who are growing up way too fast. Stay young a little while longer. I'll never get enough of your little girl smiles, kisses and hugs. Your four precious souls mean everything to me. You make my life so happy!!!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Rebecca Verna
Becca is my fall baby
Born October 3, 2001, 6 lbs 12 oz, 19 1/2 inches, my smallest peanut
By all accounts, we thought she was "Samuel", lower heartrate than the other girls, the morning sickness wasn't nearly as bad, everything seemed to be different with her pregnancy. Mum even wrote in my journal, "we can't wait to meet you Samuel". We were convinced Rebecca Verna was a bouncing baby boy.
To our surprise and delight, we welcomed our third daughter into our lives
She has been a joy and and source of love since that blessed day
Becca is named after Verna Owen, Jeff's grandmother, Becca's great-grandmother, Nana. Nana is 98 years old and one of the most amazing, inspirational, God-loving women I know. She will have you in stiches while singing her famous raps and in tears pouring out her heart in poems. She writes each of us a poem every single birthday, every single year. They just keep coming and we treasure each typed piece of paper with those special words she gives us. Nana is a priceless jewel and I am so blessed that Becca shares in her legacy wearing her name proudly. Proverbs 22:1 says "A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold." How true is that!
Becca is my most reserved daughter. She has come out of her shell in the past few years but as a baby, she was so quiet, so good, never fussy, content always, my only baby that never used a pacifier. We'd have to keep checking on her in the bouncer because she literally would sit for hrs in that little chair and never make a peep. She spoiled me...or maybe she knew that she was the 3rd girl and that things were already pretty hectic in the household. Whatever the reason, I remember Becca being such a perfect little baby!
Becca loves soccer, basketball, drawing, writing and her favorite subjects in school are art and math. Just recently in 3rd grade, she mastered the math SOL scoring a perfect 600. She can't wait to be featured on the Wall of Fame at school signifying her accomplishment. Becca's writing also amazes me. When given writing assignments in school this past year in 3rd grade, the teacher usually expected a page or so to be turned in. Becca never stuck to that standard. Always, at least 3-4 pages, all stapled together, usually typed, would be hanging in the hallway. That's my Becca. I like to think she gets that from me, the writing. I adore writing. I hope Becca will decide to keep journals for her children some day as I have kept for all 4 of mine. It's such a memory to be able to go back and read about all the neat nuggets that without writing them down, you'd be sure to forget. Becca has a passion for writing, I hope she always does.
Becca is also my thinker. She never acts impulsively, but rather ponders and thinks out the situation and then makes a decision. I love that about her. She has a calm about her that is really neat to watch. She also isn't really influenced by friends too much. She is her own person, doesn't succumb to peer pressure and dances to the beat of her own drummer. Becca has a heart of gold and loves unconditionally. Yes, she and her sisters can fight like you've never seen before but the sincerity I see in each one of them afterwards makes me feel like maybe, just maybe I'm doing my job as a Mother and teaching them love. Love is the greatet thing there is afterall.
Becca is beautiful, Becca is unique, Becca is special and I love her dearly.
oh..did I mention she loves snakes???
Born October 3, 2001, 6 lbs 12 oz, 19 1/2 inches, my smallest peanut
By all accounts, we thought she was "Samuel", lower heartrate than the other girls, the morning sickness wasn't nearly as bad, everything seemed to be different with her pregnancy. Mum even wrote in my journal, "we can't wait to meet you Samuel". We were convinced Rebecca Verna was a bouncing baby boy.
To our surprise and delight, we welcomed our third daughter into our lives
She has been a joy and and source of love since that blessed day
Becca is named after Verna Owen, Jeff's grandmother, Becca's great-grandmother, Nana. Nana is 98 years old and one of the most amazing, inspirational, God-loving women I know. She will have you in stiches while singing her famous raps and in tears pouring out her heart in poems. She writes each of us a poem every single birthday, every single year. They just keep coming and we treasure each typed piece of paper with those special words she gives us. Nana is a priceless jewel and I am so blessed that Becca shares in her legacy wearing her name proudly. Proverbs 22:1 says "A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold." How true is that!
