Yahaira's 4th Birthday...

Was on Saturday, so we celebrated with the Piercy's at the hotel. She was most excited to spend her birthday with Beckie and of course the sucker Linette gave her was a tremendous hit, as you can see it is in almost every picture of her. Hard to believe she is 4, hard to imagine a life without her.

pool fun

this has become our favorite hotel in the Fargo/Moorhead area. The kids love the pool and water slides. Every moment possible this is where they were, from early in the morning to late into the evening...(there were no bedtimes this weekend) So many giggles and laughter...

the first

She was our first child, the first grandchild on my side, the first niece, the first on almost everything. Sunday she became the first to graduate from college. No one in our families has graduated from college....she is the first.
As I walked across the campus on Sunday I found myself saying out loud "It feels like we just brought her here" and yet those 4 years passed in a mere blink. She approached this milestone with calmness and maturity. Actually the entire weekend was a relaxing, wonderful experience. So unlike her graduation from high school. Now that could only be described as frantic chaos. Mix in some major attitude by the soon to be graduate and it's simply amazing anyone survived. I think when your child graduates from high school you as a parent are as vested in the process as they are...you are the one guiding and nagging that they stay on course. So as much as it is their moment, parents also get a pat on the back for helping them reach this point.
From the moment they are born we are beginning to let them go. Sometimes it's easier than others. With each big step, with each new moment we take another step back, College is when you get to step back and see just what an amazing kid you have...
and amaze us she did. This is her moment to shine, she worked for this, stuck with it thru the ups and downs and earned this moment completely. Watching her walk across the stage and accept her diploma was overwhelming. I was filled with complete pride at what she had accomplished...to realize she is an adult, (when perhaps the mom in me will always remember the little girl,) a pretty amazing one at that. As is so her as she walked by where we were sitting she glanced up and grinned and did her little wave, the sparkle in her eyes so similar to other times when she was little and would see us and pause giving us a grin and wave before she resumed what she was doing. I can't wait to see what she does next....

can you believe

of all the pictures I took I only have 1 of her alone.
just one.

dance costume

arrived today. I think it's going to require a class on how to put it on...seriously there are pieces that I have no idea where they belong.
I think the red socks just rock the outfit....don't you?
Of course she wants to wear it continuously, that could get interesting.
This of course is just a preview, professional pics are next Tuesday, the dance recital is on the 10th of May. I imagine there will be a few more pics taken.

this

http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/

site amazes me, inspires me, moves me....

it is heartbreaking and inspiring

it will move you.

I discovered this blog back in January. I have followed their story with hope and amazement. I have wondered, as we all do at times, how I would handle "this" (those life altering moments) in my own life. Would I be so strong? would I be so trusting? would I survive? I guess the answer to those questions simply lies in the telling when we do face those life altering moments. No amount of planning can ever fully prepare you for "this".

go read their story...

planting

this year we are going to attempt to start seedlings from the beginning stages.
Yes we are actually planting seeds with hopes of eventually being able to plant the tiny new plants outside (of course if it doesn't warm up soon that will never happen) So I purchased a starter kit, and yesterday we planted the seeds. So we almost scratched the whole thing when I discovered getting those little dirt pellets to absorb water and "grow" was perhaps more advanced than I originally thought. Given enough time, patience is such an amazing skill to have, we were on our way. So the orderly, labeled rows are pretty much non existent, oh they are still in rows, but as to what is planted in each well it's any one's guess. The mini greenhouse is now residing in the window in the dining room, taking in the feeble sunshine and hopefully those little seeds are doing their job. Before long we should have quite the little pre-garden developing on our windowsill.

caught reading...

found these two snuggled into the pillows in our reading area. So busy pursuing their books they hardly noticed me watching them.
Rosie now "reads" the books to me love listening to her, love hearing the explosion of words coming from her. When I finish reading a story to her rather than saying "the end" she says "amen" cracks me up every time she does it.

44

years.
That was the age i turned when this last birthday rolled around.
A nice even number, to be truthful it really feels no different than last week, or 34, or 24 for that matter. Actually my life today is quite similar in some regards to 24 in that I had three tiny kids, tired and exhausted were my best friends, and actually I weighed more then, than I do know. Move forward 20 years and I yet again have three tiny kids, tired and exhausted are now my constant companions and let's not start on the weight thing. :)
So I'm thinking this is a year that is going to be amazing! Also thinking that perhaps it's my lucky year with all those 4's attached to me this year. I was born on 4-24-64 and now I turn 44. Perhaps I should live this year in fours? Now that could prove to be an interesting adventure. At the very least I'm thinking I should play the lottery and 4's should definately be in my numbers :)
The flower above were from one of my daycare kids...simply made my day.

well hello winter

this is what I woke up to this morning....
I guess we skipped thru spring, zoomed thru summer, and some how missed fall, just to arrive back at winter.
sigh,
enough already.
enough.

Happy 21st Birthday Josh!

21 years ago I became a mom for the 2nd time, this time to a son.
I thought I knew everything, I discovered I didn't
He was patient with me as I figured it out.
He was an amazing baby and is an amazing person today.
How blessed I am to have been able to be a part of your life for these past 21 years, I can't wait to see what next you do.

the light rail

These pics would be on the way to the dome, not too crowded, although a few grumpy faces, what was that?
I had never taken the light rail so I was curious to see just what it was like. Rosie of course was thrilled to be riding on a "train"
she just kept peering out the window saying "look mommy look!!!" The return trip was a bit interesting, we had to wait for three trains before all 8 of us could get on the same train. Not a bad wait all things considering, we waited 30 minutes or so, I imagine we would have spent that much time waiting in traffic. I discovered I had actually rode the light rail I just wasn't aware of it. We took the shuttle between the two airports last spring when we traveled to New York, I didn't realize it was part of the light rail system and just thought it was part of the airport system.

a little game day video

It was fun to watch Rosie enjoy the game. Each time the crowd would applaud so would she. Each time music would play she would dance along. I tried to capture some of that, rather interesting to capture a moving two year old, so mixed in with her eating her cotton candy there is glimpses of what made me laugh all afternoon.

MN Twins game

We received tickets for the Saturday afternoon game. It was Foster care appreciation day. The little ones were pretty excited about traveling to the dome, I think the big kids were too. Saturday was free cap day as you can see some are modeling their new hats. Rosie wore hers for the rest of the day, so cute! The section we sat in had several other foster care providers, it was refreshing to not generate so much attention when our little party of 8 took our seats. There were more families with 5 or more children in attendance filling row after row, and they too were a rainbow of colors. ... how amazing that we blended in. Love the excitement and energy level that fills the dome, loved watching Rosie as she watched the activity on the field and the jumbotron screens. So glad Beckie was able to join us, so wonderful to have everyone together once again. How completely exciting that the Twins won! The drive home was a bit mellow, I had a pretty sleepy crew in my van.

more pics...

Rosie and Beckie bumping hats

minneapolis skyline

love this pic of Cassandra, Rosie, and Yahaira with the Minneapolis skyline in the background
Yahaira didn't make it thru the entire game she fell asleep for about an hour.
How she slept thru all the noise is a mystery.

tropical, minnesota style

She was too busy eating to pause for photos, so you get her eating :)
Love the decor at this hotel. With the fountains and the amazing plants it always makes me think of somewhere tropical. Maybe that is why it's my first choice of a hotel whenver we are in this area.