My Special Day

Today, on Mother's Day 2010, I.....

* Watched Madelyn sing a solo of Jesus Loves Me at church

* Hugged both of my girls and told them I was proud to be their mother

* Gave my mother a hug and told her that I loved her

* Received several hand made treasures from my girls

* Had a special lunch of steaks and baked potatoes cooked by Michael

* Took a two hour nap holding Cassidy the entire time

* Welcomed my younger brother in law back from Spain

* Ate supper with my in laws

* Put off doing the laundry so I could enjoy the day

* Thanked God for the mothers and grandmothers in my life as well as the two special girls that call me mom.

Mothers Day 2010

This was the first child to call me mother. She was born the day after Mothers Day in 2003. I remember that Mothers Day wondering what the rest of my life would be like and how things would change the next day. Then, Madelyn was born. And, my world was different in ways I can't explain. Every day she teaches me new things about motherhood. I have learned so many life lessons from her. I appreciate her patience with me as I learn what it takes to be the mother God has called me to be. She is like me in so many ways. She is a tender hearted child who strives to please others. She is kind and compassionate. She is well behaved. She can be shy and reserved or she can be the life of the party depending on who is around to see her.

This blue eyed beauty is my second blessing. She definitely has a mind of her own. She has me wrapped around her little finger with those big eyes and that charming smile. I ofen think of her as "my baby" even though she is almost three. She keeps me on my toes for sure.

Today is the day to celebrate the special women in our lives who we call mother, granny, grandmother, nana, grammy, mimi, and other special names. I am blessed to be a mother myself, but to still have my mother and many grandmothers to teach me new things through their own wisdom and experience. Each of these special women has shaped my life in a way I wish I could describe adequately, but I do not feel that I have the words.

This is my mother.

She has loved since before I was born. She is the person I know loves me unconditionally. I can tell her anything. She has loved me at times when I acted unloveable. She has forgiven me for my teenage years. She has always made birthdays and holidays a special time for me. She is an amazing "Grammy" to my girls. It would be impossible to list all of the things I learned from my mother. Being a mother myself, I try to model after her. She always had expectations and I knew she meant what she said, but she was kind, gentle, and nurturing as well. I always wonder when I will know as much as she knows. I can only pray that one day my adult children will look to me and love me as much as I love my own mother.

This is my Granny Sam.She is my second mother. She has helped raise me and mold me into what I am today. I owe her so much for being there for me throughout my lifetime. She has helped me with homework, taken care of me when I had chickenpox, and given me a love for planting flowers. She was always involved in my classrooms at school, and she often served as the class room mother. She has taught me so much about independence and self respect.

This is my Granny
She is the mother of 5 sons and 1 daughter. My father is the third one in the back row. Throughout my life, I have watched my granny have a level of patience that is to be admired. She is a mother, a grandmother, a great grandmother, and a great - great grandmother. I think that the gift my granny passed on to me is her stoic nature. I am not sure I have ever seen her cry, though I am sure she has.

This is my Grandma

This is my mother's mother. She has a great sense of humor and a wonderful smile. She can be stern, and she can be a prankster. She can be stubborn and independent. And, she is also thankful for the love and support of others. I appreciate her old fashioned values, and I strive to pass them on to my daughters.

1. Again, I will post that Madelyn lost a tooth last night. This time it is one of her front teeth. The tooth fairy visited and brought her one dollar and a small toy.

2. I am still working on our Disney trip. I can't decide when the best time to purchase airline tickets will be. They have decreased in price by $11 over the past month, but who knows whethere they will keep going down in price or go back up.

3. It has rained all day.

4. I am having lunch with an old friend today. Candice and I have been friends since we were 8 years old.

5. I have decided that I am going to run in a 5K (3.11 miles). I am giving myself a year to train. Yes, you heard me right...ONE YEAR. I hate running. Frankly I hate all exercise, but I hate running the most. I am going to post my progress on my blog so I will be accountable to the handfull of people who actually read it.

