One Year Old Beauty

You had me at the first moment I laid eyes on you...you know, your first 10 minutes of life...so beautiful...so perfect...

Last month, you turned one...walking, full of mischief and wonder, an expert at the "Elvis lip"...so beautiful...so perfect...

SO LOVED

Having a party

In just over a week my baby girl turns 11. EEEE - LEV - EN!!!!! For reals! What does an 11 year old want for a party?  Sounds like a spa party this year! Nope, not going to the spa but, we are purchasing face masks and nail polish and watching a Hilary Duff movie, eating grapes and berries and cheese and crackers and a bright blue cake with orange and pink gerber daisies piled on top of it.  These daisies will also be strewn across the living room.

Guest bags have bath bombs, lip balm, book marks, dessert gums, sparkly pens and maybe some candies...

Did I tell you she is going to be 11? I think I may have just (literally) felt 4 or 20 gray hairs pop right out of my head... Again, for reals!

Happy Friendiversary

18 years ago, I lay in a hospital room, having just had a beautiful baby girl (one who we all know as Rush). A young lady bounded across the room to her bed across the room from me, her boyfriend fooling around using the wheelchair.  She had just had a baby boy.  We introduced ourselves and the rest, they say, is history.

18 years of friendship. 18 years of laughter, tears, silliness and support.

Thanks, Shea, for being born on the 5th, making a way for me to get to know you and your amazing family!

Love you Crys!   Too bad we live so far apart happy friendiversary wings would be in order! :D

Time sure flies

when you're having fun!

When I met this beautiful young lady she was just a baby; she would snuggle with me and giggle. She wrapped me around her tiny little finger. I have watched her grow from a squishy cheeked baby to an absolutely gorgeous young lady with an amazing sense of humor! I wish we could spend more time with you...know that we love you to pieces!

Crazy, fun-loving girl!

Happy 14th bday, BabyK!!!! (July 28th)

They say it's your birthday...

...ok, ok...I promise you I will not sing!  It's just...it's just that I {sniff} practiced and {sniffle} worked really hard and...nah, just kidding!

Anyway, back to the birthday thing.

Today just happens to be a very special day for my dear Rush. Today she turns 18 years old.  Holy guacamole, Batman! Did you say 18?!?! Yes, I sure did! 18 years old. She said on facebook "Well, it's official. I am old." Pardon me my dear but I am double your age so what does that make me... ha ha ha...

We had a wonderful birthday outdoor bbq for her on Monday (for my American friends, that means 'grill' not real bbq). What was on the menu for an 18 year old's meal of choice? Steaks - medium rare, stuffed potatoes, salad, multi-grain bread with asiago and artichoke spread and angel food cake with strawberries and strawberry icecream.  Yumalicious.

Once I got home I realized that I didn't get a single picture of me with my girl but I did get some shots...

My beautiful 18 year old girl! What a delight you are! I am so thankful our relationship is growing stronger and stronger, that you feel you can call me and talk, that we laugh and have fun again. My heart is full of so much joy. I love you baby!

SURPIRSE!!!!!

Jellybean is turning 10 on Friday (Wait a cotton-picking minute!!!!  My baby is gonna be 10!?  Someone pass me a paper bag; I just may be hyperventilating! {grin})

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Jellybean is turning 10 and she all ready has some of the greatest friends in the world!  I am not exaggerating or stretching the truth here in any way, shape or form.  In fact, I will let you be the judge.

Due to our up-coming trip to the States to see her brother, we, as a family, decided to forego a big friends birthday party and she will, at some point, have a friend go with us to the wave pool. Her friends decided that that would not do and they began to plot and conspire to have a party for Jellybean. (Keep in mind that these girls are 12 years old and younger - NO JOBS)  They took a poll of their classmates to secretly find out what Jellybean's favorite pizza, chips and pop (soda) are. (yes, I just ended a sentence with a verb! My english teacher always HATED that)

Now, they were in a pickle because they had no means of buying this stuff. So these young girls began shovelling people's sidewalks, raising money to surprise my daughter with a birthday party! {As a matter of fact, I am crying! Thankyouverymuch!} They bought a cake mix and a mint aero chocolate bar to crumble on the cake as decoration and got the one girl's mom to bake it, got her over to the house by telling her that they had clothes to give her and voila! SURPRISE!!!!!   A party in their basement for my darling Jellybean! 

They even decorated the basement with Christmas lights...

These are good kids!!  Darn good kids!!!  The honor, the respect, the love that Jellybean and her friends have for each other and others melts me into a big ole' puddle of goop!!!

Today

is my birthday.  I am... I am... How old am I?
(insert elevator music whilst I do some figuring...)

I am 36 years old today.

I have accomplished a lot in my 36 years.  Some I am proud of, some not so much but guess what, it has all made me who I am today and I am so appreciative of it all.

This year I will spend my birthday working until 5 and then, I am on my way to KC, MO!  It seems strange to not be with my kids. They stayed back with Grandma and Grandpa watching them (and the lizard).  It seems strange to be so close to it being a year since Rush ran away from home. It doesn't seem like that long ago yet it also seems like forever.

