A Few Highs and the Lowest of Lows

Thank you very much for the kind comments, the emails, the ecards, etc.  Thank you for your prayers.  Our family is facing a very great loss.  At my grandmother's funeral on Tuesday, our family members wore ladybug pins...pins from my grandmother's own collection...to honor her and to celebrate her life.  It was very special.  Emma wore a beautiful dress covered in lady bugs that was one of my grandmother's very own special creations. 

This has been quite a week...a week with "highs" and a week with the lowest of lows...  A few pics from this week...

I love this tubby picture.  : )  I am so glad that my grandmother was able to know, even for a short time, this sweet baby girl.

We celebrated my niece's 8th birthday.  : )

I made my niece a tutu for her birthday!  I just LOVE how it turned out!

I LOVE TUTUS...fluffy, girly goodness.  : )

We spent a lot of time this week at my parents house.  Emma thoroughly enjoyed herself.

Emma with a beautiful hollyhock flower in her hair.  My grandmother loved hollyhocks...she said that she used to make pretend crowns with them as a child and play "wedding" with her sisters.

Emma loves her cousin Isabel.

When in doubt...dump 'em all out!!  ; )

We went to the Minnesota State Fair this week as a family.  This is a photo of Emma with her Dora balloon.

A few of the new food items at the fair had BACON as a main ingredient.

Here is a photo of Jason with his "Chocolate Covered Pig Licker".  What is a Pig Licker?  It is a thick piece of cooked bacon, dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt.  Believe it or not, this was pretty tasty...now that I've said that, will you still visit my blog???  LOL.  : P

Emma went on her very first ride...the carousel!  She absolutely LOVED it!!  When she saw it, she said in a pleading voice:  "RIDE IT??  RIDE IT???  RIDE IT!!!!!!!"  LOL.  There were many animals to ride on the carousel...Jason asked her, "Would you like to ride a horse or a kitty or a..." and Emma said, "HORSE!"  She smiled almost the entire time that she was on the ride!

Remember this post?  This was the reason why I took that profile photo of Emma.  It has been a tradition in my family to have silhouettes cut of children.  I sent Emma's silhouette photo to Karl from "Cut Arts by Karl".  Karl is an extremely talented silhouette artist.  He did an absolutely beautiful job with Emma's silhouette...it looks just like her.  I spent a little more money and I ordered an 8x10 version instead of the more traditional 5x7 version and I love it!  I also ordered a smaller silhouette from an artist from Etsy and I really like that one too.  I have this silhouette hanging in our living room.  Our living room opens up to our dining room and my grandmother made me napkins and a beautiful table cloth out of the cabbage rose fabric that was used in a few of our living room throw pillows.  The floral background in the framed silhouette is one of those napkins.

Before I sign off for the night...  Emma's new skill...  She can count to ten in English and to six in Spanish!!  She really is learning new things everyday...I am so happy for her and I am so proud of her! 

God bless,

My Beloved Grandmother...

This evening, one of my beloved Grandmothers passed away.  I am just devastated.  :"(

There is no possible way, in one post, that I could even begin to explain my sadness, my grief and my sense of loss.  And there is no possible way, in one post, that I could even begin to share my deep appreciation for all that my grandma was to me.  She was truly very special. 

Grandma, I will never forget you.  I will never forget how much you loved me and the rest of your family....how deeply and genuinely you cared for me, how special you always made me feel.  I will never forget your encouragement, your support, your genuine interest in my life and your many, many talents.  I will never forget your sense of humor, your gentle spirit, your servants heart, your creativity, the love that you put into every stitch and the way that you made your house a home.

Thank you.  Thank you for everything.  And, thank you for loving my daughter and for welcoming her with open arms.

Grandma...  Oh, how I ache to say "love you" to you one more time, to receive one more note from you "just because"...  I ache to give you one last hug.  Oh how I ache. 

I cannot adequately put into words how much you will be missed by me and by the rest of your family.

I love you, Grandma.

(The photo is one of the last photos I have of my Grandma with Emma.  The lady bug is in honor of my grandmother who loved and collected lady bugs).

God bless,

I Love This...So Powerful...

Go ahead and "mute" or turn off the music player in my right column and then watch this video...

"Yours"  By:  Steven Curtis Chapman

God bless,

Oh, Cathy Best...

I saw your comment and I don't know how to find you!!  When my computer crashed a while back, I changed my email address, I lost my email address book and all of my "Favorites" and I do not know my way to your blog.  : (  Please email me (address in the left column) and send me your blog address!!  : )

God bless,

Back from My Blogcation

Jason's sister Jennifer visited us for a few days this week.  Emma enjoyed meeting her Auntie Jen for the first time.  : )  We shopped, enjoyed a few tasty meals and hung out a lot at our house and watched the Olympics too.  : )  Don't you think that their hair color is almost identical?

