Looking Back - 10 year later

It's hard to believe that 10 years ago today I became a Mom.  It seems like just yesterday.  Especially since I remember the day so vividly.

My day started out very early.  I remember waking up around 1:30AM with what I thought were contractions.  They weren't particularly close but they were consistent enough for me to go downstairs to watch TV and figure things out.  My little brother must have heard me because he came down too (I forgot to mention that we were living on a mountain at the time, and 10 days earlier - my due date - an ice storm came through so we ended up staying at my parents house rather than get stuck on the mountain).  So my brother and I watched TV for a couple hours as my contractions got closer together.

Around 3:30 I woke up my husband to let him know what was going on.  He took a shower and we left the house by 4:30.  My contractions were still 10 minutes apart or so, but we were also in Northern Virginia and had to drive TOWARD Washington, DC.  Something I didn't like to do on a regular day, much less while I was in labor.  I DID NOT want to get stuck in rush hour traffic and deliver on the side of the road.

Turned out that was not an issue.  We made it to the hospital with plenty of time to spare.  In fact, my labor was SO slow, I told my husband to go to a meeting that was scheduled for that morning.  You see, he and his brother were trying to start a business and this meeting was important for that.  In fact, the guy had come down from New Jersey for the meeting, and the meeting location was only a couple miles from the hospital.  I told him to keep his cell phone on and I'd call if he needed to come back.

Needless to say, I didn't have to call him.  In fact, he got back to the hospital and I sent him and his brother back out to eat some lunch.  And I didn't deliver our son for another couple hours after he got back from lunch.

Happy Birthday to my big boy!  Mama LOVES you SO much!

By the way, hubby and his brother got a contract out of that meeting 10 years ago.  Although the contract didn't come that day, I've always used my son's birthday as the "start date" of the company. 

Belated

Almost 3 months ago my daughter turned 7.  I didn't post a blog article about it because we decided to postpone her party and I wanted to blog about that.

You see, she wanted a pool party and I could not in good conscious have other kids come over and turn to little icicle in our pool.  So we decided to have her party shortly after we returned from Virginia in late June.  Not only would that mean the pool would be warmer, but her Grandma and Grandpa would be here for the party as well.

Ever since she watched the movie Rio she has been obsessed with parrots.  In fact, she would love to have one as a pet.  Her Dad and I however are less than thrilled to bring a loud bird that could outlive us into our house.  So, instead we settled on exotic birds as the the theme of her birthday party.

I was able to find some decorations and plates that had various exotic birds on them (at the dollar store - yay!). 

And in addition to lots of swimming the kids got to play pin the tail feather on the bird (which I didn't seem to get a picture of).

Of course there was a cake that was decorated with a parrot on it.  Can I just say how thankful I am that Grandma brought her cake decorating supplies with her from Virginia.  Made it so much easier to do.

My inspiration

End product (almost) - doesn't include edging and her name

And as a party favor we gave away small bird houses and paint for the kids to take home to paint.  They were also my back up plan in case it rained  ;-)

You can see the birdhouses on the table.

Needless to say, she was a very happy girl who thoroughly enjoyed playing with her friends.  I wonder what animal will be the focus of the theme next year.  Any guesses?

Maturity

As my regular readers know, my daughter recently went to the dentist and got her first filling.  Something I didn't mention was that after her filling she was given an opportunity to go to the treasure chest and pick out anything she wanted.  And what did she pick?  A toy for her brother.

This just shows something I've known about my daughter for quite a while.  My daughter is one of the most considerate, compassionate, kind, and caring children I know.  She thinks of other's feelings more than most kids her age.

Especially considering that tomorrow she turns 7!   Where has the time gone?!?

Money in our house has been tight since about this time last year.  We are not the type of people who tell our kids all the details, but we think they have a right to know why we don't eat out as much as we used to, why we didn't renew our Busch Garden's passes, and why they aren't getting as many toys as they used to.  So that means our kids know that there won't be many presents at the various holidays.

