Jesse

Three years ago you came into our lives and completed us.  We had no idea to what degree.  This last year your personality blossomed, and we fell even harder.  We all did.

Your eyes shine Jesse.  They are windows to a beautiful soul.



Oh, your cheeks.  They are something.  I don't ever want them to go away.



You are dreamy my sweet angel.  I can't tell you how many nights you asked me to go see the moon.  I've told you this many times.  You have so much depth already.



Your hair curls in humidity.  I love it.  I dream about it.



Sometimes when you look at me, I feel like you are looking into my soul.  Can you do that?



I can't figure out how to tell you how perfectly beautiful and wonderful you are inside and out.

You are irresistible.  Don't ever forget that.  Don't you ever let anyone tell you differently.

Thank you for wearing hats.  Thank you for loving accessories.  It's just the beginning isn't it?

And thank you for this.  I want to write a children's book about you and put this on the cover.  Oh, it's just perfect to me.



Angel sleeping.  Oh my sweet angel in your princess gown, with your pink, pony pacy and finally in your big girl bed...sometimes.



Reminding me how beautiful and wonderful and what a miracle you are on any regular old day.  You do that a lot.



It's like you are telling me to not ever worry.  Life is perfect and just how it should be.  Your eyes tell me that.  Did you know your eyes talked to me?

This year you really started making decisions for yourself....what pajamas you wanted to wear...what costume you wanted for Halloween.  You always got it right.  You are becoming you...I like what I'm seeing.

Happiness and joy surround you.  It's part of the package.  You, my Jesse girl, well...look out world.  She's here.

She's three.  She's spectacular.  

Please never stop gently touching my cheek as you drift to sleep.  

Oh God, the love of a child is so pure. And my love for you Jesse girl...it's pure too.  It's forever.  Is forever enough?  Cause I'm never, never giving you up.

Time Travel - The Beginning

It’s her day today.  I can’t give her a gift to unwrap or call her and wish her a Happy Birthday.  But, I can share with you and my angels some of the things that made her so special.

She was the Captain of her basketball team in high school.  So tall and beautiful and athletic.

I wish I could travel back in time and sit in the crowd and cheer for her.  I would give anything.  I would be so proud.  I would scream so loud that she would look my way.  She would do a double take at the blonde girl dressed in futuristic clothes screaming her name.  While I’m imagining things, I might as well imagine myself in Jimmy Choo shoes as well.

“Sandra, you rock!  WUU!  WUU!  WUU!”  "You like my shoes?"

She would look my way and smile and then continue kicking ass. 

That’s how I imagine it anyway. 

Then, I would get in my DeLorean and program the time and date to this moment.  I had to be 3…around Jesse’s age.  We were at Disney World.  We were on Tom Sawyer Island.

I would approach her.  I would comment on what a beautiful child she has (just to get her attention).  I would tell her she looks just like her.  She will say, “Thanks, nobody ever tells me that.”  And I will say, “Trust me, she does.  Everything but the hair.  You know, one day she will look at her reflection in the mirror just to remember your face.”  I will hug her and tell her how lucky that little girl is to have her.  I will start to cry and find it really hard to let go.  I will also ask her if she is pregnant.  Then, she will call security on me. 

I will run (in my Jimmy Choos) back to my DeLorean (after grabbing one of those Mickey Mouse ice creams, perhaps getting some of those monogrammed Mickey Mouse ears, and riding Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean.)

I really like this DeLorean.  I really like to imagine flying in it.  It has been really awesome visiting Mama and pretending I have Jimmy Choos.  I just need to somehow generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity I need to do this again.

Marty McFly: Wait a minute, Doc.  Ah...Are you telling me that you built a time machine...out of a DeLorean? 

Dr. Emmett Brown:  The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style.

I love how you can Google “Back to the Future quotes” and all this is just right at your fingertips.

I love that Mama saw and loved this movie too and would totally get this entire post.  She would laugh at me.

I love that I didn’t plan for this post to go this way and it did.

Oh my, I really am a nerd.  What is wrong with me?  My love is going to give me hell.

And on a serious note…February 4, 1950 was the day she came into this world and made it wonderful.  She left us 50 years later.  All that knew her miss her.

Why do I have this overwhelming feeling right now that she’s looking over my shoulder?  Ok Mama.  She was intelligent and beautiful and funny and the best Mama ever.  That good?  OK.  Love you too.

You really were and the kids will know.

Lego my Lego

It was recently the 100^th day of school.  So, he had to decorate what looked like a gingerbread man to look like he was 100 years old.

He had some help.

He wanted the man to have red shoes.  Hip old man he is.   Well, except for the fact he is wearing draw string pants.

Mama didn't read the directions too well.  I just told him to make him look old.  Turns out it should be a 100 year old version of himself.  Thank goodness he made his eyes blue.  Thank goodness we didn't put a dress on him.

He is doing so well in school lately.  I guess the bribes are working.  We tell him he can have a prize if he does well, and the only thing he wants is Star Wars Legos.  And...here’s the problem.  Have you priced these things lately?  Good grief!  It’s like Lego and Star Wars ganged up and said, "Let’s make an experiment out of this.  Let’s price a set at $75 and see if these idiots buy it.”  And damn if the people did.  And here I am in this predicament. 

Hello ebay.

So the dining room is Lego World.  Who needs a formal dining room anyway?

And the fighting has begun.  Jesse wants to help.  Jonah doesn’t want her near.  The pink and purple legos we bought for her help some, but not all the time.

The kids are constantly bickering back and forth, and Jonah is constantly asking us to help him find a piece.    And...these instructions are giving me headaches.  Calgon take me away!