Becca is my most reserved daughter. She has come out of her shell in the past few years but as a baby, she was so quiet, so good, never fussy, content always, my only baby that never used a pacifier. We'd have to keep checking on her in the bouncer because she literally would sit for hrs in that little chair and never make a peep. She spoiled me...or maybe she knew that she was the 3rd girl and that things were already pretty hectic in the household. Whatever the reason, I remember Becca being such a perfect little baby!
Becca loves soccer, basketball, drawing, writing and her favorite subjects in school are art and math. Just recently in 3rd grade, she mastered the math SOL scoring a perfect 600. She can't wait to be featured on the Wall of Fame at school signifying her accomplishment. Becca's writing also amazes me. When given writing assignments in school this past year in 3rd grade, the teacher usually expected a page or so to be turned in. Becca never stuck to that standard. Always, at least 3-4 pages, all stapled together, usually typed, would be hanging in the hallway. That's my Becca. I like to think she gets that from me, the writing. I adore writing. I hope Becca will decide to keep journals for her children some day as I have kept for all 4 of mine. It's such a memory to be able to go back and read about all the neat nuggets that without writing them down, you'd be sure to forget. Becca has a passion for writing, I hope she always does.
Becca is also my thinker. She never acts impulsively, but rather ponders and thinks out the situation and then makes a decision. I love that about her. She has a calm about her that is really neat to watch. She also isn't really influenced by friends too much. She is her own person, doesn't succumb to peer pressure and dances to the beat of her own drummer. Becca has a heart of gold and loves unconditionally. Yes, she and her sisters can fight like you've never seen before but the sincerity I see in each one of them afterwards makes me feel like maybe, just maybe I'm doing my job as a Mother and teaching them love. Love is the greatet thing there is afterall.
Becca is beautiful, Becca is unique, Becca is special and I love her dearly.
oh..did I mention she loves snakes???
Friday, August 5, 2011
New Chapter
It's official...
I have a job.
After treasuring my life as a stay-at-home Mom for the past 14 years, I am going back to work. I will be working the front desk at a Ballroom Dance Studio in Charlottesville. I'll be managing the billing, updating the web site, posting on Facebook, scheduling lessons, answering phones and interacting with the clientele.
In addition to all this, I'll be doing so much more...
I'll have a life outside my home.
I have very mixed feelings about this, mostly excitement but definitely some anxiety. I've never NOT been home for my girls when they got off the bus after the first day of school. I've never NOT been able to go to their orientation to meet their new teachers. Field trips? I've gone on just about every one of them. I've volunteered in classrooms, graded papers, ate cafeteria lunches, walked in straight lines through the hallways, and have loved every minute of those lovely days. My girls tell me, "Mom, we'll be fine," The fact is I know they will be, but will I? I think I am battling most with the realization that maybe, just maybe my girls won't need me as much as they always have. They'll be able to get off the bus, unlock the door and fix themselves a snack (yes, there will still be homemade cookies sitting on the counter waiting for them the first day of school). They'll be able to sit and do their homework without Mom's help. They'll be able to arrange a playdate without Mom calling their friends. They'll be able to (gasp) fix dinner AND do the dishes. This is what I've been training them all these years to do, right? Give them wings to fly. I just never expected that the little baby birds were going to have to help the Momma bird out of the nest.
Monday starts my new life...
Monday starts a new chapter in my girls life as well...
Better start baking those cookies! :)
I have a job.
After treasuring my life as a stay-at-home Mom for the past 14 years, I am going back to work. I will be working the front desk at a Ballroom Dance Studio in Charlottesville. I'll be managing the billing, updating the web site, posting on Facebook, scheduling lessons, answering phones and interacting with the clientele.
