Updates

Wow, I need to get back to blogging on here.
Lets see, we headed to the beach with Alli and Jen. We definately needed more time there. We took Alli's Senior Portraits and just enjoyed some peaceful beach time together.

Audreys second year started at Early Childhood Center. WOW, the amount that she has learned in the first month is INSANE.  Maybe red-shirting her for Kindergarten isnt the right decision! The Leapfrog Learning Factory has helped her learn her alphabet and sounds, but her teachers have taught her SOOOO much...and when that kiddo of mine busted out God Bless America with her little hand over her heart...aahh...perfection!

We welcomed a new baby into our family On September 14th. My great nephew Landon was born healthy and happy.  Kendra was great in that hospital room. I spent 16 hrs with her and unfortunately had to leave, so missed his debut by a few hours, but I got to be a big part of the day and birthing process, so I feel this beautiful connection with this absolutely perfect little boy.

I, of course, got to take his newborn pics and have since got to babysit once.

We are ramping up for fall in our house We visited our zoo one last time for the season today. The camper is getting winterized and the boat too in a few weeks.

Fastest year of my life.

Better be blogging more.

To my Daughter on her 4th Birthday

Dear Audrey:

YOU are 4! And I dont know how yet another year of your life has come and gone.
This has been a crazy year.
You started preschool and I gained 5 grey hairs. The start was rocky and so were some in betweens.
As the first full year comes to a close, I have seen you grow in ways I just sometimes cant believe.
You love your little classmates so much, and you have been beyond blessed with such loving and amazing and godly teachers.
I have done some changing in your food and that seems to have helped you to overcome some of your stumbling blocks.
You have grown....not just in age, but in heigth. 43 inches tall and 46 lbs.
You make me smile.
You say the funniest things...and I promise to do better with writing them down so we both can look back and laugh at them.
No more diapers, that was a big book closing.
You finally got to take your dance class that you begged for.  5 weeks of princesses. You never did manage to stay on the dot assigned to you. But I have managed to stop freakin out every time you dont stand in a straight line and veer off onto your own path.
You tend to do that OFTEN. You are certainly on your own path more often than on the path laid out before you. AND, I try my best to be ok with that. I'm not the best at it.
I dont want you to ever think for one second that who you are doesnt make me so proud! Even when you veer off my path, I am always proud of who God has shaped you into.
You are kind. You are inquisitive. You are smart. You love puzzles, and pretending, and dress up.  You love Mary Poppins and Annie and every Broadway show and Musical.
I love to watch you sing "feed the bird", "Tomorrow" and "Memories.
In your 3rd year of life, you have: Seen Disney on Ice( TWICE), Mary Poppins, Annie ( TWICE), Cats, The Little Mermaid. You have: Been to a butterfly farm, played Mary in your school CHristmas Pageant, the National Toy Museum, rode your first amusement park rides at Dutch Wonderland, and been to a Carnival. You have spent alot of time at "our" zoo, and some extra time at Paulus Farm with the Bunnies and Pigs, You have learned how to spell your name and ride your scotter. You color inside the lines MOST of the time.  You have ridden a pony at Pony camp, gone to see your first movies) Crudds, Monsters Inc, Despicable Me and Turbo)
You saw Washington, Alaska, and British Columbia, and traveled to the beach. So many things AND
I am looking forward to what the year ahead has planned for us.
With Love Always,Mom

summer lovin...had me a blast

Come on now, I know you're singing it!. Or should it be Lovin Summer??
Either way, we are surely havin a blast!
Whew!
So its already past the 4th of July? WHAT?!  A record fastest year of my life
Seriously!
We have filled this summer with so many fun days.

