June Photo A Day Topics

Well, today marks the last day of May, 

Which brings NEW fun photo-a-day topics for June.  

I swear to you I didn't fall off this band wagon.

Okay, maybe I did just a lil, but I do have several photos that I have yet to post for the Month of may.

I will post them in my "recap" post coming soon...

SO BE WATCHING FOR IT!  

Who's joining in for June?

I promise it's worth it!

May Photo Day 30: My Personality...

My Personality...

Or so I've been told.

And no, no one has ever told me I am a Ninja...

I am certain of it!  

Watch out for my crazy, wild, awesome, mad, Bikenjutsu Moves!

HIIIIYA!

Ready for Kindergarten, Saying Goodbye...

Last week Sam had to endure the ever so dreaded Kindergarten shots.  He took them like a champ.  Not even a single tear shed.  Such a tough little man he is!

First, a little about his appointment.  

We, after much discussion and consideration, decided it was time to switch primary physicians for our kids.  They have been with the same doctor since birth, but in the last 4-5 years we have noticed a slight carelessness in our original provider.  He is old, has been a pediatrician for a VERY long time, and I think he is just ready to be done.  Retirement is near for him, and that is a good thing.  

I feel everyone gets burnt out at some point or another in their career, but getting burnt out as a doctor, someone who is responsible for the health and wellness of other lives really isn't acceptable in my eyes.  

We found a new doctor, referred to us by someone I trust very much.  My Girly Doctor.  He takes his kids to this same doc, so that is confirmation enough for me that SHE is good.  

In all the 7 years I have been with our old doctor I have NEVER been given a print out of their growth or given a percentile that my children are ranked in that growth.  I always heard others providing this same information, but I just assumed that every doctor was different and accepted that.  

Our new doctor just so happens to be part of the same group of clinics as our old doctor so all the past information on my kids was available to her immediately.  

I was informed that every child has to have some test done at age 1,5, and 12 to check for anemia.  Something I was  unaware of all this time.  Something that Brenna didn't have done at her 5 year old check up, nor did either of my children have it done at 1 year.  

Another confirmation that switching doctors was a good choice.  

Sam's test came back A-O-K!  She said that we will check Brenna at her 7 year check up.  

She discussed many topics with Sam (I liked that she involved him in the discussion).  They talked about stranger safety.  They discussed private parts and how no one is to see or touch private parts unless for medical purposes.  Even still she explained that even a doctor should not look or touch private parts without their parent present.  She discussed with Sam what to do if he ever gets lost, told him to first find someone who works at the place he is lost and how to determine a worker from just a regular person.  If he was not lost at a public place with workers, she then told him it was important to find either a police man OR a mommy with lots of kids to help him.  She talked to him about school, tested his knowledge, and informed him that he was right on track for Kindergarten.  She praised him,

Encouraged him,

and filled him full of very useful knowledge.  

She even told him it was time to take on more responsibilities at home,

Yes, he is old enough to take on some household chores.  

I got more information in this one appointment with her than I ever had in the 7 years spent with our last doctor.  I even got a print out of Sam's growth,

WITH PERCENTAGES!

I was happy about that.  Not only did it have his current percentages, but it also had the percentages at previous major milestones in his growth that were previously recorded.  

AWESOME!

At age 5 this is where Sam sits:

Weight: 35lbs 3oz (10th percentile of kids his age)

Height: 42in. Even (26th percentile of kids his age)

BMI: 14 (7th percentile of kids his age)

(At age 3.5 Sam was in the 11th percentile for BMI, 32nd percentile for weight, and 38th percentile for height... I guess he has just decided to slow down quite a bit in his growth, but she said it was nothing to be concerned about.  He is just a tiny little guy, but she is certain he will have a MAJOR growth spurt in the next year, WE SHALL SEE!)

Along with the routine doctor/eye exam required for moving on to Kindergarten, Sam had a preschool graduation as well.  

The program was cute, a bit long, but cute.  

They played a little slide show with pictures from the whole year... it was 28 minutes long.  

I think that was the hardest part to sit through only because there was a lot of repetition in the pictures.  

My poor friend Shelley made an appearance in the slide show several times, and though I know I was in plenty of pictures myself throughout the year I manged to not have any appearances.  I'm TOTALLY okay with that.

She is just clearly the more photogenic of the two of us. 

