buds will be roses

"I'm going to be a vegetarian that eats meatballs."

2011-07-08T14:55:00.002-04:00

Marley loves animals.

She's been trying desperately to not eat meat in her attempt to not feel badly about eating them.

I made her spaghetti w/ plain spaghetti sauce to accommodate.

She ate a few bites and then announced she would be a "vegetarian that eats meatballs."

Baby steps.

CAMPING

2011-06-13T22:13:00.002-04:00

I am embracing being a "camping" family. Can I call us that after just two camping trips?

Last year, after returning from our first (and what I fully expected to be our last) camping trip, I had decided that I hated camping. I had already figured out how much I would price the "like new" tent for at our next rummage when the thought came to me that maybe, just maybe, I should give it one more chance under better circumstances.

I'm the type of person who chooses to focus on the good memories. Problem being, there were absolutely none from that trip. So, I would have to go again just to make sure that I wouldn't conjure up images of Hell in my mind whenever I heard someone talking about camping.

Fast forward a year later: Camping gear crammed in the SUV ,we began our 4 hour journey to Hocking Hills. Intention: Erasing bad memories ~ replacing them w/ good ones.

To help me gauge my success I made a short list of PROS and CONS.

PRO: Smores!
CON: Hungrily waiting 45 minutes for your husband to get fire started.

PRO: Satisfaction of pitching tent and the word "divorce" not being mentioned even once.
CON: Countless hours of prep and sweat labor and the end result is that you're sleeping on the ground in a rickety tent.

PRO: Waking up to birds singing!
CON: Going to bed to sound of racoon ravaging your campsite.

PRO: Hiking to Old Man's Cave and Canyon Falls!
CON: Hiking to shower house.

PRO: 3 days of going "au naturale" from neck up!
CON: 3 days of smelling "au naturale" from neck down.

Soon the smell of campfire smoke and bug spray will be washed away, but long will linger the memories that we made. (Cue soft piano music) The memory of being stalked by a very persistent raccoon and Pete's obsession w/ kicking it. The memory of Beth, Pete and Heath racing downhill on scooters and Heath trying to "thread the needle" between them, consequently wiping out going about 25 MPH and landing on his chin. The memory of Marley falling backward out of her camp chair, in what appeared to be slow motion, with drink in hand. And the memory of everyone screaming in stinging pain as we sprayed on "Deep Woods" bug repellant (seriously, what is in that stuff?)

These are the memories I will hold dear!!

Do I LOVE camping? No.

Will I smile when, in 20 years I picture my girls sitting around the camp fire? Absolutely.

Will they smile when they remember our family camping trips? That's my goal.

Trick or Treat

2009-11-12T09:21:00.004-05:00

Trick or Treat, Trick or Treat

Give me something good to eat!

(please and thank you)

"How"

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair;

that I might climb the golden stair."

We set out w/ nothing but an empty bag and a promise of free candy!

I'm so glad we were able to spend the evening with Shannon, Liz, Drew and baby Maddy!

This was our second Halloween w/ them and I look forward to many more.

I spent most of the evening picking up "plugs" of Ella's hair off the ground and lost track of how many times I had to say, "It's just a silly, plastic mask."

The evening began w/ a spooky dinner & ended with sweet, chocolate faces being carried to bed.

(actually it ended w/ Heath swiping all of the kit kats from their bags while they slept...SHHHH!)

Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-12T08:11:00.008-05:00

We had our first field trip ~ off to Stoney Creek Farm for fall fun. Ella's friends, Logan and Sarah Grace, are officially in Kindergarten and are homeschooled. Ella, however; is unofficially in Kindergarten and I unofficially homeschool her until she can officially go to Kindergarten next year. She loves to learn ~ it's just that little issue of her being born a couple of weeks too late for school cutoff. Mondays' are Ella's favorite day of school because we "co-op" w/ Logan and Sarah Grace's moms (Carrie and Debra). We thought it would be fun to start planning activities for them to really make their school experience....well, .......official.

Logan, Sarah Grace, Ella and Lawson (Sarah Grace's little brother, who, until just recently, Ella thought was named "Blossom") by the pond at Stoney Creek Farm.

They played in the straw maze, climbed on the straw pile, ran through the caterpillar, enjoyed a hay ride to the pumpkin patch, ate lunch together, petted a farm cat and jumped on a big, bouncy floor. The day couldn't have been any more wonderful and the weather was fabulous! It turned out to be the perfect first field trip.

This is the farm cat that we couldn't tear the kids away from ~ seriously, we just paid for tickets for the attractions and they wanted to play with a cat..... He was really cute though.....And super sweet. He just laid there and savored the attention. Look at that cutesie wootsie wittle kitty face ~ I just want to dwive to get him and bwing him home..... UH HMM, sorry.
Jumping was the perfect ending because it seemed to tire the kids just enough so that they left with a sense of having experienced all there was to do!

Thank you Debra and Carrie ~ I can't wait until our Thanksgiving feast!

2009-06-06T11:57:00.001-04:00

"My nose hurt, so I put ranch dressing on it!"

Ella

Spider Man

2009-05-26T21:44:00.002-04:00

Last Wednesday Heath noticed a spot on his thumb ~ no bigger than a mosquito bite. On Thursday morning he asked me for a straight pin so he could perform a minor surgery on it to relieve it of the crud (Gross). Later that afternoon I get a call from him saying that on the recomendation of everyone at work, he was going to go to the E.R. to have it looked at because his thumb had swollen and there were red streaks going up his arm.

He doesn't know what happened and doesn't remember seeing any suspicious poisenous spiders lurking up his sleeves ~ although he did feel the need to inform the doctors and nurses that a turtle (apparently in desperate need of a pedicure) had scratched him.

The E.R. treated him w/ some antibiotics, wrote a couple scripts and sent him on his way...("Don't let the door hit ya....)

Friday morning he woke up and his hand looked like he was wearing a baseball mitt (each time I tell this story the thumb gets a little bigger ~ but truely ~ it was bad). He went to our family Dr., she took one look at him and began filling out the paperwork to have him admitted.

He had some sort of bacterial infection ~ they can't pinpoint where it would have come from ~ and it spread! They put him on the strongest antibiotics known to man and it finally started to slowly clear up. Sure, he has absolutely no immune system now, but his thumb is looking better!

All in all he was in the hospital for 5 days....for a dot that started out the size of a freckle. And apparently I am the only person in the world who had never heard of a brown recluse spider because that is the first thing that people would ask when they found out about him. I guess it wouldn't matter if I knew what one looked like anyway, because when I see a spider I never stick around long enough to notice it's distinguishing marks!

I am now closely monitoring his behavior to make sure he doesn't start climbing walls and shooting stringy stuff out of his wrists ~ if he does he is out of here because I already have enough trouble keeping up w/ cobwebs.