 

 

Lets see... camping, kayaking, Dutch Wonderland, the zoo( in fact what might have really been a small zoo tour, we hit Catoctin, Seneca Park and Buffalo Zoos) National Museum of Play, a week at Pop Geigers Camper in Kent New York... I took a day trip with Amanda, Jim, Emilee, Liam and Brynn to Niagara Falls and rode the Maid of the Mist. That was certainly something that wasnt on my bucket list but should have been. we have spent the day at Boiling Springs Pool, also a wonderful new place that we enjoyed.
Our garden is growing, with tomato plants up to my next and a zucchini plant that isnt producing any veggies, but has leaves the size of an amazon plant. I am looking forward to eating the veggies, but more so, sharing the bounty of our garden, I hope.
We have made homemade ice cream, spent the day with the animals on the Paulus Farm, visited, Land of Little Horses....I dont think I can even remember it all.  But it has been glorious.  Audrey is doing great at Summer Camp at her Preschool.
And TODAY, we had her first dance class.
My friend Andrea Hoffman is her teacher and she is in class with my friend Mary Wakefield's daughter Natalie.Tonight was Snow White Princess dance Class. We watched from a television in a separate room.  I watched her run and leap and twirl...and more than a few times, make her way to the front of the line, ahead of her teachers and watch herself in the wall of mirrors.  All in all, she did great!

So many more fun days with friend and family to fill them ahead. Summer Lovin Happen so fast

I dont think I am ever going back...

to my addiction to social media.  THERE, I said it.  Although I broke my FB fast for like 3 minutes 3 times now and for pretty important reasons. AND, no guilt here. I scrolled down to where I needed to go and didnt keep scrolling.
I dont miss it! Not one bit.  In fact, it is freeing!
In place of all the endless hours of looking thru grumpy cats pictures and listening to folks who I am really just afraid to delete complain about their jobs, I spent the last 2 1/2 weeks soaking up time with my family.
It was joyous.
I spent time with my feet in Pine Creek catching tadpoles and frog eggs and salamanders and minnows with a net, just my lil girl and me!
I watched a beaver build his damn, rode my bike for miles with Audrey watching the view from the bike trailer, had a box turtle "Pokey" as a pet for one day thanks to Aunt Robin.  Spent hours kayaking on the creek with good friends and my husband, sat around a camp fire and roasted bananas and marshmellows and popcorn, ate at some pretty off the beaten path and FABulous places, laughed alot, read alot, spent time dreaming and enjoying the simple things. I even got to snuggle up with Jim and Audrey and enjoy a movie in bed once or twice.
Goodness knows I may have enjoyed that food wayyy to much, but I dont care about that either.
I went to my class reunion and saw many good friends I havent seen in 20 years.
 I watched the memorial day parade in my home town.
Our friends Joe and Joann took us under their wing at Pettecote Junction Campground for 2 weeks. Audrey learned what an orange blossom is and she can find them on her own now.  We ate ice cream in the hot sun, so fast you had to keep licking the cone. We waded in in the creek. Aunt robin visited. My mom and Dad came. So many friends met us there.

There was not the greatest cell phone service, and it was THE BEST!
I watched an eagle fly between the mountains and eat a fish. I let my feet soak up the dirt.
Yep, I dont think I am ever going back.

For Daddys and Daddys Girls and mamas

This is the most beautiful words I have ever read:

50 rules for dad's with daughters by Michael Mitchell

http://www.fromdatestodiapers.com/50-rules-for-dads-of-daughters

A MUST read!!!

Confessions of a Social Media Addict and a Hopeful Mom

I constantly talk about simplifying my life....I mean always. But, I live everyday almost like it is groundhogs day. I have yet to clean out the junk and take it to the goodwill. I have yet to organize the rest of it.  Each time I check something off my "Big to do" List, I add 2 more things.  Each time I make a plan, something comes up and the next day I don't remember the plan. The truth is I leave the house everyday and I hope nobody notices that I havent shaved my legs for a week. I run my fingers through the mop on my head, throw on leggings and a tshirt and a pair of flip flops and look just barely ok enough to be seen outside my home.  I run to the store, the post office, to drop off customers orders, to pick up customers orders. I unload the dishwasher, take the dog for a walk, feed the fish, do a load of laundry, fill the bird feeder, write the bills, budget the checking account, make meals, weed the flower bed, compost the garden, sweep the porch, take photographs, edit photographs, feed the cat, do the dishes, put the laundry away......DO YOU GET THE FULL PICTURE?  This is all before I pick up the kid; take her to the park, try to get her to take a nap, do a craft with her, read to her, help her clean up her toys, make her snacks, make her lunch, watch her play on her playset. THAT IS ALOT of stuff and I DO try to streamline it all. BUT in between all of that I dont fit in learning the alphabet, practicing hopping on one foot, or even sitting down to eat a meal together