As a parent, anytime you are given the opportunity to watch your little ones perform it really provides one of those "SO PROUD TO BE YOUR MOM" feelings.  This day was one of those days. I recorded some of their little performance.  Please forgive the bounciness of the video.  The room was WAY overly crowded and HOT!  I was not sitting in the best place and was trying to record over a bunch of little heads.
(For some reason Blogger won't upload my video's so I will have to try to find a way to post them later)

Sam got stuck dancing the Chicken Dance with another little boy while someone else danced with his Aubrielle.  

He wasn't very happy about that.  

Each of the kids got a little gift from their teachers and a hand shake.  Then they were free to leave.

Sam was eager to leave preschool.

According to him, he is now in Kindergarten.  Forget waiting out the summer,

He has moved on to bigger and better things in life. 

Though the anticipation of "graduating" preschool was so exciting, there was still some sadness in poor little Sam.  Saying goodbye isn't always easy, especially when you are saying goodbye to the love of your life. 

I know that both he and Aubrielle think that being in different classes next year is just unbearable, we (Shelley and I) will make certain that they get some good play time in this summer.  

Sam insisted that he needed to take Aubrielle some flowers so she knew that he was still her boyfriend even if they weren't in school together any more.  Aubrielle had this same idea in mind.  

The day before their little program I helped Sam pick some roses from our yard for Aubrielle and took them to school for her.  Aubrielle showed up with a special bag of gifts for Sam too.  I love that they are so thoughtful and considerate of one another...

It's True Love.... 

LOL.

I think it is safe to say that Sam made Aubrielle's day with those flowers.  She was just beaming and so was he.  

Picture courtesy of Shelley at www.thehouseofsmiths.com/
If you haven't yet, check out her DIY blog.  She is Amazing!

Bill and I are VERY proud of the little man our Sam I am is becoming.  He is thoughtful, smart, kind-hearted, and SILLY! 

He is going to do amazing in Kindergarten and I am just as eager as he is to see him off to school in the fall. 

Photo Courtesy of Shelley Again
http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com

Memorial Day Weekend 2012

Our Memorial Day weekend was long and PACKED full of fun!

My friend Shauna, and four of her five kids came to stay with us.  

They arrived on Wednesday night kicking off our holiday weekend a little early.

Bill took Thursday and Friday off from work as well so he could hang out with us and survive the chaos that comes with 6 kids in our small house.  

We woke up Thursday and ate breakfast.

We had to be quick in getting ready because Sam had his preschool graduation, which we all attended.  

After his graduation we headed off to Classic Skating for a day full of bouncing and skating fun.  

I hadn't been to Classic since Jr. High/High School and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of FUN activities they have available.  We opted to play in the bounce houses, climbing jungle, and skating.  We took scooters along with us too.  I like that the kids are allowed to use scooters considering skating takes a bit more practice and parental involvement to learn.
I personally wanted to just sit back and watch them play, and I did.

I rented my kids some of those skates that go over their shoes and they did great in them.  Poor Brenna had short socks on and left with some pretty gnarly sores on her ankles from the skates.  BIG Bummer.

All the kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves, despite the few bumps, bruises, scrapes, and falls they endured.

We left classic completely, and utterly, EXHAUSTED!

We rushed home, where I made the whole bunch of us some spaghetti with my homemade sauce.  Needless to say we all slept very well that night with little struggle getting all the little munchkins to bed.

On Friday we woke bright and early, 

Well I did, and let Shauna sleep in.  

I made waffles for breakfast with strawberry topping and whip cream.  

Can you believe MY two kids bypassed the waffles and had cereal?  They are CRAZY!

We hung out at home for most of the morning as it was a bit cool and rainy outside.  We had plans to go take some pictures of Shauna's kids when and if the weather cleared up.

It did clear up after lunch, so we got the kids all ready took their pictures.

My neighbors have a pretty awesome backyard so we used it for their pictures.  It beat having to load up all the kids and drive somewhere to take pictures.  Their pictures turned out great and all the kids behaved themselves.  As a reward, we told them we would go swimming.

After pictures we went over to the West Valley Family Fitness Center for some wet fun!  I couldn't find my kids arm floats and the ones they sold there were WAY too big for our kids.  They were seriously so big I doubt they would have fit my arms. 

Really a grown man could have wore them!

Shauna took off to walmart to find some floats while I braved the water with the task of watching 6 kids!  It was crazy, but they all behaved and stayed close enough that I could keep my eye on them.