The girls are very glad he is home ~ although Ella was enjoying swiping food from his meals and watching the fun t.v. that swivelled on the wall.

Tonight as Heath was getting ready to put the girls in bed Marley hugged him and said, "The family feels right again."

All bitterness aside that he had the past 5 nights off duty ~ I'm glad you are home and feeling better.

On the Lam

2009-05-01T22:26:00.003-04:00

Where does the time go? I haven't blogged in forever because I always feel like I have to ad a picture to go along and I never feel like loading them. I will get pics soon, but I at least wanted to "Holla at cha'" and say that we are all well. I am also trying to SIMPLIFY my life (ironically, a very difficult thing to do). Basically I need to cut out all of the meaningless errands and things that get me sidetracked and focus on what is really important ~ like playing candy land.

Tiki

2009-02-25T22:39:00.017-05:00

Do you believe in magic reindeer food?

Marley does.

And if you don't believe that Santa takes your letters seriously, Marley would disagree.

About a week before Christmas 2007, Heath & I agreed that we would put an end to Marley's persistant request for a kitty. Since we frequently stroll through Petsmart just to see the cats, no suspicions were aroused. We petted several through their cages on one side of the store and made our way to where Muncie Animal Shelter houses available animals. I immediately knew the pale orange tabby was the one. I asked an employee if we could hold her ~ we put her on the floor & she just sat there and let the girls pet her. Heath managed to secretly fill out the appropriate paper work, pay and make pick-up arrangements as I went through the usual routine of calming the tearful girls as we left.

Later that evening we were picking up some last minute grocery items before my family arrived and we nonchalantly asked Marley what she would name the orange kitty we had seen. "Tiki", she replied without hesitation.

Christmas Eve was a little hectic as can be when 17 people are living under the same roof, so when Marley asked if she could go sprinkle her reindeer food on the lawn I said "sure" w/out really paying attention. Apparently at school they had put some oats and cinnamon in a zip-lock baggie and attached a little poem to it that reads:

Sprinkle on the lawn at night

The moon will make it sparkly bright.

As Santa's reindeer fly and roam

This will guide them to your home.

I didn't know she had made a wish as she sprinkled.

She didn't know the wish was about to come true.

When the doorbell rang everyone had been instructed to have Marley answer (she looked a bit nervous because, before the chime even faded, about 13 people shouted in unison, "Marley, could you get the door).

It was for she & Ella after all, that Santa had made a special stop that evening.

There on the front porch was a box w/ a pretty red bow. The attached note from Santa explained that he would be back later w/ more gifts, but he had a special gift he needed to drop off early.

Everyone gathered around & watched as Marley opened the box and consequently fell in love.

Marley would come home from school and look for Tiki ~ she would sit, holding her like a baby and watch t.v. Tiki slept w/ her most every night. When we would leave for the weekend, Marley would cry for Tiki to come w/ us and she would race in the house when we returned, anxious to see her. She loved Tiki. Tiki was a special cat ~ gentle and patient and very sweet.

Just a little over a year after that Christmas Eve I sat in the car wondering how I was going to tell Marley that Tiki had died.

Early Sunday evening Marley & Ella were playing w/ Tiki in their bedroom. Marley brought her down to Heath and said something was wrong. She was non-responsive and just lay on the floor unable to lift her head. Ella cried that she would never pull her by the tail again. Marley's chin quivered as she later explained to me how she noticed something was wrong.

I am so thankful to my friend Beth who thoughtfully took them to her house and tried to keep a brave face as Heath and I rushed her to an E.R. vet about 50 minutes away.

Without reliving all the painful details, she had damage to her liver and died while we were there. We were able to be w/ her ~ as hard as it was.

We drove home in silence, both of us going over in our heads how we would tell her. When we picked the girls up from Beth's, they ran to the car asking, "Where's Tiki?" The 2 minute ride home felt like 2 hours as I tried to distract them until we got inside.

After sobbing and crying out Tiki's name for about 15 minutes, Marley began to wipe her eyes & said in a shaky voice, "I'm still really sad, it's just I can't cry anymore."

I understood.

About 30 minutes later she remembered that she had taken a picture of Tiki on her digital camera moments before everything happened. As Heath loaded the picture on the computer, she said to me between sobs, "Mom, if I never thanked you for the camera before, thank you, because if I didn't have it, I wouldn't have got this picture." (My mom had actually gotten it for her ~ thanks, Mom)

I want to share one last thing she said to me that night. She was looking at the picture taken on Christmas Eve when she got Tiki and said, "Sometimes when you see a picture of something you don't have anymore, like maybe a toy or something you won't have ever again, like because it died....it makes you sad to see it. See, look at how sad my face is." She reminiscently looked at the picture for a few moments longer and then turned around and tenderly laid it on top of the dresser. "I can't look at it anymore because it's making me teary."

We told Marley she could talk about it anytime she wanted and I encourage her to write about Tiki in her journal. She has done both. Twice she has shared how she dreamed that Tiki had slept w/ her that night and that she was so happy until she woke up and realized it was just a dream.

Marley handled this situation so beautifully ~ she is truly amazing! And the other day she caught me crying and even as I tried to deny that I was upset she put her arms around me and stayed there until I said I was ok.

Tiki will be deeply missed.

I can't seem to get over it. Part of it is hurting for Marley and a bigger part is a sense of guilt that I should have noticed something was wrong. Maybe after getting it all out tonight I will begin to feel better. But Ella put it best last night as I was putting them in bed. Marley mentioned that she missed Tiki and Ella said, "I know, my heart is breaking."

I know, Ella. Mine too.

Ella's Famous Quotes

2009-02-02T22:32:00.003-05:00

Marley and Ella have been extremely tired lately and therefore, I have been too. It's been slowly building and putting them in bed the past 3 nights has been miserable. Last night I ended up w/ a migraine after it was all said and done. When Marley was about 2 or so we had a special term for it: CRAZY TIRED!

Instead of dwelling on this right now, I am going to write down a couple of things I remembered that make me smile. This is really just for me ~ but feel free to read if you would like!

Quotes from Ella:

"Marley, I'm not a scientist." (when Marley asked her a random question about fish)

"No way! That's a bunch of Hooey." (when Heath was explaining something to her)

"It's to put over your mouth so I can't smell your breath." (when Heath asked her why she was bringing her stuffed elephant, Lola, in the bed to watch morning cartoons w/ him)

"Mmm, this is delightful!" (after trying a new flavor of yogurt)

"Mom, you can't eat it. I've had it and it is not good." (she was so serious telling me this as I was pretending to eat a birthday cake shaped piece of play-do)

"It's exasperating!" (she screamed this over and over at the top of her lungs in the middle of a "crazy tired" meltdown)

"Whoa, that's impressive!" (I forget what I was talking about w/ her when she said this to me ~ she had just turned 3! Talk about impressive!)

