School's Out for SUMMER...!

YES... School's out for summer!

Okay, I know you all just sang the Alice Cooper song in your head for a brief second... don't lie:)

It's been so busy around here that I don't really know where to begin. I guess I'll start by again stating (in case I haven't already done it a dozen times before) how much I absolutely LOVE Tony's Sony Digital SLR camera. I didn't realize just how much detail it captures until the girls were playing in their pool Monday. You can literally see every single drop of water flying through the air... it's so amazing. And it probably doesn't hurt any that Tony comes from a family of photographers and has some personal experience of his own. (After all, he did do the photo shoot of the boys for the pictures that Models & Images used for their first contracts).

Here are some of the photos of the girls playing in the pool this week.

Can you see the water wave going up Em's back?

Emma really isn't this shy

Bethie: "Daddy, see my dolphin"

The girls had fun getting Tony drinched!

It has now been exactly three weeks since Bethie's ear tubes were placed and we are definitely noticing a difference. She has become a little jabber-box in the backseat of our cars! And she is constantly surprising us with a new word. Yesterday was "shoes" and today was "it mine". Her favorite phrase seems to be "What's THAT?". If we don't hear it at least 50 times a day, I'd be shocked! All of the kids and I went to the zoo while Tony was working the other day and Devin commented about Bethanie being curious with her questions... (I don't think he realized it was the SAME QUESTION EVERY TIME!

While I'm on the topic of our zoo trip, I have to tell you what happened to us. We were in the midst of looking at the new tiger exhibit (yes, Kamie, AGAIN)... and this lady just collapsed. I swear every zoo keeper available made their way over to lock things down. The girls & I ended up stuck in the exhibit until the paramedics arrived, at which point we ran out of there before the back of the crowd toppled us over. It was crazy.

Emmalie, aka "the flirt"

Dalton resting by the monkeys...
he was tired after the first hour!

Devin was a hawk watching every
move people made near his little sisters

The boys ran out of the zoo so fast when I
said it was time to go... they had to rest
(or wait on the rest of us, I forget!)

Emmalie playing "Mommy" and pushing Bethie

There is so much going on and coming up, and I hate to make this too long-winded of a post. So I'll close with a short video of the girls from this past weekend. (The boys are doing good to sit for a still photo... so no new video of them just yet, but we're working on it). Keep in mind that the girls learn at least one new song a week at school:)

WOW! How Time REALLY Flies By!

Memorial Day weekend is a time of year I will always remember... for both good and bad reasons.

First off, as many of you are aware, Mom passed away on Memorial Day weekend 2001. So we will forever utilize this weekend to pay tribute to one of the most amazing women the earth has ever known. In fact... Tuesday will mark eight years without Mom being here. It seems just like yesterday. Except for the fact that when I look at the girls I have to face the reality that my Mother never got to see them... though they resemble her in so many little ways. (We Miss You, Mom!)

Memorial Day weekend also happens to be the chosen time of year for Tony & I to tie the habitual knot:)

Yes... today is our Anniversary?!

I never thought I'd find such a wonderful and loving match, not to mention his great ability to keep me "grounded". He never ceases to bring out a better side of me and has added such attributes as great father and good housekeeper to his list since our wedding day. I've put a little "trip down anniversary lane" together to share with you...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Just a disclaimer...:) I was not "defacing public property" on our honeymoon. The resort we stayed at had a beach-side bar that honeymooners were given the chance to sign & date. It was really cool to go back years later and see it still written there.

There are five things that really stick out in my mind about our wedding day:

1. Grandpa Chet pulling me aside and saying he really hoped Tony & I had a daughter someday. (I laughed at it then... now we've got TWO!).
2. All of my bridesmaids wearing K-State Wildcat tattoos on their backs, and Tony with the matching lappel pin on his tux. (I went to KU and that is just taboo).
3. The rice krispies... all four boxes of them that the groomsmen poured all over the floor of my Honda... (thank you Kamie for cleaning them up while we were in Florida:) And I'm still trying to find out who gave them my car keys!
4. The gift my aunts gave me signed from my grandma Rosie who had passed a few months earlier. We still use grandma's christmas green tablecloth every year!
5. Being so excited at the fact that I had just married my BEST FRIEND! (And he still is to this day!).

Today also happens to be Tony's sister (and mine, too)... Heather's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER... hope it's a good one:)

Well, that is the end of this special little post. May you all remember your loved ones fondly and not lose site of the true meaning of Memorial Day. Until next time...

Shelia

Good-Bye "Shaggy"

Though it's sad for one, it is exciting for many others... as the time has come to say "good-bye" to our Shaggy. Not a dog as in the old movie "Shaggy Dog" (or the 2006 attempt to remake the same film). Nor are we referring to a "shag" carpet... this is NOT the 60's here:) We are referring to Devin's sweet golden brown locks! YES, Devin finally let me cut his hair. For those of you who cannot remember his shaggey mess, scroll back up to the only current picture I had of him until yesterday. He looks so much more like my handsome teenage boy again... AND... He actually likes it, too!

Devin shows his new "do"

Today was zoo day. Since Tony was trying out the new paint color I picked out for the trim on our house, Dad got the chore of accompanying the girls and I to see the new tiger exhibit. (Emmalie has been waiting for this weekend to come for well over a week now). Let me just say that the 30-minute wait in line to get through the exhibit gate was time well spent! The tigers are absolutely beautiful.

Dad donning a pink stroller with Bethanie

(Tony should be very familiar with these types of pics!)

Dad, Emmalie & Bethanie

One of the male tigers... so pretty!

Since I've been so busy (or should I say "slacking") lately and have been taking many other random snapshots... I'll share a few more images from the past week.

