Happy Birthday, Sedona!

Last night, just before her Father/Daughter Dance

Busily skipping right past her 10th birthday blog post, (and subsequently Marissa’s 9th) I knew it was the right time to update my blog with a post celebrating our Beautiful Sedona Christine!

She turns 11 today, and oh boy. The double digits so far have been a challenge, but we have had made some very sweet memories as well.

We started with adopting Sedona’s long-awaited-for bunny. Holly the Holland Lop was given to Sedona for her 10th birthday, and she has been a welcome addition to our family. She is sweet, cuddly, bossy, and so precious. Sedona had been dreaming of having a bunny since she was 6. Most of her first grade art depicts the sweetest leaping bunnies. She has been researching bunny care for almost as long, so she was quite prepared for our new arrival! We found her on the rescue site, “Rescue Me,” and we brought her all the way back from Oakland. She was so worth the trip!

Sedona’s next adventure was getting to go to Monterey Bay for a spelling tournament! Well done, Sedona!!! She studied every night and we were so proud of her for all of her hard, hard work and perseverance in chasing her dreams and achieving her goals.

In April, Sedona and I had the time of our lives on the History-rich tour of the State Capitol, gold mines, Coloma, panning on the American River, and camping with her class at Rock-n-Water Christian Camps. The docents were in character as men and women from the Gold Rush, and it was a sweet, sweet time of prayer, fellowship and fun. I’m so thankful we got to have that time together. I will cherish those memories forever.

Sedona has now joined Marissa at their new school, and things are going beautifully! In October, she was almost elected to the Student Council and that’s pretty impressive at only 6 weeks in to a new school – and in 5th grade. I’m so proud of her for her vivaciousness, confidence, and personality. She is going to go far!

She continues to take Ballet, and got the part of one of the Dutch Dolls in our Christmas performance of Babes in Toyland. It was exciting to watch her dance and dance. Sedona is learning many different arts and crafts techniques and more complicated pieces in piano, and impressively, she keeps up straight A’s and amazing math scores all the while doing her extra-curriculars.

Dear Sedona, you amaze me! I love your spunk and love of adventure. I love how aware of your accomplishments you are – I believe that will take you far (provided you also retain a certain degree of humility.) My prayer is that you would seek God’s will in using your astounding gifts, and that you would know how much we love you and are delighted to have you as our daughter. It is an honor to get front row seats to watching you grow up before our very eyes. Happy Eleventh Birthday, my treasured child. Enjoy your day, and may this new year be full of love, memories, and gentle blessings raining down upon you. I love you, Sedona! I always have, and I always will. Take care of yourself, beloved young lady. Life is an adventure indeed!

Our little flower at 12 months – Photo credit: The Picture People

The beach is one of her favorite places! She is 4 years old here. (Time, stop flying!!!) Photo credit: Jim Maciel (my wonderful Dad)

Sedona at her Kindergarten graduation, age 6. This seems so appropriate as the start of her very impressive academic career! Photo Credit: Jim Maciel

Adorably missing some teeth at 7 years old, holding “Sheepie,” one of her faves.

My lovely young lady turning 10. I love everything about this picture, especially her sparkling smile, her graceful hands, and her pastel-colored Mochi cake!

Sedona and Holly are gazing into each other’s eyes just after Sedona’s 4th grade spring concert.

At our family photo shoot this summer. She’s wearing her favorite dress! (It is exactly HER) And oh, those gorgeous freckles! Photo Credit: Susie Illia

Sedona as a Dutch Doll for Babes in Toyland 2015. Note the yellow ballet slippers! It is a very big deal to have specially-painted performance shoes, and these are even more special because they were painted by our show’s director, Miss Molly. And, Oh! to watch Sedona dance! She is so strong and graceful!

This was from our photo shoot after the spring recital. We always like to have a little tutu fun. I captured this leap on the third try. It’s the perfect picture to leave with because it captured her spirit, and this leap symbolizes the kind of year I hope she will have. Aim high, My Beautiful Sedona! I know you will achieve your dreams!

Well, Hello, Eight!

June 2014, Our photoshoot for their ballet recital 

 

Hot on the heels of my ponderings on 2015, Marissa turned 8 years one week ago!

