It's raining

Yahaira certainly enjoys the rain. Her

first words this morning wereI go out and

play? Aaahhhh to capturethat little people

joy in the weather.Instead I see that it's it's

cloudy, drippy,and just gloomy rather matches

my mood today

Picking Dandelions...

This has to be the most favorite pastime of the
girls and the daycare kids. Kevin wanted to spray
them with weed killer, I had to get creative in my
argument to keep them. After all what is a few
weeds when you see the excitement and laughter
those very weeds create in little ones.

Ice Wars...

Rosie discovered the open bag of ice on Sunday.
We were making homemade ice cream and apparently
the creating process wasn't nearly as entertaining to
her as the bag of ice. She started out just pulling an
ice cube out and watching it melt in her hands, soon
she progressed to dropping it on the ground and
watching it melt. Fascinating stuff I tell you. It wasn't
long and she intentionally or accidentally discovered that
if you throw ice at a person, and it actually lands on them
they tend to scream or react in a totally fun way. Cassandra
by choice become her target. Seriously the kid has dead on aim
too funny! Well Cassandra didn't think so, but it was highly
entertaining watching this little one chase Cassandra all around
the driveway. Never realized just how fun a bag of ice
could be.

Happy Mother's Day!

Linette borrowed the kids on Saturday and they created this. It has their hand prints on it, along with their names and ribbons, too cute, and I love it! We definitely put it to good use yesterday with all the planting we did. They were so excited that they made it. Thank you Linette for giving them that fun experience. Hope your Mother's Day was filled with laughter and happy moments. Mine was great.

spring

A robin has decided that one of my hanging flower baskets was the perfect place to build a nest. What a nest it is complete with one perfect egg. It will be interesting to see if the egg actually hatches. The kids are having fun watching this particular sign of spring.

Trolley ride....

Thursday Gerry brought his trolley to the daycare and took the kids for a ride thru town. They had a blast! Linette's daycare kids joined mine which made for a large group of little people. They loved waving at the cars as we went thru town. Of course it was very exciting when they saw someone they knew. Afterwards the kids were able to pet the horses, Rosie was not so sure about that at all! What a fun activity, what a exciting ride!

scenes from a birthday

balloons....check
cake....check
presents wrapped in paper and ribbon.....check
family and friends to help celebrate.....check
equals one very excited 3 year old!

Dance recital

Saturday morning was Gracie's Dance Recital. I love going to these events, love seeing how she changes from year to year. This year Gracie's group looked so amazing, they have improved so much, and have so much confidence. Love watching their energy and excitement as they perform. Next fall we will begin the weekly dance lessons, Yahaira is now old enough to attend. She can't wait!

Prom 2007

Saturday May 5th, 2007. It rained most of the day, pausing briefly just before they left, so we were able to get a few pics outdoors. Cassandra's date was Dustin who patiently waited thru numerous photos :) with very little complaining. Cassandra and Dustin joined Katie and her date Dustin, and Ryan and his date Johanna, for a limo ride to Mankato where they ate at Charley's. The limo drive mentioned to a friend of his that he was bringing prom kids to eat, and that person paid for the kids meals, too cool. Thankfully by the time they arrived at school the rain had paused and walking into the school wasn't a soggy mess. The wind was not so fun to contend with. The theme this year was A Moment In Time, the gym was beautifully decorated with clocks and columns, blue, white, and silver balloons, it looked awesome! After prom they attended theparty held at the armory. Cassandra loved the obstacle course and the hypnotist. Back home at 4 for breakfast and then out on the living room floor. She was up by 11, and in a fairly good mood. Amazing I know.
What a beauty, with a bit of attitude.

Prom 2007

Prom 2007

A quick preview of prom...
more pictures to come, many many more pictures

My Party....

