Before she was baptised with Dad.
The Asp family.
With Mum and Rach.
With Mom and Jim
Me and my girl!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Baptism
Today Leia was baptised. She looked gorgeous in her white dress. It was a very special and spiritual event. I am so proud of her and who she is. It's a big milestone for Gary and me. The boys wanted to join in her confirmation! Two of her Grandmas gave talks. It was wonderful to share this special time with family.
Before she was baptised with Dad.
The Asp family.
With Mum and Rach.
With Mom and Jim
Me and my girl!
Before she was baptised with Dad.
The Asp family.
With Mum and Rach.
With Mom and Jim
Me and my girl!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
C-A-OUCH
Well this morning was kind of dreary. We had originally planned to get outside and find a hike to do but by 11am it was still cloudy and drizzling. So we came up with the idea of having Leia's birthday trip to the Mall today instead of Monday. Monday has several drawbacks. We'd likely miss the Dancing with the Stars finale and the kids have school the next day so staying out late isn't the best idea. Leia had no objections as you might imagine so off we went. First we stopped at Target to get a new game for her Didj (Thankyou very much to Grandma Joan and Grandpa Jim) and then we headed to Build-A-Bear. That place must be a gold mine. I wish I had thought of it! And then we went for the scariest but most anticipated stop. The Piercing Pagoda. Yes, Leia had her ears pierced. And she did fantastic. There were two assistants with two guns so the holes were done simultaneously for only one sting. It went a bit like this.
"Leia, can you spell CAT for me?"
"C - A - OUCH"
She didn't shed a tear although I could see she had to fight it for a few seconds. And then Leia decided she wanted to go to the Chinese Buffet for lunch/dinner. Normally we get asked how old the children are when we go in. I said 8, 6 and 4 instead of 7, 6, and 4. Leia was delighted that she gets to be 8 a couple of days early.
Now none of this means we won't have a mini shindig on Monday. I decided I couldn't stand another Walmart/Target cake with copious amounts of buttercream icing so this week I went to Baskin Robbins and ordered an icecream cake for her. It's actually quite sad how much I'm looking forward to having a piece. And of course there's the Dancing with the Stars finale which Leia and I will cuddle up on the couch for.
And we are in the home stretch before Mum, Rachel and Max arrive. All there is to say about that is that I am beyond excited. Anticipation is sweet!
How cute is this bunny? I had no idea you could get Sketchers for stuffed animals.
My soon to be 8 year old. I'm sure you can understand why I'm feeling a little old today!
One of Leia's newly pierced ears.
"Leia, can you spell CAT for me?"
"C - A - OUCH"
She didn't shed a tear although I could see she had to fight it for a few seconds. And then Leia decided she wanted to go to the Chinese Buffet for lunch/dinner. Normally we get asked how old the children are when we go in. I said 8, 6 and 4 instead of 7, 6, and 4. Leia was delighted that she gets to be 8 a couple of days early.
Now none of this means we won't have a mini shindig on Monday. I decided I couldn't stand another Walmart/Target cake with copious amounts of buttercream icing so this week I went to Baskin Robbins and ordered an icecream cake for her. It's actually quite sad how much I'm looking forward to having a piece. And of course there's the Dancing with the Stars finale which Leia and I will cuddle up on the couch for.
And we are in the home stretch before Mum, Rachel and Max arrive. All there is to say about that is that I am beyond excited. Anticipation is sweet!
How cute is this bunny? I had no idea you could get Sketchers for stuffed animals.
My soon to be 8 year old. I'm sure you can understand why I'm feeling a little old today!
One of Leia's newly pierced ears.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
In the checkout at Walmart
If you were in the checkout line at Walmart and either the person in front or behind asked you what you were getting or how old you were simply out of curiosity you'd probably think they were strange at best or rude perhaps. I certainly would especially considering the things that have been in my cart over the years, like pregnancy tests, laxatives, and other unmentionables. But this morning, Spencer did just that to the gentleman behind us in line. And the gentleman seemed to enjoy the line of questioning if that's possible. It turns out he was getting food and is 59 years old. he then turned the question on the boys. Nathan said he was 4 and Spencer said he was 100. (Thankfully age is still something to aspire to in my son's mind - perhaps indicative of wisdom as it should be instead of something to avoid and run away from) The gentleman and I then entered into a pleasant conversation about surprise surprise England and the fact that he served in the Air Force himself and was familiar with RAF Lakenheath and Mildenhall.
