the sky is pink

My little graduate. Today Sawyer graduated from preschool. I. did. not. cry. But will someone tell him he needs to stop growing up? It was a bittersweet day today. Sawyer graduated from preschool. The same preschool all of my children attended and graduated from. When I pulled out the cap and gown last night, I noticed the inscription inside of the hat read that Taylor graduated on Friday, June 1, 2001, exactly 11 years ago to the day. I felt a little nostalgic and I thought back to his graduation and how young he was. Six children. Eleven years of paid preschool and one year of "joy school" later. It's hard to believe this chapter of my life is over. No more tuition bills. (Can I get a "woot!" ?) I will only have children in three  schools next year, instead of four. At graduation this morning, I received an honorary diploma. I was not expecting it. When we walked into the auditorium (it was held at a local private college), the direc...

Taylor dodges his first zombies. Taylor crosses finish line with both flags. Taylor receiving his medal. Taylor - the Ultimate Survivor

The younger children had a half-day of school today. I was trying to think of something to do to make it special. (Since Taylor and Carter had a full day.) I thought some one-on-one time with my girl would be just what we needed. I had been eyeing a cookie recipe for some time. And, oooh, I could almost taste those white chocolate chips melting in my mouth. As I pulled the ingredients out of the cupboard, a look of dismay appeared on Spenser's face and she adamantly stated that she hates white chocolate. What?!? But I could almost taste those cookies. At first, I am ashamed to say, I bargained with her. I tried to convince her that she really would like them, if she just tried them. And, it didn't work. I begged her. And, just as soon as she gave in, it hit me like a bullet. It wasn't about the white chocolate chips. It was about spending time together. It was our special time together. And Spenser is better than white chocolate chips. And then my attitu...

Here is the 2011 edition of homemade "Sisters' Gifts." Crocheted snowflakes. I made snowflake #20 from 99 Snowflakes . While the priority is to make them for my mother, three sisters, three sisters-in-law and my sister-in-law's sister (who has no other family in the area), I always make enough to spread the love to teachers and close friends. I think I made 30. Or 30 was my goal. I may have made more. Once I memorized the pattern, they were flying off the hook. I took my hook, crochet thread and scissors everywhere I went. I crocheted at the boys' basketball games, track meets, in the car while waiting for preschool to let out. Every.where. I'm almost sad I've finished. (Not quite sad enough to continue making them, though. The very worst part was pinning and starching those suckers. The pins killed my fingertips and the starch dried out my hands beyond recognition.) Of course I added a bar of my handmade chocolate-mint soap with each gift.

This year's Christmas card photo. We had it taken in October, right after Joe retired. (It's been hard to keep in secret since then.)

The man I married unofficially retired from the U.S. Army on September 30, 2011. The man I married will officially retire from the U.S. Army on January 1, 2012. The man I married is currently on "leave" from the U.S. Army and is still considered active duty. The man I married served more than 25 years for the U.S. military. (He had a few years of National Guard duty while earning his undergrad.) The man I married started a new job today at the National Institute of Health (NIH). The man I married is also celebrating his birthday today. Happy birthday, Joe. Thank you for serving our country, our family, and the Lord.

From Carter. I love that boy. He's offered his services to organize my coupons. Bless him. He has a chore. From Jackson. I love that boy. Hangman that spells out "I love you." And he hid behind me when I opened it. Funny guy. Always the prankster. From Mason. Seriously. How could I love this sweet gesture more? I know not. It states, "I hope you like your man made of 2 dollars. Now you are 2 dollars richer than you were a few minutes ago!" (Don't tell the others, but I think I enjoyed this gift the most.) I love that boy. From Spenser. I'm the "nicksis (nicest)" mom she ever had. Again, the cuteness is unbearable. And yet more from the girl. She worked so hard. She gave me a sandwich bag full of more drawings, in a gift bag with a Christmas tag with cherubs. It certainly is MY day.

It seems like yesterday that this little man of mine was born into this world. The baby that seemed like he was in no hurry to come out of me. The baby that has grown so much over the years. Years. As in five years. Five years. Oh my. Where has the time gone? (So many of my bloggy friends have been around for five years. And a little longer. It's a milestone, I tell ya.) I'm lucky enough to have Sawyer home with me for one more year. His September birthday was just a little too late for him to start Kindergarten. But, seriously, I don't mind it a bit. I always say to him, after the kids leave for school, "It's just you and me, kid." At one point (last school year) he asked me to stop saying it, and so I obliged. I started it again this year and he has started to say it to me. He often asks me during the day to cuddle with him. Usually it's when I'm busy cleaning the house, doing dishes, etc. I have learned to stop what I'm doing and cuddle with...

I guess it's time to wipe the slate clean with "Trips to the School Nurse" and "Soccer Goals." Trips to the School Nurse 2010 - 11 Taylor: 2 Carter: 2 Jackson: 0 Mason: 6 (4 in one day!) Spenser: 7 Soccer Goals Fall 2010 Taylor: 0 Carter: 0 Jackson: 2 Mason: 0 And, for the record, Mason has already visited Nurse Maureen. And so the love affair continues ... Edited to add: Spenser just came home with a slip that she visited Nurse Maureen today.

Nine years ago today, my sister, Kristen, died. In following family tradition, we met for breakfast. Today is also my parents' 44th wedding anniversary, so my parents, three sisters and I met at a local, family-owned restaurant. When I pulled into the parking lot, I looked around to see if I recognized any cars. I saw my parents' car, so I hopped out and walked toward the restaurant. I thought I heard my sisters talking, so I stopped and looked around. I didn't see anyone, so I continued walking. Then, very distinctly, I heard my sister, Kate say (in a sing-songy voice) "Laurie." (No one calls me Laurie, except family. I do not like to be called Laurie.) Again, I stopped, looked around and said (out loud), "I hear you. I just don't see you." And nothing. No sisters in sight. No other voices. I walked into the glass vestibule at the restaurant and a police officer was standing there smiling at me. (I'm hoping he didn't think I was too loony.)...

