Peace

If you are a scrapbooker, you probably have heard of Ali Edwards. She is wonderful. She totally inspired me to get over my need to make it perfect and she made me realize the importance of capturing the little day to day things because those actaully matter more than all the big things. Well, she does a thing called ONE WORD and I have done it for the past few years. My first WORD was SIMPLIFY (it did not work that well that year) and my word for 2009 was JOY and it rocked. It rocked because I got a JOY necklace that reminded me all the time to find JOY in our lives. In the little things - not just the big things that we cannot afford right now. I did project 365 and found total JOY in capturing our happy little lives day-by-day last year. So, my word for this year is:
PEACE

And, I love it. I love it because PEACE makes me happy and it makes me feel JOY. I love it because focusing on PEACE will help me simplify. It will help me think about the bigger picture. I also love the word PEACE because both girls LOVE the peace sign and have hats and bags and shirts with it (so I will see it daily and be reminded of my word).

I also love it because the PEACE sign is often found in my photographs. Of the girls, our friends from other countries, and myself. It just is in our nature to flash a PEACE sign in pictures. So, I should be able to have a nice focus on my ONE WORD because I am surrounded by it daily.


And, I hope for PEACE in our home (meaning work with my brother Matt to continue organizing things), PEACE in my work (meaning PLAN AHEAD and stay ahead to allow for more PEACEFUL evenings), PEACE in my relationships (accept people as they are and accept what life has handed us), and PEACE in my fitness plan (stop worrying and enjoy the continuous journey toward better health).

So, from me to anyone reading this...   I wish you PEACE in 2010 and I challenge you to stop by Ali's blog and read up on the ONE WORD concept. Pick a word. It just might help you focus on something you have been meaning to..... Just one little word. :)

No More Tonsils for Kalli!

Ok, this post is NOT for the faint of heart. It has one rather nasty picture that I happen to love, but others might not be so impressed!!  So, before you scroll....  BEWARE! :)

Kal got her tonsils out today - she did so well. She is such a cool, tough kid. We are home, and she is eating popsicles and resting. I am about to get her down for a nap, but I wanted to post a couple pictures so you can see how simply cool she is....

Papa Vern came to bring a surprise and check on his grandbaby!

Right after she woke up - the nurses could not beleive how calm and happy she was the entire time.

Kal and her super nice doctor.

The first of MANY popsicles. :)

She was so excited to go home!

NOW - do not look at what comes next if you have a weak belly...  these are her tonsils! YEP - I asked the doctor to take a picture for me, and THEY DID! I know, it is gross, but you have to admit - it still is pretty cool, too. She is doing well and hopefully the chronic strep that never goes away will stop soon!

Happy 2010!

I hope you have a safe and blessed new year.

This is the final picture for my Project 365 book. I am so proud to have taken and printed one photo per day for this entire past year. I journaled a bit every single day, too. What an amazing memory for my girls.

Locks for Love

It sure has been a long time since I posted... sorry to the few kind people who still ready my little blog!
I have a bunch of pictures from the last few months to post...  but I had to post this so I could get my dad and my sister to see what my girls did this weekend.

Two years ago, Kalli decided on her own to donate her hair to locks-for-love. She had heard about it and asked me if her hair was long enough. It was, so she had it chopped short and donated to a child in need of a wig because of cancer treatments. Well, about two weeks ago, she said her hair was long enough and she wanted to do it again. Her sister (who would do ANYTHING to be just like Kalli) said she wanted to do it, too. And, on Saturday, they did.

It was hard for me to watch them cut off the hair that I love to much - but man, how lucky am I to be a mom to children who want to make sure sick kids have hair. I always feel grateful and blessed to be their mom - but on Saturday, I felt amazed by them both.

Here are some other shots from the cutting....  they were both so happy and had a great time.

Pumpkin Carving Has Started

My husband is a crazy good pumpkin carver. There are really only a couple days a year he gets to use those skills!!  Last night was one of them. The kids LOVE cleaning them out. He is a great carver and I love making the seeds. So, it all works out. Pumpkin carving nights (we usually do 6 or so, so it takes us a couple of nights) are two of my favorite days of the year.  Here are some photos from night one....

 

Here are the first two....  (I had issues with this post - we now have six incredible pumpkins that I will show you later).

 

WOW - my mac is working again...

Hi. I have no clue if anyone reads this anymore, but here are a few photos from today and the past few days....  we went to OHIO to a bears game this weekend and hit Kings Island Amusement Park as well.

The girls LOVE having their faces painted.

We took Kim with us - she is an awesome exchange student from Germany. I wish she lived with us. The girls LOVE her and she fit right in with us.

Kaya and Kalli loved the special Hallow Fest they had at Kings Island.

We are all stunned at how good Kal looks in underwater photos....  I lost my little camera at the movies :( and got another one so we can shoot like crazy again. I love this underwater little camera. So much fun.

There is my little family at the bears game (before it started so we were all VERY happy). The Bears played HORRIBLY and we left to start the long drive home in the middle of the 3rd quarter. I do love our long standing family tradition of one away Bears game every year. I hope it continues.

Here is all of us at the game.

Kal made friends with a wild Bengals fan.

Kaya and her new best friend Kim.

Kalli had her Halloween party at school today, and I was lucky to be picked to go. I love Halloween. In fact, they are about to carve pumpkins so I better go take more pictures. :)

first day of school

I have not posted in forever, but these photos had to go up tonight before I went to sleep. Kalli started her first day of school today...  and, MAN, she looks fantastic. Way too grown up to be only 7. She has more style and confidence and inner and outer beauty that most people have in a lifetime. Her first day was fantastic, and it is going to be an incredible year. Kaya starts on Monday....  so more photos will follow I am sure.

 

This is how I left her....  looking happy as could be in her new desk in her new class with her new teacher. I cried on my way to school. Cried because I am so lucky to be her mom. Because I hope I am not missing the little things and that time would slow down a little. And I cried because I will miss her all day every day. She is such a great kid. 

Then, after school, we did our traditional FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL trip to Cold Stone, and she showed me she is very much still my little girl who simply cannot eat ice cream without it getting all over her face. I think she looks like a scary pumpkin with those missing teeth. Man, I am lucky to be her mom.