Whoa Baby!

I'm always rather woebegone the night before my babies turn into big girls. The night before their second birthday finds me with a big a lump in my throat and a pain in my heart.

I remember Grace's last night as a one-year-old baby. She was tucked snugly into her crib and I went to bed. I was about 8 months pregnant. As I laid there, suddenly it dawned on me that I was about to lose my baby to "biggirldom". She was in the other room, innocently sleeping, sweetly, happily unaware that her baby self was slipping away into the night. She would awake a brave new two-year-old with strange, bigger, harder things to face. Never again to be a tiny, coddled baby. There was nothing I could do about it. I had tried pretty hard to let Grace enjoy her baby time, controlling things so her environment would be just so. But I couldn't control this. So I tossed and turned the night away, mourning the loss for both of us, unable to sleep with the weight of it. I still feel it as I think of her baby years. They were such joyful, carefree, innocent, years, free from the emotional roller coaster of the 4Th year and the intensity of the 5Th and 6Th years. No worries.

I felt it again with Emma and her blatant turning of 2, no warning. She was so sweet and easy. Quietly going about her life, eating, sleeping, playing, hugging and loving everyone. Then, BAM! Two.

Now it Clara's turn.

It's her last week as a baby.

(Monday Morning Smiles)

I'm watching her closely. Trying to record the last moments of her being a baby, in my heart.(Exuberant jumping on the trampoline. Solo time with someone watching! Wow!)

(Wednesday -Big sister time in a surprise spring snow.)

She cheated a little. There was a day about 5 months ago where she woke up one morning and was just a big girl. Baby the night before, big girl in the morning. So she at least gave me a warning. (Thursday night - watching the stunt skiing jumps in the Olympics. We suddenly noticed the Clara was practicing the ski jumps in the 2026 Olympics. She would stand like this and then fall flat onto the couch.)

(Saturday chores - Clara's job is to get toilet paper and refill the tp holder in the extra bathroom.)

But on Sunday comes the big one. It's so hard for me to give up those baby years. They are special and perfect. With all the work of a baby comes the whisper of heaven... "Here's a little piece of Me for you." And they carry that wonderful, sweet, spirit and that heavenly love around, holding it out for you to look at... all the time. Those first two years before they have to get down to the business of growing up are a cherished time.

(Sunday morning, first thing. John greets the big, new, 2-year-old)

(Sunday afternoon, right before and right after her birth time)

Oh, how I'm going to miss that!

And I remember

that my mom felt exactly the same way.

Big Fat Seven!

Here's my seven year old miracle! After seven years of being unable to conceive, a lost of hope, and a decision to adopt, sneakly little Gracie surprised us all! I love the name Hope but Grace seemed to be the name for her. After having her around for just a little while the tears would come as I came to feel that she really did come to me through the Grace of Heavenly Father, truely a gift from Him. An actual miracle. For me. She came, slipping through the heavens to my eager, earthly arms. Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness

But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

Wordsworth ode to immortality

We enjoyed a lovely celebration.

Much eating, singing, opening of presents, and of course lots of yacking! Grace was so overcome with her presents, esp. her new art stuff, that she couldn't stop to have any of her birthday cake.
She didn't even ask for it until the next day!

Houston, We have Lift Off!!!!!!!

We had an exciting surprise the other night!

There was a little something shiny,

some bling!

a Ring!

Made us sing! Congratulations Brittani and Brian!

Yaaaaaaaaaaay!

Happy 40th Birthday Dad!

We had a marvelous party for Dad's 60th birthday. Those present were: Noel (a surprise visit from England), Lydia, Sydney, Laura, Jason, Mom, (us)- Jackie, John, Gracie, Emma, Clara, and various animals peering in at the windows. We ate a very nice, baked, white choclate cheesecake.Dad said that when I came around the corner carrying his cake with a 60 on it he was shocked. Even though he knew he was 60 he had, for some reason, expected to see a "40" on his cake.

Isn't that a nasty shock on your birthday?

I am, therefore, celebrating Dad's 40th.

He doesn't look a day over 40.

The grand kids tried to give him a 40-year-old workout.

Lydia gave him a nice pair of running shoes and socks and inserts for his shoes, which I assume will help him feel 40 again too!

Laura brought a nice jug of chocolate milk and a black balloon- Perfect for a 40-year-old!

Annie sent me 40 dollars to buy Dad some healthy treats, to keep him forty.

Grandma Roonie, Keith, Sandy and Jim sent me 40 +10 dollars to buy him a healthy fruit basket, or some such snack to keep him happy for the next 40 days.

Thanks Dad for 60 years of perfect service to all of us. You've lived such a life of absolute sacrifice for us. We love you as much as these grand kids appear to, actually more!

Good Compyany

I've always been grateful for you.

You're such good company!

Love you guys!

(I'm grateful you are old enough to give me some fashion advice now. Goodness!)

Christmas is Not Over at Our House

This week Emma said, "I'm sad that Christmas is going away. " or something like that.

Gracie is taking care of it though by playing "Jingle Bell Rock" by Amy Grant over and over. I'm not ready for Christmas to be gone either so I've been turning on the Christmas lights and the music too. Oh well, I do always seem to be last to arrive, and, according to John, the last to leave, everwhere we go. I'll get your Christmas cards out soon!

30's Big Band Inspiration

Last night, after dinner, we received a little inspiration....

I was slogging around in the kitchen, trying to clean up the dinner mess and not feeling very enthusiastic about it. John pulled up a music station on his little Blackberry cell phone and set it to play 30's to 50's Big Band style music. He set it in the kitchen window and started helping me with the dinner clean up. We laughed that we could brag that with 60 to 80 years of hard research we can now brag that we have just as wonderful sound quality (you know, small, tinny sounding) as they did back then.

However, even given the small sound, the music inspired us and we couldn't help but dance a bit while we cleaned up.

I love to picture the people singing the big band music;

microphones and sequined dresses,

romance,

swing dance,

waiting under the apple tree for a loved one to come home from the war.

I felt grateful to have a great husband, at home.

Grateful too that he even felt inspired so far as to do kitchen repaires!!! Yay!