In addition to all this, I'll be doing so much more...
I'll have a life outside my home.
I have very mixed feelings about this, mostly excitement but definitely some anxiety. I've never NOT been home for my girls when they got off the bus after the first day of school. I've never NOT been able to go to their orientation to meet their new teachers. Field trips? I've gone on just about every one of them. I've volunteered in classrooms, graded papers, ate cafeteria lunches, walked in straight lines through the hallways, and have loved every minute of those lovely days. My girls tell me, "Mom, we'll be fine," The fact is I know they will be, but will I? I think I am battling most with the realization that maybe, just maybe my girls won't need me as much as they always have. They'll be able to get off the bus, unlock the door and fix themselves a snack (yes, there will still be homemade cookies sitting on the counter waiting for them the first day of school). They'll be able to sit and do their homework without Mom's help. They'll be able to arrange a playdate without Mom calling their friends. They'll be able to (gasp) fix dinner AND do the dishes. This is what I've been training them all these years to do, right? Give them wings to fly. I just never expected that the little baby birds were going to have to help the Momma bird out of the nest.
Monday starts my new life...
Monday starts a new chapter in my girls life as well...
Better start baking those cookies! :)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
McKeesport Memories
Wikipedia defines McKeesport as:
a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny Rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 24,040 at the 2000 census. It is the second largest city (not including townships, boroughs, and Home Rule Municipalities) in the county after Pittsburgh.
Settled in 1795 and named in honor of John McKee, its founder, McKeesport remained a village until 1830 when coal mining began in the district. Large deposits of bituminous coal existed.
McKeesport was incorporated as a borough in 1842 and as a city in 1891. Its population grew steadily until the mid 20th century, when it peaked in the 1940s. The city's population in 1900 was 34,227; in 1910, 42,694; in 1914 (US estimate), 45,965; and in 1920, 45,975. 55,355 people lived in McKeesport in 1940. The decrease in the population since the 1940s is attributable to the general economic malaise that descended upon the region when the steelmaking industry moved elsewhere. The major employer was the National Tube Works, a manufacturer of iron pipes, which once employed 10,000 men. McKeesport was the site of the first G. C. Murphy 5 and 10 cents store.
My definition: The place I call Home!
We had the most unbelievable summer. We traveled so much, visited family and friends, put thousands of miles on our very worn Pontiac Montana, and enjoyed every minute of it. First trip was McKeesport, PA to visit our PA family. Going to Mum and Poppy's house is always a treat. We spent time on the river with Poppy and Aunt Donna and Uncle Bob. Abby and Elizabeth were able to water ski. They did really well. We swam at Aunt Donna's pool, had pizza parties, played cards at Memas, hung out at Mindy's, played pinball at Matt's and finished our vacation with a trip to Kennywood. Always a great time in McKeesport, PA.
a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny Rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 24,040 at the 2000 census. It is the second largest city (not including townships, boroughs, and Home Rule Municipalities) in the county after Pittsburgh.
Settled in 1795 and named in honor of John McKee, its founder, McKeesport remained a village until 1830 when coal mining began in the district. Large deposits of bituminous coal existed.
McKeesport was incorporated as a borough in 1842 and as a city in 1891. Its population grew steadily until the mid 20th century, when it peaked in the 1940s. The city's population in 1900 was 34,227; in 1910, 42,694; in 1914 (US estimate), 45,965; and in 1920, 45,975. 55,355 people lived in McKeesport in 1940. The decrease in the population since the 1940s is attributable to the general economic malaise that descended upon the region when the steelmaking industry moved elsewhere. The major employer was the National Tube Works, a manufacturer of iron pipes, which once employed 10,000 men. McKeesport was the site of the first G. C. Murphy 5 and 10 cents store.
My definition: The place I call Home!
