Embracing Life

Here is our annual bucket list for summer 2012. The yellow is a little hard to read, so here they are: Learn to tie our shoes Catch lightning bugs Bubble bath in the kiddie pool Scavenger hunt Mommy date with each child

Last week, I was off of work two days. One, an unscheduled sick day. The other, a very scheduled, very needed mental health day. (Plus I had to use up my personal day before the end of our year, June 30.) It was just the break I needed. First, the kids' stuff: Mismatch Day at Preschool Kindergarten Graduation Beach Party Night at Colin's Speech School Now for the "ME" stuff: I gardened (Is that even a word?) I prettied up the deck I went for a run I ate a healthy lunch. ALONE. WITH A BOOK. I got out my summer clothes and organized my closet. I read some more. I snuck in an AWESOME movie with my husband. We had popcorn  When the kids came home from school, I felt refreshed. It was something I hadn't felt in months. So glad for some me time before we start on our summer bucket list.

Which one is Connor age 2/3 and which one is Cousin Reid age 2.5??? As a side note, when we go out with Reid,  he is the same height as my almost 4 year old twins.  People always ask if I have triplets.  Happiness is family. And cute kids. ;)

This is my little girl. She is full of spunk.  And has an outstanding fashion sense. The way I look at it, I had 3 years to put my twinkles in coordinating outfits.  That time has since past. Colin sticks with his favorite 2-3 t-shirts or Mr. Hugh Hefner wears pajamas all day long. Keira Princess Rose (the name she gave herself),  has more eclectic tastes when choosing her outfit for the day. That outfit, minus the sweater and velvet hat, was what she choose  to wear to my uncle's cookout on Mother's Day. Who am I to argue with fashion? Or maybe I'm just smart enough to pick my own battles. If she wants to wear the same shirt and skirt for 3 days in a row (I do wash things at night if she will take them off long enough to put on pjs for bed), then so be it. And when she twirls around in her favorite skirt and asks me: Do I look pretty, Mommy? I respond with love each time: You look beautiful baby girl.

It was my choice to not bring the children to Gigi's wake or funeral. Well I had decided that the twins would not go, and Connor chose not too. They are 3,3, and 5, so I was not going to push the issue.  They did however draw goodbye pictures for Gigi.  They do not know that the pictures were buried with her, as well as ones drawn by my niece and nephew.  They don't have to know that until they are older. But I did take pictures of them to remember. Gigi lived for her great-grandchildren. They were her happiness and joy.  It's a roller coaster.

Last Tuesday, my 86 year old grandma passed away.  It had been a hard year for her and the family.  She had suffered a stroke on Christmas Day, and since then had not rebounded like she had done in the past.  She broke some of her ribs when she fell during the stroke (she fell down the stairs).  A few weeks later, she fell again (possibly stroke-related) and broke her wrist. She suffered a long case of pneumonia, as well as kidney failure and other health issues.  We knew it was coming, but it was still a very sad event. Her wake was Thursday and the funeral was on Friday, at the church where she grew up. As with my grandpa's funeral, we were able to drive the funeral procession past the house where she spent 54 years married to my grandfather, before his passing in 2006. My wedding day in 2004. You wouldn't know from this picture, but Grandpa had Alzheimer's, and he was unable to come to my wedding.  He stayed home with a nurse so Grandm...

I've fallen behind with blogging lately. But there is a lot going on.  Gigi is slowly getting ready to meet Grandpa in heaven, our weekends have been filled with friends' birthday parties, and I was gone two Saturdays in a row.  I feel like I've fallen behind on housework, and I know I am super behind at work. But in my teeny-tiny bit of free time, I've been reading! At the RT Convention last month, I signed up for a FAN-tastic day pass.  To be honest, the entire goal of going was to meet JR Ward.  However, what they didn't mention on the website was that the big-name authors - Ward, Rice, Harris, etc. gave out 200 wristbands only. And if you were a conventioneer, you got an early access to the book fair.  Which I was not. So there was no wristband for Sarah. And no meeting JR Ward. (Sniff, sniff.) However, I did get to meet a lot of other great authors! Darynda Jones, Jeaniene Frost, Lauren Willig (Pink Carnation series), Angela Knight ( Mageverse series...