CHOCOLATE on a Train Filled with Soul-Sucking Dementors

Yesterday, I was part of a glorious neighborhood parade.


(Not a real representation of said parade--wish I'd taken pictures.  This is just for your viewing enjoyment.)

Tamborines, ribbons and floats.  Joyful dancers--CANDY!!!
It was a spectacular celebration!!!

As the crowd thinned and we started for home, I turned to my friend and sighed, "Twenty years ago, if someone had predicted this day..."

See, my friend's three-year old had FINALLY pooped in the potty!


Hence the parade--it was around the cul-de-sac with about 7 neighbor kids and an enthusiastic grandma.  But the rest is true, too--OK, there was only one float, and it was really a wagon.  Use your imagination.

Anyway, we grinned at each other and returned to our real-life craziness.

My whole life, I dreamed of being a wife and mother. 














I thought I knew what I was getting into.  Never, never could I have imagined...

Who knew that one could experience so many rich, intense emotions in one day? 

Such extreems of peace, discouragement, contentment, longing, enjoyment, discomfort, love, frustration, rage, rejoicing, dispair, extasy, interest, exhaustion, exhiliration, overwhelming incompetence and amazing sucess. 

I love it and I hate it, but I mostly love it.



There aren't enough words to express and not enough time to try. 


It's a fabulous life that doubles as a soul-sucking dementor.






I thank the Lord for it every single day.  It's just what I wanted.  I also plead all day long for His guidance and mercy--He is the only thread I'm hanging by most of the time--but He never lets me down. 


I feel so blessed and honored to be a mother, and so happy whenever I've survived another day of it!

Little P Meets Dr. Seuss

OH, THE WONDERFUL THINGS LITTLE P CAN DO!

SHE CAN RIDE WITH NO HANDS...

AND SHE SCOOTERS, TOO!

SHE RIDES ON THE ZIPLINE,



WRITES LETTERS,

DOES TRICKS!

SHE READS!

AND SHE PAINTS!

AND SHE EVEN HIGH-KICKS!

SHE CAN BATHE A NEW BABY!

HAS FUN EVERY DAY!

 LITTLE P IS AMAZING IN E-VER-Y WAY!!!

 Other remarkable things about Little P:
1)  She can catch a fish with her bare hands!
2)  She can touch her nose with her tongue!
3)  She can climb high things like trees and lamp-posts!
4)  She collects slugs, bugs and slimy things! 

The Caboose

In the beginning, she was pretty harmless...

Then, she began to get into things that she shouldn't...

Looked for ways to be naughty...

And attempted to run away--before she could run...

She was tricky then...

But, now--

It's like living with a puppy--an incredibly naughty, intelligent, capeable puppy.  One who can climb and open containers and run FAST.   

We call her JT (for Junior Terrorist), and though she is terribly cute and  cuddly, she is an A#1 PEST, sometimes!

Open the fridge, there she is...

Open a door...

and say good-bye!

She never even looks back!



THIS is why I can't even FIND my "To Do" list some days...

You just gotta love that girl!



MOM

Sweet Moments,

The Good News of the Gospel,

 A Handsome Prince,

Beautiful, healthy, safe, good, delightful kids;

Fun Times

Beautiful Home 


Modern Conveniences


I live in a bountiful land, surrounded by milk and honey, with everything I could ever want and need.  It's practically the Garden of Eden.

So why am I sometimes overwhelmed to the point of paralysis by that heavy three-letter word?
Some days are hard.

Sweet Childhood Dreams--Broken to Bits by Uncaring Parents

My disappointment was Sesame Street.  I had a NEED to be on it as a STAR and my mean parents wouldn't even entertain my one heart's dream.  They did, however invoke the "parent's curse" which involved hoping that I would at least get one child JUST LIKE ME...

First, it was an orca.  The opening of Free Willy had Michael Jackson belting out "You are not alone" while some voice-over urged children all over the world to "Adopt an Orca for only $15 a month."

This was a no-brainer for Nellie L.  For only $15 a month she could have her OWN ORCA--we just needed a swimming pool in the back yard and was that too much to ask?   We nearly ruined her life at the young age of 4. 

That was about the time she started shopping around for a new mother. 



Then, she really wanted a Lion.  That was pretty short-lived.



But SNAKES; that one took on a life of its own and she held firmly to it for several years. 

These would have been acceptable family choices for her.  She probably even wrote to Steve Erwin...


NOT EVEN OVER MY DEAD BODY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!




Last year it was the little orphan kitty who was living in the vet clinic where she volunteered.  Aaahhhh...NO!













L is almost an adult now, which means that she is more sophisticated in her unreasonable requests. 
She had done her homework.  She's honed her presentation skills over the years.  It was practically a power-point presentation by the time we were assaulted by the new idea. 







It was a very emotional night last night.  Let's just leave it at that.