We had the most unbelievable summer. We traveled so much, visited family and friends, put thousands of miles on our very worn Pontiac Montana, and enjoyed every minute of it. First trip was McKeesport, PA to visit our PA family. Going to Mum and Poppy's house is always a treat. We spent time on the river with Poppy and Aunt Donna and Uncle Bob. Abby and Elizabeth were able to water ski. They did really well. We swam at Aunt Donna's pool, had pizza parties, played cards at Memas, hung out at Mindy's, played pinball at Matt's and finished our vacation with a trip to Kennywood. Always a great time in McKeesport, PA.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Say it Now
It's been a while since my last post, no excuses, just glad to be back.
Today I'm thinking about all the great things that are written about people AFTER they pass on
...after they leave this earth
...after they've lived their life.
and
I wonder.
Did they know the impact they made?
Did they know how much they were admired?
Did they know how much they were loved?
I really would love to start a outpouring chain of letters written to moms from daughters, sons to dads, sisters to sisters, friends to teachers, teachers to students, children to grandparents, you get the picture.
So today I sit, after reading a beautiful tribute to a college student who lost his life last week at UVA after falling 40 feet from a University building (he just wanted to take in the view of the beautiful campus) and I'm at a loss for words. Well not really, but I just wonder if this young man knew the impact he had on his fellow friends, teachers and world?
Today I will begin my chain of letters, simply titled SAY IT NOW!
Today I will focus on my friend Kim. I choose Kim because today I was at her house helping her paint her bathroom in preparation for her home listing. She is moving. Soon. Her husband Whitney has been commuting to Richmond from Greene county for over 3 years now and before that he commuted to Culpeper for years. This is over an hr commute, one way, and he just doesn't want to do it any longer. So as I think about losing my dear friend, to distance, I can't help but reflect on our past 10 years.
I met Kim March 2001, soon after moving into our current home in Preddy Creek. Kim was hosting a play date for the neighborhood kids and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to meet some Moms and hopefully develop some lasting friendships. Never in a million years did I think that I would meet one of my best friends in the world! I only had Abby and Elizabeth at the time, they were 5 and 3. Kim just had Landon, he was 2. I was pregnant at this first play date with Becca and realized later just how hard it was for Kim to hear of my pregnancy as she had just miscarried. Prayers were answered when she became pregnant again a few months later with Drew.
I found it very unbelievable how much Kim and I had in common.
1. We are the same age
2. We both have ANN as our middle names
3. Our husbands both have ALLEN as their middle names
4. We both have moms named LINDA
5. We both had lived in Pennsylvania
6. Kim and Whitney share the same anniversary as my parents, September 2
7. Kim has one sister and one brother, I do as well
8. Kim doesn't have any family living closeby, I do not either
9. We joked that both our firstborns are named ABBY - my daughter and her cat
10. We both lived in the Fairfax area early in our marriages at the same time
Is this not such a coincidence? Or is it fate? Or is the Lord bringing 2 ladies together to share life knowing that we needed eachother so very much. I like to think it was God's special planning!
Over the years Kim has become not only a dear friend but another Mom to my girls, an encourager, a listener,
We've been through a lifetime together in the past years.
We've been through births of our babies and deaths of our grandparents.
We've been through potty training and preschool,
Playdates and swim parties
Field trips and soccer fields
Girl scouts and youth group
Carpools and cookouts
Lifegroups and birthdays
Pedicures and surgeries
Injuries and awards
Shopping and baking
Cooking and crafts
Visits from family and holiday fun
First days of school and last days of summer
Neighborhood walks and 4 mile runs
Bat bites and tick bites
Fractured skulls, stiches, sprained ankles and breast cancer
Giggles and sketches and backyard fun
Broken bones and broken hearts
Puppies and dog watching, cat watching too
Trampoline jumping, music recitals, church plays
Performances, dances and everything in between...
We've laughed, we've cried, we've lived.
