We love you Grandma...so very very much.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
We had a monumental day yesterday. And I didn't take one single picture. But you sorta can't blame me. It was also an emotional day. And I was trying my best to keep my composure and not succumb to the very real possibility that, at any moment, I might. just. lose. it. Taking pictures very well may have put me over the edge.
Yesterday my baby boy child moved from a crib--the crib we have had for 5 years, the crib both of our baby children have slumbered in and screamed in and eventually climbed out of...yes, that crib--into a big boy bed. A bed big enough for me to sleep in, a bed that above said boy-child can climb out of without risking the safety of his little noggin, a twin bed. And, as a grand finale, we sold the crib, and are closing the "baby chapter" of our lives. I'm not sad that my kids are growing, that their legs are so long they reach, and often spill over, the foot rest on the stroller. No, I am not sad about their perfect preschool bodies, and their ability to drink out of something other than me. I find joy in watching these two offspring of mine discover and revel in life. It's like watching a butterfly emerge. But...it's going way way way too fast. Way. too. fast. And that is why I was on the verge of tears most of the day yesterday. Life spins around me...my children outgrow shoes and clothes and cribs. And I remember what my momma told me when Grace was born..."The minute you bring them into your life, you begin to prepare them to leave you"...it is a sobering thought and so very true. And yesterday, as I set up Sam's new bed and smoothed out the sheets, I thought that someday...someday much too soon...he will be grown-up and big and hairy and sleeping in a dorm room or a house of his own.
Then...to ice the cake of "my kids are growing up too quickly"...at 6pm yesterday we walked over to the elementary school behind our house. We walked over there, not to play on the playground equipment, but to take Grace to Kindergarten Round-up. Because she's 5. And she will start kindergarten in the fall. Where has the time gone? As we walked I watched my sweet 5 year old diva-girl, and thought of the day she was born...thought of her first steps...her first words (which actually came before her first steps, I know this is not surprising to those of you who know her)...her first day at preschool. It is unimaginable to me that she will be in kindergarten. That she will be away from me for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. She has always been with me...next to me...talking my ear off. I told her, as we walked to the school, that if she got sad and missed me while she was at school all she had to do was look out the window or across the playground and she could see our house (we live really close to the school). She nodded...thought a bit...smiled...then said to me "Well, Momma...if you get sad, you can look out the window and see me." Yes baby girl...I can...and I will.
As far as pictures go, pictures documenting April 27th, 2010 in our household...well those were taken only in my heart. If I can stomach it later today (April 28th) I may snap a few actual pics of little brother man in his big boy bed. But don't hold your breath. I may just sit around and marvel in the moment. And hug my babies while they're still small enough to hug.
Yesterday my baby boy child moved from a crib--the crib we have had for 5 years, the crib both of our baby children have slumbered in and screamed in and eventually climbed out of...yes, that crib--into a big boy bed. A bed big enough for me to sleep in, a bed that above said boy-child can climb out of without risking the safety of his little noggin, a twin bed. And, as a grand finale, we sold the crib, and are closing the "baby chapter" of our lives. I'm not sad that my kids are growing, that their legs are so long they reach, and often spill over, the foot rest on the stroller. No, I am not sad about their perfect preschool bodies, and their ability to drink out of something other than me. I find joy in watching these two offspring of mine discover and revel in life. It's like watching a butterfly emerge. But...it's going way way way too fast. Way. too. fast. And that is why I was on the verge of tears most of the day yesterday. Life spins around me...my children outgrow shoes and clothes and cribs. And I remember what my momma told me when Grace was born..."The minute you bring them into your life, you begin to prepare them to leave you"...it is a sobering thought and so very true. And yesterday, as I set up Sam's new bed and smoothed out the sheets, I thought that someday...someday much too soon...he will be grown-up and big and hairy and sleeping in a dorm room or a house of his own.
