43 Today.

Today I turn 43 years old.

This is a birthday I have looked forward to for as long as I can remember.
At least for all of my adult life.

Other birthday in no way can hold a candle (figuratively speaking) to this one.

You see today I am 43.
The same age my mother was when she died.
I was 8 ... almost 9 ... exactly a week after she died.

43.
So young.
With a family.
A full life to still live.

I've always felt if I can just reach this 43rd birthday then I have in some way succeeded.

Today I succeeded.

I am so happy to be a wife, a mother, a sister and a daughter.

I have a very happy and long life to live.
I will do that in YOUR honor Momma.
I love you.

You Have WHAT In Your Nose?!?

This adorable little guy gave me a pretty big scare last night ...


At bedtime Griffin started sneezing and I asked him if he was okay. He said "No Mommy I have a rock in my nose". I thought he might have a build up in his nose and might need to blow it to release what he was calling "the rock" in his nose. I went to get him a kleenex and some medicine and he came running in the kitchen and once again said "Mommy I have a rock in my nose". I said do you really have a rock in your nose? He said yes.

I looked in his nose and didn't see anything. He was being pretty persistent about it so I got my handy dandy flashlight out and looked inside his nose. At first I didn't see anything but I had him put his head way back and looked. Sure enough there was something in his nose. I freaked out. I truly did not know what to do.

Of course one of my first questions was how on earth did you get a rock in your nose? It was on my shoe Mommy and I took it off and put it in my nose.

When did you put it in your nose? When I was in the classroom.

Did you tell your teacher you put a rock in your nose? Yes, I told Mrs (no name) and she said "OH".

So ... I was thinking we were going to have to have it surgerically removed. Then, I started thinking a bit more rationally. How are we going to get this rock out of his nose.

I told him I was going to hold the other side of his nostril closed and I needed him to blow his nose as hard as he could. It worked! Rock came out.


I took this picture of him holding the rock up to his nose this afternoon. The chocolate on his lips is from the ice cream sandwich he had just enjoyed.

The rock was between 1/4" and 1/2" big. It's huge! How he got it in his nose I just can't figure out. It's even bigger than MY nostril. I just can't imagine what could have happened over night while he was sleeping if he had not told me.

I've communicated with his teacher at school and we've cleared up the misunderstanding of the situation. He did tell the assistant teacher in his classroom that he had a rock in his nose. He blew his nose and she looked and didn't see anything. She thought it was taken care of because he didn't say anything else. That's all she could have done. I just wish he had been more persistent about saying "No, really I *do* have a rock in my nose".

I'm telling you ... this was one scary situation.

I'm just glad it's over and he's okay.

All About Me ~ Griffin's Project.

Griffin received his first kindergarten homework assignment ...


The assignment is called "All About Me". His teacher sent home a sweet ME cutout and he was to add things that he enjoyes.

So we looked at pictures and thought of things he likes and I printed them out for him.


He then took his scissors and cut out the pictures and placed them around the ME page. He kind of went a little overboard with the pictures ... but that's okay.


He is so proud of his homework project ... he took it into school this morning.



Here's a better look at some of his current favorite things ... airplanes, cupcakes, popsicles, Legos, Transformers, Star Wars, apples, the color orange, playing t-ball, playing soccer, swinging , riding in the buggy with daddy, John Deere combines, doing art projects and his absolutely favorite thing? Orca whales!

It was so much fun watching him express himself ...

Hello!

It's hard to believe it's been more than a week since my last post.

I'll be honest I just haven't felt much like being on the computer lately.

After being sick with pneumonia for over two weeks and actually sick a week before that, I decided to take the week before Griffin started kindergarten off to be with him.

Last week he began kindergarten and he loves it. He's adjusting to going to school Monday - Friday. And I am too. I miss him ... alot!

This morning after dropping him off at school I missed him right away. I can hardly wait to get him off the bus this afternoon and do something FUN together!

In the mean time I'm trying to find my way. Figure out my new schedule and what I want to do. I am going to be creative and create new things but lately I just haven't felt very creative. This morning I am sitting down to the computer to catch up on emails and get pending orders organized and hopefully that creative bug will bite so I can get caught up.

Wishing you a great day ...

About His First Day Of Kindergarten

Griffin had a great first day of kindergarten. At first he would tell me nothing about his day but when we were outside playing he shared, then at bath time he shared more and then finally at bedtime he shared the most. It's going to be a GREAT school year!

First Day Of Kindergarten.

Today is Griffin's first day of Kindergarten ...


He was very excited to go to school this morning.

Mike, Grandma and I took him to school and he was a champ.

I'm looking forward to hearing about his day at school when he gets home this afternoon.

I'm such a proud Mommy!

Busch Gardens ~ Virginia

We enjoyed a fun filled day at Busch Gardens with Keisha and Darius.

This was our first trip to Busch Gardens here in Virginia.

It was wonderful.


Sesame Street is the theme throughout the children's area.


The boys on the first ride of the day ...


... then on to the next!


They have this great water area ... the boys cooled down and enjoyed it.


Love this picture of Griffin and Darius on the dragon boat ride.


Of course meeting some of the characters was great fun too ... here the boys are meeting the very flirty Zoe.


And it's the red dude himself ... Elmo!