Shauna returned and joined us in the pool, though she returned empty handed. 

Can you believe Walmart didn't have any arm floats?

LAME!

We spent about 1-2 hours at the pool, with every intent on wearing the kids out yet again.  

Shauna and I had a big night planned.

She wanted some Boudoir photos taken for her husband.  

We didn't get the kids fed until 9:30pm (I made tacos) and then a friend of Shauna's came over for a short visit.

The kids didn't get to bed until nearly 11pm, which meant a late start on pictures for Shauna.  I started her hair a little after 11pm and seriously didn't get finished until almost 3.

SHE HAS SO MUCH HAIR!

You can check out some of the finished product over at my photography blog...

HERE

Only the "G" rated stuff.  

We wrapped up that photoshoot at nearly 6am.  We hit some major issues with the inside lighting in my living room.  It took a bit to figure out how to get the best quality photo with what we had to work with.  I am happy with the outcome though.  

It was a learning experience for sure!

Shauna and her kids were up bright and early yet again, but this time it was because they had to leave.

SO SAD!

We loved having them here and were totally bummed out to see them go.  Even though the weekend was complete chaos, it was OH SO WORTH EVERY MINUTE OF IT!  

Sam's Last Game 2012

Wow!  It has been a crazy week here at the Tomlin house!

To start of the documenting of this last week, I have to start off with Sam's last T-Ball game of the season.

His last game was on Tuesday (May 22nd).

Shows how behind I am on the blogging.

Though I am not really into the whole rec center ball thing, I am really impressed with how much Sam learned in the short 4 weeks of baseball.  I am more of a competitive baseball kind of person.  I spent years watching my brothers play and believe me when I say I was a little crazy about it all... even had a few yelling matches with parents and umpires.

YEAH, I'm THAT parent....

So what?

I SOOOO Can't wait to watch my own son play in that competitive atmosphere. 

NEXT YEAR FOR SURE!

(I now know to register in FEBRUARY)

Anywho, 

Sam's last game was fun to watch.  The kids were clearly over playing baseball as many of them had little, to no, attention span for the game.  They were more interested in playing with their hats and doing cartwheels in the field.  

Sam however, paid attention.

SHOCKING,

I know.

They even got to have some coach pitching done this game, which I was excited for.  Sam is good at hitting off the T.  He knocks it out there every time.  He is ready for that next step and having to focus on the ball coming at him rather than just lining up with the ball on the T.  He hit it too.  Every time. I was proud.  

Sam has a killer arm.  I know I have mentioned this before, but really he probably has the best throw of anyone on his team.  Not only can he throw it far, he is pretty damn accurate too.  I think I see a pitcher in the making.  Or maybe a first baseman?  

Either way, Bill and I are really proud of his hard work and dedication over his four week baseball season.  He never complained once about having to go to practice or those dreadful early morning Saturday games.  

I think he's ready for the BIG TIME!  

(Little league I mean)

Life As I Remember It: I was Born

My second post of my blog series: Recap of the day I was born.

Friday, May 13, 1983

Started off as an average morning in May for Mom and Dad.

Dad headed off to work, and Mom headed off to Grandma and Grandpa's with big sister Jaime for some much needed R&;R after a long night of false labor the night before (where they gave her a shot of morphine and sent her home).

My pleasantly medicated mother (remaining from the night before of course) slept the day away on the couch while Grandma and Jaime went about their day.

Small contractions presented themselves again that morning, but though Mom noticed, she was able to sleep through them.
She slept so well, that she in fact (as mentioned before) she literally slept the day way...

Suddenly,
Mom jumps up from her sleep at

A Quarter to 3pm
(For those time challenged, that's 2:45pm HA!)

and insisted she was going into labor...
Grandma had just put big sister Jaime down for a nap and was enjoying her afternoon soap operas.

There was only 15 minutes left of her show, "Can you wait 15 minutes Kath? The show is almost over and I just laid Jaime down for a nap."

Labor could wait right? 

HA!

Mom insisted she was going to wait in the car because I was coming, regardless how close the show was to being over.
Grandma decided she had better listen...
Grandma woke Jaime from her nap and quickly loaded her up in the car where mom was waiting.

Good thing the hospital was close...