Then...to ice the cake of "my kids are growing up too quickly"...at 6pm yesterday we walked over to the elementary school behind our house. We walked over there, not to play on the playground equipment, but to take Grace to Kindergarten Round-up. Because she's 5. And she will start kindergarten in the fall. Where has the time gone? As we walked I watched my sweet 5 year old diva-girl, and thought of the day she was born...thought of her first steps...her first words (which actually came before her first steps, I know this is not surprising to those of you who know her)...her first day at preschool. It is unimaginable to me that she will be in kindergarten. That she will be away from me for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. She has always been with me...next to me...talking my ear off. I told her, as we walked to the school, that if she got sad and missed me while she was at school all she had to do was look out the window or across the playground and she could see our house (we live really close to the school). She nodded...thought a bit...smiled...then said to me "Well, Momma...if you get sad, you can look out the window and see me." Yes baby girl...I can...and I will.
As far as pictures go, pictures documenting April 27th, 2010 in our household...well those were taken only in my heart. If I can stomach it later today (April 28th) I may snap a few actual pics of little brother man in his big boy bed. But don't hold your breath. I may just sit around and marvel in the moment. And hug my babies while they're still small enough to hug.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Baby Brother learns a new word
It rained a few weeks ago. It rained on a day when both children were home...a day that Grace was not in preschool. So it was a Monday or a Friday...I can't remember for sure. Normally on these days I take my stir crazy off-spring outside to play or set up a play date so we can share our insanity with friends. But on this particular day the rain just. kept. coming. And the outdoors was not conducive to gross motor play. We spent our morning playing indoors. I played referee to my two high energy babies. Which basically means I did my best to keep them from killing each other. Then...right around lunchtime...the rain stopped. But the puddles remained. Out. we. went. Gross motor play was in order. There were puddles to be jumped in! I didn't even bother to change out of my pajamas much less change the kids out of theirs...oh wait, what's that you say? It was lunchtime? We should've already been out of our pajamas? Nah...that's one of the perks of being a stay-at-home momma...pajama day...whenevah I chose....
Outside the sidewalks were flooded with water and the streets presented puddle after puddle after puddle. And since we live on a very quiet culdesac, each and every puddle was ripe for jumping in. But my children...my children...were not interested in the puddles. No...the rain brought something more exciting...more fascinating...WORMS! Worms everywhere! Inching their way across the sidewalk to soak up the moisture...squirming in the driveway seeking life giving water. And if you know my Grace, you know that this girl is not. scared. of worms. In fact I would venture to say that she loves worms. She can tell you if they are boy or girl worms. She names them. She talks in a sweet voice to them. She sings to them. She. loves. worms. And on this rainy, wormy day...she was in worm heaven.
Did I tell you this child loves worms? The worm below is by far the biggest she found...oh, and what a treasure!
Outside the sidewalks were flooded with water and the streets presented puddle after puddle after puddle. And since we live on a very quiet culdesac, each and every puddle was ripe for jumping in. But my children...my children...were not interested in the puddles. No...the rain brought something more exciting...more fascinating...WORMS! Worms everywhere! Inching their way across the sidewalk to soak up the moisture...squirming in the driveway seeking life giving water. And if you know my Grace, you know that this girl is not. scared. of worms. In fact I would venture to say that she loves worms. She can tell you if they are boy or girl worms. She names them. She talks in a sweet voice to them. She sings to them. She. loves. worms. And on this rainy, wormy day...she was in worm heaven.
Did I tell you this child loves worms? The worm below is by far the biggest she found...oh, and what a treasure!
See what I'm getting at here? Hand fulls of worms...HAND FULLS!!!
And, so, on this day, baby brother was initiated into the world of worms...because he tries so hard to do everything just like his beloved sister.
She tried to teach him how to pick the creepy-crawlies up without killing them...
He sort-of succeeded...yes, some worms were harmed in the making of this post. I did my best to limit the squeezing and pinching.
And our sweet baby boy-child learned something else from the "Worm Whisperer"...our quiet boy, the child that watches more and speaks less...learned to say the word "worm". And can I just say that it is quite possibly the cutest uttering of "worm" I have ever heard.
And please disregard the marker all over Sam's hands...sometimes when it rains, and you're being held captive by playing inside with your children, you maybe give the baby a marker just to shut. him. up.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
This one is for Ms. Michelle. Grace's music teacher at preschool. She comes and teaches music class on Thursday. I think you read my blog...and if you're reading this...lemme just tell ya, Grace remembers every song you teach her. And she loves Thursdays.
