Emily is back at the camera.  Her favorite subjects: her sisters.  Followed closely by the dog. 

Yes the baby is sitting in a wok.  Yes Colin put her there.  Yes she was surprisingly happy.  And yes Colin had to take a photo.

Back to the baby photos

This is Lauren's glassy eyed almost asleep look.

We are Awana Cubbies.....

Katie LOVES Cubbies.  She LOVES her teachers.  She LOVES her vest. She LOVES the crafts and snack time.  She completed the year earning a Cubby bear for her vest.  She did not love saying good bye to her teachers.  Her teachers happen to be three high school girls who are total rock stars in my opinion. They are fun, cute and popular girls who have a million other things they could do than volunteer every week.  What a difference these girls make.

Happy day.

Katie cracks me up. 

L'oncle Paul visited us from the northern most Caribbean country of New Orleans.
We were all glad he brought "that lady."  Kelsey, you are a good sport.  And he loved his moccasins.

Making moccasins

We grabbed a moccasin making kit.   We read the directions and started threading the pieces together.

Little by little it took shape.  Both girls did most of work.  I helped with missed stitches and tightening the seams.  Katie tried flossing with a shoe lace.  Always joking.

 

The final product was quite impressive for so little work.  Uncle Paul appreciated them very much as his new dog, a great dane, recently used his slippers as a chew toy. 

A year of roses.

One year ago Colin returned home from deployment #4.
A fact that everyone knows.  Not big news.
For me, it is a fact that makes me want to cry.
That statement is like revealing a secret I don't want anyone to know.
Like the title of a book detailing sadness, failure and grief. 
Four deployments has shaped more of me and my life that I wanted.
One year ago  Colin and I looked at our lives and knew we had to pick up the pieces and start to build something.  We had to begin the process of figuring out a normal relationship. More than just phone friends.  More than long distance.  More than my boyfriend comes home now and then. 
Yes we have been married 8 years.  Yes we have kids together.  Yes we have had a lot of fun.  Yes we have honored our promises to God.  But the weight of his absence and the repercussions of his mission have been unbearable.  So a year ago we started a new thing.  Same commitment, different relationship.  It started in part with his decision to buy me roses.  I laughed at the first bunch.  I complained about the price of the second bunch.  I told him to stop after the third bunch.  A year later, I don't see flowers in a vase, I see a new love.
 
Colin, Thank you for always coming home to me.

Happy Sunday

 More personality every day.

She is so little.

The last month has felt like forever.  In a good way.  Lauren fits.  The big girls have melded gently with their sister.  The new baby gives me all the excuse I need to do whatever I want.  Translation: leaving chores undone for another day. She won't be this little forever.

Happy Mother's Day

 Happy gifts from little hands.

 Happy sleeping babies.

 Happy crepes made by little hands and homemade marmalade.

Happy roses in the garden to greet us.

 Love this girl.  I'm currently lost in the land of "how on earth do I convince her to stay in her bed after bed time?" 

 

Grrrr.

 Katie is convinced she has a freckle on the back of her neck. There is no telling her otherwise.

 So sad. She just found out she is not getting any of the cookies.

Introducing Owlfred

Three days ago, Colin and the girls went on a walk in the rain.  They came home and Emily looked like this....

She told me they found an owl.  A baby owl.  Actually they found three but two were dead.  We think they fell from their nest during the storm.  Colin said it seemed like the right thing to pick up the baby.  We warmed him up and gave him a little food not expecting him to make it through the night let alone three days.  He is scheduled to be picked up by a wildlife rescue group.  But for now he is our very own.

The whole process has been a little time intensive. 
But it is a lesson about life.  Life is precious.  Even if it is short. 
It's a lesson for the girls about being owl mommies even if we can't be as good as his real mommy. It's a lesson of compassion for weakness and fragility.
It's a lesson that God cares about sparrows and owl babies and us.
And it's a lesson that owl babies are adorable!

a short break from sleeping to yawn.

Oh look, there's a big world out here.

Hello big world.

We took a day to stay in our pajamas.

No cleaning or school work, just playing.

We needed the day to have fun and enjoy ourselves. 

and she sleeps some more

We are headed back to ballet this month.  It's been too long for twinkle toes.
I love her passion for movement.