Happy Mother’s Day!

To me Mother’s Day is a personal thing & not limited to just one day out of the year. It's really just another day, not because I don't appreciate motherhood, but because I am a mother everyday & I feel blessed by my daughter everyday. That's also why I didn't feel the need to get this out on Sunday. She has blessed our family. God trusted me to raise one of His children. That’s BIG! I appreciate the trust He has in me.

Kathryn made me a Mother's Day present at school…a beautiful new purse & a potholder!

I thought I would share some things I appreciate about motherhood…some are delightful, some pull at the heart strings, & some were incredibly embarrassing, nevertheless all of them are priceless; I appreciate them all, because without Kathryn & God they wouldn’t have happened…

*Offers to kiss my boo-boos when the boo-boo is on my foot & in the garden 5 minutes earlier.


*Tripping over toys & practically killing myself while doing so.


*Bringing me fresh cut flowers from the backyard that Daddy helped her cut.


*Leaving the children’s musical at church because she announced she wanted to go home & felt the entire auditorium of nearly 300 to know.


*Asking me a question only to ask me again because she wasn’t listening the first 5 times.


*Teaching me to have more patience when she helps me fold towels or load the dishwasher I’m particular about both.


*Requesting one more Popsicle even though she’s already had 4.


*Making bracelets & necklaces with her & hearing her declare that one of each was for her Daddy.


*Being told to do something the way she thinks it should be done. 


*Carrying her kicking & screaming out of church because I won’t let her have a doughnut.


*Dragging around a helium depleted balloon that she pretends is her puppy.


*Being asked to read one more story at bedtime after I just read 4.


*Being delightfully impressed with my child rearing when my daughter politely excuses us at the grocery store only for her to say it again loud enough to be heard 3 aisles over because the person didn’t hear her the first time.

Last but certainly not least...

I appreciate hearing a little voice call me mom, mommy, mama, & MOOOOOM! And, around the start of April she just started calling for me out of the blue & then she would say nothing...no response when I asked her what she wanted. She’d just continue playing as if I wasn’t there. Is she ignoring me or does she have a hearing problem? I gotta tell ya’ it was unnerving. How can I help you if you don’t answer me? Then it occurred to me like a frying pan on my noggin, literally…Are you just saying mommy...just to...say mommy? Yeeeees, I just like to say mommy! How many wacks with a frying pan does it take? About 3 weeks worth. I'll never tire of hearing her call me. I hear the appreciation she has for me in her voice even if it's just to say mommy. And that is enough for my Mother’s Day everyday of the year!



Thanks so much for visiting and remember to ALWAYS enjoy your own life's wild ride!

Summary of Our Days: Celebrating a Cool Day

Hello! I forgot to tell you yesterday that I told David I was going to start a sentence and I wanted him to finish it. I said, "Happy...?" He replied with,"Uh, Halloween? Birthday?" My birthday is in September, remember? "Uh, Easter? Thanksgiving? Anniversary?" Our anniversary is in August, remember, unless you have an anniversary with someone else I need to know about? Finally, I just gave up, it was just too painful for me. He's just lucky I have a sense of humor!

Anyway, since the weather was going to be a cool 75 today we decided to head for our new neighborhood. Lunches packed? Bob? Kathryn? Check, check...uh, hmm, Kathryn? Oh, yes, check! Off we went...

Our particular neighborhood has a north and south lake. Both lakes are surrounded by a trail and it is easy to access one from the other via a tunnel that connects the north and south.

The Beach Club on the left and the lake on the right...

Here are some fantastic lake views...great walking trails...1/2 mile from one side of the lake to the other...wow!...a sun bather...cat call whistle!...and a Weeping Willow (one of my personal favorites!)

we saw about a dozen turtles swimming, bobbing, swimming, bobbing...pretty cool!

This is the playground near our house...and there is Bob! Do you see him? Well, he isn't that hard to miss. He's the most recent addition to our family. I'm sorry, I think we neglected to tell you about him. He has three wheels. Ha, ha. Bob is running stroller. He has proved to be very reliable thus far. Attach a motor to him and I wouldn't have to run at all.

Ha, ha.

And, of course, we had to walk past the house once...okay, I think it was actually three or four times...and all I've got to say is that they better be packin' and getting their junk out of our house...

David is always ready for some fun with Kathryn.

Such a great father; patient and loving!

It was such a nice day we topped it off with a walk and a night cap at Starbucks!

Kathryn and I might go back to that playground tomorrow...in hopes of making some friends...yes, we're just a little anxious.

Goodnight!

Thanks so much for visiting and remember to ALWAYS enjoy your own life's wild ride!

Thousand Word Thursday: A Wild Shopper!

Kathryn LOVES to go shopping at The Rice Epicurean Markets in Houston, Tx. She loves that they have those tiny shopping carts that are just her size and she quickly learned where they were stored. Those tiny carts are the same reason David and I enjoy going, too! She attracts a lot of attention, not just because she is sooooo cute, but because of the way she pushes the cart! She just can't get through the store fast enough! She is so excited to have her cart she practically runs with it barreling up and down the aisles, with out any steering ability running in to just about anything! Earlier in the week an employee gave her a helium filled balloon, and I tied it to the cart distracting her even more from her cart boundaries!

Thanks so much for visiting and remember to ALWAYS enjoy your own life's wild ride!