My daughter has the smallest bedroom in the house (probably close to half the size of her brother's room) and the only way to give her more space was to go up.  So earlier today, we picked up a loft bed for her room that I found on Craig's List.  As we were walking to our truck after picking up the bed, she grabs my hand and says in a very energetic voice, "This is the best birthday present EVER!"

And what did my daughter do after we got the bed put together tonight?  After climbing in and testing the bed for herself, she climbed down and let her brother take a turn.

That girl, just melts my heart.

Happy 7th Birthday to my not-so-little girl!

Memory Lane

It's amazing how time passes differently for each generation.  To my kids, things drag on for what seems like an eternity (so they say).  For me, those same things pass too quickly.  And from what I understand, the older you get, the faster things seem to pass.  Something I'm not looking forward to honestly.

So today, rather than thinking about how quickly my future is going to pass before me, I'm going to reminisce and revel in the past.  You see, today my best friend through junior high and high school is celebrating her birthday.  It's been more years than I'd like to admit since I've seen her, but we still try to keep in touch as best we can considering we live 1000's of miles apart and both have families that keep us busy.

I remember walks in the woods talking about which boys we liked and who was driving us absolutely crazy (our siblings usually being near the top of the list).  I remember snowball fights, sleep overs, and working together over the summers among many other things.

But most of all, I remember what a Godly young woman she was.  And you know what, that hasn't changed.  She is still young (compared to me certainly) and she lives out her faith every day.  She truly is an inspiration.

Love you Deanna!  I pray you have a wonderful day.

Where Did That Freight Train Come From?

Where has the time gone?  I mean really...  How is it possible that 9 years ago tomorrow I gave birth to my oldest child?

Boy, how things have changed during those 9 years.  For example, 9 years ago I was at my parent's house because we were iced out of our house.  Yesterday, we had a birthday party for my son and were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather by having the party outside in our lanai.  Rather than worry about getting red cheeks from the cold, we were worrying about getting sunburn (SO not complaining folks).  And today, my kids were crazy enough to swim in our unheated pool (for no more than 30 minute mind you).

Feb 10.  Outside temp = 70ish.  Pool temp = 65

It's been such a wonder and privilege to watch my son grow up the last 9 years. To see him go from a helpless baby (I can't say little) to the helpful, smart, kind young man he is now.  I hope the next 9 years go by slowly because I have no doubt that when my son turns 18 he is going to begin a very awesome chapter in his life.  Although a part of me looks forward to it, I'm in no rush for it to get here.
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So, for those interested in the party details... we had a robot themed party.  The kids and I made a cake that looked like a robot,

we found some fun robot decorations, and the kids got to play with some of Jason's robot creations, as well as a variation of pin the tail on the donkey (I call it assemble the robot).

We started with the body and the kids added all the pieces.

And after it got dark (and all the party goers had gone home) we had a bonfire.

Growing Up

This weekend is a special occasion.  One of my dearest friends has a daughter who is turning 6 years old.   It seems like just yesterday I visited her in the hospital with my almost 3 week old daughter.  Time sure does fly!  Happy birthday E!

That means that almost 3 weeks ago (during my hiatus from my blog and Facebook) my daughter turned 6.  I can't believe how fast time is going by!  It seems like just yesterday my daughter came home from the hospital.

For my daughter's birthday this year we decided to get a pass to Busch Gardens for the rest of the year for the entire family (and Sea World for the kids and I).  So a couple days before her birthday we went to Busch Gardens for the day.  Daughter and I were all about seeing the animals and Hubby and Son were all about the rides.  We all had a great day that was topped off by a visit to my Uncle's house for dinner and some catching up.  Needless to say the day was a success!

The last few years, it has become very apparent that my daughter LOVES animals.  Just about any animal in fact.  She can see a snake and say, "Awwww, it's so cute."  (That is SO not how Mommy & Daddy feel about snakes!)  The animals she's most fascinated with right now however are parrots and dolphins.  That's why it was really cool, when she got this sign for her birthday from Grandpa and Grandma.

