Double digits and a Teenager

I am officially the mother of a teenage girl and a son who entered into the world of double digits. I'm scared! Pray for me!
We just celebrated two major milestones just a day apart.
Joseph turned ten years old and Rachel turned thirteen.
"Mom, I can't believe I'm a century old," commented Joseph.
"You mean a decade?" I corrected.
"Yes, that's it."

Joseph at 11 months. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Those brown eyes are the only thing that keeps him alive.

4 years old. The dimples also add to the cuteness.

6 1/2 years old

9 1/2 years old. What happened to the smile?

Rachel 7 1/2 months

Kindergarten - Rachel never liked this picture. She thought her bangs were too "poofy".

7 years old. This is probably one of my all time favorite photos of her.

12 1/2 years and she is growing into such a beautiful young woman. On a side note look for a future post of Rachel getting her ears pierced. Her thirteenth birthday gift.

Happy Birthday Rachel and Joseph!

He's amazing!

Who's amazing you ask? My husband. In fact I'm going to brag a little, well a lot.
When we moved into this house the first mental note we made was,'the back of the house faces west, and that's a problem, a huge one in fact'. Something is going to have to be done about this, we thought.

If a deck faces west and you desire to spend any kind of time sitting and relaxing during the summer months you need one thing ... shade!

For the past two and a half years Dave has been working on the over hang in his mind ... yes his mind. He never did draw it on paper or use a plan. Pretty amazing if you ask me. He started mid-May and finished mid-August. He built the entire thing by himself, expect for one beam he called on a neighbor to help lift when I could not.

So, who is amazing? Truly it is the Lord. He is the One who gives Dave the talent and ability to create such a structure. I am always amazed at the projects that Dave has done around the house since we have lived here. The list would go on and on.

Dave, you are amazing, thank you for working so incredibly hard. I love sitting on the deck and drinking my coffee while it is pouring down rain. This is by far my favorite thing you have done to the house ... next to the garbage disposal :)

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Family Pictures

After 4 years we finally decided to have our family picture taken.  In the past we have used Nancy Morrison, who provides her services to the homeschool community.  This past year we wanted to try something different.
We used our niece, Lauren Gay of Lauren Gay Photography.  Lauren graduated from The Art Institute of Washington D.C. with a bachelor of Fine Arts, with an emphasis in photography.  She has since gone on to become an amazing wedding and portrait photographer in the Northern Virginia / DC area. 

We met Lauren one Sunday afternoon at the Burwell Morgan Historical Mill in Millwood, VA, which is only two minutes from our house.  Yes, my hubby gave up half of a Redskin game.
Let's take a look back at previous family portraits.



Summer 2000



October 2006

Lauren suggested we have the family picture taken first to get that out of the way.  Then she took each of the kids for their individual shots, which we also use as their school pictures. 

Now everyone say "Aaaaahhhh, how sweet."

This is my favorite picture of Rachel.  Notice the pink stripe in the hair.  It's black cherry Kool-aid, thanks to her cousins.  Don't do it!  It's permanent! Seriously, I promise!  :)

My sweet, sweet Joseph. He is the only one out of eighteen grandchildren (on Dave's side) to have those precious brown eyes, which is a good thing, because he would never survived if he didn't have them.  So that makes him special :)

Nicole is like her Daddy in every way, looks, personality, humor, it really is scary :) .

Despite the lack of smile, this is still my favorite.  It is so Elise, very stoic.

Even though it looks as if Dave is posing he really is not.  Since he so LOVES participating in family pictures he was patiently waiting and Lauren just happened to catch this.  Dave was completely unaware.

Thank you Lauren, we love you!

Time, where does it go?

As I sat down to my computer early one morning, 5:30 am to be exact (and that's extremely early for me), I decided to check my email. Sifting through all the junk emails, Old Navy, Children's Place, Kohl's, I started clicking delete, delete, delete. 
Then I saw it, a Facebook message from Sarah.  She was asking to use me as a reference in regards to babysitting jobs.  Simple request, no big deal. Sure. I can do that. 
Then it hit me, I slumped back in my chair, and stared dumbfounded at my computer.  Quickly, tears were starting to form in my eyes. I know, it's crazy.  I'm thinking, "Really, come on. This is the girl who was born two months after I moved to Virginia at the very young age of 18." 

For the first three months of Sarah's life she scream her head off, literally.  I held her, rocked her, put her down, held her some more, rocked her some more.  Nothing helped, nothing but . . . time. 

"Where has the time gone?" I asked myself.  It seems like yesterday that I was changing her diaper, administering Mylicon and taking her on walks around the neighborhood and now she is asking to use me as a reference so she can care for someone else's children.

I'm overwhelmed by the fact that the past 18 years have flashed before my eyes.  Just like that, I blinked and they were gone.  Yes, I do realize I am only 37 years old.  Yet I didn't for a moment even consider it until I saw Sarah's email.

The girls that I spent 7 precious years with are now all grown up, well almost.  Elizabeth, who is the oldest is finishing her second year at the Coast Guard Academy.  Sarah is attending Lewis University with a major in Nursing and the youngest, Samantha is an 8th grader at Oakcrest School.  Both Elizabeth and Sarah participated in my wedding as flower girls and the dresses they wore now belong to my own girls. 

Now that is strange. 

The question is, will I give her a reference?  Absolutely, without a doubt.  I would be honored.

So... I just had to add this to the collection.  Dave and I came across this picture by accident a few days ago.  It was taken right after I moved to VA in 1992.  I look like such a baby and indeed I was.

Elizabeth and Sarah - 1993

I am holding Elizabeth and Dave is holding Sarah.  When Dave and I danced our first dance as husband and wife, Sarah slowing made her way onto the dance floor and by the end of the song she found her way into our arms.  Very sweet!

Samantha was only a year old when Dave and I married.  She misses her sisters terribly since they have left for college.

Elizabeth, Sarah, Samantha, and Nicole.  Sarah's graduation from high school (2010) before heading off to Chicago. 

Elizabeth, Samantha and Sarah.

Time, really does fly!