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Our "second" act
And not to be outdone by his big sister...here is our little "boo-ja man"...
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Saturday, April 10, 2010
"Who's a Friend...
of the Water-Spurting Whale?"
--by Sanna Anderson Baker
Who knows the way to the house of light?
And who knows where darkness dwells?
Who was there when the sea was born?
And who wraps it round with a blanket of fog?
GOD
Who tells the morning "Sweep the stars from the sky"?
And who shapes the clouds that hand so high?
Who says to thunder "When lightening dances, clap"?
Who says to the snow , "Go to earth and be quiet as a cat"?
Who tells the storm to roar like a lion?
And who makes lakes freeze hard as iron?
GOD
Who's a friend of the beasts in the forest?
Who takes care of the cattle?
Who finds food for the lion and her young?
Who made the crocodile's jaws so strong?
Who knows the names of the birds of the world?
And who's a friend of the water-spurting whale?
GOD is great, and is good.
Based on passages from the Old Testament, the Book of Job.
I saw this book last night when I tucked Grace into bed. She takes a pile of books to bed with her...and a flashlight. I remember doing the same thing as a child. But this book jumped out at me...spoke to me. I've read it a hundred times. It's one of the kid's favorites. One of my favorites. But now it speaks to me a much more personal way...in these days of grief, and uncertainty, and emotions that change with the wind, I ask myself..."Who knows the intricacies of our bodies? Who shaped our lungs and gives us breath? Who can heal my mother-in-law's sickened lungs?" And I know the answer, even before I ask it...GOD.
--by Sanna Anderson Baker
Who knows the way to the house of light?
And who knows where darkness dwells?
Who was there when the sea was born?
And who wraps it round with a blanket of fog?
GOD
Who tells the morning "Sweep the stars from the sky"?
And who shapes the clouds that hand so high?
Who says to thunder "When lightening dances, clap"?
Who says to the snow , "Go to earth and be quiet as a cat"?
Who tells the storm to roar like a lion?
And who makes lakes freeze hard as iron?
GOD
Who's a friend of the beasts in the forest?
Who takes care of the cattle?
Who finds food for the lion and her young?
Who made the crocodile's jaws so strong?
Who knows the names of the birds of the world?
And who's a friend of the water-spurting whale?
GOD is great, and is good.
Based on passages from the Old Testament, the Book of Job.
I saw this book last night when I tucked Grace into bed. She takes a pile of books to bed with her...and a flashlight. I remember doing the same thing as a child. But this book jumped out at me...spoke to me. I've read it a hundred times. It's one of the kid's favorites. One of my favorites. But now it speaks to me a much more personal way...in these days of grief, and uncertainty, and emotions that change with the wind, I ask myself..."Who knows the intricacies of our bodies? Who shaped our lungs and gives us breath? Who can heal my mother-in-law's sickened lungs?" And I know the answer, even before I ask it...GOD.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Why? Why am I finding Sam's "chou-chou's"** in interesting hiding places such as this....
and this....
Well...there can only be one answer, silly. The cat, of course.
and this....
Well...there can only be one answer, silly. The cat, of course.
Sara the cat is a thief. More specifically...a "chou-chou" thief. Takes 'em right out of the liddle guy's mouth (I didn't actually get Sara stealing the chou-chou on the above video--just trying to get it, but it was not for lack of trying. Maybe tomorrow...this is the best I could do tonight). So he has starting hiding them all around the house...in places a cat would not think to look. Like the "catch all" drawer in the living room next to the recliner...the one that is supposed to be off-limits to little boys. Or in the drawer in the kitchen that holds the dish towels. Or--as you'll see at the end of the video--in between the couch cushions. It's sorta like an Easter egg hunt. 'Cept no one gets candy and only Sam wins. Well...sometimes Sara wins. And we find the occasional chou-chou with little kitty cat teeth marks all over it.