But the look on his face when he completes one is worth all of this.

You've worked hard Jonah.  We are so proud of you.  And yes, sometimes she gets on your nerves, but at the end of the day...it's always better when we're together.  We love you.

Jump

So, the awesome thing about the trampoline, besides jumping with the kids, is that it gives me the most perfect opportunity to practice my action shots.  Good-bye blur.  I think I'm getting it.  And guess what people...it's not that hard.  It's all about Shutter Speed.  

My granny would have said right now, "Well, I do declare."  

Yep, it's not that difficult.  You can do it too.  Follow these incredible instructions right here. (Read that entire series if you have time.)

Granted, these are not perfect.  Getting them to face the sun when they jumped wasn't the easiest task. "Get on that corner and look this way!"  Yeah, right.  This part is just luck when you get it right.  I think so anyway.

It was still chilly.  The hat was a necessity for little one.  But it caused a little problem.



Little dark there on one side, but looky here...motion without the blur.



"Hey, where did everybody go?"



"Jonah, look at the sun and do that!"



"Jesse, how about showing me that sweet face?"



Little bit better.  Half the face lit anyway.



"Hey Jesse!  Over here!"



And a glimpse.  Please don't lose those cheeks my angel.



His head went through the trampoline.

Just kidding.  I should position myself better.  Actually, he was just standing on it and was very proud of himself for it.

Now, Jesse sort of trots along.  She's not jumping as high as her brother.  Not yet anyway.

I thought this was a nice, sweet playful pose.  Ah, they love each other.  They play so well together.

But...my love just informed me while looking over my shoulder that Jonah has her in a deathly, Jiu-Jitsu Gi hold (a Gi is his uniform top in Jiu-Jitsu, and this is a technique he is learning).  Oh yeah, seems like I remember a "playful" throw to the trampoline.  Poor Jesse.  She didn't have a clue.  Perhaps I should look out for this more?  Oh well, there were no tears.  She probably just enjoyed the attention.

And I enjoyed this time more than they could ever possibly know.  I'll be there.  I'll watch you grow on this trampoline.  I'll capture all I can and I will thoroughly enjoy every minute of it.  No other place on this earth that I would rather be.

Sparks

Jesse girl just fell asleep in my arms.  She's breathing so hard.  I can't believe I am not taking her picture.  What a day.  I am listening to the final Dora song.  "We did it!  We did it!  We did it!  Yeah!"  I don't think I have ever had to endure a character that gets on my nerves more.  But, I endure her.  I endure her for Jesse.  I do miss Elmo.

We finally got her and her brother out of the house today after a week of being snowed in.  I thought they would be going crazy to get out...turns out that as long and Grandmommy is around, it doesn't matter.  But, we got them out anyway.  It was nice.

My attention is on my love at the moment.  He has been busy during these snow days.  I showed him plans for a bookshelf for the playroom online and he was all over it.  Mind you...he has little tools, but he was all over it.  

I had no idea that when I jumped in that Toyota truck that night that I would end up here.  He had me at Hello...or whatever.  I sat on the floor and watched him building this bookshelf for my angels.  I'm sure he thought I would blog about it.  I'm sure he thought it would be "Look at this!"  But, it's more than that.  It's more about this...Hey, Jonah and Jesse...your Daddy rocks.  He did this for you.  And guess how much I love him for it?  I can never put it into words.

They are in the storage room in our basement.  Excuse my Monica like tub labeling.  I can't help myself. Back to my love....

He's going to be thrilled I posted these.  Probably not.  It's ok.  He will forgive me.

Holly crap.  This is going to happen.  $69 bookshelves.  I totally almost paid Pottery Barn a grand.

He moves me.  Good Lord.

Wala.

They do a mean prime coat.

I'll have to post more of the finished product...one day...when we finish it.  Right now, well right now, I just have him on my mind.  And I want him to know...well...I saw sparks.

Feeling Good and Frosty

What do you do when you are feeling good and snowed in and can't go to work?  Well, that's easy.  You build a snowman.

And Jesse named him simply, Frosty.  

And you stare at him out your window and wonder how the hell you are going to get him to the North Pole before the snow melts, because he is so perfect, and well, because you've been wanting to make him since you were a little girl and may cry real tears when he melts.  

And on this day, I put a little check on my bucket list in my head.  We made Frosty.  I am in love with him.  How will I keep him forever????

This is what you call serious snow in the South.  Perfect for building Frosty.  Perfect for having a snowball fight.

It hasn't been the easiest start to 2011.  I've been sick and hate talking about sick details, but I'm much, much better.  Just FYI...don't let a stupid doctor give you an antibiotic without checking you for Mono.  It will give you the worst reaction of your life.  You'll think you are dying.  You'll go to the ER.  If you get lucky, your sister-in-law will rescue you from the ER while your love is out of town.  Your mother-in-law will come rub your back while you moan through the night while your sister-in-law coats your feet with cold wet rags.  You're love will finally get you to another doctor for a second opinion who looks you in the face and says simply...."You have Mono."  She'll say the other docs shouldn't have given you Augmentin.  She'll say it's Med School 101.  She'll say "Give a Mono patient Penicillin of any kind and they will have the worst skin reaction of their life."  You will look at her somewhat embarrassed you are 37 with Mono and somewhat relieved you are not dying.  If you are really lucky, you'll get snowed in for long enough to really feel better and enjoy all the people who helped you get well.  You will rejoice in watching your kids play in the snow and thank God for good health and a wonderful family.

That's what you will do.  Just in case you are wondering.

It's so good to feel good.  It's so good to have Frosty.  It's so good to have a wonderful family.  Thank you wonderful family.  It's so good to know how blessed I am.