remember me?

Well, hello there! Long time, no posting. You know me. The writing vibe - it comes and it goes....

So, a little catch up...

Merry Christmas!

Decorating the tree. Notice the super cool fort in the background. :)

Happy New Year!

Our family tradition is to go to a movie on New Year's Eve.

Ryan lost his tooth. And another one since then.

Great pic, I know. This was my third try!

We've spent the first half of January trying to get back into the swing of things. It's been a little rough. But finally, if you don't count that I forgot to give Little Man breakfast this morning, everything is back on track. Ready or not!

Hopefully I'll be around more often...the key word being hopefully. I pray all is well with you and your family. Take care!

By the way, Happy Birthday to my godmother...she's been gone almost 18 years but she'll never be forgotten...

first loose tooth

snapshot of 1st grade

last day of kindergarten

It seems only yesterday that we dropped him off for his first day of big boy school. And today is the last day. Next year starts full days, no lunches with Mom, and two trips on the big yellow cheese. He seems ready, but am I?

note to self...

...when your son asks for lego sets for his birthday, he'll rope you into building them.  Which sounds fun at first, but after three hours and fifteen minutes - not so much.  Your neck muscles will scream at you the rest of the day, but it will be so worth it to see him flying a starship through the air and escaping the bad guys in an old Russian car.

...toll booth operators are a funny lot.  Some sing to themselves, or rather, to you.  Some don't even say hi.  Some wear gloves (nasty money!) and some are very friendly.  Others not so much.  It was interesting (especially the very LOUD singer...)

...preteens' feet stink.  Especially in a closed in, air-conditioned van.  For hours.  That's all I have to say about that.

...now that the sixth birthday is over, take this time to prepare for the next one...thirteen!  Here we go.......(I'm SO not ready for this!)

six

after months of counting down

the prestigious sixth birthday

is just around the bend

he's so excited

and i'm wondering

just where the time has gone

some days so big

yet still glimpses of the little boy

i rocked to sleep at night

i pray those little windows

of joyful bonding

are always there

even when he towers over me

and oh, he will

(doesn't everyone?)

in the middle of the everyday

i wonder and pray for the end

for a time when the quiet will win out

but on days like today

rainy and introspective

on the cusp of another milestone

i know that one day soon

i will long for the noise

for the spontaneous kisses

for the crashing of trucks

for the sounds of batman fighting robin

for the requests to watch video clips

for the mischievous-ness that is my son today

for the song dedications

for the notes on dry erase boards

for the reading of books

for the intimacy of sharing every day together

there will be a day

when i want nothing more than this

and that day is not far away....

jpg - refuge

Little Man had bad dreams a couple of nights ago. Handsome was just
the refuge he needed. What a wonderful earthly reminder of what God
wants to do for us! Oh, and what a great photo opportunity of my
boys. :)

jpg - unity

little man's take on Martin Luther King, Jr. and the inauguration...

...everyone happy together.

amen.

jpg - my guitar hero

jpg - my movie date

jpg - little feet

jpg - friends

jpg - the want to

Little man got a new book from the book fair at his school. Tonight,
before bed, he wanted to "read" his new book. He's learned to read a
lot of words lately but this book is a little too hard just yet. But
that did not deter him. He would turn a page and study it for a few
minutes - "reading" - and then go to the next page. I was amazed at
how many words were on the pages below. Very few pictures yet he
looked at this page for a long time. Reading. Or sure having the want
to.

I can't help but make the connection between this and having faith in God. Sometimes you just have to go through the motions of believing God is there, even if you don't have the feelings or the proof to go along with it. God is always faithful, never forsaking. And before you know it, you'll wonder why you ever doubted.

Sometimes all you need is the want to.

jpg - discovery

month in pictures

Yes, I know it's been more than a month since I've posted. The words just didn't flow for me there for a while...and now they are so stacked on top of each other that I can't figure out just what to post! I'll start off with some pictures while I figure it out...

Can you tell me who this is? (Anna, you can't guess because you used your photography skills taking the picture!) I went to a Christian Women's Conference and met this lady. Here's a hint: She writes some AWESOME books...
**edited to add: It's Karen Kingsbury.

Baby Girl got the distinct pleasure of cleaning all the seeds and goop out of the pumpkin.

