A Big Step for Little Ladybug

Last night was a big change in the life of LL. She had her first night in her big girl bed upstairs. We are so happy to say that she didn't even wake up! Once in awhile she would sleep the whole night in her crib but this was progress. On the other hand, she did still wake up at 5:30am and want to come in her bed downstairs. But, hey, we'll take progress even if it's one step at a time. WHEW!


Bedtime Stories with Mama


Good Morning Birdies


A Most Happy Place To Be

Memorial Day 2008 at Cedar Ridge...

It was with joy that we packed our bags, heaved them in our camper and drove north. Mostly because this is LL's first trip to her Adirondack home. She had NO IDEA how much fun was in store for her. For three glorious days she was surrounded by her new camping friends, new adults to hug her and smooch her and some serious quality time with her Ge-ge's. The weather was so nice on Saturday. We got to camp at about 12:30 and unpacked then just hung out, relaxed and unwound with family and friends. By Saturday night our whole group had arrived and the fun was in full swing. This year there were 24 of us in all. Oh, and three dogs plus a racoon who stopped by for the midnight(aka-garbage bag) buffet. On Sunday we decided to share the beauty of the ADK's with our visitor, Jeremiah Bullfrog. We started out at the Blue Ridge Falls and then went on to Split Rock Falls. Truly God's glory is revealed in these breathtaking places. After that we went down to the lake for some fun in the sand and sun. By now LL could barely hold up so we headed back to camp for a nap. She (I) really needed it, LOL! Sunday night was the traditional fireside snacks and stories shared by all. LL, as her brothers did, fell asleep snuggled up in my arms by the fire. Oh how I waited so long for that moment. Monday we woke up, had breakfast, packed the RV and headed to the lake again. But it was a different place for sure. The wind was so strong all we could do was hang onto our plates and fly some kites. Instead of lingering with a storm imminent, we headed south a little early. None of us was too sad though with so many happy memories tucked in our hearts. So, til the Fourth of July...farewell Cedar Ridge. To end our weekend we took Papabug out for dinner to say Thank You for his service to our country, as he is WWII veteran. Part of the "Greatest Generation" as Tom Brokaw wrote in his wonderful book. Thank You Papabug, and all the other brave men and women defending our great nation.

A Prayer Request...

The devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan Province has me feeling incredibly helpless and honestly quite overwhelmed with emotion. My heart grieves for the parents whose children have perished. With the one child policy still largely in effect, this makes their pain even greater. Along with this is the reality that there certainly are adoptive parents who are left with no information about their precious child that they are waiting to bring home, the condition of the orphanage, or its workers. The adoption process as you likely know is already seriously backlogged with parents currently waiting over two years from time of submission of paperwork to receiving their travel approval. As I read the headlines today the full weight of this disaster is still unfolding. It seems some of the areas most heavily hit are yet to be reached by relief workers. We need to pray, unceasingly, for those who are injured, those who have missing loved ones, those who are grieving, the rescue workers, the government workers and that resources will continue to be made avaiable to enable progress to be made in the rescue efforts. May God reign supreme in this massive effort and hold the residents of the hardest hit areas in His hand. It is with tears of joy and relief as I type, that our precious LL is home safely and that we are given the privilege of being her Mama and Baba. Mothers Day was especially joyful this year as our family is finally complete. Praise be to God.


My Three Greatest Blessings

An Important Introduction...

Call it Spring Fever, call it homesickness, whatever! This morning LL and I took off for the 1 1/2 hour drive north to the only place on earth I truly call home. LL has been a part of our family now for almost nine months and she has not had any quality time in her other home. This is mostly due to the cold weather and lack of facilities there, but nonetheless it seems LONG overdue. We have what I'll affectionately call "recreational property" in the Adirondack Park, where I was born and raised. We use it on the weekends and occassionally for a week of vacation. Mostly it is a gathering place for all of our friends and some family. Each family or person has an RV which they tow there and then settle in. Since BW and BB have been born this has been the place they can look forward to spending some serious quality time as a family in the great outdoors. The best part of all is that our group has grown over the years to sometimes 20+ people. We each choose our own things to do during the day and then as the day is waning we gather for dinner and then fire time at dusk. To some this may seem overly simplistic and rather boring. To us, it is priceless time spent creating countless wonderful memories over the years. I have my parents to thank for this little slice of heaven on earth as they chose to make it a gift to me upon their passing. In return, we have lovingly tended to the property and maintained the rickety buildings that remain. Be it ever so humble there is truly "No Place Like Home". Our first official gathering there should be on Memorial Day weekend. However since it is Blackfly Season, we go only if the weather is exceptionally good. Otherwise, getting chewed alive seems rather pointless when you could just wait until those little blood-sucking critters settle down! I've created a slide show depicting LL's first experience in her "other hometown". One moment that I must document so I won't ever forget is when we were going to walk to the store and get lunch. As we were leaving the beach, LL turned to the water and said, "Lake...stay!!" It was as if she was afraid to go because it may be gone when she got back, too cute. Little does she know just how much time she will have to picnic on the rolling green hills, play in the sand, swim in the water and nap in the shade of those beautiful birches. What a glorious example of God's creation!

The Joys (and pains) of Lacrosse...

BB has had four games so far this season and several practices. He is very happy that most of his teammates are boys he's been with for several years. Yet there are many new players too. By new I mean new to the game, period. So...regrettably they have had no wins yet this season. They did tie one game on the weekend though. But despite the "newness" of the game to several players I must add that the scores have been close. So, IMHO, they are doing very well. In addition, this has allowed BB to give it a try as goalie. To report his comments almost exactly, "Nope, I'm not going to play that position again." He has the courage and quickness required for the position, but it just isn't where he's best suited. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. Monday nights game was a good example of what I mean. He played an excellent game and scored three goals in a row, HAT TRICK!!! "GO GE-GE!!" This is what Little Ladybug is heard screaming regularly from the sidelines. Or "DEFENSE!!!" So cute and it makes BB feel so proud. She also is slowly learning the other players names. I figure by the mid-season, she'll know all twenty-something of them. Every team needs a cheerleader right? On a not so happy note, Monday's game also spelled PAIN for BB. It seems for some reason and don't ask me why, that he decided to remove his arm pads for a portion of the game. Wouldn't you know that this was the exact time that the biggest and toughest player on the opposing team WHACKED him right on the elbow with his defense pole. OUCH!! So as a result we made a trip to the docs. Sheepishly he explained to her what happened; as she scowled upon hearing his report. Thankfully nothing seems to broken at this point, but it is bruised and sorely swollen. For tonights game, he'll be sitting on the sidelines with ice and providing moral support to his teammates. Poor BB, it's going to be tough as he LIVES for this game. Just another of life's lessons learned the hard way I guess.


In the Face-Off



Winning the Faceoff!


In Control, Heading for the Goal!


Giving it a try as Goalie