And I am forever posting the cute little crafts that I do and the recipes that I concoct and share with friends.
BUT, I have a few confessions....last Tuesday was the first night that I have ever played "baby dolls" with my daughter.  She is almost 4. THAT IS A SIN! THAT ISNT remotely acceptable....and I didnt realize it until I was midway through my persona as Princess Merida!
And you know what , when I confessed this all to a few of my closest friends, they told me that they too had moments just like this and that I was "NORMAL". It is, they are right.
BUT, it doesnt have to be this way.
I have a choice.
Tonight, I turned off my FB account on purpose for 90+ days.

For the first 5 minutes after I posted that I was FB Fasting til September 1st I wanted to log back on and see what everyone thought. How many LIKES did I get?  Ya know what? My friend Nichole sent me a text message and said: "You have inspired me mama, and I am JOINING you!"
I betcha if my computer counted, it would tell you that I WASTE HOURS on social media. AND if my kids toys counted they would tell you they dont even know who I am.
How sad is that? How sad?
My daughter, who I describe as the most precious being in my life is actually falling behind an update from a person I may not have seen in 20 years.  I love old friends, but as much as my daughter???  And really do they care that I saved a bunch of money by switching to Geico! NO!
So, I havent turned it back on in 1 hr and ya know how I feel? ya know how Nichole said she felt after doing the same thing? FREE!
My Gram baked pies with me, she showed me how to use the washer with the wringer. We planted seeds and picked vegetables. We painted rock and went swimming in the creek. My parents were busy...for the first 15 years of my life. I remember vacations with them. I remember spending time with them in their restaurant. They didnt have FB then...they had WORK!
I broke the back on this damn I phone twice in 1 week! Smart phone = dumb mom! There I said it.
I have gone to numerous kid events and watched 50% of the parents updating statuses about being at the place with their kids the entire time they are at the event.  PUT your PHONE AWAY! BE with your kid!
Mine is sleeping right now.  Before she fell asleep, I played Lincoln Logs with her. And WE loved it!
She said, you are the best mom ever and I am sorry for yelling when Lathan was here! She breathed a sigh and she got it....and ya know what...THAT is what counts!

Val and I went over REAL food ideas for our families today. And perhaps my husband will never "get it" but in the last week I have seen to many changes in my crazy daughter just by taking away artificial flavors and colors to not believe that she is what she eats...so I am running with that. She is SMART and I am going to feed her brain food. And guess what....I dont need to tell 486 friends about it. This blog is my diary and I just want her to know someday the journey I have been on as her mom!

This summer I am saying no to photo sessions on a Sunday and saying YES to sitting down and hearing JESUS talk to me. I miss him! I miss the person I am when I am filled to the brim with him! My tank is almost empty! Thank GOD he is patiently waiting to fill me up! I need him to fill my family up.
Jim and I dont always see eye to eye, and thank God that HE helps us stay heart to heart!

SO, goodbye FB and Thank God I dont tweet. Goodbye Kim Kardashian as my headline news! Buy maternity clothes! Goodbye the background news of TV...I dont need you! Goodbye Crappy food from my cupboards. HELLO LIFE...HELLO LIFE!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY6VAy9y_iQ
HERE I AM!
Thank You God for renewing me!

Little girl growing

I need new pics on our walls. Seriously, I love my wedding pics...but this month I have been married 5 years. So, I helped my update along a little. At least I got a few pics of Audrey out of the way. She is growing so fast. Her legs are long and her smile is from ear to ear. All this for a piece of gum. Mommy's Girl