Game/party highlights

POPCORN - PEANUTS - GET YOUR FRESH ROASTED PEANUTS

POPCORN - FRESH FROM THE POPPER.

9th inning...Sam Engel is up to bat...he hits a grounder...he makes it to first...

next up is Duncan Larson...the pitcher could not find his strike zone... he is forced to walk him...

with Sam now on second, and Dunc on first...Barbie hits one to center field...Russ was munching on the fabulous popcorn and missed the catch...the bases are now loaded...

everything was riding on Cooper Larson...and sure enough...he hits it out of the park.

The Quiggleville Coopers win the game 4-3.

Good game boys...time for a little "after game" cake & ice cream.

One proud 4 year old

He woke up this morning and ran to the mirror to see if he was bigger. He stood admiring himself and his new age. He said "am I really 4 mom?" I said, "yes Cooper, you are really 4." "But how did I just get to be 4 over night?" It was SO cute. Then about a half an hour later we were eating breakfast and he said "mom, am I still 4?"

and a 2 and a 3

Two years old on the ol' Allis Chalmers tractor.

Classic.

Three...and learing to smile a bit more :-)

Coop week con't

Six months...proof that the fascination started VERY early!

Remember those blue eyes?

Exactly 1 day shy of 16 months old...and last day as an only child.

Duncan was born the next morning.

He arrives...

Sunday, September 21st, 2003. 12:41pm on a beautiful sunny day. Mom, Dad, Grammy K and Pop Pop attending. Many many visitors to follow in the remaining hours of the day...

Coop week

I am sure that there are plenty of pictures like this one in the world...I know there are quite a few just in my shoe boxes. What is it about children and a cake with candles? Pure fascination. Whew, busy past few days. Okay, busy life...who am I kidding? Cooper started back to school two weeks ago, which inevitably means he brought home a cold...which in turn means that the house gets the cold...eventually. I had been bragging about my resilience. Wrong. Bad idea to brag about something that is so time tested as that. So I struggle through with a soar throat and drippy nose - gross. The upside of going back to school is that I convinced Cooper that he is not allowed to wear baseball uniforms to school - instead he must wear school clothes. He even let me go out this weekend and buy him some new clothes. Can I just tell you how refreshing it is to see Coop in something other than that darn striped jersey shirt, the blue and red shorts and the RED socks pulled up to his knees?? Duncan is another story - forget it. He'll be wearing Cooper's old baseball t-shirt and shorts in January... And if you live around here...you'll know it's been a bit chilly. Which means we've been inside much more. Like right now for instance. I am watching Shark Boy and Lava Girl...?? What IS this stuff? I think it's going to be a loooong winter. But the boys are mesmerized which helps if you want to accomplish anything. 4 days to 4 years old...maybe I could do a little memory lane photos? Let me see what I can dig up. I could do "Coop Week". You know, kind of like "Shark Week" on the Discovery Channel :-)

Taking care

Let us take care of the children,

for they have a long way to go.

Let us take care of the elders,

for they have come a long way.

Let us take care of those in between,

for they are doing the work. African Prayer

I am one of those "in between". And probably so are you. So how are we doing? At taking care of ourselves I mean? Sometimes I am so good at that, and other times I am so not good at it...

I'm in one of those "not so good" times right now. Over the past week or so I have continually felt like I am forgetting stuff. No, let me correct myself...I AM forgetting stuff! My friendly Statefarm Insurance agent called yesterday politely asking about our homeowners bill that was due Aug 30th!! Do you know, I have absolutely NO recollection of receiving that bill...nor can I find it anywhere? Well, with much embarrassment and tons of apologies I rushed over to their office today to pay the bill. And then I overdrew my checking account because I forgot to transfer some money Monday morning (thank goodness for overdraft protection!!). And how about Cooper's birthday invitations...yup, you guessed it...not done yet. Sigh...so, you can understand how I just have this constant nag that I am forgetting more, and how I am not taking real good care of myself right now. It is definitely time to straighten back out again. Time for lists. Time for serious organization (good thing that is a strong point for me). Time for working on that "in between" person and screwing her head back on a little straighter. Wish me luck!