So Spenser always wants curly hair. Why is it that you really covet something that you just don't have? I keep telling Spenser that her hair will be plenty curly after she has babies , but, at six, she is too impatient for that day to come. So, for now, we will put (foam) curlers in her hair. And wait until the next morning to see if it works. And, after it worked for church yesterday, she wanted to try it again. So ... we did it again. This time she wore her mob cap to help keep the curlers in place. And it worked like a charm! (Does anyone remember the 1970's jingle Curlers in your hair, shame on you ? I don't remember the jingle, but I remember my mother saying it to us when we put the hard, plastic curlers in our hair when we were little. And, just for the heck of it, I said to to Spenser when I put them in her hair.)

Nearly four years ago, Taylor helped Jackson learn how to ride a bicycle . This week Jackson helped Spenser learn to ride a bicycle. She still needs a little more confidence, but she has one of the best (and most patient and loving) teachers.

Well, the girl and I stopped at the ribbon outlet again. I realized that the hotel is extremely close to the outlet and it would be a crime not to just drop in ... They had a sale going on that you could fill a plastic bag of ribbon for 99 cents. I told Spenser she could pick out her own ribbon. That girl. ( She is so much like her mother .) As we walked around, she kept asking if she still had room in her bag for ribbon. I kept telling her she did, so she continued to fill it. At the register Spenser picked a plastic egg that gave us an additional 30% off our purchase. And the girl and her ribbon? Well, she crammed 76 rolls of ribbon into her bag.

On Saturday we held Taylor's Eagle Court of Honor. We had a busy few weeks preparing for it. (And, boy, has the inside of my house suffered because of it.) Joe wrote the program and prepared a PowerPoint presentation and pretty much organized everything. I took care of the food (chocolate fountain + other goodies) and made two slideshow presentations: a short 4-minute one for the actual ceremony and a longer one for the reception we held afterwards. As his mother, I pinned the medal on his uniform. It was crooked. And then Taylor gave a speech that he wrote. He did a wonderful job. I was so proud of him. (Carter, in the background, was the emcee for the Court of Honor as part of the Communications Merit Badge. Carter did a wonderful job, as well. And he was funny. We are still laughing at him.) And, so ... it's official ... I'm the mother of an Eagle Scout. (One of many future Eagle Scouts.)

After making our Christmas cards , I still had silhouettes on the brain. Can I tell you just how much I love them? Because, oh, I do. My real-life friend, Christy , reminded me that she had made silhouette ornaments one year. And I thought it would be the perfect time to make a few myself. I made several of the one on the right for grandparents and Aunt Lettie . The one on the left was one that I gave Joe for Christmas. It was a last-minute idea, but they were all well-received. And then I decided I needed one for my red-room Christmas tree . Every year I try to give the children a handmade ornament. Last year's never got made. This year they had three. The first one was from Jackson's birthday party and they each made one . I thought I was off the hook (and caught up from missing last year), when I thought of the silhouette ornaments. Each child received his/her own silhouette in a frame. I can't wait to look back at these in the many years to come. I always want to reme...

On Saturday night Taylor and I traveled to go meet up with Joe at his Annual Training Conference in Lancaster, PA. It was going to be a special night. Each year they have a boring training conference and a boring awards ceremony. I stopped attending these things because, well, they are boring. There I said it and I don't feel guilty about it. I went for the first few years of our married life, but then we had too many children and then the children started school and it just wasn't as easy to pack up for a three-day weekend as it was with preschoolers. (And, I really don't like to leave my children. I have only left them when I had a baby and I left some of them when Joe took me out for my birthday one year , but we had three kids, one of which was a newborn Sawyer, so that really doensn't count as being away.) Anyway, my in-laws came and stayed with the younger five while Taylor and I went on a road trip. And, by the way, Taylor is not an enjoyable traveling compani...

It was that time of year again. Remember that? If you don't, go back for a fun read and hurry back. So, it's a time of year I don't particularly look forward to. I felt like we've exhausted backyard shots. (Although I did come up with a few new ideas. Maybe next year ...) Anyway, I started to think about 2010 and how one of the biggest accomplishments of the year was Taylor completing his Eagle Scout project . It seemed only fitting that we would include one of his benches in our family Christmas card shoot. After about 200 shots, we picked this one. Sawyer looks goofy, but at the age of four, he is allowed to look goofy. He reminds me of Mason that one year . Oy . We told the children to put on their sweaters because they were not going to wear their coats. Amazingly only the four younger ones listened. We didn't even realize it until we were getting out of the car and told the kids to leave their coats in the car. Taylor and Carter were cold, but that's a con...

Yesterday was a busy day. We went to church and then attended a huge family Christmas (reunion) party . Santa was supposed to come through town on the fire engine last night , but rain kept ol' Saint Nick home. (He's rescheduling for next Monday.) I tried to console the children that they had just seen Santa (on a fire engine no less ) at our family Christmas party just two hours earlier. I think they're cool with it now. So we had some "down time" last evening. As always, I turned on my Christmas music and everyone just kind of did their own thing: playing, making, creating, etc. For Advent I had picked out a few crafty things to do throughout the month. Sadly, our busy family life has us going in different directions on most weeknights, so our Advent has mostly been drinking hot chocolate with a candy cane (or cool snowman-shaped marshmallows); drinking eggnog; family movie night (on a school night! with popcorn); and other holiday treats. Last night was the pe...