I think the world of you Kim Hoffacker. You are a treasure of a friend. You're kind, you always are thinking of the other person, you constantly offer a helping hand, you're always interested in my life and others too. You're beautiful, talented (extraordinary talent), and always cheerful, full of excitement. I am a better person having you for my friend. 10 years seem like such a small portion of our lives but these past 10 have molded me into the person I am today, knowing that I had you for my friend, standing right beside me every step of the way. It will be difficult to say the least living life without you right up the street from me.
But....we will be visiting, Richmond is a mere hour away, a short distance between close friends!
Love you Kim!!!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
My dear Abby
It's beautiful and scary to see time pass right before your very eyes. Children grow up, parents age, friends move, time never stands still..
I'm thinking about my first born Abby today. Thinking about the fact that she'll turn 16 in just a few months. 16!!! I remember when she turned 3 and we threw her a huge party in Ashburn, VA, at the park with "lots and lots of slides". How she loved that park, and we'd spend hours, days, weeks at that park. I remember it fondly because not only did I share that time with my 2 daughters Abby and Elizabeth (infant at the time) but also with my sissie Mindy and her little girl Anna. We'd pack our lunch, our suncreen and bugspray and head over, plant our blankets on the ground and let the kids run free. Lots of laughs and tears were left at that little park in Ashburn. Such precious memories.
I'm thinking how quickly our lives pass by. We are flowers quickly fading, as Casting Crowns writes in the song "Who am I?"
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
Vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours
We only have one shot at this thing called life and I want to make mine an expert shot (I was an expert sharpshooter in the Army, can you believe that?).
Abby has her permit now. She is driving whenever possible, morning, noon and night. Trying to get her 45 hrs of driving time in, so anxious to get her license in November. All I can think is...this can't be happening. Abby is growing up. She is dating, she wears makeup, she does laundry, she's planning for college, her first apartment, her future. I get choked up thinking about it because even though I knew when I had her I'd have to send her off into the real world someday, I never really believed it would happen. She'll be a junior next year, a junior. Only 2 more years and she'll be off to college. I want to savor these next 2 years as much as possible. I want to forget about the things that don't really matter (like the cleanliness of her bedroom) and REALLY enjoy my Abby. I want to go shopping for dresses, get manicures, go out to lunch together, catch afternoon matinees, stop and watch the sunset, hold her, hug her, laugh with her, cherish her.
When life catches up with me, I want to remember that as crazy as life gets, we are only promised TODAY, not tomorrow, not a month from now, not 2 years from now. Life is a great big canvas and we need to throw all the paint on it that we can.
I love you Abigail Linda Tibbetts. You are a constant source of joy and love to my heart!
Think Green
It was a crafty day here at 46 Birch Way yesterday. Those who know me know I adore my crafts. I dream of someday having all my craft supplies neatly organized (even labeled) in bins with tags and lots of large tables, desks with rolls and rolls of blank paper for my girls and me to be creative. I'm on my way to achieving this...
Yesterday we were Thinking Green with St. Patrick's day right around the corner. Becca had to create a leprachaun trap. For a grade, using some sort of simple machine. Little did I know that a ladder is a simple machine.
Simple machine - an unpowerd device that makes work easier
I'm sure I learned that back in elementary school. Good think I have my girls to teach me the basics now.
Anyway, we created a leprachaun hat using an oatmeal canister. The ladder was made by hot gluing small twigs together to make steps. Love it! What do you think? I hope Becca catches those sneaky leprachauns. She is not taking it into school until the due date, out of fear that someone will copy her...isn't that a hoot?
Since Becca was making a cool leprachaun trap, Tori had to follow with one herself. Here's her mini version...adorable!
And since Becca and Tori were making cool leprachaun goodies, Elizabeth had to join in the fun. She created this out of a soup can for a friend celebrating her birthday 3/16. We're going to fill it with gold Hershey treasures and green lollipops. I think it's darling, and cost to make = $0. Best part of it!