The subject of my first children's book... Colors

"Baby Blue Eyes"

The subject of my second children's book... Emotions

"The Pouting Princess"

Hide & Seek with Uncle Rick

Bethanie shows who's really the boss in our house

Seen here "buttin' heads" with Uncle Rick:)

We have a long week ahead of us as we prepare for Devin to move from being an underclassman to truly being among the "top dogs"... as of Friday he will officially be a High School SENIOR:) (Ouch! Am I really that old?!?!). Football weight training starts for both boys in only a couple of short weeks, too. I'll try to keep you all posted as our wonderful life continues at a very fast pace. Until next time...

A Mother's Day Reflection

Proverbs 31:25 says about a Mother...

Strength and honor are her clothing, and she shall rejoice in time to come.

On Mother's Day, I reflect back on my own Mother who definitely is in Heaven rejoicing. She was the strongest person I ever met and had more character than I will probably ever have. I always said I'd "never be like my Mom"... but I am in many respects, and I'm so glad for that:) Though it is a bittersweet day to celebrate yet another Mother's Day without her, this verse reminds me that her time to rejoice has come. (And that makes the day much easier for me).

So... for this Mother's Day, I'll share one of the many poems I've written over time specific to children and being a Mom!

So far today I’ve stepped on toys that littered the floor
Scrubbed some crayon scribbles off of my front door
Done three loads of laundry just to find more dirty clothes
And constantly wiped a little one’s runny nose

I’ve cleaned up every room in the house two times (at least)
Hunted endlessly for Beauty and the Beast
Painted toe nails, braided hair, played tea party and all
Ran an errand or two as gathering everything for baseball

I’ve helped with homework and studying for a test
Plus re-stitched the hole in Amy Doll’s floral vest
We’ve played Rock Band, colored pictures and built blocks up high
Don’t forget the comforting every time someone cries

I’ve put band-aids on two scraped up knees
Took a walk with the kids in the evening breeze
Got soaked giving baths to a child or two
And tucked them all in bed with a hug, a kiss and an “I Love You”

Though all of this is an endless cycle some days
I have been blessed in so many ways
Not a day goes by that I’d wish for anything other
Than being happily surrounded by my children…

and being a Mother!

We'll throw in a few weekend photos...

Mom & her girls

Bethanie laughs as Daddy tickles her ankles

Grandma Sharon sharing playtime with Emmalie

Emmalie gets a push on her swing from Grandpa Butch

Is something wrong with this picture?!
Emmalie enjoys a ride from Great-Grandpa Chet

Well, that's the latest wonderful words of life from our end. May all of you Mothers have a wonderful Mother's Day!

A Quick Update

I've been fielding phone calls, so I thought I'd better post a little update on things around here.

Bethanie breezed through her ear tube surgery yesterday... we were in and out in less than an hour and a half. Bethanie did very well with the whole "I haven't eaten in over 8-hrs" thing. Though, she was floppy and cranky for hours trying to recover from the anesthesia (which was de-ja-vou of the experience with Devin and his ear tubes all those years ago). After she got through the initial recovery period, Bethanie became SOOOOOO unusually hyper! She ran me around so much I'm sure to have lost at least a couple of pounds:) Bethie's ears were still full of pus, so we're on a more stringent schedule of antibiotic ear drops with her for the next couple of days... but she's not having any pain or issues this morning. I can already see a difference in her hearing since she repeated a not-so-nice phrase of mine to Emmalie this morning... THAT SUCKS:o

I have to give coudos to the surgery center where Dr. B did Bethie's surgery. It has some of the BEST TEAMWORK I HAVE EVER SEEN. They put a new definition to the word "efficiency". And they have some cool things they do with kiddos, too!

The preop nurse took this picture of

Bethanie and put it into a photo card

that all of the nurses who cared for her

signed. (A great way to capture the

experience for her memory book.)

Bethanie and her Uncle Rick

(See the reflection of my angel from

the mirror on his shining head:)

Yes! My big brother (and only brother) made it in from California safely on Tuesday. He got to see Dalton hit his 4th Home Run of the season last night and we have a ton planned to do before he leaves early next week!

Have a happy Thursday all:)

Shelia

Potty Training: Part Zwei (2)

Sorry for the German title twist... but I didn't want to reuse the "dos" or "deux".

So Tony brings the girls home from daycare on Wednesday and says... "Bethanie was on the potty chair when I went to pick her up". She wasn't actually using it, just trying it out I guess. (Refer back to our previous Potty-readiness post).

Fast forward to yesterday... Bethanie decides to continue her usual realm of being our every day "early bird". Just the two of us are up spending some quality mother-daughter time together (yeah, at like 6:20 am), when she decides to run into the bathroom. I trail as she's trying to literally rip off her diaper. I helped her take it off and Bethanie immediately lifted her potty chair lid and plopped herself down! Sure enough, she had to go... and did:) It was actually really funny, because once she started and heard it falling into the potty it startled her and she shot up like a cannon! (Thus, of course, meaning I had to mop the bathroom floor... you get the drift!).

So... I'm guessing it is about time for Bethanie to move towards full-fledged potty training. I'm so dreading it. Not so much because of what it entails... but more so because this means my baby girl is growing up even more:(

Hope all are having a good start to their week. We have a busy week in store: Bethanie's surgery, baseball, hopefully a trip to Riverfest, and my brother is coming in from California! I'm sure we'll have much to post about soon enough.

I want to close with a prayer request. My uncle Leroy has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that has spread to his liver and lymph nodes. He's undergoing experimental treatment in St. Louis (started the first round the middle of last week). He and his family could really use any prayers that you can send his way.

Shelia