Happy 25th Birthday Paul!!

Happy Birthday to my middle son Paul!!  I can't believe it was 25 years ago that you so quickly came into my life!!  My other 2 labors were long , painful and drawn out.  Not Paul's...a mere hour  after arriving at the hospital he was here!!  He was a baby and a child that everyone loved; happy, smiley, easy going, tiny!! One of his teachers told me once that if she had a daughter she would want her to marry someone like Paul!!  Quite a compliment and it sure made this Mama proud!! Whenever I hear people make comments about boys always being there for their Moms, I think of Paul.  He is probably my biggest protector and although our similarities in personality can sometimes cause flare ups, we always can talk things out.  I am so excited that in one year's time he will be marrying Jenn.  He will be a great Dad as he is an awesome big brother to Sierra. He has made me proud in so many ways!  I love you Paul!
                                               

Never Give Up!!!

One of the things that has amazed me with Sierra is her determination to master a skill that I (or others)think may be too difficult for her. She learned to tie her shoes at just 4 years of age, she mastered lanyern making at summer camp( which many 5th graders could not do), she cracks eggs for me better than I do, and today she finally was able to keep the hula hoop spinning around her.  She had been trying, stopped for awhile and then found her hula hoop today and started over. I asked her how she finally did it and she said" Becasue I kept trying and I never gave up!"  Mmmmm ...words to live by spoken by a 4 and a half year old!! I'll let the video speak for itself. An added story...today she found a package of balloons.  She wanted David to blow one up and she wanted to blow one up.  After David blew his up he turned to me and said "Mom, she'll never be able to do it"  My answer?? "Don't ever tell your sister she won't be able to so something.!!  As of last count she has blown up 10 balloons.  The first one took her almost an hour!!

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A Change of Plans!

Today I had all intentions of picking up Sierra at preschool when I was done at work and then come home and do some cleaning in my house.  It desparately needs it. But it is fall and what so often happens to me during this season...I got side tracked.  Sierra had taken a little nap at school and she was  ready for an adventure.  So I said the heck with the cleaning and we went on a walk.  I am so blessed to be surrounded by some of the moxt beautiful countryside ever.  We don't have to get in a car and go...we just walk out the door and and we are there!!!  So instead of cleaning this is what we did:

                                        Explored the softness of an opened milkweed pod

wondered what animal lived in this hole

rested,

found a hidden pond,

walked with a friend,

cam across some corn flowers that survived the frost,

and even after we returned to our own yard the beauty continued

the view in our backyard

So after about 2 hours of being outside Sierra and I went in.  Shortly thereafter my son Paul called to tell us to look out our kitchen window. Sierra and I ran outside!  It had started to sprinkle and the sun was still shining and we were treated to a double rainbow!! 

The sky changed and we ran ito our neighbors yard and got this!!

So...the house is still messy, the clothes still piled up,but this afternoon, shared with my girl, will be forever imprinted in my heart and mind!!!

Sunday Snapshot!

  My father came from a rather large family.  He was the 2nd to youngest of eleven brothers and sisters.  Unfourtunately my Dad died at the fairly young age of 64.  I miss him terribly.  But I have been lucky enough to have lived next door to his brother, my uncle , for 20 years.  He holds a very special place in my heart.  He is 84 years old and still works semi full time as a landscaper.  He still climbs trees to cut them down. In the winter he shovels sidewalks for some of his customers who are decades younger than him!!About 10 years ago, my aunt and uncle traveled to China and loved it!!  They were thrilled when we told them we were going to adopt a little girl from there!!  Sierra and Uncle Perry have hit it off!  We stopped by the other day to wish him a Happy Birthday.  Sierra had worked for over an hour to make him the perfect card.  One with lots of flowers because Uncle Perry loves flowers!!  The card made him cry.Here they are sitting at Uncle Perry's huge outdoor stone table, sharing a moment together! 

 

Sierra's First Field Trip!

It was a picture perfect autumn day, filled with

a petting zoo

                                            a hay ride

                                                  apples

                                                         tractors

                                                   slides

                                                    brilliant sunshine

colors

                                          favorite teachers

                                             and the conquering of the tires!!

On the drive home we caught

                                (although sometimes blurry, because Mom was driving,)

                               the absolute beauty of the day!!!

HOME!!



Sunday Snapshot 10-10-10!

Sierra has ben playing soccer for a few weeks now.  She told me she really wanted to score a goal.  I told her to keep trying and she might!  Yesterday she scored her first goal( and then 2 others after it)  The joy of the moment was recorded forever on film.  Scott had the camera yesterday.  The little boy was kind of in the way but take note of his faces too.

Sierra is sometimes clumsy but she tries so hard and never gives up and usually accomplishes her goal.  The look on her face is one I will never forget.

 

 I don't know if you can tell but she was jumping up and down.  In this pic her feet are off the ground!

This was her asking Dad if he saw her make the goal!!

                                                                    No words needed!!

Happy Birthday Tim!!

It is hard for me to believe that 27 years ago today, I became a Mom for the first time!!   Although motherhood has had its ups and downs, it is, by far, the best ride I have EVER been on!!  Tim was the easiest  baby anyone could ask for.  He woke up happy, rarely cried, you could take him anywhere,and if it was his nap time, he would just fall asleep!!  I fell so in love with him from the moment I saw him, even though it was a very long and very hard labor.  The first thing I noticed about him was that he needed a hair cut.  (He got one too at only about a month and a half old!!)  He had beautiful hair that started out dark but slowly turned golden.  I always said his hair looked the color of wheat!!  Happy Birthday to the one who called me Mom first!!!

Newborn picture!  10/06/1983   Checkout that hair that hair!!

Tim is the one who hates the camera the most so it is hard finding good pics of him.  This was taken lasst year.  He adores his little sister!!

Sunday snapshots!

Sierrra let her Monarch butterly go.  It sat in the bushes for awhile and Sierra really got to study it!!  She tells everyone ,now its on its way to Mexico!!

 Sierra and Scott came to my work on Saturday and we took some time to go gather some pumpkins and Indian corn.  It was a fabulous day!!

The weekend ended with a little soccer!!!

I LOVE FALL!!!!