Gotta love

A little boy who makes you a cake...

Sings you "happy birthday"...

and blows out your candles.

Thank you Duncan.

9-9-70

About a year ago, I read this quote somewhere and I loved it. But I could never find it again. I couldn't remember where I read it, who wrote it or where to even begin looking for it. I had Bryn doing searches on the Internet with a few sparse words that I could recall...but we never did find it. Well, the other day I was reading one of my favorite blogs and what did I see?? The quote!! Yeah! Today is my birthday. I am 37. I am proud of every year. I have few wrinkles, and my gray's need continual maintenance, but I have a lot to show for them :) I think this quote is a good one to live on while working toward 38, 39, 40... Anna Quindlen : ...but the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three on them sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in a hurry to get on to the next things: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less. Happy day to all.

And I stayed home to dust?

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better,

To paint a picture or write a letter,

Bake a cake or plant a seed,

Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time,

With rivers to swim and mountains to climb,

Music to hear and books to read,

Friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world's out there

With the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,

A flutter of snow, a shower of rain.

This day will not come 'round again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,

Old age will come and it's not always kind.

And when you go and go you must,

You, yourself, will make more dust.

It's coming

I can feel it ~ "it's in the air" as they say. Autumn. Even though I slept hot last night with nothing more than a sheet, my body (or maybe my mind?) just knows. After 37 years in Pennsylvania maybe I smell it? Maybe my body can tell that the sun is lower in the sky? I stopped using an alarm clock years ago, because my body just knows when to wake up ~ maybe it's something like that?

I'm home alone today, John took the boys to EM for what may be, one of the last swims of the year... So, I'm packing up and pulling out. Cleaning up and playing about. And I have lots of time to think, reflect, dream and imagine. I love these days...I putter about, cleaning (which I love), and it re energizes my creative juices. I'm scrapbooking a few pages today too. I'm actually scrapping my first page about ME! I think with our anniversary on Thursday and my birthday tomorrow, I'm realizing that I really want to get my thoughts down on paper, my dreams, just some stuff about me. I want to leave stuff for my kids so they know who I was at each point in my life, what I was thinking about, what I was frustrated about, what my hopes were... I have to continually remind myself to celebrate me and who I am. Sometimes hard I know ~ we have a tendency to put "me" last huu?

Well, I'm going back to cleaning, creating, celebrating and drinking my fresh mint iced tea which I brewed this morning ~ might be the last batch of the year...

10 Years

John and I celebrate 10 years today. Yes, time does fly, but at least I have been flying with my best friend. As I look back over the last 10 years I am amazed at what we have done, were we have gone, and what we have accomplished. We bought a business and bought a home. We have traveled out of the country, skied up North and sailed the Caribbean. We have been stranded in open water in the dead of night with no engine on what all of the sudden became a very small boat. We have laughed until we cried and cried until it hurt. But obviously the most memorable of all moments has been the birth's of our boys. Our cup certainly runneth over. However, I can not celebrate this very special day without thanking all of you too. Thank you all for your support, your friendship and your love. A marriage takes TONS of hard work, and raising children takes even more. We truly could not have accomplished what we have and made it this far without each of you. You have listened to us, offered advise, help us raise our children, set awesome examples and most off all, you have laughed and cried with us. I am sitting here tonight with my glass of wine and I raise it up to my wonderful husband, to myself and too all of you ~ cheers.

I close with the famous words of Kahlil Gibran from The Prophet ~ (and part of our wedding ceremony. )

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together yet not too near together:

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

I'm back

Here we are again. First day of school. Last year there were tears (from him and me), this year just a hug and "bye mom, I love you too". Wow, talk about tugging at my heart strings. Sorry for the laps in blogging - whew, I don't even know where the last week has gone? A trip to Eagles Mere, a Labor Day picnic at mom and dad's, two kids BOTH spiking 104+ fevers, bombing our house for fleas (yuk!!), shopping for land, and oh, I think next week Comfort Keepers may be at an all time high record in hours... Okay, maybe I DO know where the last week has gone! But full speed ahead...glad to be back. I've missed you all :-)