sunday sermon

All that I am, or hope to be,

I owe to my angel mother.

Abraham Lincoln

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers - physical or spiritual.

around my mother's house

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful, sweet Mother and to all mothers.

little miss j

The other day I mentioned J wasn't feeling well. I took her to see the doctor this morning and it turns out she has a little pneumonia in both lungs. One lung is partially collapsed due to the amount of mucous. She's usually such a dynamic child. Right now she seems so little. Of course, at one point this afternoon, when she didn't have a high fever or tummy ache and wasn't coughing, she put on short shorts and a little tee, pulled on my high heeled boots and started strutting around the house like a model. She was so grown up. I kept thinking, "Where did she learn to move like that?" and "Please, stay my little girl. I'm not ready for you to be grown up!" Ahhh, motherhood....ups and downs...joys and worries...the best adventure of my life.

J, taken last Thursday during her class's field trip

91

at Mt. Lassen with J

Happy Birthday, Grandma Ruth!

the sweetest thing

My J is a complete water child. I realized it back when she was a baby and when nothing else would calm her, I would run the water faucet and she would melt in my arms. In water, on water, near water, playing with water - J is happy. Water still tops the list of things she loves. Music and dance are up there too.

Just about every afternoon during the summer, J and I go swimming at the community pool. She also takes daily swim lessons there. On Thursdays, we can only stay an hour or so, until it's time to get ready for her ballet class. It is the only time she will willingly leave before the pool closes.

Today while we were playing and bobbing around in the water. J said the following:

I LOVE swimming every day. I LOVE swimming lessons. I LOVE dance class.

And I LOVE you.

Aaaaaaaah. I am a very lucky woman.

J (and friend) at the pool, via iPhone

butterfly dance, via Nikon

how i see it

Miss J and I have had a rough ride the last couple of days - bad tummy, little sleep, tantrums, fights with her dad (that's just J's part!) She's with her dad as per the "schedule" tonight and tomorrow. I miss her. I always miss her. This time a little more than usual. Even though there has been "stuff" going on, when it is just her and I, life is really really good.

We're not "allowed" to hang anything on the walls. J doesn't like that. To circumvent the rules, she has begun taping her drawings and other paper treasures to the walls and doors. I don't stop her. Everywhere you look in the living room, the walls are covered! The picture below is of one very tiny section of wall right above my computer. It's what I look at while I'm working at the computer. I love it!

soooooo beautiful

source unknown. seen on bearnaked.