Let them be little

-- Let them sleep in the middle  

And somehow she does end up in the middle even tho there was only 2 of us!

She's so still my "baby" even tho she's 9, and tries very hard to keep up with the rest of the kids.  Last night everyone else had plans & she was feeling very tired & a bit left out, and so when she asked me with big sad puppy eyes if she could sleep with me, and it was a Friday night too. How could I resist!

After all--

I can remember when you fit in the palm of my hand
Felt so good in it, no bigger than a minute
How it amazes me, you're changing with every blink
Faster than a flower blooms they grow up all too soon

So let them be little 'cause they're only that way for a while
Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day
Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle
Oh just let them be little

I've never felt so much in one little tender touch
I live for those kisses, prayers and your wishes
Now that you're teaching me things only a child can see
Every night while we're on our knees all I ask is please

Let them be little 'cause they're only that way for a while
Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day
Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle
Oh just let them be little

So innocent, a precious soul, you turn around
It's time to let them go

So let them be little 'cause they're only that way for a while
Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day
Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle
Oh just let them be little

Let them be little

Going back

Right now I'm so far behind on blogging the "country memories" that I don't even know quite where to start.  It's really tempting to just blog about last weekend, our time in Sidney with #1 Grandchild's birthday, but that's kind of silly when I want to add a few other things from before that.
The "Country Memories" got neglected while I got ready for and went to and posted the Finland trip memories.

When I went back to do some catch up posts I realized that I'd never even posted the pictures from Kara and Kaela's birthday party.
Their birthdays are in July, but the girls were staying in Sidney for 3 weeks including their birthdays, so we had their party later in August.

Hey, it's the party that counts, right?
And this was so much fun!


We got a new trampoline for the girls's birthday.  We've really missed having one for several years now.  This is our 3rd trampoline in 16 years.


The table's all set up in anticipation of party time!





 
 Caitlyn, Katie, Kara (11) Kaela (9) and Hannah




 That is an "11" and a "9"---NOT a 119!

 And they finished up the party by cooling off in the pool


 Good friends, good times!

Summertime and the living is fine

No new blog posts on here do not indicate a lack of things to post about, but rather either I'm too busy "living" them, or my head is simply too full of things, and I can't seem to get my thoughts organized enough to put down.

After the grandkids were here, Meshayla and Morgen got invited to go camping with Lynisha and Jim, and so we arranged for Kara and Kaela to go to their older sisters (Jeanne's) at the same time.  One week turned into two, and during that time I spent working on house and yard projects that needed done and I couldn't seem to get done in the middle of cooking, cleaning, and well, you know, just "every day life with a family".

I wish I could have gotten more done, but that's the story of my life.  I have to say I did enjoy some "down" time, and simply "him and her" time with my husband!  By the middle of the 2nd week tho I was missing the kids, and wondered what in the world I was thinking, as I realized that I was going to be gone all the next week, and they were going to have to stay another week.  That one kind of slipped up on me unexpected like.

Being "kid-less" for 3 weeks at a time was the first time that's happened since our first was born a year after we were married!  I will say that I am NOT ready for "empty-nest" around here yet, even if I do enjoy some breaks now & then!

Since it was going to be another week without kids, Leon and I went out to Sidney to spend the weekend with them and have a little bit of birthday celebration for Kara and Kaela who had turned 11 and 9 while they were away from home.

 When do you think I'll learn not to take pictures facing the light? I don't know either, but it sure irritates me that I don't think about it!!

 Banana cream pie and brownies for this birthday treat.

 This little missy enjoyed her banana cream pie, and her first birthday is just around the corner!  I think she was getting in some good practice for it!

More Music

Kara and Kaela have been taking piano lessons just a little under a year now. This spring was their first time at public performances.
Their teacher, Jane entered them in a talent show in March and the girls worked hard learning their pieces & memorizing them. Both girls played two songs and although they didn't place, they did a wonderful job on their playing


Kaela~ along with her first public performance, she had to go first.


~Kara


I believe the judges were music students from the collage here.


The crew who tallied the scores & wrote out the certificates


Yesterday the girls had their first recital. When Jane told me who she was having the c0-recital with, I thought it was pretty ironical that it was with a teacher (Karen D.) that my sisters and I had taken lessons from when we were teens. Also a couple of my older girls had lessons with her too!
Yeah, I goofed, I missed a great photo op!


~Kaela


~Kara


~My nephew Nathan


As I was zooming in on the kids playing, I noticed the reflection of their hands.
I thought it was pretty cool. A while back someone else did this for one of the photos on our photo challenge blog.