**A "chou-chou" is a binky in our house...a pacifier, a plug, a sassy. Rhymes with "bow" or "throw"...I have found that each individual family has their own unique name for these silicone or latex "silencers". And please, Oh please!, say nothing about my 2 year old still having a pacifier. I know, I know...I've heard it all before...it's the way we roll, folks...the way. we. roll. But do feel free to share what you call a "chou-chou" in your family!
Going back to my roots...
ya know, for the sake of sanity.
I don't usually post receipes. Come on now, that would be a laugh! I mean, I'm not the worst cook, but I'm certainly not the best...
but...tonight...I will share a little piece of heaven with you, my loyal readers.
Get a brownie mix (what you don't have one tucked away in the back of your pantry for such a time as this??)...I chose a "low fat" mix. Bwhahahahhahahahah...
yeh...right..."low fat" brownies...
hey...I get an "A" for effort.
Follow the directions on the back of the box. BUT...instead of water...use Bailey's Irish Cream. Oh yes...do it...
Bake the brownies...bathe the kids while the brownies bake, so the kids don't smell the brownies baking and ask "mommy, what's the smell?...do I smell somefing in the oven?...somefing good?"
Mix up powdered sugar with more Bailey's...drizzle that over the freshly, baked chocolately goodness. I put mine in the freezer for about 15 minutes...made it kinda "set" up. Cold and crunchy on the outside...warm ooey yumminess on the inside. That's right...I see you, you're digging in the back of your pantry now aren't ya?
ahhhh...there ya go, enjoy...my bloggy contribution to the food world. My maiden name was "Bailey"...it's in my blood.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
See this lovely lady?
This is Earl's momma...she loves to dance and sing...she is a lover of animals...she loves to buy REALLY frilly girly clothes for her 4 granddaughters, and laughs and laughs when I call and tell her of Sam's recent antics...I think she laughs and laughs because she has been there before when she was raising Earl and his brother, and is glad to see that some of it is being "paid back"!! She is the most patriotic person I know, and her love of our country is inspiring. But most of all she loves her family...passionately. Seriously, she would do anything for us...at the drop of a hat. But...now it is our turn....
She is back in the hospital...and this time the doctors are almost definitely talking congestive heart failure. Her left lung is filled with fluid and her sweet little heart is working overtime. Would you please pray for her? And for Earl and his daddy and his brother? Her name is Jeanie, if you want to pray for her by name. Danny flew out this morning to be with his family and to help out in any way he can. Thanks so much...I'll keep you updated.
This is Earl's momma...she loves to dance and sing...she is a lover of animals...she loves to buy REALLY frilly girly clothes for her 4 granddaughters, and laughs and laughs when I call and tell her of Sam's recent antics...I think she laughs and laughs because she has been there before when she was raising Earl and his brother, and is glad to see that some of it is being "paid back"!! She is the most patriotic person I know, and her love of our country is inspiring. But most of all she loves her family...passionately. Seriously, she would do anything for us...at the drop of a hat. But...now it is our turn....
She is back in the hospital...and this time the doctors are almost definitely talking congestive heart failure. Her left lung is filled with fluid and her sweet little heart is working overtime. Would you please pray for her? And for Earl and his daddy and his brother? Her name is Jeanie, if you want to pray for her by name. Danny flew out this morning to be with his family and to help out in any way he can. Thanks so much...I'll keep you updated.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Christ has risen from the grave!!!! Our sins are forgiven!!!! An absolutely unbelieveable idea, huh?? Kinda hard to wrap your mind around? Well...it's true folks...all true. Jesus was crucified, He died, was buried, and on the third day He rose again...all so that you and I might live a life free from the shackles of sin...
Wow...makes a girl so giddy she wants to wear pink cowboy boots with her Easter dress...
I'm starting to understand why Jesus enjoyed the company of children so much...they have a unique perspective on the world.
Oh...and check this out:
http://www.kindness40.org/
Wanna join us?
Wow...makes a girl so giddy she wants to wear pink cowboy boots with her Easter dress...
I'm starting to understand why Jesus enjoyed the company of children so much...they have a unique perspective on the world.
Oh...and check this out:
http://www.kindness40.org/
Wanna join us?
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