a sneak peek

at our "find" at a craft show this past weekend
more to come on those mismatched chairs soon.

saying goodbye...

Beckie and Goldie 1999

Goldie 1997

Reyna and Goldie 2011
For 14 years she was a part of our home, our family. We hadn't planned to have any pets,
but after a visit from my sister in early 1997 we had a dog and a cat.
The kids were thrilled. She was suppose to be an outside dog, that changed after a very cold January 10 years ago
She was amazing with kids, amazing. Patient, and protective.
Her name was one of the first that Reyna said, and every puppy is now Goldie to her.
We have known for a few years that things were getting harder for her, age was catching up, and yet she continued to surprise us
Last Monday (May 23rd) that changed...she had a seizure or a stroke which left her unable to walk, and as we watched her and hoped that this too she would come out of ok,it soon became apparent it wasn't going to go that way. When Beckie arrived (it had always been her dog from the start) She and kevin took Goldie to the vet. Nothing could be done except to say goodbye, something we weren't quite ready to do.
A day filled with tears and those unexpected moments that signal a new normal....
putting down a plate of scraps after dinner only to discover the full plate still there later
reyna walking around the house calling for Goldie in a puzzled voice
the quiet in the evening as I adjusted to the night without her sounds
a week later
and we continue to adjust
(how amazing is it that we were blessed with a pet that filled our lives in such a complete way?)
one child whispering to me before they go to sleep " I miss goldie"
the water and food bowls sitting...waiting
her dog collar hanging part way out of Beckie's purse
a glance down the dog food aisle and realizing with sadness I won't have to buy that anymore
I never wanted a pet, often grumbled about the dog hair and cleanup generated by that dog
and yet I watched kid after kid hug her, run with her, love her and knew she was a gift to this family.
wishing we would have a little more time to say goodbye,
knowing it would never have been enough.

one of these...

 eggs doesn't quite match
found this tiny nest in one of my hanging flower baskets
the other day when I was watering.
When I showed the picture to my mother in law and asked
"do you suppose the one bird got confused as to where it's nest was?"
and she quickly filled me in about a bird that lays it's eggs in other birds nest and
let's that mother bird take care of her egg too.
well who knew...even the bird system has foster care

Preschool graduation

Wednesday May 25th was Rosie's graduation from preschool!
she is now ready for Kindergarten!
yes, one could say she is quite excited about that.

Lilacs

for the past week or so our lilac bushes have been blooming...
the smell drifts in the open windows filling our home with it's wonderful scent
bouquets have been cut and shared with friends and some have been placed in several rooms in our home...
reyna discovered the bushes and often that would be where I would find her.

Just like her big sister...

1994
Beckie was the top cookie seller
she sold over 700 boxes
the next year she did it again, despite her mother's offer to pay her to not sell so many cookies
sigh, delivering those cookies was a bit of pain I do love the way they did it this year, no need for return trips.

2011
Yahaira was the top cookie seller
selling over 800 boxes
I cried, or at least I wanted to, time had not diminished that memory of all.those.boxes.of.cookies
sigh, she is much like her big sister...determined, stubborn and an over achiever.
Couldn't be more proud of either of them...
(did I ever imagine 17 years later i would be attending a banquet where a daughter of mine would once
again receive an award for cookies sales, ummm nope, granddaughter perhaps :) love how life comes full circle in the most unexpected of ways.

Top Cookie seller....

receiving her prizes

she sold over 800 boxes
I think her big sisters are most excited about the gift card to old navy that was one of her prizes
there have been offers to take her shopping and help her spend it...
thinking Yahaira would love that too, anytime spent with them makes her day



her patch for top cookie seller
Did I mention they sell cookies in January/February
the coldest months of the year...and this year was miserable
but...she along with her dad were out selling cookies
determined to earn the award level she had set as her goal
This year we had to order the cookies in advance
there were moments that panic set in as those stacks of cookies didn't seem to diminish
when all was said and done we ended up buying about a dozen cookies
whew...that was a relief.