I guess 3 nights of misery is nothing compared to the countless smiles they've put on my face!

2009-01-29T15:27:00.002-05:00

What I learned today: Never let your kids play on the computer right after eating glazed donuts.
What Ella learned today: Stuffed animals are not meant to wear lipstick.

Give Me A "G"

2009-01-22T19:27:00.013-05:00

Give me a "G"
Give me an "O"
Give me an aspirin

Actually I really enjoy coaching Upwards cheerleading but it can definitely be exhausting ~ espeacially w/ 8 kindergartners & 3 1st graders. Marley is cheering for her 2nd year and really enjoys it. Our church offers a league called Upwards ~ it is a national organization offered through local churches. It is an incredible outreach ministry and a very well run program. The goal is to reach families for Jesus through sports. Whenever I get a chance to share a testimony during 1/2- Time I share a saying I learned at Hoosier Hills Baptist Camp when I was a teenager..."It is easier to build boys and girls than to repair men and women."

I am thankful to be a part of a church that recognizes the need to get out in the community and share the love of God. Thankful to be a part of a church that recognizes that it is not up to us to change people ~ but up to God. And thankful to be a part of a church that recognizes the value of a child.

Now, with all of that said.....I really need to go get a tylenol!

Goodnight!

Who asked you, Mark Twain?

2009-01-08T21:43:00.008-05:00

Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

~Mark Twain

I've never really cared much for Mark Twain.

If you know me even a little you know that I hate birthdays. Not other people's ~ just mine. And not the gifts and cake; they're great, just the whole getting older thing. So I guess I should say I don't like aging. It's really annoying. And please, I implore you, don't ever tell me, "Well, it's better than the alternative."

While yes, I do agree it is better than the alternative, I would just prefer a little pity over well intended cliches.

The reason this is on my mind when my birthday isn't for another 7 months is because of the 1" long crease (not wrinkle) that has shown up right between my eyes. I seriously think it's because of squinting as I've had alot of headaches. The only time it goes away is when I raise my eyebrows. So, if I appear surprised to see you, don't think too much of it!!

The way I see it is that I have 3 options:

1. Botox
2. Leave it and grow old gracefully (not likely)
3. Let my eyebrows grow together to cover it (for me, this would take only about a week or 2)

I don't know....this whole thought of aging is very interesting to me, though. We were with a large group of friends and the discussion came up about how as we age, we progress in our comfort level of talking about things like bowel movements. (I think it was Kristin who made this observation)

It's true. As a teenager you would have been mortified if someone even suspected that you had bowel movements. But then we have kids of our own and we become quite comfortable sharing diaper stories. And now, at this point in life, apparently desensitized to poop, I can comfortably exit a bathroom and announce "Whoa! You do not want to go in there!" (not always, just after certain meals).

This theory is very similar to my ice-cream theory that I may have shared with you.

As a kid I always loved chocolate ice-cream. Maybe even w/ chocolate syrup on top. Fast forward to now ~ I prefer peanut butter or vanilla w/ caramel sauce. What's next, BUTTER PECAN?

Just give me some root beer barrel hard candies and orange marmalade while you're at it.

I'm not quite sure why this is so heavy on my mind tonight. Maybe it's because I've not put on make-up or left the house in a couple of days because I've been organizing and cleaning.

And maybe a bowl of ice-cream will make me feel better....I'm not telling you what kind, though!

Dinner and Dancing

2009-01-08T13:13:00.005-05:00

There is something so pleasurable about fine dining. An elegantly set table, flickering candles in a dimly lit room and easy listening music soothingly playing tends to relax most anyone. Prolong the evening with dancing and delectable confections (I like the word delectable) and you've had a perfectly lovely experience.

The girls and I busied ourselves transforming our dining room into "La Cafe Des Delices." I prepared dinner as they happily set the table and decorated cupcakes. Once everything was in place they disapeared upstairs to seek appropriate attire for the occasion.

The food and fancy drinks were ready to be served and the girls were dressed to the nines. Alternating between dancing and peering out the window, they passed the time waiting for Heath to pull into the driveway. When he arrived, they behaved like perfect little princesses.

"Please pass the rolls." "Thank you!" "May I be excused?"

Their manners ~ long gone I had feared ~ were suddenly back (and w/ some sort of a weird Victorian/English accent).

We all enjoyed the evening and the girls were none the wiser that I concocted the entire event to teach them a few conventional requirements as to social behavior....aka: MANNERS!

If there were an award for Creative Parenting, I would nominate myself!!

My Little Celebrity Look-A-Like

2008-12-30T18:50:00.007-05:00

I was flipping through People magazine today while Ella was getting her hair cut and I had a passing thought ~ is it just me or does Ella look a little like Suri Cruise?

When the hairdresser finished up she turned to me and said, "She looks alot like Tom Cruise's little girl."

So, I guess it isn't just me.

Ella got her hair trimmed today and it looks very similar to Suri's pictured above ~ I think that's why there is a resemblence.

Now, I just need for someone to tell me that I look like Katie Holmes and I'll be thrilled!!

Roller Skating!!

2008-12-30T17:29:00.010-05:00

Each year in December, Heath's company has a skating party for the employees and their families. Santa comes and brings a generous gift to all of the kids and they have a blast! We are very appreciative and we've gone every year since Marley was born.

The past 6 years I have been able to get out of putting on skates because of the girls ages.....Oh, but I knew the day would come...

Now, the girls were doing so well you would have never seen it coming, but somehow, whilst I was maneuvering Ella around the rink by her shoulders, she managed to fall. (WHAT?? YOU'RE KIDDING!!)

I too fell, my ribs landing full force on the heel of Ella's skate which was sticking up off the floor.

Ouch!

Once I was able to breathe again, I managed to skate my mangled self to a seat and vow never to skate w/ a 4 year old again.

Broken ribs and ruptured lungs have been ruled out and I am slowly beginning to be able to sneeze w/out a follow-up YELP.

This has been a fun 4 months of near breaks for our family.

Can't wait to see what we can do to ourselves in 2009!!

Autumn

2008-12-10T09:17:00.020-05:00

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night's decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

~ Emily Jane Bronte ~

Apparently an entire season has come and gone since my last post ~ and yet somehow there isn't much to catch up on. Instead of trying to recall details of the several noteworthy things that did happen, I'm going to summarize for myself. Just because in 10 years I want to read this and smile.

Harvest Party

I wanted to do something special for Fall Break. Ella informed me that she wanted to bob for apples and so I planned a little Harvest Party for some of our friends and their kids! We had a great time playing a balloon pop game on the trampoline, having a potato sack race and playing lots of other games, including Red Rover. everyone seemed to have fun.