Do something creative today, make a gift for a friend, bake cupcakes for a neighbor, send a cheerful email to a long-distance relative. You never know how your actions can affect another loved one!
Yesterday we were Thinking Green with St. Patrick's day right around the corner. Becca had to create a leprachaun trap. For a grade, using some sort of simple machine. Little did I know that a ladder is a simple machine.
Simple machine - an unpowerd device that makes work easier
I'm sure I learned that back in elementary school. Good think I have my girls to teach me the basics now.
Anyway, we created a leprachaun hat using an oatmeal canister. The ladder was made by hot gluing small twigs together to make steps. Love it! What do you think? I hope Becca catches those sneaky leprachauns. She is not taking it into school until the due date, out of fear that someone will copy her...isn't that a hoot?
Since Becca was making a cool leprachaun trap, Tori had to follow with one herself. Here's her mini version...adorable!
And since Becca and Tori were making cool leprachaun goodies, Elizabeth had to join in the fun. She created this out of a soup can for a friend celebrating her birthday 3/16. We're going to fill it with gold Hershey treasures and green lollipops. I think it's darling, and cost to make = $0. Best part of it!
Do something creative today, make a gift for a friend, bake cupcakes for a neighbor, send a cheerful email to a long-distance relative. You never know how your actions can affect another loved one!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Flowers, pebble paths and birdbaths
This morning I am dreaming of spring...
ahhh, the smell of the fresh air, the birds chirping, fresh mulch, clean windows..
I really am dreaming.
I do love everything that comes with the arrival of spring. Everyone is excited to work in the yard, clean up the winter debris (ie. pine straw), plant a garden. This spring I'm trying to be ahead of the game; I've drawn a sketch of the things I'd like to achieve in our back yard. The first thing is to clean under our back deck. Jeff is going to enclose the mulched area with a brick wall. I plan to plant hostas, maybe some ivy and other green shrubs underneath. I also can't wait to hang our 2 hammock swings I scored at Plow and Hearth a few months ago. They are just like my Aunt Donna's she has hanging under her deck in PA. My girls love to sit there and swing all their cares away. It's a lovely feeling. I hope mine will be swinging soon.
I'd also love to have another shed in my backyard. I adore sheds, especially the little cottage sheds that look like litte pockets of paradise, perfect spot to tinker in the yard and enjoy quarts of lemonade in the heat of the summer.
I can envision this in my backyard, isn't it grand! My Mom always says she loves her little "rooms" in her backyard. I'm beginning to feel the same way. Something about looking out your window and seeing such delightful little spots, planted perfectly on your grass. I'll keep dreaming of my little cottage shed...
I'll close with this French Proverb very fitting for my garden dreaming today...
"If you would have a mind at peace, a heart that cannot harden, go find a door that opens wide upon a lovely garden."
Hope your day is as lovely as a cottage shed!
ahhh, the smell of the fresh air, the birds chirping, fresh mulch, clean windows..
I really am dreaming.
I do love everything that comes with the arrival of spring. Everyone is excited to work in the yard, clean up the winter debris (ie. pine straw), plant a garden. This spring I'm trying to be ahead of the game; I've drawn a sketch of the things I'd like to achieve in our back yard. The first thing is to clean under our back deck. Jeff is going to enclose the mulched area with a brick wall. I plan to plant hostas, maybe some ivy and other green shrubs underneath. I also can't wait to hang our 2 hammock swings I scored at Plow and Hearth a few months ago. They are just like my Aunt Donna's she has hanging under her deck in PA. My girls love to sit there and swing all their cares away. It's a lovely feeling. I hope mine will be swinging soon.
I'd also love to have another shed in my backyard. I adore sheds, especially the little cottage sheds that look like litte pockets of paradise, perfect spot to tinker in the yard and enjoy quarts of lemonade in the heat of the summer.
