Surprise!

Shock. Light headed-ness. Amazement.

In other words, a surprise party.



Oh, no you di'int! Oh, yes you DID! One of the greatest and most unbelievable moments of my LIFE.

Birthday Girl!

There's this one:


Or this one:


But I really like this one:


Oh! I just LOVE my birthday!

Your Momma!

It's Mother's Day! Hope you've had a chance to celebrate a special woman in your life; and if it's your own mommy, all the better!



May is a special month for me... not only is it generally breathtakingly wonderful weather and holds Mother's Day, it's also my birthday! I am perpetually eight years old when I think of my birthday. I get a little giddy at the thought of balloons and cake and cards, and totally embrace my inner Birthday Girl.

My very first Mother's Day after becoming a mother was also my birthday that year. These holidays coincide fairly regularly but for it to happen THAT year was a miraculous treat. I was so happy when I became a mom; thrilled to be a part of the club of mothers, and to be the birthday girl too? Bliss.

So hugs for you and hugs (and cake) for me :). And go call your mom.

You'll Never Guess Who Biked the MS150!

If you guessed me, we've obviously never met :).

My Mister did it. He did it! He set a goal and he trained and he biked over 150 miles: making new friends, checking an item off his life list, AND raising money for research all in one weekend. SO proud of you, Gorgeous! Da Boyz & I sure did miss you, and we are SO PROUD of you!

We've ordered you a cape, Super Hero. Hope it fits.

The Blessings of Sons

Dreaming Big

Yesterday in the car, the Rascal and I had this little exchange:

Rascal: Mommy, when I grow up, can I borrow your wallet?
Me: Why do you want my wallet?
R: So I can have some money.
M: Well, you'll probably have your own wallet.
R: Where will I get money?
M: You'll probably have a job and earn money.
R: What will my job be?
M: What would you like it to be?
R: Well, I could go live with Gran and Grandad in Kingsland. And I could work at Duckwall's [kind of like a Five & Dime shop]. Yeah. If I can't find your wallet, I can get a job at Duckwall's.

Go get it, son. Save some beef jerky for me.

'Cause Ya Gotta Have Friends!

The Rascal turned 5 this week (!) and he celebrated in several ways. The first thing we did was have a Christmas birthday with his class [his brother's birthday is Halloween, so he felt it only fair :)]. We went out to dinner with my folks and he got to "ride the saddle" while the whole place sang to him. Later in the week, we joined a friend who also turned 5 this month for a Build-A-Bear excursion.

It's been just plain neat to see him interact with all his buddies and even with the people around us in public places. He has this smile that lights up from within, and he generally treats others with kindness, empathy, and humor. Many of the kiddos he knows have been together since birth, and have known him since he was 18 months old, so they're all pretty tightly connected.

And I think about my Elder-- he's pretty independent, but he is able to get along with all kinds of kiddos. Want to talk about drawing and art? Can do. Learn about snakes or other animals? Yep. Run around like a Tasmanian devil, climbing trees, throwing rocks at the lake, getting dirty? Absolutely. And I LOVE the comments I hear from the parents of friends he visits. They always tell me how polite he is, how kind, how easily he finds compromise to keep the activity of choice moving forward... all things that make a mom's heart full to bursting.

So three cheers for friends! Life made more interesting!

at the Pumpkin Patch, 2007