I think I'll make it an annual tradition.

Corn Maze

My family came to visit over the Halloween weekend and we went to a corn maze. We had a great time and came back to our house for a campfire and impromptu birthday party for my brother, whose girlfriend, Erica, came with him.

Halloween

(pictures to come later)

Hablo Japanese?

My sister and her family moved to Japan at the beginning of November and will be there for 3 years. My brother-in-law, Damien, is in the Navy and apparently thinks he has to move wherever they tell him! They are settling in to a home quite nicely but until they can get a proper license they have to bike everywhere!

We love you guys ~ say "Konnichiwa!" to the girls for us!

Meanwhile, over in England, in a related biking story, my other brother in law, Tony, was in a cycling accident when his bike slipped on black ice. He broke his elbow and got a concussion as well as a doosey of a head wound, even though he was wearing a helmet.

So, lesson learned: If you're going to ride your bike on slippery ice, make sure you are wearing a helmet!

How to Get Rid of a Stray Cat

2008-09-19T22:57:00.006-04:00

We haven't seen him for days??!!??

Dem Dry Bones

2008-09-19T21:16:00.014-04:00

"With the toe bone connected to the foot bone

and the foot bone connected to the ankle bone

and the ankle bone connected to the leg bone..."

Two weeks ago Marley jumped from the top of our slide......

...probably for the last time.

Actually, it isn't as bad as we thought it was going to be.

Thankfully, after sweating it out for 2 weeks, the final x rays showed no broken bone and no torn ligament, both of which had been a possibility.

She was so excited when the podiatrist said she could take the partial cast off and return to recess!!

True Friendship

One of the first things Kailey told Marley after she found out that she was on crutches was that she would just sit with her at recess since Marley couldn't play.

No one asked her to do that, she just did.

She wanted to.

And not just for the first day or two like most of the kids did because they were curious or wanted to try out crutches. She did every day for 2 weeks. And would have done it for 6 - 8 had that been the case.

I was so touched the other day as I picked up Marley and Kailey from school and Kailey was right there beside Marley assuring her she had her crutches and backpack. And Marley, not in a 'take you for granted' kind of way; but more like a 'I can count on you' way knew she would.

Becasue that's what friends do, right?

But I really didn't think that 6 year olds knew that.

I was truely touched.

True friends also pray for you to get better and then rejoice when you do!

Thank you, Kailey. You really are a true friend to Marley!

(Kailey & Marley ~ Preschool 2006)

Happy Birthday, Dear Ella!

2008-09-19T19:59:00.011-04:00

As sure as I asked her not to, Ella turned 4! We have had a reacurring conversation for the past year where I ask her to stay the same size forever. Sometimes she would agree, others she would say that she really wanted to be able to go to school.

I felt badly because I kept joking w/ her and telling her that she was going to be 3 again on her b-day.....it took me about 1/2 the day to convince her that she really was 4!

We had a great time celebrating her birthday at Chuck E Cheese. Ella loves Chuck E ~ she couldn't wait until he came out. She invited Marley and two of her friends, Logan and Teryn to go with us for pizza, cake and games. Grandma & Grandpa also came to join in on the fun! (One adult per child is a good ratio at Chuck E Cheese.)

The pizza was served as soon as the kids arrived and it was hard to keep them still long enough to eat . After a few bites they grabbed their tokens and headed off for fun.

After the last token was spent we gathered around to sing "Happy Birthday!" I love that cake, candles and balloons can make someone feel so special! I also love this picture below, something about how sweetly Chuck is looking at Ella is endearing.

.....and then there were the gifts. Ella really enjoys playing w/ stuffed animals. She finds anything she can to put on them and wrap them in for a good night's sleep. In fact, about a week before her birthday she kept telling people the story about how on Marley's birthday when we went to Build a Bear, Marley got clothes for her bear but all she got was a backpack. So she was very pleased to get 6 or 7 new outfits, shoes, a pillow and blanket set and a carrier and bed for her animals.

Besides stuffed animals, puzzles, stickers, crafts and books are her favorites. She received some of each!! Both Ella and Marley usually fall asleep w/ books. They love to read. Heath and I found a storytime projector that projects pictures onto the wall as it tells the story. It has been a big hit.

The entire day was all about Ella and making her feel special. From the moment I woke her up singing "Happy Birthday" to when I tucked her in w/ a few new animals dressed to the nines, it was all about letting Ella know how glad we are that she was born. She got to choose her breakfast (pancakes), she received several out of town phone calls bright and early and she took cookies and punch to preschool where they celebrated her too!!

Ella, you are amazing and you make me smile!

Bundle of Naughties

2008-08-26T21:48:00.014-04:00

“I’ve thought a great deal lately about my ‘bundle of naughties....'"

Amy March ~ Little Women

Ella is a menace.

If it weren't for that dimple and winsome grin she would spend 2/3 of her life in time out.

That "bundle of naughties" quote from Little Women has popped into my head so many times in situations with Ella. She has a very large "bundle of naughties" and my fear and expectations are that it is only going to get bigger.

Today she cut off a HUGE chunk of her hair. This is the 2nd time.

I could kick myself for not realizing she was up to something when she walked past me w/ a big "I love you" smile, hands discreetly behind her back in a shy, innocent sort of way. HAH!

She had enough thought/guilt process to come downstairs, sneak scissors past me, go back up and get the trash can out of their bathroom, chop off her hair and throw it away and then replace the scissors.

"Why did you do that, Ella?"

"Because it was in my eyes."

This reminded me of the time I asked her why she colored all over the chair and she said, "because I couldn't find any paper." (Oh, well in that case....)

Or when she had an accident in her bed and told Heath that it must have rained in her room.

Or when she swore to me, mouth brown w/ chocolate and silver foil wrappers strewn about the floor behind her, that she didn't get into the candy jar.

Or when she swallowed a penny at Vacation Bible School and at least that time she admitted she didn't quite know why she did it. (it meant more to Heath than me to look for the "outcome" of that one)

She marks up our leather sofa w/ crayon; she frequently empties her pj draw and dresses her stuffed animals w/ them; and she has been known to rub yogurt and applesauce on her head for no good reason.

And yet she is still so easy to love.

She needs to thank the Lord for that sweet dimple.

Marley the 1st Grader

2008-08-26T20:16:00.025-04:00

Marley started 1st grade and loves it!! Her teacher, Ms. Crawford, is new to the school this year so Marley was a little curious about what she would look like. The night before school started we sat down and had a little fun trying to draw pictures of her. She turned out to be a very lovely young lady (unlike one of the potential drawings I did) and Marley told me that if she could have chosen any teacher, she would have picked Ms. Crawford!

So far we are off to a good school year!