When they arrived at the hospital, the nurses wheeled in a wheel-chair for mom to sit in and take her to a room.  Mom refused, I was crowning. She couldn't possibly SIT!  Poor mom waddled her way through the hospital where they finally found a stretcher for mom to lay on in a crowded hallway.
(All the while Grandma was downstairs checking mom in and making the call to Dad to let him know that the baby was coming)

Unfortunately for mom, if she was ever embarrassed of being fully exposed to dozens of strangers she was just going to have to suck it up.

Hospital picture
(Obviously I was embarrassed by my big floppy ears from birth)

I was born in that hallway, with an audience, delivered by nurses at 2:59pm.
(one minute before Grandma's soap opera was over... So much for labor can wait!)
Those who were important in Mom's life (Grandma and Dad) missed the birth, but that's okay right?  Because dozens of people got to bear witness to the welcoming of a new life to the world.
Ha Ha Ha!
Dad didn't believe it when he got the call that I had made my appearance.  Hadn't it only been minutes since he got the call to head over to the hospital because Mom was in labor???

I've been told I am a slight over achiever,

Clearly the day I was born was no exception to my over achieving tendencies.

Aw, I love you too...

See what I'm saying about those ears?
Gnarly right?

How I Spent My Mother's Day 2012

This mother's day I felt quite spoiled.  Bill and the kids did a wonderful job letting me know I am loved.

Mother's day just so happened to fall on my birthday this year as well so Bill was very considerate of that.

He asked me what I wanted to do for my day of double celebration,

and I didn't hesitate to give him my list.

Really it wasn't THAT big of a list, I just wanted to not have to do anything AND to get breakfast and dinner made by him and my babies.

He complied with my requests... I got French Toast for breakfast (my favorite) and then he got some huge steaks to bbq for dinner.  I only had one other request with my dinner and that was spinach artichoke dip from Chili's.  Instead of doing that, he got all the ingredients to make it homemade.  I had to help him make, but that was okay because I really enjoyed being in the kitchen with him at my side making some delicious food.  

Our dip turned out FABULOUS! 

Even better than Chili's.

(This post is going to all over the place so I will apologize ahead of time)

That morning after breakfast Bill and the kids rushed out to his truck and came back in with a bag of gifts.  They each picked me out something special from them.  Brenna got me a photography book that teaches you about all the various cameras, lighting, staging, exposure, contrast.... You know all those things that go along with photography.  I LOVE IT!

Sam got me some perfume.  They told me they went to Kohl's and that Brenna was the test subject.  Sam sprayed numerous kinds of perfume on her until he narrowed it down to the few he liked.  Eventually he narrowed it down to one by Ed Hardy.It smells great!  I love it!  

And I love it more simply because my son took the time to pick it special for me.  

Bill got me another photography book, but this one is all about how to run a successful photography business.  I have skimmed through it a little and was struck by the first chapter titled, 

Getting Started: Finding the Real you.

The very last sentence of this chapter reads, "My career success began the day I became clear on who I was as a photographer and started sharing it with the world."

This is something I think I am still unsure of myself.  I don't know how all this photography stuff even really happened to me.  It all just kind of fell into my lap.  I am grateful for it.  I love to do it.  But lets face it, I'm slightly lost in this whole business stuff.  

I am so happy Bill got me this book.  Just that first chapter tells me that it is going to lead me to great places in my "business."  

At around 2pm I got a text from my little brother.  All it said was "5pm Moms house."

Of course I reply, "For what?"

"A BBQ"

Well considering that Bill had already went above and beyond for me with some great dinner plans I had to decline the invite.  In which case my brother was bummed out.  He said that it was okay, but they (my brothers and brother in law) had planned to have cake for my birthday.  

AWE!  They are so sweet. 

We ate dinner at my house around 4, so even though I declined the invite for the BBQ at my mom's house I ended up heading over after dinner.  I felt bad that my brothers thought of me and I had to disappoint.  It was a good thing that I went too, cause they bought 2 HUGE cakes because they couldn't agree on which one I would like.  

Again AWE!

I took my camera along with me because I knew that all my mom's kids would be there and she ALWAYS wants a picture done with all of us, but somehow it never happens.  I was determined to make it happen for her.  It was a good though for Mother's Day right? 

I was happy to see that my grandparents came up for dinner as well.  I don't seen them often enough so it was a good surprise. 

We spent three hours there, just enjoying one another.  Laughing. 

I had my brother-in-law take some pictures for us... then I edited them.  

