Happy Anniversary: 11 Years Together Forever

Yet another year has passed, my precious Boy Wonder, and after 11 years,

you still hold my hand.

Some days it seems like yesterday when I first held you in my arms

and other days it seems like a lifetime ago.

I marvel at how you drew me to you

and how my love for you

completely changed my life, our lives,

in one single day;

FOREVER.

I am so incredibly blessed to be your mother;

to spend every day with you,

watching you...

remembering our past,

savoring today

and dreaming of our future.

I love you with every single ounce of my heart.

I wouldn't change one second

of the last 11 years we have shared together.

Thank you for being my son.
Happy Anniversary!

Thankful Thursday: The Generosity of Friendship

I can't tell you how often I stop and think about

how fortunate I am to have such wonderful friends.

Case in point:

A few weeks back when I was lucky enough to be part of Lisa's 1st Photography Workshop ever, I had the opportunity to bunk with an amazing woman I had only hoped of meeting one day,

Wanda from At Last..We Are Family.

She was everything I thought she'd be and so much more.

And I'm here to tell you, she's even more strikingly beautiful in person than she is in pictures...and that's hard to imagine!

Well, not only is she gorgeous, sweet, smart, warm and completely charming...

she is one incredible talent!

In addition to her photography, Wanda is a true artist...a painter, in fact.

Wanda had a very special surprise for me when I finally got the chance to hug her in person.

So special, in fact, that I had to fight the tears back when I saw it.

Not a day goes by that I don't look at this incredible work of art created by

the hands of this very dear friend and realize just how special she is to me.

The lid of this box is not a photograph, though it looks as perfect as one.

It is all hand painted.

Wanda studied a photo from my blog and created this masterpiece.

It takes my breath away.



My heart just skips a beat when I see my Sweetie's eyes staring back at me!

Perfection!

Inside is my daughter's name

along with this beautiful quote.

The detail is simply exquisite.

Wanda also surprised our friend, Lisa

with an equally stunning box all her own.

Wanda, I can never thank you enough for this unforgettable gift

and the richness your friendship brings to me.

I will treasure both for a lifetime.

(To see some of Wanda's gorgeous paintings click HERE)

*****

That evening, as Wanda and I made our way back to our hotel room,

we found on our table a little taste of heaven sitting on a silver tray.



There was a note.

We were like two giddy little school girls devouring our find.

We just couldn't believe the thoughtfulness and generosity of a very special girlfriend

who wasn't able to make the trip.



What can I say about Valerie?

I adore her...

she has a heart of gold, a lightning quick wit and a sense of humor like no other.

She often has me gasping for air from laughing so much.

I tell her regularly that she needs to do stand-up comedy.

She'd sell the place out.

Every.Night.

I truly don't know if I've ever met someone so innately funny as Val.

I'm laughing writing this just thinking of her!

As big as Val's sense of humor is, her heart is 100 times bigger.

Wanda and I immediately huddled around the phone in our hotel room with Val on the line

delighting in our little sweet gift from our ValPal in the Lone Star State.

She was the only thing missing from our perfect weekend.

One day, Valerie...one day soon.

Batten down the hatches!
You are an absolute gem and I am so lucky to have you in my life.

With friends like these...well, with friends like these,
Life is BEAUTIFUL!

Thank you both for the gift of your friendship.

Black and White Wednesday: Growin' Up

WonderBoy insists on mimicking every teenage boy he runs across.
He bumped into his cousin's prom date the other day and he's been walking and talking just like him...and, oh, that sideways hat!

WonderBoy doesn't realize he doesn't need gimmicks or stuff to maintain his current status of cutest boy on the block...he just has to look inward.

Though not that easy to live with these Tween days...I adore every ounce of him and empathize with the new feelings and emotions that come with growin' up.

It's Black and White Wednesday
To see some fabulous images, click on over to

The Long Road to China

Fun is Fundamental

On Friday night, the Boy Wonder lost a molar.

I can tell my boy is growing up because I didn't even hear any inklings

of a possible loose tooth that was wiggle worthy enough to actually come out.

Well, out it came with very little fanfare from my little Big Man.

He then began pumping me about the toothfairy and, actually,

with a knowing twinkle in his eye, he gave me his best

"I really do still believe, Mom" look.

He told me that he thought the toothfairy should

leave him BIG money since its a big tooth.

Well, guess what he got.......





We all had a good laugh.

A good laugh, that is, until he told me he wanted to go to the bank

and cash it in for some tens and ones.

That's when I had to have a little chat with him about

how NOT to get your picture on a poster in the post office.

Morning Minx

My Sweetie Pie insists on preparing a little "appetizer" for herself and her dolly in the mornings while I prepare breakfast for her.

I stopped trying to manage the "crumbing" of her playroom because it's a lost cause.
I just wait until the damage is done and she moves on to the next room

then I dustbust the daylights out of the floor, the couch, the chairs, the stairs, etc.