We live about 1/2 a mile from the school and Marley drove me crazy last year asking to be a "walker." No less than once a week she would make the request. So this year I decided I would park at my friend Beth's house (which is right across the street from the school) and she and several friends would be "walkers". Basically this means she will walk the length of the soccer fields across from the school and then I wait there w/ my car to pick her up. With that plan in action, Heath was waiting for her on her 2nd day.....she told him she didn't want to be a "walker" anymore because it was too far.

Sometimes that child exasperates me.

This is Marley and her best friend Kailey.

Kailey and Marley were in the same preschool and Kindergarten class and spend alot of time together so it took some preparation to break the news to them that they weren't in the same 1st grade class. Surprisingly, they took it well.

Yesterday, Marley told me that when they get to school in the morning she says "See you at recess, Kailey!" and then after recess she says, "see you at lunch, Kailey!" and then after lunch she says, "see you after school, Kailey!"

How sweet that not even being separated by a hallway could sever their friendship!!

I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder!

We love Kailey and look forward to their friendship growing even stronger over the years.

Ella Goes to Preschool

2008-08-18T20:22:00.008-04:00

Today was Ella's big day and she was so excited!

She will be going to Twin City Baptist Preschool for PreK on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12:30 - 3:00.

I am even more excited than she is because I have that time all to myself!!

We are so thankful that she will share her preschool experience w/ her friends Logan & Gabe.

Marley also went to Twin City 2 years ago and I asked her if she had any advice for Ella on her first day. After asking me what advice was and getting a pretty good explanation, she went on to tell Ella to "always say please & thank you" & "obey your teacher."

Can't go wrong there.

At the end of the day when I picked Ella up I asked her what she thinks of preschool and she said, "I love it! I love it! I love it!"

Good enough for me!

Sweet Childish Days

2008-08-12T23:19:00.015-04:00

"Sweet childish days, that were as long

as twenty days are now."

William Wordsworth

I had grandiose plans for this summer.

I was going to take the girls swimming several times a week and picnic in the park once or twice.

We were going to get away several weekends and go to Aquariums and Zoos.

I was going to hostess tons of cook-outs and everyone would be laughing and chatting by the tiki light while the kids played joyfully somewhere off in the background.

I even kicked around the idea of planning some sort of "day camp" w/ friends (which by the way, I totally want to do next year!!).

Yes, this summer was going to be an incredible, event filled 11 weeks......

And now here I sit 4 nights before school starts and even though we didn't do any of the above (we did swim a few times) the girls still seemed to have had a wonderful summer! Children can take an ordinary day and turn it into something spectacular. It took me 10 weeks to realize that I don't have to entertain them ~ they love entertaining themselves.

My memory was jogged on Monday night as the yard was full of children well past dark. I was tempted to call them in several times because we needed to get the "schooltime routine" established, but I got caught up listening to their voices and laughter. It instantly took me back to my sisters & brother and I playing ghost in the graveyard and swinging statues with our neighbors Pat, Elva & Blooper Sipple (I'm not making those names up) and Natasha. We played way past dark, until eventually parents would start yelling out their windows that it was time to come in.

And lightening bugs ~ remember chasing lightening bugs?

So, in honor of my childhood days, I think next year my list for the summer will look something more like the following:

play hide & seek and red rover several times a week
eat a bologna sandwich and drink lemonade on the back step while still dirty from playing
run in the sprinkler
form a secret club with neighbors
go for a family car ride w/ all of the windows down, music playing and eveyone singing along
catch lightening bugs

She Sells Seashells

2008-07-14T15:45:00.026-04:00

Our memories of the ocean will linger on,

Long after our footprints in the sand are gone

Virginia Beach 2008

We had been back from vacation for a couple of days when I had to get the sunblock out of the beach bag. As I was rifling through it, a ton of sand came pouring out all over the floor and it didn't annoy me one bit!

We headed straight for the beach the morning after we arrived. I could spend all day watching my girls playing in the sand and giggling and shrieking as the waves splash them! Ella kept bringing me "seashells" ....apparently someone eating pistachios had been there prior to us because the shells were everywhere...much to Ella's delight she thought she was finding a ton of seashells...we, of course, never told her different!

My sister had a class the next morning so we loaded up the kids and took them to the Jumpin Monkey. If I were to open a franchise this would be the one!! It's a big place full of bouncy slides and other huge blow up items to climb around on and there are several play areas, too! When I say "we" took the kids to Jumpin Monkey I mean Heath, my Dad and Damien did. My mom and I headed across the parking lot to the mall!

Several evenings we grilled out and the girls played in the backyard!

This is about as much boogie boarding the girls did! As much as they enjoyed being at the beach, once they spotted jellyfish they opted to stay on shore. (Actually there were alot of jellyfish.)

My dad spent alot of time burying kids in the sand! He says he was made for the beach life and would love to move to the ocean and be a street musician! (Of course when we went to the Smoky Mountains he said he was made for mountain life and when we have been camping he swears he was meant to live the peaceful quiet life in the woods.....I suppose when they went to England he was made for the European life (whatever that would be!) When in Rome....

When Wendi had class again on Wednesday we headed to the park with the kids and let them enjoy the day! Later that day we headed out for more shopping. I splurged on a new pair of Croc sandals and my mom and sister both bought the exact same pair. They are the most comfortable shoes ever. When winter comes, I will need a strong reminder from my good friends that you can't wear socks with sandals!

A highlight of the trip was Colonial Williamsburg! I hope to go back there when the girls are older so than get a sense of the history. Regarding the picture above, Ella asked Heath if she could get her picture taken with someone since Marley got hers made with "those pirates."

This picture just cracks me up! Ella asked me if I would take her picture and she walks over to the edge of the road and strikes a pose. Two college girls were walking by and I overheard them saying "America's Next Top Model." This isn't like Ella at all because she doesn't like to be center of attention.

Towards the end of the week Damien took Heath and my dad to Norfolk naval base ship yard. We did this when we were there two years ago and it was really interesting. Me who doesn't know the first thing about ships was even interested in being right next to a battleship, air-craft carrier and submarine.

This 4th of July was by far my favorite in all my 20+ years!! (Shut up) We had to park a good bit out but it was worth every step. We set up camp and just enjoyed the atmosphere, weather and each others company while waiting for the fireworks show. After the show we were all just standing there at the beach not wanting to leave. We new this was our last day and we were going home to pack up and head out early in the morning! Ella was the 1st one to actually say what we were all thinking...she didn't want to leave. We all looked at each other and since neither Heath or my dad had to be to work until Tuesday we said, "Let's stay!!" And so we did.