Daughter's name has been removed from pic for safety reasons

This love of sea live is also the reason we added the Sea World pass.  It's also instigated something else lately.  My son does everything in his power to not write (a boy thing I've been told), but my daughter has a new-found love of writing, in particular about animals (and movies about animals such as Winter).  Sometimes she will copy from a book and sometimes she will draw pictures of her own and then ask an adult how to write the words she wants to go with the pictures.  She's even phonetically sounded out some words on her own as a surprise gift to me (it's so cute when it's technically spelled wrong but I know she spelled it correct phonetically).

I love seeing my daughter grow up and become a "big girl."  I pray I will be able to see her as a young woman and as a mother some day.  I just kinda wish it wouldn't happen this fast.

I bet E's mom would agree.

A Thank You To My Wonderful Mother...

She felt sick for months with nausea, then she watched her feet swell & her skin stretch; she struggled to climb stairs, she got breathless quick, she suffered many sleepless nights.  29 years ago today ;-), she went through excruciating pain to bring me into this world. Then, she became my nurse, my chef, my maid, my chauffeur, my biggest fan, my teacher, & my best friend. She's struggled for me, cried over me, hoped the best for me & prayed for me. I love you mom!  Thanks for everything.

Say what?!?

I can't believe that 5 years ago today, I delivered my baby girl!  Time has gone by so quickly...too quickly.  It seems like just yesterday she was celebrating her first Christmas, taking her first steps, and saying her first word.  Now she won't stop moving and won't stop asking questions.  ;-)

It has been such a joy to watch her blossom and grow, both physically and developmentally over the last 5 years.  I am looking forward to the next 5 years, but I really hope they go by a bit slower.  I have so many things I want to cram in, and if time keeps going this fast I won't be able to do everything.

On that note, this week is going to be school-light and fun-heavy.  Let's start cramming.

Time flies

Today is my son's 7th birthday.  It's hard to believe that 7 years ago today our lives changed for ever!  Every year on his birthday I relive the day like it was yesterday.  What memories!

That day is also memorable to my husband and me because it was also the birth of his business.  While I was in labor, he had a business meeting that set in motion a business that has allowed my husband to work from home for the last 7 years (Don't worry, I told him to go.  I WANTED him to go.  You see, with every contraction he gave me this look and after a while it got on my last nerve!).  Seven years later, the company is in the process of closing, but it has been a wonderful opportunity for me to see first hand just the kind of man he is.  I believe it's also allowed him to be around in a way that many father's never have the opportunity.

As enjoyable as having my husband home for the last 7 years has been, the last 7 years with my son have been spectacular!  It has been such a wonderful experience to see him grow and learn (and teach me a few things as well).  And more recently to be his "teacher" has magnified that.

I'm excited to see what happens over the next 7 years, but I certainly don't want to rush them.

A tribute to Mom!

Today is my birthday.  Yes, I admitted it.  In fact, I am willing to shout it from the mountain tops!  Why?  Not because I am OK with being a year older (I am though), but because I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to my mom.  

You see, some years ago I realized that birthday's are celebrated all wrong.  Afterall, I didn't really DO anything on my birthday.  My mom was the one who did all the work (ok, maybe the doctors and nurses helped a bit), but all I did was show up.  That's why for the last few years, I have given my mother a gift on my birthday.  This year, she is in Florida visiting with her mom, but she will be back in a few days (Being that she will probably read this I am not going to say what I'm giving her when she returns).

What I do want to share with you is what my mom has taught me over the last ___ years (I'm ok with being older but that doesn't mean I have to tell you all how old I am).  My mom has been a wonderful example of kindness; she is always willing to help others.  She is also a very caring person; she has always shown genuine concern for others even if she doesn't know them well or at all.  And over the last few years she has showed me what tenacity is all about.

So, on this my birthday, I want to tell my mom that I love her and appreciate all she's done for me and all I've been able to learn from her!