Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior.  We went to our church's Christmas service on Sunday.  Then, we attended our traditional Christmas Eve breakfast for my husband's extended family that has been held for over fifty years.   And, last night we had my family over for our Christmas Eve dinner.  This morning, we had the pleasure of having had our very soon to be son-in-law stay overnight and experience "Santa" with us for the first time.   

My three sons!

Christmases Past - Part Two

This ornament just makes me laugh!  J made it at the age of three, and it is SO him.  He has an idiosyncrasy about numbers.  He doesn't like odd numbers, either.  In his car the stereo volume dial must be turned to an even number.  He is a freshman in college now and thinking of majoring in business/actuarial science.  It sounds like it suits him perfectly.  Even he laughs at this ornament, thinking it was the perfect way to place sticker "ornaments" on his tree!    He loves his linear design.

Christmases Past - Part One

I have quite a few handmade ornaments from my children's school days.  They are my favorite things to look at on one of our trees.  Each one has a story, and that is what I LOVE!  So, let's begin:

This first one is a preschool picture of our boys embellished with whatever supplies their teachers had on hand at the time.  Oh, how these make me smile every time I pass the tree. 

 

This JOY ornament used to be on my parents' tree.  But, our daughter loved it so much when she was little that they just let her bring it home.  It was the sparkle that she adored!

One more preschool picture just because they were so cute!

This Santa ornament always hangs at the bottom of the tree because it is interactive.  Little ones can pull the string and his arms move up and down.

C's First Wedding Shower

C had her first shower today, a Christmas ornament shower!  It was so much fun and so special.  A great family friend, who also happens to be the wedding director, hosted the shower at her home.  She also got married in February  and was given an ornament shower when she got married.  C received so many beautiful ornaments from family and friends. 

  I would like to share one special ornament that brought this Thankful Mom to tears.   The poem about the ornament was written by C's future mother-in-law.

Wedding Countdown!

It is hard to believe that in just 70 days, C will walk down this aisle to become Mrs. B!  We are literally counting the days now. 

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Truly Thankful

All of my children are in the house this morning.  As I sit here and hear the three of them in another room, it warms my heart.   Their laughter is music to this mama's ears.  Oh, how very thankful I am to our gracious God who allows me to be their mom.  It is such a blessing; thank you, God!

Happy Birthday, JM!

Today is JM's 20th birthday.  I absolutely cannot believe  he is that old, and that makes me even older!  He has a night class on Tuesdays, so we met him for dinner last night.  We celebrated his place in our family and thanked God for the privilege of sharing our lives with him.   He and his siblings have made me a better person!  We love you, JM.   That last fella was not too happy about everyone leaving him to go to dinner!  ;-)

Happy Birthday, C!

Happy birthday (yesterday) to the leader of our pack - we love you, sis!  She is a quarter of a century.  ;-) 

Happy First Date Anniversary!

Thirty-four years ago today, these two teenagers had a first date.  This picture is not of the first date, but several months later -wow!  The first date was on Friday, October 13, 1978.  Thank you, God, for choosing this man for me.   It has been a blessed 34 years. 

Happy Birthday!

Today is my birthday! Sweet C made these Apple Cider Caramel Cookies for me, and they are delicious! I do not eat chocolate; I know, my family tells me it is crazy.  But, caramel is a definite weakness, so chewy and gooey- yum! She got the recipe from Six Sisters. They have the best recipes!  My family also gave me a new bike, as you can see.  I like to ride in the morning, thus, the reason it is dark.   My bike has a basket, which is my favorite feature.  I love it! The basket is removable so I can carry it into the co-op, shop, and ride home.  Love, love, love!!

Dress Fitting

We went for the first dress fitting today!  Can't wait to go for the second in a month, but we will not be sharing any pictures.  ;-)

Congratulations!

Yesterday, C received a letter informing her that she passed the state bar exam!!  It was one happy day around this place.  She was crying and shaking like a leaf as she read it.   We are all SO proud of her and extremely glad that it is over.   Thank you, God, for our C and her ability to "do hard things."