After the firworks Heath stayed up watching the documentary channel. Out of 80 some channels....go figure. Anyhow, the point is he came across an "interesting" documentary on ice-cream. The segment was on the ice-cream cone (I'm not making this up!) it was talking about the World's 1st ice-cream cone machine and how it was still used today by the same little old man (they didn't actually call him that on t.v.) that has worked there since 1934. They mentioned the name of the diner and said it was in Norfolk, VA. Yeah!! We actually got to eat an ice-cream on a cone that was made in the World's 1st cone machine! Honestly, it didn't taste any different from any other cone I have had but at least I can go to my grave knowing I tasted a bit of history. And truly, Al was really a cute little old man....he wore suspenders!!

So anyhow, to sum up our vacation: we spent alot of time at (in my opinion) the best beach in the known universe; had a great visit with family and played alot of Phase 10; had the most memorible 4th of July ever and even went to Colonial Williamsburg; and ate an ice-cream cone from a really old machine! It was fabulous and I wouldn't change a thing!

Shipshewana

2008-07-08T11:01:00.024-04:00

Two weeks ago I went on our 2nd Annual getaway with my favorite ladies from church! Ellen, Stephanie, Cindi & Lori (our 4 pastors wives), Mat, Flavia & myself headed to Shipshewana for a girls getaway! Remember when you were in Jr. High and you went to a sleepover and stayed up late talking, eating and laughing? You laughed so hard at the silliest things and when you tried to tell someone else it didn't seem quite so funny? So that's what this is going to be like for most of you who read this, but for me it will bring a smile to my face each time I do!

We started off on Monday morning ~ the van pulled up, I kissed Marley & Ella goodbye, jumped in and said "Step on it!" I was so ready for this trip!

9:45 ...we are on the road! .... "Uh, Ellen, why did you turn this way to get to ST RD 15?"

9:55 ...GPS set....let the trip begin!! WOO HOO!

10:05...Really!? A bathroom stop at McDonalds in North Marion?

10:15 ....and we are on the road. Really! First stop: luch @ Peddler's Village in Goshen!

Peddler's Village turned out to be a quaint, "peaceful" place where apparently no one uses motor vehicles because there wasn't one in the lot! Apparently they have closed!

Never fear, Mat quickly comes up with plan B and after a stop at the Old Bag Factory, we head to the Essenhaus!

After lunch we checked into our B & B and strolled through town for a while!

We all "packed" into the horse and buggy and enjoyed a ride through town!

Stocked with fudge, horseradish cheese curds and soy nuts we settled on the patio of the B & B for a few rounds of Dutch Blitz and Phase 10. We found the soy nuts were slightly yucky yet strangely addictive!

We spent Tuesday shopping the flea market. I got 4 Wandering Jews (hanging plants for those who didn't know) and they added alot of entertainment to our ride! We loaded up our purchases and headed to Nappanee for the night!

While we were in the van waiting for Mat to check us in to the Inn we were watching two older ladies try to snap a photo. It was hilarious. It got funnier and funnier as one lady would walk over to the rocks and pose...wait several seconds, throw her hands out to the side in disgust, get off the rock and walk over the other lady and show her how to use the camera. She would then walk back over the sign and climb up on the rocks and pose....wait several seconds...and go through the whole ordeal again. Finally, they were able to get a shot!

(I wasn't really in this shot, I just wanted to be so badly that I had Heath add me later!)

We had wonderful food! We had great entertainment! (Between the musical Plain and Fancy and all the entertainment we provided ourselves) We had fantastic weather! It's hard to put into words what a great time it was and how much fun we had. It was a trip full of little moments that bring you closer together and make you realize how blessed you are to have certain people in your life.

Thank you, Mat! I really appreciate you!

Make Believe

2008-06-20T23:00:00.009-04:00

Logan & Kailey came over for a play date on Tuesday and they all had a fabulous time! They began the day by playing dress up. (Thanks to my mom and the best thrift store in the world (now closed because of all the illegals they hired) we have enough dresses to clothe a small village of princesses.)

The second part of the day we set up a grocery store in the living room and a check out counter in the foyer. The let their imaginations run wild and very nicely took turns being the "payer girl" and the "bagger".

I love that Logan kept her heals on to grocery shop! Does she get that from you, Carrie?

He's Powerful!

2008-06-20T22:40:00.009-04:00

God saw all that He had made,

and it was very good. Gen 1:31

I have been negligent in doing devotions with the girls lately. Shame on me. It's always an eye opener when your 6 year old asks, "Mom, when are we gonna do demotions again?" For Marley & Ella it isn't enough to just read them a "demotion", a while back I stepped it up a notch with adding an activity or a simple color page that goes along with the theme and now they have come to expect no less. The picture below is of them coloring their picture of things that God has created. I like to use the time while they are coloring to ask questions pertaining to the lesson. It's fun to see how much they actually learned. Ella asked how God created trees and Marley piped in, "Ella, He's powerful!"

Praise the Lord that she does know He is powerful. And praise the Lord that He can use a 6 year old to motivate Mama.

Picnic at the Park!

2008-06-18T21:54:00.008-04:00

The girls and I met Heath at the park for an impromptu picnic lunch in the middle of a work day! A nice break from the norm!

Every now and then I like to ask Marley if we will be best friends forever. She promises we will!

Swinging just makes you smile!

I'm not quite sure what Ella is so happy about here. Must have been good!

Happy Birthday, Dear Marley...

2008-06-15T23:12:00.006-04:00

Today we celebrated Marley's 6th birthday as well as Heath's 6th Father's Day!! We squeezed in taking Heath out for lunch (in which I had to ask him if he had his wallet when it came time to pay.) I asked the girls what they love about Daddy and they each listed off a number of things ~ topping both of their lists was the fact that he gives them back rubs at night. I don't think Heath minded so much that Father's Day was overshadowed by Marley's birthday because she is the reason, after all, that he can celebrate! Thank you Heath for being such a great dad!

Marley's birthday began with a special trip to Toys R Us with Heath's parents on Friday. They took her out for lunch and to choose her birthday gift. This was a special time for her and I love that they had this idea! Marley really appreciates one on one time. I had prepared myself for anything she might have brought home ~ no matter how big or how useless. This was; after all, her day and I wanted her to feel like a big girl making such a fun decision. I greeted her at the door when she got home and she was standing there w/ a bag of clothes!! How funny!! For a minute I thought she was 15. She had 1st picked a stuffed animal and when they told her that she could still chose something else she was shocked and said "Really?" She got a new outfit, pink canvas shoes to match, fun light up sneakers and a pair of soft pink slippers.

Birthday Morning!!

Marley opened her gifts from my parents before her friends arrived for the sleepover. Another new outfit (really cute!), computer games and a Webkins! She was most excited about the card that my mom sent that played "The Bear Necessities" song when opened. Eventually, we had to make the card disappear for a while.