Apparently when I answered the door for the mailman yesterday morning

she got into her brother's chocolate frosted brownie
(the one he was saving; the one that he moved to the back of the kitchen counter so his father wouldn't eat it)
The only remains of WonderBoy's treasure were those you see on that precious face

and that adorable pajama set from Bali, from the beautiful Swede in my life, Ann-Charlotte.



He wasn't amused when he returned home from camp

and I had to break the news to him.

A hint of a smile never even registered across his face

when I showed him these totally off the Cute-o-Meter photos.


That's okay, I'm still smiling!

Black and White Wednesday: Heartbeat

When I look into those eyes...

I can actually feel my own heart beat.

and when I see these two together...

I can barely contain myself.

Unconditionally and forever.

Ma raison d'etre.

********

It's Black and White Wednesday
To see some really fantastic images, click on over to my dear friend, Lisa's gorgeous Blog

The Long Road to China

La Dolce Vita

We were busy this weekend making up for lost time.

I was away from the family last weekend for only the second time EVER.

I was attending

Lisa's Incredible Photography Workshop.

I promise, I'll be posting about that amazing event very, very soon.

(as soon as I can get my photos edited...I am so behind all the other girls!)

So, this weekend there was no shortage of Mama Hoarding.

JR and the kids all took turns being attached to me at the hip.

Mind you, I might moan a good piece however,

I can't say that I don't enjoy all the lovin' they bombarded me with...

even when its hot and sticky here with nearly 100% humidity.

On Saturday, Sweetie had her first ever big girl birthday party to attend

and WonderBoy spent a couple hours with his tutor.

He's been visiting a tutor a few times a week for a month now and

I'm betting on him to be the very first horse out of the gate

when the new school year starts.
Look out 6th grade!

JR and I divided and conquered with the kids' activities in the morning

and the 4 of us met up for lunch at one of our favorite lunch spots.

Then we went on to have some of the best frozen yogurt ever.

I decided that it was time to introduce the kids and JR to one of my secret haunts...

a real old-fashioned candy store.

Sweetie thought she was dreaming when she walked in.

And WonderBoy...well, he couldn't catch his breath.

There, among the shelves were the candies I had told him about from my youth...

Delfa Rolls (I drool just writing that), super huge Pixie Stix, RAZZLES,

Licorice pipes, SenSen, Ice Cubes, TeaBerry, Fruit Stripe gum,

Violets and the enigmatic and oh, so politically incorrect (but , so fun!) candy cigarettes

(all varieties...candy, gum and chocolate),

and so much more.

Well, why talk about it when I can show you...
Welcome to Candy Nirvana.

(at least that's what I call it!)

Here's WonderBoy negotiating with JR regarding the overabundance of

his bag compared to that of his sister's bag.

Gotta give my little lawyer in training credit...

he used a ratio by weight argument; made his point well and won his case.

I'd say that tutoring is paying off in gold (covered bubble gum) nuggets!

The kids had a ball.

(so did their parents!)

As we drove the sugared up littles home,

we marveled at the giant clouds above,

and commented

(so contentedly!)

how gorgeous they were,

whilst downing their earthly cousin...

a massive bag of blue cotton candy...

which was completely devoured by all 4 of us in the car on the 5 minute ride home.

Here's the cull that did make it home

(absent a few hidden treats that Mama quickly secured to the Pirate's Booty bag in her purse for rainy (unruly kid) days.)


Er, uh, ummmm....guess I'll start that diet on Monday.

Some Monday.

The Art of Being A Little Girl

There is a garden in her eyes, where roses and white lilies flow.
-- Thomas Campion

Little girls, like butterflies, need no excuse.
-- Robert A. Heinlein

When I look at my daughter I see myself...only better.
-- Author Unknown

Grace was in all her steps.

Heaven in her eye.

In every gesture; dignity and love.
-- John Milton



Courage, determination, pride...that's what little girls are made of.
-- Author Unknown

What I wanted most for my daughter was that she be able to soar confidently in her own sky, whatever that may be.
-- Helen Claes

***************

This dress is one of my all-time favorites.

It was designed and handmade by ManiMina.

She also made this fantastic dress that Sweetie and I adored

until we both cried that I couldn't squeeze her into it anymore.

ManiMina's elegant designs and color choices always remind me

of the best in true European fashion.

I'm putty in her hands when I visit because her creations just leave me

weak in the knees.

Case in point, I went over this weekend to grab her link

and I fell for another amazing dress that we had to have

(...and I'm eyeing about 3-4 others! )

Oh, I think I need an intervention.

*******

I'm joining Stefanie this week at one of my favorite blogs, EVER!

Make sure you stop over and visit her and all the Sunday Snapshotters

(and, the as usual, late to the party Monday ones like me, too!)

Click here on her link below!