AS you can see my family is entirely incapable of taking a 'serious' picture,

That's okay though... It's who we are.  

It was a good day!

All the Special Mom's

My personal Favorite, even though I am a nerd.

Isn't my mom so lucky?

This is about as serious as it gets...

I hope everyone else has as blessed of a day as I did!  

Happy Mother's Day

In Honor of Mother's Day, I wanted to share my thoughts on what motherhood is to me. 

For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a Mom.

I had my future pretty much nailed down when I was in the 3rd grade.

When asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I could answer without hesitation,

"A Mom and a Teacher."

They both really go hand in hand right?

First and foremost I wanted to be a mom.  I wanted to love and care for children as my mom did for me.  Never in a million years did I think that my childhood dreams, plans, and goals would ever REALLY be what my future held for me.

Dreams Change.

Plans Change.

Goals Change.

For most anyway...

When I met Bill I knew that he was the man I would have children with,

The man that would stand by me for the rest of my life.  I knew that he was the man that would make my dream of being a mother come true.  

On a Beautiful October day my whole entire life I had lived to that point had purpose.  

My future had purpose.  I had purpose.  

I became a Mom. 

I can honestly say that I have never in my life felt the fulfillment I felt on that day. 

I never knew the depth of love a mother has for her children until I laid eyes on our perfect little girl.  

She was ours.

I loved her unconditionally, forever, to the core of my being.  

After having experienced what becoming a mom felt like, I knew it was something that we had to do again.

As any mother can bare witness to, with the birth of my second child the emotions were just as overwhelming as they were with the first.  Fulfillment, a sense of completion, and an intensified purpose in life.  

Becoming a mom is my greatest achievement in life.  Nothing I had done prior in life, nor anything I will do in my future will ever trump the day I became a mother the first time or the second time.  There is so much to being a mom that I did not comprehend when I decided it was what I would be when I grew up.  I did not realize that I would be the one to be taught on a daily basis by the little ones I gave life to.  I did not realize that my heart could hold so much love for two little beings. I did not realize the lengths I would go to protect them from hurt, pain, failures, ridicule, all the not fun aspects of life.  I did not realize how much I would ache and hurt myself to see them even the slightest bit sad or hurt.  I did not realize that I would yearn to give them everything their little hearts desired.  I did not realize that I could love two people with every ounce of who I was.  I did not realize that being a mother wasn't just something I would be when I grew up, but rather it would be the one title that completely defines me.

 I also did not realize that becoming a mother myself would give me a new appreciation for my own mother.

Simply knowing how deep of a love I have for my children is proof enough of how much my mother loves me.  

To know that someone loves me the way I love my children makes my heart swell.  

I want my mom to know just how much I love and appreciate her today, and everyday.  I want to thank her for loving me with such depth, commitment, and unconditionally.  

A Mother is an Angel on Earth,

Mom, you are my Angel.  

I love you.

Life as I Remember It: Meet the Parents

Before I can post about the day I was born...

(Not something I REMEMBER, but I  have a pretty good understanding of how my entrance into this world was made)

I must tell you a little about the two people who gave me life.  

My Mother and My Father

My Strength and My Rock

My Comfort and My Encouragement

My Cheerleaders and My Best Friends

Kathy and Jim

I owe my life to them,
For that I will forever be indebted to them.
No Thank You could ever be enough...
.
.
.

They were both born and raised in New York, Not the city.
Youngstown, Ransomville area.
If you've ever been to that part of the country you will know that it is BEAUTIFUL.
I've only been there very few times myself, but I love everything about the place they call home.

My Daddy

My Dad was born on a day in January.
(Not going to age drop on my Dad, year of birth shall remain unknown)
He is the oldest of 4.
Two Boys, Two girls.
From what I understand he has always been their rock.
Big Brother Jimmy,
They know they can always count on him, Turn to him in times of need. Trust him with their life.
The best kind of brother anyone could ever have...

My Dad and his sisters... (couldn't find one with his brother Jeff in it)

He's just that kind of guy...
Tough when he needs to be, but the softest most tender heart imaginable.
A Protector.  A Knight in Shining Armor. A Safe Haven.
He would give his shirt off his back to anyone in need.
He is driven, hard-working, focused, successful, and SO fun to be with.
He is a friend for life kind of guy with an abundance of people who love him and are honored to call him a friend.
I know I am lucky to have him and I cherish every day I spend with him.
I like to think my dad has always been the model son, friend, brother, student and father... though I am sure he too had his moments. ;)

My Mommy

My mom, her parents, siblings, and the first born grandchild

My Mom was born on a January day as well..
(Again, year will not be disclosed)
She is the second to the oldest of 4.
Three girls, one boy.
People say I look just like her, with the exception of my dad's eyes and dimples...
I can't argue that, but that's okay because my mom is stunning.