After Kailey and Tristin arrived, we loaded up and headed to Build A Bear! It was so much fun and the girls had a blast! Marley, Ella, Kailey and Tristin all got matching doggies! Pup, Hardey, Fluffy and Valentine were promptly stuffed and groomed and then the picking of outfits began (note to self: we are out of ibuprofen).

It was funny to watch each of the three girls and see that they all had unique shopping styles. Tristin quickly made her decision on an outfit and didn't waffle once. She carried it around, patiently waiting for the others and her eyes never swayed.

Marley contemplates. She walks around and looks....and then walks around again....Poker faced until she decides.

Kailey is hilarious (she and Ella are alike in this area). She picks up an outfit and it is thee one....until she sees another one that is!

We finally made decisions, printed out birth certificates and headed to the cash register. I like this picture of Heath just handing over the debit card! Thank you!

After our fun excursion we headed to a swimming/dinner party at Dave and Shirley's house. This was planned after we scheduled Marley's sleepover but I thought it would be fun to take the girls! I informed all the adults there that Marley was under the impression that it was all done in her honor so they kept that on the down low! We even lit up the cake and sang "Happy Birthday!"

We got about on hour of swimming in before the sirens went off for a thunderstorm warning and we headed inside!

The day concluded with getting into p.j.'s and a sleeping bag and watching a movie that Marley had selected for the occasion: 12 Dancing Princesses!

It's almost midnight as I type this and I realize that I have only several minutes left of Marley's birthday. Tomorrow she will wake up and I will have to remind myself for a few days that she is now 6, but eventually it will just be the way it is. Six. Gone are the days of "pulling the wool" over her eyes like when I had my dad call and pretend to be the Grumpy Old Troll from Dora and tell her he was going to be their babysitter for the evening (her eyes got huge and her mouth fell open and she asked me in an astonished voice, "How did you do that?") And gone are the days of spelling out words we don't want her to hear. I know there will be a whole list of new things to look forward to but tonight I think I just want to be a little sad that my baby is six.

Bye, Bye Ursella!

2008-06-09T20:04:00.004-04:00

The weekend before last a bunch of us had a rummage sale. What can I say that Carrie & Beth didn't already cover so eloquently in their blogs? It was so much fun to hang out with friends, get rid of junk and end up with some extra money! The glamour shot session with Carrie was my favorite part. Chasing baby clothes across my front yard and picking up shards of broken glass because of the blustery wind was my least favorite.

I had asked the girls if they had any toys they would like to sell and told them they could pocket the money.

Without skipping a beat Ella tilted her head and looked at me out of the side of her squinted eyes and said "Just one".

I asked her what and she said (pronouncing each and every syllable) "Ursella".

The story behind Ursella is that Ella REALLY dislikes her! We tease her on occasion and will try to get her to buy things with Ursella on them or we sometimes call her UrsELLA and this sends her into a fit of rage! (I know, great parenting...but it is too funny). So last Christmas my family had a white elephant gift exchange and there was an Ursella figure passed around that we ended up with.

Over the past 6 months we have proceeded to torture Ella w/ it by randomly laying her on Ella's pillow at night or sitting her in Ella's chair at breakfast, etc. Needless to say she gets a little upset.

The next morning Ella came carting Ursella out of the house and placed her in the "toy department".

She didn't sell!!!

Setting up for the rummage ended up turning into a late night. Carole Holmes had brought over 2 recliners to sell and Marley kept saying she wanted to sleep outside in the recliner. I was busy pricing and before I knew it she had done just that!

Summer Heat

2008-06-05T23:10:00.001-04:00

Marley, Isaac, Elijah, Lucas and Ella

Ella trying out some flippers

Looks like the flippers are going to be perfect

Marley always making time for a pose

Thank you to Dave & Shirley who let us use their incredible pool in the summer! The girls and I both get to hang out with friends and who knows, this may be the "year of the tan" for me!!

I Wonder.....

2008-06-04T11:11:00.013-04:00

I wonder why I am so blessed

Freckles & Pig Tails! I love these girls!

My friend Traci snapped this photo and it is great. She is opening her own photography business where she will specialize in "on location/in-home" photos of your children. You should check out her website @ tracifalderphotography.blogspot.com.

I wonder how that got there

Ella in her "I didn't do it" T-shirt that my mom sent her. This pretty much sums up Ella. She is mischievous, but so darn cute!! She received this T in the mail after an episode involving our cat, Tiki, having been shut in Heath's p.j. drawer for (according to our calculations) about 8 hours!

She, of course, insists "I DIDN'T DO IT!"

One quick story about Ella. You may or may not know that she has a VERY high tolerance for pain. Instances that would have had me wailing she has merely pouted for a moment ~ but yesterday's happenings take the cake!

She was getting in the bath when I asked her to pick up some paper she left in the floor. She started to run to do it and began to whimper a little. I thought she was pouting until she sat down, lifted her foot in the air and said in a pitiful little voice "I got poked, I got poked."

I bent down to look and a sewing needle was sticking out of her foot!! I tried to pull it out but I couldn't. I calmly said, "It's ok, mama will be right back" while I lightheadly rushed to the garage for needle nose pliers. Yet even as I pryed it out w/ the tool she simply whimpered a little.

Never a tear or a scream.

It was 3/4 of an inch in her foot.

As I sat staring at the needle, she got up and walked away and said with her back to me, "I wonder how that got there?"

I wonder why Ella flunked Hugging 101

Ella "hugging" Logan Ross at Logan's b-day party!

Ella "hugging" Marley at Ivanhoe's

Ella "hugging" Teryn Kerschner after a play date

This Little Light of Mine

2008-05-28T22:14:00.001-04:00

Marley just finished kindergarten today. (Which seems so strange since it was just yesterday that I walked her to her class for the first time.) As of the last time we talked about it she said she was ready for a break ~ but as we pulled out of the parking lot today she fought back tears and said "I'm going to miss school, maybe we could find out where they live (the teachers, I assume) and go visit them."

She has done such an incredible job this year! Most nights I hear her in her room reading herself to sleep. One of her greatest accomplishments this school year has been mastering the monkey bars. She loves for me to remind her that when she started kindergarten she couldn't do them at all, and now she flies across them!! I, however, like to think her greatest accomplishments this year were the following 3 things:

3) When she was named "Student of the Month" in October

2) When she was chosen as a MITS kid (Manners, Integrity, Tolerance, Sincerity) and went to Cracker Barrel w/ the principal for breakfast

1) When Mrs. Shewman, the speach therapist, stopped me in the hall to say "Marley is a gift from God". She explained that she was having a particulary tough year and every time she saw Marley that she had something kind to say to her and it lifted her spirits. She also told me that she would see Marley walking down the hallway in her own little world singing "This Little Light of Mine."

I love her. I pray her little light continues to shine.