Girl Scout Banquet

tonight was the annual awards ceremony
where Yahaira received her badges and awards for the past year.
She was pretty excited to see her daisy uniform (her troop leader had taken it home and attached all those badges on it, yea! since I love to sew so much :)
She also received her cookie prizes and found out she was the top seller for our local group of girl scouts.
Tonight was Rosie's first night as a daisy scout...she is eager to join her sister on all the fun activities, finally she said "I am old enough"

Lego Kid fest....

anthony is a member of the lego kid's club
a few months ago he received a postcard about this event
so we went online to check it out, after discovering the price it was decided that it wouldn't be a whole family outing
especially when some of those members could truly care less about this particular event.
Kevin, Anthony, and Josh decided to go, Anthony asked his friend Jay who was quite excited to join in.
So Kevin spent our anniversary in Minneapolis surrounded by lego's I don't think he minded a bit.
Josh sent pictures to me throughout the day so it felt a bit like I was there. I love lego's, love the challenge of building each set...
so glad I have a few kids who share that love.
It sounds like they had an awesome time and Anthony has spent most of his free time today putting together the set he purchased.

working

on thank you's for reynas birthday party
in keeping with that gumball theme
it has been awhile, a long while since I have created anything
life has been a bit busy...but I had seen this card in a magazine
and knew i wanted to use it for Reyna's thank you's.
it is rather perfect wouldn't you say?
and bonus I enjoyed a gumball or two or three as
I created these cards :)

a welcome guest

at our bird feeder the other morning...
loved listening to it's song in the early morning hour

Dance recital...

with Gracie

Mrs. Meyer, your dance instructor

love my little dancers!

today was your dance recital
yahaira's 4th and rosies 3rd
so fun to watch you perform and to see the big smiles on your face

Happy 2nd Birthday Reyna!

today you turned 2
you seemed rather unimpressed by the whole significance of the day.
yesterday we celebrated with the daycare kids a pinata and cake
yesterday also was Gracie's 10th birthday so she joined us to celebrate!
you didn't mind sharing a bit.
you spent your birthday attending your big sisters dance recital
traveling to Iowa with mommy and playing with pedro
you filled your moments with play, laughter, exploring and even a few tears
( you don't like to be told no)
so thankful to have spent the past two years with you, looking forward to
each step, each discovery, each memory you take this year...
love you my little one

Smoke Free class of 2022

a study unit that 1st graders do every year.
Beckie has a shirt, as does Josh, Cassandra, and Anthony
and now Yahaira (Beckie's shirt said class of 2004 you can do the math to figure out which year she was in 1st grade)
and still many years later the 1st grade class continues to study about the harmful affects of smoking
love how some things never change.

finished!

what started with a search for a new table
a 9 month search mind you
and upon finding that table the chain of events that followed could only be called
comical
since the decision was made to put in hardwood floors and then discovering the original
hardwood floors...103 year old farmhouse floors
and preparing for the floors to be finished only to discover it would take a bit more time since
we had to put in new oak flooring in the kitchen setting things back a bit
so we lived in the garage (the kids loved this)
last friday the new floor was installed
this week the work continued and yesterday completed.
today we could walk on it.....
we have been at the super 8, and at home
we are still living in the garage, sigh
and as is with most home improvement projects one thing leads to another
this project has included painting and sorting,
discovering that much we thought we needed we really don't
so much less is returning to those rooms,
a good thing, a very good thing
and today the trim, oh that trim
the decision was made to refinish it too
sigh
it never ends...
but tonight I will sleep in my own bed
and by weekends end the furniture should be returned to their proper home
no, my dear children it will not be staying in the garage.
the floors are stunning.
many moments today I found myself standing in one room or another and just soaking in the glow, the beauty
ahhh all this chaos is so worth the picture in the end...
when I was peeking thru the window on monday night trying to catch a glimpse of the floor
in progress I saw a sight that simply took my breath away the sun shining in thru the window and across the floor
I knew that as soon as we could walk on that floor a picture would need to be captured...
those are all the toes that fill our home at the moment
(little people toes that is)

Spring has arrived