Out for A Sunday Drive

Regardless of the heat, Kathryn and I were anxious to get outside. In the afternoon, we get a lot of shade in our backyard. We were glad to take advantage of it on this particular Sunday.

Kathryn joy riding in our backyard,

needing a tow truck,

and waiting for the gate to open.

Thanks so much for visiting and remember to ALWAYS enjoy your own life's wild ride!

Thousand Word Thursday: Thank You, WESSON!

It was not too long ago that my sister reminded my parents about the time when I was about 18-months-old (I think?). Those darn wrought iron railings sure can be pretty terifying to a toddler when they get their head stuck! Well, that was me about 34 years ago! Kathryn gave me just as BIG of a surprise to as I gave my parents those many years ago!


David was leaving for work this morning, said he had checked on Kathryn and that she was still sleeping. Like many other mornings when I have the opportunity, I decided to jump in the shower. While getting dressed, she started crying hysterically! It was a "bone chilling" cry! I KNEW something was seriously wrong! I don't hear that cry very often. Of course, my first thought was to grab the camera when I saw her, but her cry reminded me that she had other priorities. There she was, still in her crib, with one leg STUCK between two crib spindles just above her knee! I was panic stricken, going into shock, and feeling light headed! I was almost on the verge of crying hysterically myself!


My thoughts during this ordeal were many! "Oh, my GOSH, what to do, what to do? CALL 911! I think I may need to call the fire department to get YOU out! OKAY, OKAY, CALM DOWN! YOU can HANDLE this! Remain CALM and think rationally...butter? soap? cooking oil?"

Yesm that's it! Then I ran downstairs to get the cooking oil, Kathryn still crying of course, poured some oil on each sides of her leg and eased it right out! So, thank you Wesson, your "can-ola" sure CAN!




Afterwards, I thought...my fat head, her fat thigh!




Thanks so much for visiting and remember to ALWAYS enjoy your own life's wild ride!

Sweet as a Summer Peach

I had just bought some home grown summer peaches at the market and I was enjoying one (ok, really 3 or 4, but they're small!) on my parent's back deck. I shared some with Kathryn, but one or two bites just wouldn't satisfy her; she just kept coming back for more! Well, I decided that I had shared enough and gave her her own! She really is just as sweet as those peaches!

Thanks so much for visiting and remember to ALWAYS enjoy your own life's wild ride!

"I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For...

Ice cream!" Here's Kathryn anticipating her very first ice cream cone! Of course she's had ice cream before, but this was the first time she ws going to hold a cone while eating from it! I wasn't really sure what to expect. I certainly knew the worst that I could expect would be that she might cover herself in ice cream!

"Mmm!"

She wasn't very fond of the cone but she polished off the ice cream with no problem!

Thanks so much for visiting and remember to ALWAYS enjoy your own life's wild ride!

"Where Is Kathryn?"

"There she is! Peek-a-boo!" She REALLY loves playing hide-n-seek! It's so funny when she goes to hide because she isn't quiet about finding a hiding spot! We hear her running down the hall, closing doors, or laughing! It's just so funny!

Thanks so much for visiting and remember to ALWAYS enjoy your own life's wild ride!

The Girl of Many Hats!

Which of the Seven Dwarfs are these? 99% of the time I'd say she's Happy but sometimes she is Bashful, Sneezy, Sleepy, or Grumpy! And in that order! She put these hats on by herself as evidenced by the way they are positioned!

"Come on, let's go! What do you mean I need clothes? Aren't a diaper and a hat enough?" Here she is with Grandma's hat on!

Kathryn enjoys walking around the house with a hat covering her face laughing as she goes!

Ahh, the sweet smell of spring!

Kathryn just loves flowers! Picking them, smelling them (even those without a scent!) and yes occassionally trying to eat them! Note the lower lip!

She's a swinger!

Kathryn really enjoys swinging a lot! Here she is in her tree swing at Grandma and Papa's. She enjoys it so well that she isn't ready until she's had a good 1/2 hour of swing time! Even then she still has to be coaxed a lot!

I can hear it now...

Well it's about 10 years premature but I could hear Kathryn saying as I took this picture of her on the Gator, "Grandma said I could drive!" Of course, she would never allow it before she was old enough. But I can imagine Kathryn trying to put one over on me! She really likes wearing sunglasses!

There She Sits...

in my rocker from when I was a child! She climbs in it all by herself! She'll throw a fit if I try and help her! Little Miss Independent doesn't want any help! Get a load of those adorable little feet! My how they've grown!

Our New Playset!

Recently, we bought a new Little Tikes 8-in-1 playset. Actually, I found it Craigslist so I guess it is new, but gently used. Here are Kathryn's first few moments as she starts to explore her new play area. Why must children always find a hole and something small enough to fit through it?

And on one of her first times down this slide, "Uh, oh! Is this the ONLY way down!" She did make it down the slide...eventually, but only after a great deal of thought!

Thanks for visiting and remember to ALWAYS enjoy your own life's wild ride!

A Day With Gramma...

Kathryn was able to spend some one-on-one time with Grandma today while I went to a dentist appointment. What kind of fun did Grandma have planned for today? Building a tent! That meant Grandma was also in charge of the camera and these pictures are what she captured!

Kathryn giving Grandma and Papa's dog, Samson, a little LOVE squeeze!

"Who needs a horse...

...when I have Grandma to pull me around in my wagon!" This wagon was actually made to haul blocks around in. Although she is pretty cramped in there, she really enjoyed it and even cried when the ride was over!