Hannah's Bikini Pics

Aunt Michlle bought Hannah her first bikini...here are a few pics....

Apple Picking with Mom...

Ethan and I had a "Mom & Ethan Day" a few weeks ago. We went apple picking and then went to Toys R Us for the Thomas the Tank Engine Day. Ethan loved the cider mill....he enjoyed the wagon ride and got a kick out of picking the apples and eating them right after he picked them. He picked more than a few and would take a bite and then thought it would be neat to pick another one and have a bite of it. After his second apple, I made him stick with the one he had. After we were done picking our half bushel of honey crisp apples at a mere $25 a half bushel, we took the wagon back to the cider mill to get doughnuts and cider to take home. When we got off the wagon, we ran into Noah and Lauren, so Ethan was excited to see his cousins!! On our way to Toys R Us, Ethan told me he had fun on the "farm, Mama!" The mill holds an annual photo contest of pictures that were taken there, so we are going to submit the one of Ethan eating his big apple.

Chicklets

Here is a great photo of Hannah showing off her little chicklet teeth! She is a riot trying to chew whatever she can get her little hands on. She is still teething as she is a drooling machine!!!

I Wonder What My Grandmas' Would Think?

Today marks the end of an era....an end to a tradition that lasted over 72 years. After over 15,700 episodes, Guiding Light's light is dark! As I write this, it is bittersweet for me, as I think of both my grandmas and wonder what they would think if there were alive and their faithful "story" or "serial" as they both affectionately called GL was over, done, cancelled! I got hooked on GL back in 1981 when we stayed at my Grandma's house for a week in the summer for Vacation Bible School. Every afternoon at 3 p.m., Gram would go into the den and turn on her show. It only took a few days and a little coaching from Grandma to learn the characters and their trials and tribulations of their day to day lives in Springfield. I watched through the years and learned that my other Grandma was a GL fan as well. In high school, I would tape "special" episodes and buy Soap Opera Digest to keep up with my favorite stars. I even sent a fan letter to one of the stars during the Rick/Beth/Mindy/Phillip era, (which was my favorite story line) and received a response back! GL was a part of my life and I enjoyed escaping every day for a hour! Eventually I stopped watching as life got busy, I went to college, had jobs, etc. When I was home on rare occasions or over the holidays, I would sometimes check-in on this familiar place. It wasn't hard to get sucked back into the drama, there was some new faces, many old and a sense of comfort that I knew and remembered from years past. It had been a while since I had last watched, I found myself sometimes checking in on my old show while I was in line at the grocery store if a headline caught my eye. Well, in February when I went on maternity leave, I was flipping channels and ran across something familiar....my favorite story line was attending their 25 high school reunion. That did it, I could relate, as I would be celebrating my 20th HS Reunion this year and the fact that I felt as if I grew up with these stars. I got sucked back in, only to find out a few months later that CBS had cancelled the show due to low ratings! It is sad to think that today it all ends. GL was the longest running television show ever....sad to think that it is over, as I really did enjoy growing up with this show....and sad to think what my grandmas would think of this. Thanks for the memories....

100 Days until Christmas

I can't belive that Christmas is 100 days away! I was reading some blogs and came across a site 100 days of Christmas!! Time is flying and it will be here before we know it. I look forward this year, as Ethan is understanding things more and more and now we have Hannah, so it should be fun! My goal is to be more organized and take time in December to really enjoy this time with family and friends! That is always the "goal", yet sometimes I seem to lose sight of this! This year, I am going to make a conscious effort to uphold this!! So now the shopping and ideas shall begin!!!

Remembering...

It is hard to believe that today marks the eighth anniversary of September 11. I remember the day vividly, from what I was wearing, where I was and what I felt like after the first bombing of the World Trade Center. I think we all will remember that day, as it was one of the darkest days for our country, much less our generation. I found this poem that was written a few days after 911 and thought it would be fitting to post, as it puts things into perspective. It is important to remember and never forget that day that shaped our nation.

A flag of honor, a flag for reflection.
It stands for us all uniting this nation.
It will keep in our minds this tragic day,
Memories of such heroic acts shall not go away.
As we look on this flag of cloth and thread,
A field of bright red for the blood that was shed.
Not just on this day of lasting memories,
But for lives that were given throught history.
Two towers of strength that rose up so high,
Reaching for dreams, they stretched to the sky.
They lay now in ruin at the hands of hate,
Great symbols of our nation have met this fate.
Out nation's military housed in a fortress of steel;
We're reminded this day that war is so real.
Hitting the heart of our power and might,
Rise up America, this terror we must fight!
Stars that shine on a field of bright blue,
Remind us of heroes with hearts so true.
An ordinary day, it had started out to be,
Soon their lives would be given for you and me.
A circle is drawn to stand for our nation's unity,
A nation coming together through such tragedy.
A reminder is given for all of America to see,
That our freedom is never really free.
"God Bless America" is written in white,
Make this your prayer each and every night.
God is always with us, He knows our needs
Bring America back to God, should be our decree.
Much was given, many were lost on this day,
A man of terror tried to take our spirit away.
Do not let our new found spirit and unity fade,
As you look on this flag, remember this day ...
9-11-01
© Lt. Tom RobinsonWilmington, NC Firefighter

More Tommy Please!

At the beginning of each month, after our regular church service, they usually show a short dvd of messages from the synod. Ethan already antsy, was standing on Eric's lap. This was fine, as if we have learned very quickly as new parents, always sit in the last pew. So there was Ethan, standing up and when he saw the tv or (TT) as he calls it, he yelled out...."More Tommy, Please!" He loves Thomas the Tank Engine (tommy the choo choo car), so he was very excited to see the TV. Needless to say, we had to explained that he wasn't going to watch Tommy! I guess we should be grateful that he at least said, "Please!"

Six Months Old....

I can't believe my sweet baby is already six months old. She is growing up so fast, it amazes me how fast time has flown! It seems like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital. She has had quite a few milestones in the past week...including cutting her first two teeth and almost crawling. She is rocking back and forth on all fours and then throws herself forward! I would anticipate her crawling within the next week or so. Next week is her six month check-up, so I am anxious to see how much she has grown, officially!