parkinson's disease with onset dementia, if the man wants taffy, by all means my philosophy is ---get the man some taffy.  (also because i am a nerd, i think about the fact that it is really good for his eye hand coordination and great for his fine motor skills.  the inner special educator in me gets all giddy with excitement watching him struggle to open those things and then openeing them and having the reward of his favorite candy.  see nerd alert.  don't say i didn't warn you.)


mom because she is a whirlwind herself and never slows down, like to run by and say, "here roy!  let me open those for you!" and opens five and is on her merry way, but you know i make the interception every time and say, "MOOOOOM, that is good for dad.  let him do it."  and trust me, he is gonna get to the candy come you know what or high water, and sure enough, every time he succeeds until the taffy is no more.  go dad!


what is it about the newness of life that makes life so much fun?  when little children are around, everything just is a little happier.  and trust me, this day, was fun for all.

mom was able to leave dad and run to the grocery since lil bit and i were there, and as simple as that seems, just the fact that she could leave, i know eased a burden for the day.  and just changing up the scenery too.  my mom is a go go go person, and since dad has gotten less independent, he has really slowed her down.  and i worry about her.


my mom is beautiful inside and out, she would give you the shirt off her back and then ten more if you needed them.  she doesn't meet a stranger and is just good.
you know how some people are just good?
she is fine.

if i can grow and evolve to be half of what both my mom and dad encompass, i will have considered myself a success.

it's interesting to me, how the older you get you see your parents.  you really notice them.  and admire them.  and want to be more and more like them.  and all those years as a teenager when you were like, "yeah, you are sooooooo not cool."  you realize, you were the one that was mistaken, not them.  because, they were in fact cool.


he kept that baby tucked under his arms for the majority of the day.  and when i said, "dad, you can sit that baby down now."  he looked at lil bit and said, "she told me to hold it!"  
my sweet daddy.



the family before the family that i nanny for now --- once i took all of those blondies to clarksville to see my parents and the middle girl who was five at the time, was always trying to impress her way cool, and much older teen cousin said to her all in a matter of fact way with her shoulders held high, right after her older cool teen cousin said something grand, little H reared her head back, with her little arms cocked on her hips and said, "well, i go to clarksville sometimes..." like i had just taken them to paris in a whirlwind adventure.


dad's out of taffy, so it looks like we will be headed back to clarksville again soon.
lil bit in tow.
for a grand ole time.
after all..."we go to clarksville sometimes..."