more about Benjamin...

Receiving his yellow ribbon from the assistant teacher of his class who helped for part of the year...since finishing her certification she has moved on & has her own class now. His wonderful teacher is in the background holding the microphone. I am amazed by their endless patience & dedication to teach.
our happy boy
the kids from his class who graduated & will go to Kindergarten this fall.
checking out his certificate
lots of smiles! I'm so sorry we didn't get a picture of Nana & Papa with Benjamin. Benjamin was super happy to have them at his school for the special occasion.

our little graduate

what I love most...

"What I love most about my home is who I share it with."
tad carpenter

may 2011

janury 2005

[little hands nearly ruined our cruise picture. thank goodness for scanning & photoshop!]

Brotherly Love

I don't document very well in photographs how much these boys love each other. I loved my Mother's Day gifts from my family this year, but their love for each other and us is by far the best gift I could ever want for Mother's Day.

[taken on Mother's Day, 5.8.11]

20 months!

This is a bit late....however the last time I was inspired to write, blogger was not working for me.


Things I want to remember about Trevin at 20 months...

• he keeps our home lively with his laughter & jibber jabber


• the terrific twos have already begun!


• anything Benjamin can you, he can do too (or at least Trevin thinks he can)


• will climb on ANYTHING


• has discovered he loves ice cream


• loves his Boppa (aka Papa) & calls him on 'his' cell phone every day


• nearly every sentence includes motor noise for car/truck/semi/cement truck


• is adding new words to his vocabulary every day


• favorite sport: "hocKEE" (how to play: use mommy's kitchen spatulas and hit a ball as hard as you can, chase it, & repeat) Benjamin is credited with teaching him this game


• loves to sit at the piano & play


• his one nap in the afternoon can last from 45-90 minutes....so bedtime is still pretty early


• will sit quietly & put tinkertoys together for quite a while


• tells himself "no, no" when he knows he has done something wrong...but has yet to tell us 'no' in defiance.


• races to come sit on my stomach when I lay down to do my crunches...ugh, that's hard work!


• he is still so cuddly & loving...he was even loving on Grandma's dog today...Cocoa was dirty & spotted with paint...that didn't matter, Trevin just laid his head right up against Cocoa.

This little guy doesn't stop for very long, but I love that he stopped to smell the peace lily blooming on the plant we were given at the time of Grandpa Ben's funeral 2 years ago

I'm so glad that Benjamin has such happy & good memories of him, yet I'm so sorry Trevin will only know him thru pictures.

Mother's Day

I feel so lucky!

a message for moms

Taste Testing on Tuesday

Chocolate-Drizzled Strawberry & Cream Pie
from Our Best Bites.

I am not crazy about strawberry pie...I've never liked the overly sweet glaze that covers all the strawberries & the graham cracker crust tends to get soggy so fast. However with all our lovely strawberries from the farm, I chose to make this recipe. We LOVED it. I also found a premade granola crust at our local store & it held up much better & I loved its crunch! We highly recommend this recipe.

Enjoy!

Someone, Somewhere

Today I'm so thankful for friends who have made my life a little richer, days a little brighter, & helped me smile along the way...

Someone, Somewhere

Is it not something after all,
When paths divide, when shadows fall.
To know that there is someone who
Wonders a little, what you do?
Wonders a little where you are?
It may be near, it may be far…
It may be half the world around.
Is it not something to have found
Some soul, when other paths you choose
You cannot have, yet cannot lose?

Is it not something just to know
That when divided paths you go
You never quite completely part;
That each shall carry in the heart
Some memory of former days
Before you went divided ways?
Is it not something just to feel
What hills may hide, what clouds conceal?
Although you know no clasp of hands
That someone, somewhere understands?

Oh, we may part from many a friend.
Every song must have an end.
But in the heart the song sings on
When he who sang the song is gone.
So think of someone, somewhere, who
Wonders a little what you do?
Wonders a little where you are?
Though very near or very far
When paths divide, when shadows fall;
Is that not something after all?
[author unknown]