Yahaira can't say birthday too well yet, so all day yesterday she kept saying "my party!" She of course was running on hyper drive, and didn't nap. So by the time the kids came home from school she was in a word tired! Thus the crabby faces in some of those pics. She did come around when it was time for the pinata, and was totally excited about the presents. Her favorites....the mermaid jacket and the barbie doll complete with car. What a fun day...what an amazing little girl!

Today she is 3

It is hard to believe she is 3.
She wasn't suppose to survive the first 24 hours in the hospital. she did.
She was suppose to have damage to her brain, resulting in a life of hardship. she overcame.
She wasn't suppose to walk, to see, or perhaps hear. she does.
She was never going to be normal after her injuries. she is so completely normal.
God smiled on this child. He gave her strength to overcome each hardship, courage to face each obstacle, and love.
She is a miracle!
We have shared her journey for 31 months. We know how blessed we are. We have watched her grow. We have watched her face each challenge and succeed. We are better people for knowing her. She has taken the shouldn't haves, the cant's, the negatives, and turned them into positives. She is amazing.
So today we celebrate her birthday, and know what a remarkable thing it is.
Happy Birthday Yahaira! Life with you is truly a special gift.

Sometimes...

She actually sleeps. It is rare. She simply has too much to see, too much to do, too much to explore. She is a constant bundle of energy, pausing to eat for brief moments, sleep? No time for this, she has reinvented the word curious. So when she does sleep, I find myself watching her. Thankful that she has given me a bit of time to recover, and recharge. I love how she sleeps as she approaches life, completely and totally in the moment. I love the sense of calm that surrounds her. I find myself wondering what she is dreaming that puts that smile on her face. I realize that my life is more complete, more fun, just simply more amazing having her in my world. When I am pulled in far too many directions and tested in far too many ways I try to remember how she looks when she sleeps.

outside

"I go outside?" is what I have been hearing lately. From the moment they get up until well into the evening this is their request.
It is wonderful to have them out where they can run and play. They definitely love the warmer spring days. Of course all this outside activity requires baths every night...totally a hit with this crowd playing in the water is a complete bonus.

Spring

Warm days, sunshine, green grass. Love this!
Love when I look out my kitchen windows I see leaves on the trees rather than bare branches.
Love that my flowers are coming up, and everything seems fresh and new.
Love that my lilac bushes have buds on them.

Brandon's Confirmation part 2...

A few pics of Brandon with the Haycraft crew. Kevin and I are his godparents, so fun to watch him grow into an amazing young man.

Brandon's Confirmation

Today was Brandon's Confirmation. A beautiful day, sunny and warm. So fun to watch the service and see what all these young people have accomplished...wonderful to gather with friends and family after to celebrate this milestone. The pics above are of his poster, Brandon and his family, and with Grandpa Plath.

Camping out..

Haycraft style!
I am not a outdoorsy, camping, nature loving individual. Don't get me wrong I love the outdoors. I will even hike along nature trails on occasion. I love the beauty of nature that surrounds us and more often than not I chose to walk along the trail that surrounds the lake rather than thru residential areas. It's the camping I have issues with. The sleeping on the ground, no running water, no electricity, serious issues. I have camped, many times when I was younger in tents, campers or cabins. I can only say I was simply too young then to no any better. We did try camping when the kids were young, we went twice, after rain, cold, one child throwing up in the middle of the night, and snow. It was enough after that the Haycraft's camped at Holiday Inns. One thing I do love about camping was the fire. Love the smell of wood burning, sitting near the warmth of the fire when it's dark and only the stars are out. Love that peacefulness, that atmosphere. A few years ago I found the best of both worlds, when I discovered the portable fire pit. That first year we used it endlessly. We have used it consistently each summer a few summers not so often. Life you know. Last night we began what I hope is a frequent tradition this summer. We started the fire pit. The kids were the first to pull their lawn chairs out around it. We roasted marshmallows and consumed a few s'mores. Attempted to find the little dipper, sigh anyone know where that darn thing is located? Nice to hang out with the neighbors and enjoy this first taste of summer.