I can envision this in my backyard, isn't it grand! My Mom always says she loves her little "rooms" in her backyard. I'm beginning to feel the same way. Something about looking out your window and seeing such delightful little spots, planted perfectly on your grass. I'll keep dreaming of my little cottage shed...
I'll close with this French Proverb very fitting for my garden dreaming today...
"If you would have a mind at peace, a heart that cannot harden, go find a door that opens wide upon a lovely garden."
Hope your day is as lovely as a cottage shed!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Scrapbook has begun...
Poor Tori, almost 7 years later and her scrapbook has not begun...
I guess that's what happens when you're the fourth child.
The scrapbooks dwindled after each child...
Abby's goes till she's 3 (she's 15)
Elizabeth's goes till she's 2 (she's 13)
Becca's first year is complete (she's 9)
And Tori, well, I just didn't get to starting hers.
BUT....today was the day!
She is going to be so thrilled when she gets home from school and see some real pictures (not just on the computer) put on paper, along with sweet sentiments from her Mommy who absolutely adores her...
4 pages complete this sunny March morning...
It's a step, a step in the right direction...
I've always loved this quote and it sort of sums up my feelings for creating journals and scrapbooks for my girls to have later in life...
"We shape our lives not by what we carry with us - but by what we leave behind."
I hope I will leave a legacy of love for my sweet daughters.
I guess that's what happens when you're the fourth child.
The scrapbooks dwindled after each child...
Abby's goes till she's 3 (she's 15)
Elizabeth's goes till she's 2 (she's 13)
Becca's first year is complete (she's 9)
And Tori, well, I just didn't get to starting hers.
BUT....today was the day!
She is going to be so thrilled when she gets home from school and see some real pictures (not just on the computer) put on paper, along with sweet sentiments from her Mommy who absolutely adores her...
4 pages complete this sunny March morning...
It's a step, a step in the right direction...
I've always loved this quote and it sort of sums up my feelings for creating journals and scrapbooks for my girls to have later in life...
"We shape our lives not by what we carry with us - but by what we leave behind."
I hope I will leave a legacy of love for my sweet daughters.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Being a Mom...
My last post was about being so grateful for my four little girls
i am grateful for them
but....
there are those days when I question every thing I've done to make my kids respond to me the way they do
for example...
Becca's soccer practice was moved to 3:30-4:30 today, sort of an impossible time for us to get her to the field 20 minutes away when i need to have Abby at a follow-up appt in harrisonburg (45 min away) at 4:30 and Jeff doesn't get home from work till 4:15...
i broke the news to her this morning and you would have thought I missed her birthday or something, very extreme.."thanks Mom (with a look of disgust, disbelief and utter bitterness, and I'm underexaggerating her response)" was all i got. do I not get them to every activity of their lives and strive to always provide as many extra-curricular events i can write in my little calendar? i don't get the "thank you" for every thing i take them TO just the cold shoulder about what they cannot make...being a mom is sometimes tough to say the least
and then there's my Abby
my precious Abby
my almost-16 year old Abby
my full of raging hormones Abby
need i say more....
earlybird pe...the dreaded earlybird
if i would have known almost 2 years ago what i know now i never would have agreed to this earlybird thing
it's really "for the birds"
wake Abby up at 6am, plenty of time to leave by 6:30am...oh, we drive the carpool this week
it's 6:26am and Abby screams down wrapped in a towel from the shower what the weather will be like today??