Off to College

Today we took our sons to college.  JM is a returning sophomore, and J is a freshman, both at the same great school in our state, not very far down the road from us.  May I just tell you that I am very thankful for that! We got an early start this morning and it was a gorgeous day.  It took us about half a day to get everything in and them settled. JM's roommate moved in today also and joined us for lunch after the moving party. J's roommate doesn't move in until Friday. C even got to help her brothers move today.  She was excited since they have helped her move, ahem, 13 times!  I am not sure exactly what came over me today, but I held it together VERY well and didn't even cry.  And, for me, that is HUGE! You might say I am a tad on the sentimental side (if any of my children are reading, they are laughing hysterically.)  I cry at the drop of a hat, even sappy commercials!  So, the only explanation I can come up with is that the good Lord is preparing my heart for this season that our family is getting ready to experience.  And, I am grateful and my heart is full.

Summer is Winding Down

Just spent a few days enjoying this view and these people...and a couple others that I somehow missed getting pictures of!  Now, we are home packing to move these two handsome young men, pictured with their grandmother, into college in two short days.

Woohoo!

C sat for the bar on July 24 and 25 and moved home on the 27th.   We drove to meet her, G, and G's parents for dinner after the bar to celebrate her being finished!  It was a rough couple of days  (especially considering the power went out for an hour in the building where they were testing - unprecedented, I believe!)  Check out those big smiles!   Now, wedding planning full speed ahead...

"Sis"

C has had a very busy, busy summer.  She has been studying for months in preparation of sitting for the bar, and it is this week.  The bar exam will be Tuesday and Wednesday, and then she will be moving home on Friday.  I am pretty excited about that little fact.  We will be in the same city as we finalize details for her wedding!    Sis, we cannot wait for your stressful summer to be over for you.  We love you!

Friday, the 13th

Friday, the 13th is a special day in our family.  My dad was born on a Friday, the 13th in 1937.  The hubs and I had our first date on Friday, October 13th, 1978. Wow, sounds like such a long time ago!   JM was born on a Friday, the 13th.  What a blessed day that was for us!  So, I thought I would post on this Friday, the 13th and share a picture of something in our house that ALWAYS makes me smile when I walk by it.  JM loved a "bouncy ball" when he was a little tyke.  Everywhere we went, that is what he wanted for his souvenir.  It was such a small gesture that meant so much to a little boy!   And, this is what happened over the years... I love looking at this colorful jar; it brings back lots of happy memories of a curly haired, precious little guy who loved a "bouncy ball."

Happy Fourth of July!

From Henry and Family

Happy Birthday and Anniversary

While the hubs and I were gone, we celebrated his 51st birthday and our 28th anniversary.  Wow,
I cannot believe we have been married that long!  Happy belated  Birthday and Anniversary, I love you...

Summertime

The hubs and I have been here (and Henry,of course.) Only one of our children was able to join us and only for a couple of days. So. It has been our first taste of this "empty nest" that we are getting ready to experience. Summer is a great time to slow down and enjoy God's beautiful creation, and we have done just that! Happy Summer, everyone! 

J's Graduation 2012

A new chapter begins... Congratulations, J! We love you.

Coach B

J's tennis team had their end of season party last night and celebrated Coach B. This was his last year of teaching and coaching. He has been the tennis coach at our high school for 18 years. The coach before him had been there somewhere around 30 years. Only two coaches in almost 50 years - wow! JM and J both played tennis for Coach B all four of their high school years; he is a great friend that we love dearly. At the athletic awards night, the athletic director honored Coach B by sharing some of the many reasons we all love him. He used the phrase "We should all BE LIKE MIKE." So, in honor of Coach B, the boys wore these for the party!

LAST last day of school

May 31 was J's LAST last day of school.  He was very excited; can you tell?  ;-) And, the baby picture is just for pure cuteness factor!  I couldn't help myself.....

Special Times

We have been blessed with a friendship of another family for many years. It started when the oldest girls were dancing together.  The L family also has three children: A - 22, K - 19, and B - 17.  We have had the awesome privilege of sharing many trips with these friends, and I thought I might show you how our families have grown (literally) over the years! There are not any pictures from our first trip together because it was before the days of digital photography. One of my tech savvy children will have to show me how to add those photos one day! I could share so many more moments that we have enjoyed, but I will leave you with these. The memories we have made together are priceless, and we are so thankful for the times we have shared!  Update: I got the picture from our first trip to Disney added; I didn't even need one of my children to help, just mom, S, from the L family! Thanks,S!