This is Dr. Little Man, our emergency room doctor. Oh, and that's a shaker he made in class. Nothing like a doctor who can keep the beat! :)

This is the picture out my back door. It's actually my neighbor's yard. I love Fall.

the good years

busy week
adjusting
to another little one
three months old

whew
i forgot
how much babies need
but oh, how cute

she'll be spending
the first three days
of the week with me
and half of thursday

so far so good
the boys are in love
and want her to play
unsure why she can't

she was cooing
(oh what a sound!)
and i said she was talking
monkey man wanted to know
why he couldn't understand her
if she was talking and all

very logical
these boys are
and trying to explain
well, it was beyond me

so that's what's going on
around here
little poochy cheeks to kiss
boys that are growing so fast
seventh grade missing assignments
soccer games and cross country practice

and one tired mommy

but these
yes
these are the good years

irony

little man
went back to school
today
finally

and he was not happy

neither was baby girl
when she went back
a few days ago

she decided
she wanted to protest
electricity
after it came back on

she organized this protest
in her mind
as she had her hair straightened
by her friend
using an outside plug

she lives in a world of irony
that girl does

but the drama
of the power outage
now drifts into history
at least around here

now it's full steam ahead
into autumn
the leaves that clung so tight
will now freely fall

again
the irony...

kindergarten

This morning, Little Man made the journey that children have been making for generation after generation. He started kindergarten. It went well. I didn't cry or anything (then) but now it is sinking in... I told Handsome that as long as I look at it as just kindergarten, I am fine. But when I think about kindergarten leading to first grade and then second grade and so on, I crumble. One day at a time, one day at a time... The world is a mean place sometimes and I just wish I could shelter him from it forever. I keep reminding myself that he is God's first and therefore God will be with him (and me) today. By the way, he's the one waving in the picture below. :)

Dear Little Man,

I just can't believe you are starting kindergarten today. I am so sad but at the same time I am so happy for you. I'm sorry that the days of Mommy and Ryan, Mommy and Ryan are coming to a close. I know that you will meet many new friends and learn all kinds of neat stuff. You are so ready to be there and broaden your horizons. I just miss that precious little face here at home, as I sit here, watching the hands of the clock make their slow travel around and around. Two and a half times around and I get to see you again! I can make it!

Always try your best, little man. Be the boy that God means for you to be and you'll be just fine. Daddy and I love you very much. We are very proud of you.

Love,
Mommy

eve of 5

he wore shorts today
for the first time
this season

and suddenly revealed
were legs that weren't that long
a few months ago

he's a counter
and a scheduler
he wants to know when and why

we've been counting down
the days to his birthday
for months now

not seasons
like baseball
but still a long time

today he celebrated
at preschool
with chocolate chip cookies

it's cute
they call it their special day
and wear a glittered yellow crown

before they have their snack
the special day kid
sits on a stool in the middle of the circle

the kids all go around
and tell what's special
about the special kid

a couple of them
gave what must be the standard response
he's special because God made him

a couple others
gave the other standard
he's special because he plays with me

one cute little girl
whispered in his ear
that he was special because she loved him

watch out world!

it got me thinking
of all the reasons
i think he is special

they are mostly the same reasons
that all moms think
their kids are special

but it was a little more touching
today
on the eve of 5

because 5 seems to start everything
it's such a big step forward
my baby boy isn't so baby anymore

and while i'm happy
that he is growing so well
a small part of me is sad

my eyes filled with tears
as i got my last
four year old kisses tonight

but i was filled with hope
as i felt more than saw
his future spread before me

God filled me with peace
reminding me that He is in charge
and will always be with my son

even as he grows
right before my very eyes

happy birthday little man

tball

finally
the trees give way
to green
and with spring
comes tball

last spring
came the declaration
that baseball was to be played
sign me up

too little
was a concept
that confused him
being king of his world and all

next year
i promised
when is next year
he asked

this is spring
then comes hot summer
then the leaves fall off the trees
then it snows

then
finally
it is spring
and you can play

with every season
that came and went
it was compared to
the baseball master schedule

closer and closer it came
and he got more and more excited
i just can't believe
my little baby is old enough to play

the leaves started peeking out
and he asked me if it was spring
i told him almost
knowing he was really talking about baseball

then the day came
and it was really cold
but he didn't complain
not even a little bit

it was a family event
dad, mom, Baby Girl
we all came to see Little Man
practice for the first time

every time the ball flew through the air
he bounced in place
wondering if he could (PLEASE)
be the one to get the ball

reminded me of a puppy
all that was missing
was the panting
and the drooling

and maybe there was even that