WHAT!!
it's time to leave Abby, you have 4 minutes to get downstairs
"but Mom, it's not my fault that the clock in the bathroom is 10 minutes slow"
of course not Abby but you could have gotten up when i woke you, you need to hurry and get downstairs or dad will have to leave without you...
repeat this same scenario over and over again and get a taste of my typical morning with earlybird pe...TORTURE!
and then there's my sweet little tori...
running downstairs in a panic and sweat that Elizabeth is showering when it was HER turn to get a morning bath. Elizabeth takes ultra long showers and uses all the hot water and leaves the rest of the family cold, literally
tori thought it was her turn this morning...
again, MY FAULT this was happening, how could i let Elizabeth shower this morning?? tori ranted and raved...
tomorrow tori is your day to be first, i know it's hard being the youngest and also the one who leaves the latest in the morning...your sisters are teenagers though, you'll realize one day how important it is to look good at school (and then realize that it really wasn't)
nothing much happened with Elizabeth today except that she's missing one red soccer sock, my fault I'm sure, but the fact is she has a tournament tomorrow and needs 2 red socks...guess I'll be heading into town to the soccer store...
all this and it's only 8:16am...better pour another cup of coffee, or better yet, brew another pot.
i am grateful for them
but....
there are those days when I question every thing I've done to make my kids respond to me the way they do
for example...
Becca's soccer practice was moved to 3:30-4:30 today, sort of an impossible time for us to get her to the field 20 minutes away when i need to have Abby at a follow-up appt in harrisonburg (45 min away) at 4:30 and Jeff doesn't get home from work till 4:15...
i broke the news to her this morning and you would have thought I missed her birthday or something, very extreme.."thanks Mom (with a look of disgust, disbelief and utter bitterness, and I'm underexaggerating her response)" was all i got. do I not get them to every activity of their lives and strive to always provide as many extra-curricular events i can write in my little calendar? i don't get the "thank you" for every thing i take them TO just the cold shoulder about what they cannot make...being a mom is sometimes tough to say the least
and then there's my Abby
my precious Abby
my almost-16 year old Abby
my full of raging hormones Abby
need i say more....
earlybird pe...the dreaded earlybird
if i would have known almost 2 years ago what i know now i never would have agreed to this earlybird thing
it's really "for the birds"
wake Abby up at 6am, plenty of time to leave by 6:30am...oh, we drive the carpool this week
it's 6:26am and Abby screams down wrapped in a towel from the shower what the weather will be like today??
WHAT!!
it's time to leave Abby, you have 4 minutes to get downstairs
"but Mom, it's not my fault that the clock in the bathroom is 10 minutes slow"
of course not Abby but you could have gotten up when i woke you, you need to hurry and get downstairs or dad will have to leave without you...
repeat this same scenario over and over again and get a taste of my typical morning with earlybird pe...TORTURE!
and then there's my sweet little tori...
running downstairs in a panic and sweat that Elizabeth is showering when it was HER turn to get a morning bath. Elizabeth takes ultra long showers and uses all the hot water and leaves the rest of the family cold, literally
tori thought it was her turn this morning...
again, MY FAULT this was happening, how could i let Elizabeth shower this morning?? tori ranted and raved...
tomorrow tori is your day to be first, i know it's hard being the youngest and also the one who leaves the latest in the morning...your sisters are teenagers though, you'll realize one day how important it is to look good at school (and then realize that it really wasn't)
nothing much happened with Elizabeth today except that she's missing one red soccer sock, my fault I'm sure, but the fact is she has a tournament tomorrow and needs 2 red socks...guess I'll be heading into town to the soccer store...
all this and it's only 8:16am...better pour another cup of coffee, or better yet, brew another pot.
Friday, February 25, 2011
my daughters
when i was young i always hoped i'd have a daughter
maybe even four
sort of like my own little women
i knew i wanted my little girls named after special members of our family.
i love these children of mine
i do
i love everything about them
they are everything i dreamed of
i'm working on special letters for them
but every single time i begin to think what i want to say
i start to cry....
i love you my four little women
i am so proud of what you're becoming
i love being your Mommy
maybe even four
sort of like my own little women
i knew i wanted my little girls named after special members of our family.
i love these children of mine
i do
i love everything about them
they are everything i dreamed of
i'm working on special letters for them
but every single time i begin to think what i want to say
i start to cry....
i love you my four little women
i am so proud of what you're becoming
i love being your Mommy
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