If there is an airplane ride around you know Griffin is going to want to ride it!


I can't remember the name of this ride ... it's the first time I've seen a ride where the kids lay on their tummy.


After a long, hot, fun-filled day ... it's time for a final picture and a relaxing ride home.

Keisha and Darius thank you for inviting us ... we had a GREAT time!

Piggy Houses.

It feels good to feel good again. After being sick with pneumonia for over two weeks I'm feeling alot better!

Last Friday was the first day I felt well enough to really do anything.

Griffin was SO ready to have a playdate. First up we met friends at Chic-Fil-A for lunch and then we came back to our house for some playtime.


We took a buggy ride down to the fields and the boys wanted to get out and run, run, run!


Our friend Carol introduced the term "piggy houses" to us. They are actually hay bales however piggy houses sounds much more whimsical. Here Griffin is getting up close and personal with a piggy house.


Of course he wanted to get on top too ...

We only have one more week of summer vacation before Griffin begins kindergarten. We are delighted to have a fun filled week planned!

MIA.

I've been MIA from my blog this past week because I've been a bit under the weather.

I was sick all week with a cold and feeling pretty bad.

I started feeling a little better mid-week but on Friday when I still wasn't feeling good I decided to go to the doctor.

I have pneumonia.
Can you believe that?
Pneumonia.

So ... I am taking my meds, coughing alot, and taking it easy.

Keeping my fingers this clears up quickly.

He's My Inspiration.

When I became a mother five years ago my life changed completely.

I had new responsibilites and a tiny little being to take care of.

There were alot of lessons learned on my part, scheduling changes and certainly alot of learning by doing.

Over these five years I have learned so many things from our son. He inspires me daily to be a better person. To be more patient. To have fun. To be the best Mommy I can be to him.


Griffin is the most amazing little boy. He's bright. He's funny. He's sweet. He's kind. He's smart. He's creative.

He *IS* my inspiration.

Give him a popsicle and a swing and he could be happy for hours.


Not only does he inspire me in my everyday life ... he also inspires my creative side. You can see "Griffin" in almost everything I make.

Thank you God for giving me the best gift you could give ... our wonderful son.

He's a blessing and he's my heart.

A Walk Outside.

I thought I would share a little walk through our yard to see what's blooming right now ...


All three crepe myrtles are HUGE ... with lots of blooms!


I'm so excited to share my homegrown sunflower with you. The sunflower is my all time favorite flower! Earlier this spring Griffin and I planted sunflower seeds and they have finally started to flower!


Well looky there little tomato plant ... you finally decided to give us some fruit. Again we planted these early spring and they are just beginning to grow. Our neighbors have been sharing their tomato harvest (thank you W&C). Maybe we'll be able to share with them soon. Can't wait to make a batch of homemade salsa.


We thought this was a weed growing down near the burn pile. And it actually may be a weed ... however ... let's take a closer look.


The flowers on this weed or plant or whatever it is are absolutely beautiful!


Our butterfly bush is full of purple flowers and gorgeous butterflies. There must have been two dozen butterflies on the bush but when I went to take a picture they would move.

I hope you enjoyed a little walk through our yard ...

T-Ball ~ Trophy Night!

This is a night Griffin has been looking forward to since the first t-ball game ... trophy night!


Griffin up to bat for the first time of the game ...


Daddy giving Griffin a few pointers ...


Touching "home" after hitting the ball for the last game of the season ...


It's trophy time ...

Okay ... so maybe I shouldn't say this but I am going to anyway. When it came time to distribute or "award" the trophies they were just handed out to the kids in the boxes. I'll be honest I was a teeny bit disappointed with this. When Griffin played soccer they made a big deal of calling the kids up and recognizing them with the trophy and we could take a picture. So there ... I said it.

Moving On.


Griffin posing with Daddy and his cool t-ball trophy.


At home after the game with his trophy ... he's so proud of it.

Griffin enjoyed his first t-ball season. It was a good experience all around. He's already asking when he can play again!

Hot In Cleveland.

I have a new favorite tv show ... it's called Hot In Cleveland.

It's funny ... it's smart ... it's adult comedy.

Mike likes it too.


Hot In Cleveland stars Betty White, Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves. It's the perfect cast. The guy shown here in the middle is Sean Hayes, he's the producer. Remember him from Will & Grace?

It's on the TV Land channel ... it's a must see!

To find out more about the show you can visit their official website here:

Hot In Cleveland Official Website

If you tune in to watch let me know what you think.

Lake Anna State Park.

The Lake + Good Friends = A Sunny Good Time!

We went to Lake Anna with some friends the other day and had a great time!


We have been to Lake Anna twice before ... both times in September when it was too cold to swim. This visit in July was a perfect sunny day to swim and have fun!


The kids (Griffin, Hannah, Zach, Sara and Sam) in the water together.


Getting him to stay still for this picture was tough ... he wanted to play beach ball!


We took lots of water toys ...


Who's that cutie digging in the dirt ... why it's Sam!


Hannah & Sara helped Griffin and Sam build this awesome sand castle track so they could run the tractors all around.


It's tractor time!


Taking a little break on the lake shore ...


Really, is there anything better than sharing an ice cream with a friend?

We had such a wonderful day ... I hope we can visit again before the summer is over.