ANNIE!

Peter has taken Simon to California for an art show for 8 days which leaves Olivia and I to some quiet girl time. Well, since Simon will be having loads of fun with his California cousins, I figured Olivia and I should do something special too! So, I took her on an "m&m" date. "Mom and Me!"

We got all fancied up, went out to dinner and to see the play "Annie" at the high school. Then we went out for ice cream at Baskin Robbins! We had a really fun night together and Olivia loved the performance of "Annie" - especially since they used a real dog for the "Sandy" role. And I was pleasantly surprised by the talent and artistry showcased by our small town high school!

The funniest thing was that I had to carry her to the car after the play because her feet hurt so badly from the new, fancy, wedge shoes we finally bought her(she's been wanting "big girl" shoes like that for over 2 years so we got them at the mall on our way to dinner!). As I was carrying her she stated passingly with a smirk and a sigh, "beauty is pain."

Recent Pictures

Mother has bid me post new photos of the kids but since I've been having problems trying to login to the our family website, I suppose I'll post a few of the recent pictures of the kids here on our blog. Though we haven't been big on taking photos lately...way too much going on to get creative...there have been a few.

So, at the bidding of my mother, here are a few recent photos of the kids in all their silly splendor!

Photo Descriptions...Groucho Simon, Olivia pretends she's the witch from snow white, Olivia decides she's old enough to do the dishes, Simon and Olivia forget, momentarilly, that they hate each other (jk), and Olivia wears mom's equestrian jumping helmet for crazy hat day at school! (I knew I was keeping that thing around for some good future use!)

SNOW!

We had a wonderful snowy afternoon today! In all, we probably had about 2 inches and the kids and the dog played for over an hour in it. The neighborhood kids came over and they had a big snowball fight. Even g-ma ran out in the snow and spun around trying to catch snowflakes in her mouth! Considering it will be in the mid twenties tonight, I'm fairly positive the snow will still be around tomorrow morning. Perhaps no school!?

Our newest addition!

We too have a new addition to the family! No it's not a baby! But it is a puppy! His name is Howard! Goofy, old man names are so be-fitting little lap dogs! He's a piebald, wirehair miniature dachshund.


Aside from keeping us up all night, a lot like a human baby, and aside from him peeing and pooping in the wrong places, he's a wonderful little guy with a sweet temperament! The kids love him and they really wear him out, but he tolerates them well.

Now, we need a puppy like we need a hole in the head. But the circumstances were hard to pass up (it's a long story) and we figured it was time. Plus, we've never had a small dog before and he's just so fun! I can pack him around, he fits in the littlest places and it's not overwhelming to have him in the house.

The photo above is his "family portrait". He's the middle puppy. He won't have as much wirehair as his parents or siblings, but he'll end up with more than he has now....it's still growing in!

When using a flash, Olivia is not the best of picture-takers! She has a really hard time keeping her eyes open. Nevertheless, she just lost her other big tooth and a photo was in order. It's funny, neither of my kids ever had a lisp or any other speech impediment. Athough, I sometimes wished they had because of how cute and it its. So now with a big space in front, Olivia's tongue gets stuck in the gap and she lisps! It's really cute, but so fleeting. As you can see, the other big tooth is not taking its time coming in. The gap will be gone soon, and with it, the lisp.

No, he's not flipping you off! In the spirit of all things "lost", I thought I'd include Simon's most recent missing body part...his entire nail! While we were away at the coast celebrating our 10-year anniversary and the children were being babysat by Aunt Darcee, Simon crashed his bike into Peter's parked car and somehow managed to rip the entire nail off. So now all he's left with is this weird nail bed and a good story.

I was unable to post a photo, for some reason, when I blogged about Grandma. I really wanted you to have a visual of the coffee cup and saucer. I'm sure all my siblings remember the pink chicken set!

Coffee with Grandma

I had a special moment yesterday that I thought I might share with you...

I was gifted with a rare, quiet hour yesterday-Peter was away setting up an art show and Simon had a friend over and they were quietly playing in his room. I decided it was high time I sit down for a little Jesus time-Bible study and prayer (it's been a while and my soul is running on empty!). I also decided this Jesus time needed a cup of coffee accompanied by a couple leftover homemade brownies. I got so excited!

I made my coffee-black since I was having a "sweet" with it-and searched the cupboard for just the right coffee cup. I came across one of Grandma's pink, chicken coffee cup and saucer and my heart stopped. It was just the thing I needed! As you all remember, these coffee cups are really small...maybe 6 oz and they are old!

I poured my coffee, placed my warmed brownies on the saucer and sat at the counter, bible open. Instantly I was reminded of Grandma-her legacy, her love, her faith, her always-black coffee- the moments I would, as a child, secretly watch her sitting in a corner, sipping her coffee, and I would wonder what went on in that quiet world she was imprisioned by.

I felt as though she were there with me. As if I was having one last cup of coffee with Grandma. And I was comforted. I sipped my coffee with a smile. And I prayed for a faith at least half as strong as hers. I prayed for the ability to pray in earnest as she always did. I closed my eyes and pictured her in heaven, young again, hearing, and singing hymns with the angels.

I miss her. I finally realized I miss her. So often in life, with certain things, I just take it as it comes and never look back. I haven't shed a tear since the day she died. But I shed a tear yesterday. And it felt good to feel. To remember. To feel that tug at your heart that reminds you that you have suffered a loss. And the world did suffer a loss when it lost Gertrude Gazeena Dolly Stott.