Yes, also hard to believe, but maybe not as hard because of the growth my Little Miss Marissa has experienced over the last year.

She has come into her own, and what a joy to behold.

Marissa is a private person, so instead of chronicling every hurdle she overcame last year, I will list some of her accomplishments and things that make her oh, so special:

She is described as an “Excellent student” and “Strong Reader” by her lovely Second Grade Teacher.

She likes math and is very good at extrapolating number sense. When the number of the day was “4,” her equation for it was 105 – 1 = 4. That made this former 2nd grade teacher so proud! (I love seeing her doing the activities that I did back when I was in the classroom!)

She is very tech-savvy and has helped us to figure out computers and DVD players since I had my PC! That means she could start a movie all on her own since she was 4. And she just so happened to figure out some feature on my mom’s camera last weekend. Pretty easy to see she gets her tech ease from her Daddy.

Marissa has a high vocabulary, which surprises no one considering she was cooing just a little after she was born.

Marissa switched schools this year with ease, and has made many new friends, along with getting to see some preschool friends again. This is a very happy thing.

Of course, big sister Sedona is still one of her favorite people in the world. They are in a neat time of companionship right now, playing legos, card games, board games, watching “Top Gear” and “Cupcake Wars.” They each like to see if their person wins!

She still makes us laugh, but we had better be careful to make sure that is her intention. I tried to explain that sometimes we laugh because she is just so cute, but she was having none of that. Lucky for us, she does like to break out in silliness a lot, so when she grabs my face and calls me her “Little Mommy” all the while squeezing my cheeks and putting her gorgeous brown eyes by mine, I get to laugh and laugh with her permission. Such Joy!

Animals love her, and they are often drawn to her gentle and peaceful spirit.

She is still amazing me with her artistic skills, and though she was pretty set on becoming an artist/art teacher last year, this year, she’s exploring lots of different options. And that is very okay when you’re eight! (Or any age, for that matter!)

She surprised us the other day with announcing that she loves music theory. I can’t wait to hear more about that!

She has a gift for creating songs on the fly as well as all kinds of different voices and intonations. And she has a knack for impressions as well. (See why it’s so hard hard not to laugh and laugh?)

She loves fashion and has always loved coordinating just the right outfit/look with just the right occasion! (A few years ago, for Mother’s Day, I discovered my top secret surprise was a BBQ Picnic when I overheard her say, “I’m just going to go get my cookout outfit on!” Precious.)

Her favorite color is purple.

She loves to cuddle. I love to cuddle her right back!

Marissa is sensitive and knows when someone needs a hug or a hand to hold. I love that! I’ve also seen so much resilience developing in her as she is maturing. Things that used to bother her just don’t anymore and it makes me feel that she is going to have a lot of emotional maturity as an adult.

She has always had an organized mind, and she is naturally talented at keeping her room tidy, planning parties, and getting her school work back and forth reliably. Oh! How I admire this quality!

In fact, there is so much about Marissa that I admire! I am so very thankful to have this willowy little blond in my life. I thank God that He has entrusted her to our care. To watch her dance and jump and play is pure joy. God Bless you, My Darling Marissa! May your next year be an excellent one, full of beauty, wonder, laughter and grace. I love you, my lovely and gifted daughter.

 

10 Weeks old.One of my favorite baby pictures of her!  Photo credit: Sears Photography

 

    

6 months old. This photo still makes my heart skip a beat. Photo credit: Sears Photography

 

Preschool pictures. Just. Delicious. Three and a half precious years old here.

And wearing a dress that my mom made for me when I was little! Photo credit: Ritchie Photography

 

First Grade. Six years old. One of my favorite school pictures of her – they captured her sweetness so well.

 

Seven and a half years old here. This ballerina loves to dance! Oh, and that look on her face!

 

 

Having some fun while ay Mammy’s house, right before the New Year.

She looks unbelievable like my mom in this shot! Photo Credit: my mom!

 

I hope you enjoyed this little walk down memory lane as much as I did! There are stories and stories to tell. All I know is I feel so blessed to get to witness her growing up!

