This is a Picture of Demaree holding a pony with Karina riding the pony about 1985. They are at the Aripine ranch. Notice that Karina has her shoes on the wrong feet. Things really don't change much do they. With a fifty/fifty chance you would think that putting shoes on the right foot would happen a little more often than like never.  Hey this is Dan and I am posting on a blog and I didn't think that would ever happen either.
I love my girls!!!

Pictures of Karina and the grandkids

      Karina doesn't usually touch little babies but Bryce is so sweet she couldn't resist.  (Grandma Linda, Baby Bryce (Demaree's new baby) and Aunt Karina)

                                                         This is a picture of pure joy
                                                        Dirk, Jade and Aunt Karina



                                                            Young minds at work
                                                  Karina and Mac (Karilyn's little guy)

The Last Minute Easter Basket

This one is for you, Jay.
After many years of making Karina Easter baskets I decided that this year would be the beginning of not doing Easter baskets for her anymore.  In the past she has always taken the candy and hidden it away (and never ate it) and if given a stuffed animal it would just end up on the shelf with all of her many other stuffed animals. I figured that they didn't mean much to her and there was just no need anymore. 
We were wrong! This morning she went to her dad with a Walgreen's flyer in her hand and said "Look at the Easter baskets!".  That is all she said but the look she gave her dad said, "Where is my basket?"  A few minutes later she called me into her room and showed me the same pictures and said the same things and gave me the same sad look.  Dan and I had a quick secret meeting and he took her outside for awhile and I ran to our scary, crawl space holiday storage area and pulled out the Easter boxes and found an Easter Basket, some eggs and a funny looking bunny holding a pitchfork and carrots.  I threw in some grass and then ran around trying to find some goodies to put in the basket.  The only things I could come up with were some fruit snacks that I opened up and put in the eggs and some chocolate covered pomegranite candies.  I also put a pack of Club crackers (which are her favorite) and then left the basket in her bedroom.  When she came in from outside she found it and was soooo excited.  She said, "Look what Santa brought me!".    She opened the eggs and ate all the candies and loved the bunny and put it in a new place of honor in her bedroom.  She was especially excited about the crackers. I guess the Easter Bunny (or Santa) will be coming again next year.

I'm Just Surviving

Karina was talking to her sister on the phone the other day and her sister asked her how she was doing.  Karina replied, "I'm just surviving."

JUST TAKE A NAP!

At church today there was a little boy about 18 months who was very noisy, restless and whiney.  It was really bugging Karina and she finally said (loud enough for everyone around us to hear) "JUST TAKE A NAP!

More beads!

Karina is beading again.  She has made tons of necklaces and bracelets and I asked her if she was going to give some of those to her sisters and nieces.  Her answer was "No. These are for the poor people."

Christmas

About one week before Christmas I overheard Karina telling someone that Santa was bringing her a bowling ball.  A bowling ball? That was the first that I had heard about it.  Pretty soon that was all we heard about was the ball Santa was going to bring her. She had participated in Special Olympics bowling which ended the first of December and I guess she was tired of using the not-so-good bowling alley balls. (Plus, a lot ot the athletes had their own bowling bags with balls and shoes in them and she might have been a little jealous). Karina absolutely loves Santa so I did not want to dissappoint her.  If you are familiar with the movie "Elf" then you will know the part when buddy sees Santa and yells out with great enthusiasm,  "It's Santa. It's Santa."  That is how she feels about Santa. 
It was too late to order her a ball so I hit the thrift stores but couldn't find anything.  I called Demaree and asked her to check a couple of the thrift stores by her.  She called and was very excited to tell me that she found a ball that came with a bag.  It was  a Shrek ball and the bag has Shrek and Shark Tale things on it.  Karina was so excited that Santa gave her a bowling ball.
The rest of the story:   Everyday that Carol (her hab person) picks her up Karina has to take her bowling bag with the ball in it just in case they go bowling. I have promised her that we will go bowling but so far it hasn't worked out.  The bowling bag sits by the front door waiting for us to go bowling. Also, Demaree looked on line and evidently Karina's ball is a collector's item and is worth a whole lot more than the $10 we paid for it.
ORANGES:
I was so proud of myselt that I had things under control for Christmas and that I did not need to make any runs to the store on Christmas Eve day.  On Christmas Eve Karina was looking at our stockings and said that Santa brings oranges for the stockings.  Oranges!!! We did not have an orange in the house and I realized that, yes, Santa had always brought oranges before so I ended up going to the store on Christmas Eve to buy oranges.  (it is very rare for her to vocalize what she needs or wants or likes so when  she does we try to accomodate her).  The oranges were terrible and I refused to pay money for any of them so Santa brought Little Cuties instead. When she looked in her stocking on Christmas morning, the first thing she said was "Santa brought me some oranges!". Mission accomplished.