6. The tooth Madelyn lost is not the tooth that has another tooth growing behind it.

7. Cassidy is starting an intense potty training program today. More posts about potty boot camp in the days ahead.

8. We still haven't had our family pictures made yet. I did get Cassidy's two and a half year old pictures made, and they are very cute.

9. Madi stayed home from school with a fever yesterday. Michael actually called in sick.

10. Michael, who has never had allergies before, was diagnosed with allergies.

11. My dog is going to spend the day at the vet getting a "diabetes curve test" because we can't get his insulin regulated.

12. Both my mother in law and father in law have a birthday this week. Happy Birthday, Sherrie and Les.

13. I have almost finished the book "Eclipse".

14. I am sad that college basketball season has come to an end.

15. I am gearing up to watch lots of baseball....GO CUBS! That's for Michael.

16. I am trying to decide whether I should grow out my hair to donate it one more time or if I should get a hair cut.

Double Trouble

A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double. -Toni Morrison

Most people know that I don't have siblings. Growing up that never really mattered much. I always liked being the only child...the center of attention. It hasn't been until recently that I have really put a value on sibling relationships. As I watch my girls grow, I envy the relationship that they have with one another. I often think how great it would be to have an anytime playmate, someone you can gripe about your parents with, and a friend that will be with you for a lifetime.

I do have many friends who have filled the sister role for me over the years. I have the friends that accept me for who I am no matter what, listen to me complain, and have often been partners in crime. Some of these ladies have been friends for almost a lifetime. Some have been with me during some of my best and worst times and some, although they live far away, are always close at heart. For that I am blessed and thankful.

Here are some more pictures of my favorite sister duo. They are girls who have the same parents and live in the same home, but who are very different in so many ways. Madelyn is the big sister who loves to be a role model and protector. She is the teacher and care taker. She displays a level of patience to be admired and shows such unconditional love. Cassidy is the little sister who so admires her big sister. The one who tries to copy what her older sister does and follows her wherever she goes. She shows such admiration and care for her older sister. She is the one who considers her older sister to be her best friend, and is willing to tell her that on a regular basis. How wonderful it is to watch Madelyn helping her sister complete a task and hearing Cassidy tell her, "You help me. You a good friend."

New Bunk Beds

There are a few reasons we decided to get bunk beds for the girls:

1. Madelyn has wanted to share a room with Cassidy for quite some time. Although they are sleeping in the same room, most of Madi's toys are in her old room (the bunk bed room), and all of Cassidy's toys are in her old room.

2. About two weeks ago, Cassidy started crying saying she didn't want to be in her bed anymore because there was a "bat" in her bed. She would wake up in the night crying and crying saying she was scared.

3. We were hopeful that this would get Madelyn out of our bed and into a really neat bed of her own.

4. We figured it was time to get Cassidy out of the crib anyway...bat or no bat.

So, the girls have been in the beds for about a week. Some goals have been achieved and some are still works in progress. Madelyn has stayed in her bed for most of the night every night. Six out of the seven nights she has come to our bed very early in the morning.

Cassidy is no longer talking about being scared of the bat. But, she did mention that she thought she saw a bug one night. She has cried three out of the seven nights at some point during the night, but she is easy to console back to sleep. Two of the nights, Michael has fallen asleep in Cassidy's bed.

Either way the girls like the beds, and they have done a pretty good job of sharing their space.

Madi's video for Uncle Josh

Madi also wanted to make a video for Josh. She wants to impress him with her excellent Spanish skills. So, here she is counting to fifteen in Espanol.

Cassidy's video for Uncle Josh

My brother in law, Josh is studying abroad in Spain. He has been there for a few months now, and he is planning to return in May. Cassidy has been talking alot about Josh lately. Anytime, she hears Josh's name, she usually says the same thing. And, here it is for your viewing pleasure. It is very cute. I hope I am able to share it with Josh by posting it on my blog. I am too technologically challenged to put it on his Facebook page or to upload it to YouTube since I took the video with my digital camera.

Translated: "Josh go far away. He went over ocean. He come back on Madi's birthday. I miss him".