Book Follow-up

This was a little harder to find than I thought, but here is the book I was thinking of in my last post: Let Me Hold You Longer

 

I don’t get anything from amazon – I just wanted to reference it in case someone was feeling sentimental like I was!

Not Ready

Wow. Here I sit, typing and cringing. I am typing because I don’t really do New Year’s Parties anymore, although in my teens, I used to get in trouble for waking everyone up when it turned to midnight. I’m so glad my brothers made me realize that Mom and Dad don’t need to be up at midnight bringing the New Year in, and that my excitement was fine, but so was their sleep. Now I have permission to sleep right on through! Yippee! And some years I do, and others I stay up. And watch Fergie sing. That was back when we had cable. I don’t even know if there is a live stream for New Year’s Rocking Eve…? Maybe there is. I’m sure there’s something live streaming, but really, who cares?

You see, I’m cringing because this New Year ends in a FIVE, and the last time the year ended in a five I was expecting my first baby. I’m so not ready to admit that I became a parent 10 whole years ago! Then I would have to admit that my yummy, cuddly, sweet Sedona is turning TEN, and this I cannot do. I see the maturity in her face and her actions, but oh man, it means the clock is ticking on our cuddles, and let’s not even go there.

I am not ready. It’s like that book called “The Last First Time” or something like that about the last time your kids do things from their childhoods. Heartache!

Maybe it’s because this last year has just been so good that I’m not ready. We do know that a roller coaster awaits us in the next few years, and I feel sorrier for her than for us! (Although there may be days…) It’s hard to experience all those emotions and hormones and growing pains of friendships. Oh boy.

And how will school go for her? Will she always be willing to work this hard? Will she always want to learn as much as she does now, or will pressures of life, changing friends or different teaching styles dampen her quest for academic excellence? Can she keep this pace up or will she burn out???

These are matters of prayer. I can’t just sit here and worry all over my blog when I know God has Sedona in His loving hands and wants what is best for her. But 10 is a huge number when it comes to parenting. I can’t grasp that I have been doing this for that long! And why do I not have more pictures printed to document this growth?!? Would I believe it more then? To see the years flying by as she becomes so tall and so graceful? To see her strength turn into stamina for running, flexibility for gymnastics, muscles for dancing? To see her mind growing as she takes in EVERYTHING around her with those big brown eyes? And now this mind as she concentrates so hard on her music piece, asks us to test her in spelling one more time, asks us to check her math so she can go ahead, ahead, farther? Would I believe it then?

Here are the tears. The tears of incomprehension. Of Joy – we have been so blessed, so very,very blessed to have these babies. Tears of disbelief – wasn’t I just the one who was ten years old? Has it been that long? Could the years honestly fly that quickly? And how has it been 15 years already since we celebrated the “New Millennia” at our big house in Palmdale? That huge incomprehensible number and new way to now write our year has already been 15 years ago?

Well, I don’t know how to process this. I do know that I’ve saved one too many dresses in hopes to catch my daughters’ ever fleeting childhoods. Dresses that someday I will pass on to be used by other little girls, but not just yet. Someday my “keep” pile will be much smaller, and I haven’t kept everything, but just for now, I’m not quite ready.

With that, I sign off with photos and a wish that you will have a very blessed New Year. (I still can’t write that “5” at the end!)

 

 

 

In the Quiet of the Night

I was inspired just now by the owl hooting in the trees outside my office window. There are a few crickets as well. It is so peaceful and good for my soul. Tomorrow will be a little busy. Not bad, but we do best by getting a lot of things ready for the week before it comes at us full speed. So, we'll go to church, then I promised the girls a swim. (It was really a way for me to promise myself that I would get that swim in this weekend.) And then we'll roll out some reddish pink fondant and make some cut outs for a cake that I finally got around to baking. Then I have some budgeting to do and a kitchen to continue to clean.

I was on a cooking roll today. It was a lot of fun! But what a glorious mess! It doesn't overwhelm me like some messes can. It was so purposeful. I had gotten my first "farm box" (for only $15!!!) and it was loaded with all kinds of goodness. So I had to learn how to make some of these treats out of ingredients I don't usually buy. I made an onion gratin and eggplant parmesan served over spaghetti. That way, everyone was happy! I also threw some corn in the oven to make oven roasted corn on the cob.  Christopher taught me that little trick.