Peanut Butter Sandwich

2008-05-27T21:21:00.004-04:00

I have been known to cry over things that later don't seem to be nearly as sad as I thought at the moment. For instance, the time I cried in Vogel's donut shop because I didn't have enough money to pay for the donut I wanted (please note that I was pregnant....and it was also made worse when 3 different people offered to pay for it). EMBARRASSING!!

So picture with me this: it's a couple of weeks before Marley gets out of school for the summer. She and I sit down and figure out which days she would like to buy her lunch at school and which days she would like to pack. I then send $ to school with Marley for her lunch account based on the balance sheet they had sent home. Things go smoothly until the final day she is to buy lunch. She stands in line for her plate of spaghetti and mandarin oranges....chooses a milk....and then proceeds to the checkout. (This is where I tear up) She is then told she doesn't have any money in her account and her tray has to be taken from her while someone goes in the back to make her a peanut butter sandwich.

The school has a policy (totally fair) that if a student's lunch account falls in the negative of more than $5 they will be served only a p.b. sandwich. However, during the last 2 weeks of school the accounts can't be negative at all (again, I say, totally fair). But where I messed up was the fact that I got my account balance sheet one day later than I thought and so she was short one days worth of lunch money.

As I started to write this I was thinking, Desirae, this is not as sad as you thought, but I am seriously sitting her crying again.

Marley was so confused. She has her tray..... it has to be taken away....I can just picture the look on her face and it makes me cry. I want to add again that I totally understand that the school needs to do this and I was not upset with them at all. In fact they had even called me to let me know what had happened and they felt horrible. We love Upland Elementary! So I started this entry stating that I have been known to cry over something and later realize that it wasn't all that sad.

I was going to wrap up by saying this was one of those times.....but I guess I can't do that just yet because I'm still crying over a p.b. sandwich!

O Death Where is Thy Sting?

2008-05-15T22:10:00.002-04:00

So every time we go to the pet store Heath says we should get the girls some goldfish!! For several years now I have held the same position..."NO WAY!" Even last week as we left a children's event @ Taylor, I managed to drag a kicking and screaming Ella away from the very thoughtful El Ed major who was offering up free goldfish (complete w/ a teeny tiny bowl to live in).

Anyhow, so jump ahead 10 days to a fishing theme birthday party the girls were invited to. First of all, I don't fish. I don't like worms and I don't like to touch fish. I felt like I was already labeled "the mom who had never taken her girls fishing"..."the mom who had to ask someone else to bait (and cast) the fishing poles" ...."the mom who whips out the sanitizing wipes before her girls could eat cake"....so by darned I wasn't going to be "the mom who said 'I know you won the 3 goldfish in a game, but we can't take them home.'" The girls were so proud. When we got home they ran to show Heath the baggie of fish while I went inside to search for something to put them in (perfect!! a potato chip bowl).

Well the 1st one died the next day. I hoped the girls wouldn't notice we were one short, but no such luck. Today (4 days later) I am standing at my bathroom mirror and Ella comes up behind me and in a sad voice says "Mama, the nother fishy died", I turned around to console her and noticed she was holding the thing by the tail, pinched between her thumb and first finger. I squealed. This startled her, so she screamed and started to cry. I then squealed again because I was afraid she would drop it and I would be forced to pick it up. I managed to pull myself together to have her drop it in the toilet. She was really sad ~ it was so sweet. We talked briefly about how "to everything there is a season...." and I'm happy to inform that she completed the grieving process.

So now I want to play "angel of mercy" with the lone survivor while the girls are asleep tonight just so this whole thing can be over. In short, I won't say it out loud to Heath, but "I told you so."

Individuality

2008-05-13T23:35:00.002-04:00

Ella is obsessed with rocks (and head apparel ~ hats, headbands, you name it!
In this picture she is wearing 3! You can only see the purple one and the pink one around her neck, but she actually has another pink one on top of her head.)!

Anyhow, she was very excited about this particular rock because it has a shell imprint on it. She named it "Shelly". Shelly will most likely find her place next to "Rocko" who is in my bathroom wrapped lovingly in a washcloth after a vigorous bath. Currently we have 4 or 5 rocks randomly placed throughout the house. There would be more except I put several on the front porch and told her they prefer the outdoors.

She cracks me up! She has quite an imagination as is evident in her personal style! I love to let her dress herself because it is so fun to see what she will pull together. Thankfully, most days it's just the two of us inside, but even if we do go out... I don't care.....I love that she feels great wearing a tutu and rain boots!

May she always go against the grain!

Marley has tried several activities and so far gymnastics is her favorite! She is learning to master the cart wheel. She is having a great time and thankfully isn't afraid of not being perfect. One of my major issues with parenting Marley has been to help her realize that sometimes you just have to keep on trying and it's okay to not get it right the first go round! She can be hard on herself and I love that she looks to me to reassure her. She knows I will be her advocate and her biggest fan. I will never let her doubt that she is fabulous as long as she does her best!

Sweeter to Me

2008-05-11T22:07:00.002-04:00

"They are lovely! But Beth's roses are sweeter to me," said Mrs. March, smelling the half-dead posy in her belt. (Little Women)

Today is Mother's Day!

Marley was so excited to give me a card and poem w/ her hand print that she made at school. She is a rock when it comes to surprises! When I picked her up from school on Friday her friend started to show me what they had made and Marley kept telling her not to show me. Later that night she was asking me strange questions as to whether I needed to get in her closet to choose her clothes the next day?? She was acting suspicious and I realized it was because she had hidden the gifts in her closet! She loves to give and is such an amazingly thoughtful girl. Ella colored a picture for me after she heard Marley talking about her gifts!! (So funny that she picked up on the fact she should have a gift for me too!) I also received a geranium from the girls (they were giving them away free at the hardware store) but you would have thought it was the most exquisite flower ever!

That flower and those handmade gifts are sweeter to me than anything I could have received! The unabashed excitement is so precious! I hope they know that all I ever need from them is a construction paper drawing or a hand print on a piece of paper as long as it is given with the love that these gifts were given today!

Buds Will Be Roses

2008-05-10T20:43:00.001-04:00

One of my three favorite books is Little Women.

On the inside cover of my copy has a list of my favorite quotes from the book. The words are beautiful and inspirational to me and I love when I find one that pertains to my life....even if only loosely.

The book in a nutshell is about the journey from childhood into adulthood. In one coversation Jo is talking about how growing up is inevitable. She says, "I wish wearing flat-irons on our heads would keep us from growing up. But buds will be roses, and kittens, cats, - more's the pity!"

For me this blog will be a way to put into words my thoughts about my girls. Since I can't make them wear flat-irons on their heads I need to find a way to etch in my memory every little thing about them. I want to remember every funny thing they said, every cute expression on their faces and everything they love to do.

All too soon my buds will be roses and this is my way to remember having watched them bloom!