If Spencer hadn't asked the impertinent questions, he and I would probably have stood in line looking suspiciously at each other until we had finished with our transactions and retreated back to our homes. It wasn't anything spectacular but I felt the joy of human contact. He seemed delighted that I said I loved Colorado and there was that connection that we often miss in the business of our lives.
My children seem to have that ability or gift of being able to reach out to people. My Dad had it. And there was something else that drew people to him anyway. When we were living in Ohio and my parents came to visit us for the first time, he worked his magic and by the end of the visit which could only have been a few weeks, I had several people at church asking me to persuade my parents to move into the area. In fact, the whole time we lived there I was constantly being asked if my parents were bringing their church records with them on the next visit and staying for good. And then at the end of church during their visits, we were always waiting on Dad who would be sitting in some corner with a couple of guys he'd met that day in earnest conversation. My Dad's Dad was in many ways the same. He would come to visit us when I was a kid and say hello, how are you to every person he passed in the street. He passed away about 15 years ago now so the memories are fading but those kinds of things you don't forget.
Do we know our neighbors I wonder? We've said hello to the ones on our left but relations haven't been excellent by any means. The ones to our right are great people and I feel we are on the way to calling them friends. But our children know all our neighbor's children and call them friends. I am grateful for my children who aren't afraid to reach out and make a connection. They help me to remember what's great about being part of humanity. They remind me that swine flu is not a good enough reason to stay inside all day and make my connections through facebook. We need to talk to people and love them.
And since Dad died I have felt a great big silence. I've often wondered what he's doing or if he's even aware of me still. But I honestly felt something today. Do we get prompted through a nosy almost 6 year old and a 59 year old stranger buying a candy bar? I'd like to think so.
If Spencer hadn't asked the impertinent questions, he and I would probably have stood in line looking suspiciously at each other until we had finished with our transactions and retreated back to our homes. It wasn't anything spectacular but I felt the joy of human contact. He seemed delighted that I said I loved Colorado and there was that connection that we often miss in the business of our lives.
My children seem to have that ability or gift of being able to reach out to people. My Dad had it. And there was something else that drew people to him anyway. When we were living in Ohio and my parents came to visit us for the first time, he worked his magic and by the end of the visit which could only have been a few weeks, I had several people at church asking me to persuade my parents to move into the area. In fact, the whole time we lived there I was constantly being asked if my parents were bringing their church records with them on the next visit and staying for good. And then at the end of church during their visits, we were always waiting on Dad who would be sitting in some corner with a couple of guys he'd met that day in earnest conversation. My Dad's Dad was in many ways the same. He would come to visit us when I was a kid and say hello, how are you to every person he passed in the street. He passed away about 15 years ago now so the memories are fading but those kinds of things you don't forget.
Do we know our neighbors I wonder? We've said hello to the ones on our left but relations haven't been excellent by any means. The ones to our right are great people and I feel we are on the way to calling them friends. But our children know all our neighbor's children and call them friends. I am grateful for my children who aren't afraid to reach out and make a connection. They help me to remember what's great about being part of humanity. They remind me that swine flu is not a good enough reason to stay inside all day and make my connections through facebook. We need to talk to people and love them.
And since Dad died I have felt a great big silence. I've often wondered what he's doing or if he's even aware of me still. But I honestly felt something today. Do we get prompted through a nosy almost 6 year old and a 59 year old stranger buying a candy bar? I'd like to think so.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Shorn
Well we finally got in a dinner outside in between bouts of bad weather. As you can tell from the picture, Leia was well pleased as was I. I am convinced that a good deal of outdoor living is essential to a person's well-being. I am looking forward to more dinners outside just as soon as this very annoying rain is done.
This afternoon I took Nathan to have his hair cut. I was trying to leave his hair and see what it looked like long. He has such lovely thick blond hair. But before I could realize my dream of walking down the street holding the hand of a cherubic child with hair down to his shoulders, my neat and tidy side took over and he was shorn. I think in the end I prefer the short look after all. The in-between stage beats me every time.
I certainly do love spending my afternoons with my little guy. I have been trying to get him to let me refer to him as my "baby" but he won't have any of it. He gets very angry and insists he is not a baby. I try to explain he's MY baby but the cause is lost. Here is a great picture I cannily shot just after I told Nathan he had to let Spencer have a turn on his Smart Cycle and just before he realized I had a camera and put on a fake smile. Gotta love that spunkiness that all my kids have quite a lot of!
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