We have an owie to report...  Jason cut his head last night at work and he now has eight stitches in his forehead.  YOWZA.  Poor guy.  Will someone leave a message at his blog and tell him that he should at least use a Band-Aid?  LOL.  He isn't listening to me.  ; )

Emma has two new phrases.  We were watching the Olympics during Jen's visit and one of us said, "WOW...that's EXCITING!"  And then, she said the same thing!  We were like...did she really say that???  And then she said it again!  That very same night she said, "Woah...that's impressive..."  LOL!  She can basically say anything that we ask her to say.  When I go through her picture books, I point to each thing and say the name and she repeats almost everything that I say...even words like octopus and abacus.  I am very excited for her!

Before I sign off for tonight...  I helped a sweet adoption friend with her blog.  She was very supportive to me during our adoption process.  She is now facing a very difficult challenge in her life...she is surely in my prayers.  It seems like yesterday that we were receiving the referrals of our beautiful daughters.  Click HERE to visit her and to see her fun new blog...I am absolutely in love with it  : )

God bless,

A Visitor, a Blogcation and GO USA!!

Jason's sister who lives in North Carolina will be visiting us for a few days...she will arrive tomorrow morning.  : )  I am sure that Emma will have a fun time visiting with Auntie Jen for the very first time.  : )  I am taking a mini blogcation.  I might not post until the end of the week.  : )  I didn't want you to wonder why I am not posting!!

I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Love.  Did you see the men's swimming relay tonight???  Un.real!

I received a cute little friendship gift from Tania and a blogging award from Ruthie.  : )  THANK YOU so very, very much, ladies!  : )  SO KIND OF YOU BOTH!

I helped my very sweet and very kind adoption friend, Rhonda with her blog.  Click HERE to visit her.  : )  Rhonda's oldest daughter was fostered by the same family that fostered Emma Grace in Guatemala.   : )  I had a lot of fun helping you, Rhonda!!  : )  I just love your blog!

Before I go, we have a SEVEN WORD phrase from Emma Grace...

Ahem...

Drum roll, please...

"Wonder Pets, Wonder Pets...(we're) on our way..." 

She doesn't just say this phrase...she SINGS this...IN TUNE...LOL.  She is "tune-ical" just like her Mama.  : P  In case you are wondering, "The Wonder Pets" is a show...with a guinea pig, a duck and a turtle...they go on rescue adventures..."  *sigh*  Maybe her first eight word phrase will be inspired by world peace or freedom or by the beauty of God's creation.  ; )

Have a wonderful week, everyone!  When I blog again, I promise to post pics!

God bless,

Deep Thoughts

* We were watching the Backyardigans together as a family tonight as is our custom. 

Jason and I were kind of slumped over.

We were staring into space because we were tired from a long day of work and toddler chasing.

Did I mention that we were tired?

We were speaking in monotone. *

Me:  Do you know what my favorite Backyardigans episode is? 

Jason:  No, what?

Me:  "Surf's Up".

Jason:  Oh.  You mean Tiki Beach? 

Tera:  No.  "Surf's Up."

pause

Jason:  *incredulous*  Isn't it crazy that I know what Tiki beach is?

pause

Me:  Mmmmhmmm...very impressive.  Okay...  How about this...  A bit of trivia...  Can you answer this question?  What do you need to have in order to surf Tiki Beach?

Jason:  Rad moves.

pause.

Jason:  Duh!

Jason:  Also, mad moves.

Tera:  Super super bad truly mad moves.

Jason:  Hmmmm...

Tera:  I'm blogging this.

* If you have a toddler and watch Nick Jr., you too might have deep conversations such as this. *

God bless,

A Gift for Caterina and a Sign of the Times

 

I love this photo...  Our sponsored student Caterina receiving a gift of food.  It is such a blessing to receive photos like this.  Please keep Caterina and her family in your prayers.

Before I sign off, a little Emma update.  : )

Emma's newest words/phrases:

*  guinea pig (I know...random...she learned this from a picture book)

*  thumb tack (also random)

*  I don't want that

*  I don't like that

*  I know (LOL)

*  Let's see...

*  I get it

*  I did it

She also goes around closing doors....she will then knock on a door and say "come iiiinnnnnnnnn...."   LOL.  I think she learned that from "Jack's Big Music Show".  She is so funny.

A sign of the times...  While Emma is watching TV, if there is a part that she likes and wants to see again, she will grab the remote control and frantically hand it to me as soon as the part that she is interested in is over.  Why???  Because SHE UNDERSTANDS what Tivo can do!  She understands that I can rewind her show with Tivo and allow her to watch her favorite parts over and over.  *sigh*  Yes, a sign of the times.  A child of the 21st century.