The recipes were easy and the food was scrumptious. When it all comes together like that, it is worth getting a little behind in the clean up!

Back to this glorious night, however.

Ahhh, late summer. So beautiful. Or is it now the first day of Fall?

The summer of 2014 was an absolute golden one for the girls and me!!!  Sedona and Marissa are now 9 and 7,  and what maturity and joy those ages bring!  Yes, I still love all the younger ages too. But I'm getting somewhat older. I don't feel that much older than my late 20's most of the time, but every now and then, I'll get an ache or injury or feel worn out in ways that remind me that I did indeed turn 40 last month. So having these helpful, sweet, mature girls is such a grace. And it is a big contrast to last summer. Summer of 2013 was most assuredly NOT golden. We had some hormones. Oh, did we ever have hormones! It's to be expected when there's so many females in one tiny cottage though!

So tonight, I'll soak up the happy summer memories, the sweet sounds of a beautiful night, and the comfort of knowing that we are heading into a good autumn. God has already blessed us with lovely teachers for the girls. Sedona's 4th grade teacher is our precious Miss Kristin. Some of you may remember that she was Marissa's Kindergarten teacher and Marissa was a flower girl in her wedding. It's so fun how things work out. I can't wait to tell you more about Sedona's math - and her other subjects too. These girlies are excellent students - it is so fun to watch them work so hard and accomplish so much.

I'll end this post with a little sneak peek into a photo shoot the girls and I did at a nearby creek. My mom found these dresses at her favorite thrift store and I can't believe they are just off the rack. They are so special, and since we've been reading the Little House series again, well, you'll see...

Oh, so gorgeous! And yes, my precious daughters are getting so big, I know. Yes, it is hard to believe sometimes! People ask about Marissa: "This can't be the Baby?!?" But it is so true. My baby is now in the grade I taught before having babies. That's always such a poignant year for me. I am so glad that both girls either have received or are receiving a Second Grade experience full of friends, fun activities, good memories, and meaningful learning. Second grade should be all those things and more, and I'm grateful that the girls are being blessed that way. It's a little thing that's a very big deal to me, and our gracious Lord never fails to show that He hears the cry of our heart.

Hallelujah!

Almost back to our regularly scheduled programming!

Through the Years Thursday has been on hiatus because Mr. Sweetwildmeadow needed the hard drive for work. Now all my precious baby pictures are back at home, minus one cord. I’m not stressing it. The important part is that the baby pictures are here. In this house. Oh, and I’m not blaming my dear hubby for the loss of the cord. I’m sure it’s around here somewhere. Kind of like my keys. That were last seen in October. In the hands of my six year old. I think. I know they’ll all turn up! (The keys and the cords. I know where the daughter and the husband are. HARHARHAR.)

Through the Years Thursday–Things Hoped For Edition

 

We’re hoping for a little bit of this in the morning:

Oh, it would be so glorious! We’re missing the green, that’s for sure.

These were taken just over 4 years ago, on Jan 17, 2010. That means the Ladybug Rainbow Girl was 4 (almost 5) and the Cute Frog Girl had just turned 3!

And these pictures show my choreographers putting on a little show in the rain at the airport (Because: Why Not?!?) in November 2012 at ages 7 1/2 and 5 1/2. It’s safe to say they like their umbrellas!

 

And speaking of things hoped for: As I was scrolling through my pictures, I came across some photos of a very interesting and precious time of my life. I began to wonder if I would find one that was close to today’s date. Did I ever!!!! There it was with good old “date stamp” of Jan. 30, 2005!

So this is me EXACTLY 9 years ago!!!!! I was already 1 week overdue with my precious Sedona. Someone was going to be taking a little more of her sweet time before making her appearance (another WHOLE week to be exact), but oh, was she ever worth the wait! Both because she was overdue and because she was so desperately prayed for in the first place.

God gives the best gifts! Amen.

Dance On, my Treasures!

Love, Mama

***Update: We got some rain!!!!!***

Look at these big, fat droplets. Thank you, Lord!