I am not sure what I will have for internet access so it may or may not be quiet around here.  If it is quiet, it will be quiet for a week and then I will have loads to say and lots to share. I do have some old posts from my original blog scheduled in an attempt to move them over and leave you with something to read if you happen to pop on by.  I will be updating on Twitter via text if I don't have access to internet or even a computer so please feel free to keep up with me there!  (MyHrt03 is my twitter name)

Sometimes it isn't easy

to be joyful, to find the positive in things... Yesterday was most definitely "one of those days".  Yesterday was Rush's 17 birthday.  It was the first time I have ever  not been with my daughter on her birthday, not celebrated the day she was brought into my life, not been able to hold her in my arms, kiss her softly on the head and whisper in her ear just how very much I love her.

I can tell you that it threw my entire day off kilter.  I was not myself.  I had a bad attitude about everything - me and Eyore, like attitudes yesterday.  To elaborate, I wasn't willfully speaking "depressed donkey" but it seemed like everything I set my hands to do lacked gumption, get-up-and-go, umph.

I even believed that my car had just completely died because I was trying to speed up just a smidge and the car kept slowing down more and more. Immediately I thought, "That's it; this stupid car has finally bit it." You know, until I realized my foot was on the brake. {yes, I just admitted this publicly and yes, it will be added to the book of dumb moments in my life}

I am letting every little thing get to me.  Let me re-phrase that.  Up until this very instant, I have been letting every little thing get to me.  I am rising above that and refuse to allow anything to come and rob me of my joy!

No, I am not. Who am I trying to kid? I am heart broken. I miss my daughter. I miss feeling whole. I miss feeling like I know her. I wish I knew what happened...

I have a gut feeling....I spoke to someone about it in B.D.'s church (the one I have to attend)....she told me to stop being foolish and support my husband....a month later I had an angry daughter who left in the wee hours of the morning....

Slacker!!! Part Two

Yes there is more, perhaps nothing else quite as funny as PART ONE, but more just the same to excuse my disappearing act as of late.

I helped a friend to plan his wife's (and my friend) 40th birthday.  There was lots of texting, lots of getting my husband to talk to her husband so she wouldn't suspect why I was talking to him when she wasn't there.  I couldn't talk to her or look her in the eye for 2 weeks because I was afraid to open my mouth near her - thinking that the moment I did this verbal diarrhea of invitations, cakes, foods and presents would spew from my mouth.

She is with me on the worship team and we had decided to have a cake for her after practice with the team - the perfect ruse to make her think her husband had planned the lamest 40th birtday bash ever!  It was perfect!  Except at the last minute they needed me to get the cake and get the party somewhat organized...on the same day as the original party! 

The. Same. Day!

2 hours away from each other!

Apparently I am totally capable of doing that because, well, I did!

Party #1 ( at 1:00 p.m.)

Party #2 (at 3:00 p.m.)

Mmmm Chocolate..

Some of the yummy sandwiches.

Delicious punch (if I do say so myself)

Veggie tray!

The invitations.

The surprise!  We pulled it off! We ate.  We laughed. We ate.  I said that right? And then I was so tired from getting it all made, planned and together that I went home and napped for 2 hours.

See.  No where near as funny but very, very time consuming.  Oh and now, that the party is over, I can talk to both of my friends again.  Whew!

I Promise, We Didn't Raise Her This Way {wink}

As I sit here, with the laptop on my, well, lap, I am watching Jellybean play boxing on Wii Sports.  Let me invite you into the monologue I am getting.

Oh!  Yeah! You want a piece of me?  You want a piece of the birthday girl?

C'mon!  How do you like that? And that? How 'bout that?

Huh? Is that making you hungry?

You wanna knuckle samich?

Huh?  You hungry?  I can give it to ya!

You likin' that?

I'm not even breakin' a sweat here!  You're probably tellin' your friends I'm a pro.  Heh, bro!  Take it!

You can't take down the birthday girl!

I'm all over this thang!  Oh yeah, that's right.  Take that!  Gettin' beat by a girl!

5...6...7...8...9...10

and that's a knockout!

Suckah!!!!

Who taught this girl to talk smack?  Oh wait...Perhaps I should be callin' by lawyer on this one; I don't want to incriminate myself...

Hard to believe

but nine years ago, I met her

(sorry for the poor quality - it's a picture of a picture.  I don't have a scanner)

This is Rush holding Jellybean (with her strawberry blond hair)

Jellybean enoying the bouncy yard toy my dad had in his backyard.

She has turned into such a fun-loving, kind-hearted, honorable, young lady with so much integrity, love, compassion...

Me & my girl - my beautiful, precious girl.

Oh, Jellybean, the love I have for you is uncontainable; the things I hope for you indescribable. You are the sunshine in the darkest of nights, the finish line at the end of a tremendous journey.  You, my sweet Jellybean, are the beat in my heart (of course so are your brothers and sisters). 

Who would have known when you were born that we would wonder if we would ever hear your voice? Finally at age 4 1/2 you were talking.  You never let that get in your way.  You are determined and tenacious in a most wonderful way and you never let the system dictate to you that you would not make it.  Each grade you proved to them that you could, would and DID pass!  You have shown me how to never give up and to never allow situations to dictate the outcome.  I am SO proud of you, babygirl - so very proud!

I love your hugs, snuggles and when you pray for me - your passion shines through. You are Daddy's Uggie, Unlce Wayne's Huggy Uggie and my Jellybean and we LOVE you!

Happy 9th Birthday, darling!  I hope your day is absolutely, wonderfully, amazingly great!