She is successful, strong, and giving.
She made a life for us despite the downfalls and challenges she was dealt.
She too is a Daddy's girl like myself.
She wears her heart on her sleeve and is completely satisfied just knowing that she is loved.
My mom is fun, silly, and really sensitive.
She's an amazing daughter, sister, mother, and friend.
Her loyalty is one of a kind.
I know my mother has made my grandparents proud with all she has achieved in life,
as am I.

My parents met by way of my grandmother.  My father worked at the same grocery store my grandmother worked at.  I don't know all the details, I only know that my grandma really liked my dad (but of course who wouldn't) and so she introduced him to my mom.
Clearly, things worked out.

I found this picture attached to a newspaper article announcing their engagement
It read:
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph T. Sykes of 377 Brampton Road, Youngstown, announce the  engagement of their daughter, Kathy Lynn Sykes, to James Robert Lynch, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lynch of 3600 Ransomville Road, Ransomville.  A spring wedding is planned.

I don't know their engagement story, or much of about their dating life.  What I do know is this;
They were young,
Fresh out of high school.
They were in love.

They married, I'm sure in the spring of 1979.

Surrounded by friends and family.

Next came the babies...

May Photo Day 9: Something I do Everyday

Homework

For 2.5 years I have been a student.

I have been logging into my online classroom every day for two and a half years.  

Okay, Maybe not EVERYDAY 

But nearly everyday.  

I'm tired. 

The longest break I have had from school in over two years is two weeks.

I have decided to take this summer off.  For the first time since Sept. 2009 I am taking a summer to focus on me and my family. 

I NEED THIS BREAK!

May Photo Day 8: A Smell I Adore

Now, you may be wondering what hands have to do with a smell...

Well, this is the hand of my hard working husband.

Cracked,

Dry,

and Stained with Grease, Grime, and Dirt...

I'm a Daddy's Girl.

AND

  I was his emotional kid.  His snuggler. His tender heart who found comfort and safety in his embrace.

My favorite place to be was on his lap, head resting on his shoulder, breathing in his smell.    

My Dad is a Mechanic. 

 He always smelled like gas, grease, dirt...

All the things that go along with being a Mechanic and working in a shop.  

Throughout my childhood I grew to love the smell of my dirty mechanic dad.  

It was a comforting smell. 

A safe smell.

.

.

.

.

Now, as an adult, it is a smell I absolutely love and adore.

Still comforting.  

Still safe.

It's been said you marry someone who has similarities to your parents.

And I did.

My husband is a Mechanic. 

He has that same comforting smell as my dad...

When he gets home from work I hug him, kiss him, and breathe in his smell...

 I find comfort and safety in the embrace of those hard working hands...

The ones that resemble my Dad's so much.  

April Photo-A-Day Recap

This comes a bit late, but here it is...

My April Photo a Day recap.

April was a FULL month accompanied by fun, sun, holidays, birthdays, and a whole bunch of chaos!

April always proves to be a challenging month considering in my family alone there are 6 birthdays.

The most exciting for me of course was my little man's 5th Birthday!  

Though this month was full of some great memories, here are a few of my favorite from the month.

Spring is my favorite season.  I look forward to the colors and smells of the season, but above all I look forward to lilacs...

These are one of those smells that come with some amazing lifelong memories...

Like a perfume or food from Grandma's kitchen,

It's just special.

Sam's Birthday Dinner...

He loves mom's homemade spaghetti sauce.

I'm smitten over this kid. 

Outside time with the kids couldn't have come soon enough.

I love watching them in all they do, 

They make me proud.

After a long and dreadful winter, April brought some much needed time outdoors.

As I stood staring at this man I have spent the last 12 years of my life with...

I was in aw of just how incredible he is. 

LOVE HIM!

Best friends are for life...

And my sisters are the very best...

April left me feeling overwhelmingly blessed as I reflected back upon the month.  

May is sure to bring much of this same pride and adoration for the people in my life...

Oh how I love blogging.