nine times around the sun

wishing..........

i love this boy.

every day of the past nine years has been better because he is here.

happy birthday kellen. XO

 

the year of eight

kellen
eight was a big year for you.
full of change, and you are a little like me in that change does not come easy for you.
we moved to our new home in june, which meant a new school and friends.
you were very brave. even when i could tell you really didn't want to be.
you always make me so very proud.
you are the kindest most generous boy i know.
you are the very best big brother.  you bring home library books for your sister, even though she is in school and gets to pick her own books, you still choose one for her every week. you worry about your little sister, never liking to see her sad or sick. you 2 are best friends.  no one makes you laugh like your little sister.  you have developed a HUGE love of graphic novels this year which helped you finally catch reading fever!  now you pile books and comic books into your arms whenever you can.  Big Nate, Bone, and Garfield are you absolute faves these days.
you take a comic art class and love it.  you have really taken off in many styles of drawing this year.  you rocked keith haring style dancing people, you love drawing comics, batman is your fave like your daddy. and you also love to create your very own characters as well.
you learned to ride your big bike, to scooter, AND hula hoop.
you still have the best head of soft blonde curls.
you lost tons of baby teeth this year and grew in a beautiful set of big kid teeth.
your favorite food is pizza.  little caesars with pepperoni and mushroom
& otto's plain. you still love your purple. and a menagerie of stuffed loves now as well, henry and sharkey in particular.
you are getting tall and so very lean. (i try to fatten you up some but it never sticks) you were laying in our bed just the other night and your daddy and i both commented on how long you are, almost filling the bed with those legs of yours.  (sigh)
you still LOVE the beach, and you are getting pretty good at swimming this year too.
you love to build with legos. play lego games on the wii. you rode in your first airplane on our trip to FL. you won 2nd place in your cub scout troop's derby race with your purple car. 

i just love you so very much.
happy last day of eight sweet boy.
hoping 9 is full of happiness and health.

love,
momma

loved

today was a lovely mother's day.
the best hand drawn cards.
the best homemade pie. (my hubby bakes. i am a lucky lady.)
a morning and after dinner walk.
a good talk with my eldest who is going through a rough patch.
and both my littles well & happy once more. that is truly the best gift of all!

happy momma's day to my faraway momma.
and to all my momma friends.
may you feel loved and appreciated.
xo

evening walk

all last week we were indoors while spring exploded outside.
having a sick little one leaves little option.
last saturday we thought we were germ free, so we packed a picnic lunch and headed out.
sunday the germs struck again taking down kellen this time. back indoors we went.
all day today i cleaned like a mad woman. i get this way when the illnesses drag on and on.
tonight after dinner i said i was going to go for a walk. but then i laid on the bed, picked up my book, and lost all motivation. thank goodness my hubby poked and prodded me to get up and get out!
i am so glad he did.

next walk i hope there are 3 more shadows with me. 

come on healthy days!

pretty in pink

hello may.
welcome.
my you sure look good.

our youngest has been very ill since saturday.  scary sick. she is still not fully well, though now we think we may have a handle on what is causing it. waiting results from one more test. what we thought was viral may just be bacterial. she has not been out of bed much in days. she has seen the inside of 1 urgent care and 1 hospital in 2 days. (not fun) while she has been stuck inside, spring has been exploding outside. the cherry trees are amazing right now, but they never last very long.  the slow rain of pink petals has already begun. this afternoon i wanted her to see them. to stand under a tree and look up at the brightest blue sky. i didn't want her to miss it.  we stood right underneath the tree together and i think we each felt a little bit happier for it. 

 "if the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you,it will be enough." 

- m. eckhart

thank you sun.

thank you tree. 

thank you sky.

i am honored to be posting all this month at habit.

gift of sun and warmth

last week we had the wonderful fortune to travel far south and leave the cold behind for a few days.
we took full advantage of this gift, soaking up every salty sunkissed moment we could.
a much needed visit with my mom and their "nanny".
it was good.
the soul recharging kind of good.
the deep down in our bones good.

 

nanny showing us around her home

 

lush tropical blooms, palms and blue sky

 

little island getaways

 

treasures and play

 

the most magical tree i have ever laid eyes on

 

treasures galore!

 

savoring our time together

 

pool fun. they were quite the fish by the time we left.

 

my favorite shot of our trip is this one shot below.

i had been throwing kellen and dunking him.

each time he'd pop up out of the water squealing for more!

he is not so little these days.

throwing him over and over wore me out  :)

i went to the beach blanket and got my back up, daddy.

daddy threw him much higher than i ever could.

i just LOVE this shot.

big huge thank you to my mom, "nanny" who made this possible for us.

love you!!!

it went far too quick.

FL or BUST

100, a photo by kristin~mainemomma on Flickr.

as i sit here i can hear the rain/sleet pelting our windowpanes.
sunday we head south
far south
to visit my mom and share in her warm florida sunshine.
my little ones have never been on a plane, have never seen a palm tree in real life, or taken a swim in a warm body of water (they only know the atlantic ocean of maine. which is beautiful, but cold). so sunday will bring many firsts for them
i am excited to see florida through their eyes.
we are excited to see "nanny" and her new home.
i am so needing this getaway. its been such a slow spring, if you can even call it spring.
my body & spirit have left sadness and jumped ship into grumpiness about it all.
lush greens, warm sands, tropical blooms, new sea treasures, delicious greek foods, are going to be balm for my winter weary soul.
plus i hear hubby and i might even get a date night out alone!   ;)
all good wonderful things.

2 more sleeps.
then we fly.
sunshine here we come!