And this last picture? Well no piano or violin music here, But I think maybe this qualifies for melody for the soul.


Our oldest son, and the flowers he brought me for mothers day.

What I found on my Fridge this morning....

After I got home from taking kids to school---Wrote & posted by Kaela.
Kaela is having a friend over after school today, (it's a rare occasion at our house) and she is so excited!
On the fridge is where I post notes to my kids, or from the school, things that we don't want to forget.

35 of 52 weeks

All these years I've taken pictures of my kids on their first day of school. Did I ever even THINK to take one with me in it too? Nope. Well, thanks to Carin's "mom's missing from the pictures" challenge, I did it this year!
The other pictures of the kids are on this post.

The very reluctant senior...not only did she have to GO to school, she had to have her picture taken AGAIN and then to top it all off, one with mom too!


My youngest sweeties. No problem getting pictures from them! and if Mom is with them in a picture, that's even better. The best thing? Going to school! :D


And one more here....I get very few pictures anymore of our oldest son, hardly any of him dressed up lookin' spiffy, and pictures of me with him...well, lets just say that it has been a LONG time! (no, he wasn't going off to school!)

34 of 52 weeks--Kaela's day

I just want you all to know that I'm now SO in the habit of getting in the pictures with my kids, that I've actually got a back-load. All in the last week and a half! WOW! who'd ever have guessed it!

Last week we were busy all week with freezing corn, and every day Kaela (our youngest) kept begging to "DO" something and I had to keep putting her off. Finally the other things were done, and I told her that Friday would be "her day" and she could choose what she wanted to do.
So here is KAELA'S day along with Mom in some of the photo's too.


First off, she wanted to take a bath in mom's big tub. She loves it about as much as me!
Then she'd been wanting to help bake bread, so that was next on the agenda. She actually did most all of it, I told her what to do while I was making granola. I had to help knead it, and I made it into loaves for her.


Water, yeast, sugar, oatmeal, butter....

Add some eggs



Mix the flour in.

hmmm, not too sure about this part, it's kind of messy.

About this time Morgen came to the rescue and asked me if I wanted him to take a picture of us!

Cover it with a clean towel to raise....

She wanted to have some dough to make a word, so I left it to her what she did.....





Pretty good huh!

Here's what she choose for lunch....We didn't have time to make the jello, but we had peas & carrots with our mac & cheese!

Another thing she'd been begging to do was to go to the animal barn out by our lake, so after the bread was out of the oven, off we went.






Most of the animals didn't pay a whole lot of attention to us, but the calf was curious...
"Did you really make those yourself? hmmm, they smell nice, wonder how they taste?"





Then we went swimming for a while, played in the sand.

Computer time... always a favorite, but it's limited at our house. But, it's KAELA'S day, remember?!


Then we headed out for a family dinner together at Perkins. I wanted to try the picture in the mirror that I've seen some of the rest of you do, but I didn't have any luck. Tips anyone?


The best way to end a day is to snuggle with mom in bed!
What a very fun day Kaela, you made everyone else want their day now!

Ready...or Not!

Today was the first day of school for Kara & Kaela and Relyssa.
(Morgen & Meshayla will start later)
The "little girls" were quite anxious. I don't know how many times Kaela told me to be sure & set my alarm so she could get up at 6:00. She even offered to set the alarm for me. Never mind that they don't leave until 7:30, they have their clothes laid out the night before and they eat breakfast at school. It takes them about all of 5 minutes to get ready. No telling these girls twice! I'd bought some basic school supplies, so this morning they went thru them and filled their school boxes & got out their back packs (Their ones from last year were still good, so didn't have to buy new ones! WOOHOO!)


The tradional first day of school picture. My babies! *sniffle*!! Kaela's going off to 3rd grade, and Kara off to 5th grade, her last year in grade school!! (another *sniffle*) Like another blogging friend mentioned, they should still be 3 & 5....not those grades!!




Now this daughter is a different story....*rolls eyes*
I tried to make her happy by reminding her that this was the first of the last days of school. It didn't help, she still rolled her eyes.
"WHY do we always have to take a picture, I hate school, It doesn't amuse me, (whatever we said), it's not a happy day,...........O.K.....Just PRETEND like you're a nice girl, o.k.?
*BROTHER*!!
Here's our Take 4, one is barely decent. O.K. Relyssa, you're done, this was the last time. THAT SHOULD MAKE YOU HAPPY! You're a SENIOR! AND you only have 1 semester left!!!





Oh yeah, and someday you're going to hate it that you had that kind of posture in pictures, trust me! :D