May 4- May the 4th be with you!

FREE PRETZEL #4

May 4th- Day 4-

This year I asked Tim if I was going to get a chance to give away any of the FREE PRETZELS (still in all caps this year!) and he allowed me to have a turn today.  The recipient for today is my mom, Carolyn, who paid us a visit this evening.  

She drove 10 hours from Cincinnati to be greeted by sight of Tabitha taking a bite out of the FREE PRETZEL before I even had a chance to tell Mom that it was for her.  Of course, she took it in stride, shared the pretzel with Tibby, and we got a great picture of a little girl and her Toots.

Toots and Tibby all smiles

That is correct-my mom's "grandma name" is Toots.  And it fits.  Perfectly.

She is actually out visiting us in her capacity as Toots extraordinaire because my sister, Elizabeth, just had a baby yesterday.  Welcome Theodore Camillo Pochkhua!  He will either be a Theo or a Teddy but either way the world is a happier place because he was born.  The total of Eagen grandbabies is now up to five and Toots has made the trip to care for babies and mom each time a new one arrives. 

 

For the first time...Theodore Camillo Pochkhua

She comes, she cooks, she cleans, she holds babies, she holds her daughters, she makes them go on date nights, she does laundry, she shops, and she is the best.  Anyone who has ever had a new baby can appreciate just how wonderful it is to have someone come and care for you so that you can figure out how to get a grip on this whole new parenting thing.  It is a gift.

I heard my mom talking to Emily, my other sister, about the need to get a roast chicken for tomorrow. This way Theo's new parents can have a welcome home dinner made by Toots.  Roast chicken and vegetables=awesome.

My mother's cooking from scratch and making "real food" was something that resonates throughout my whole childhood (she made the best homemade everything!) and my mom passed that on to me and my sisters along with...

the need to wear a slip (seriously we are the only women of our age who still wear one--all the time)

the know-how to operate a sewing machine, a hammer, and a stick-shift

the belief that there was no question that we would write thank-you notes, stand up straight in communion line or anywhere else for that matter, and go to graduate school

If that does not earn her a FREE PRETZEL I don't know what does!

I love you mom.

Katie

Until tomorrow...