Black and White Wednesday: Growin' Up

WonderBoy insists on mimicking every teenage boy he runs across.
He bumped into his cousin's prom date the other day and he's been walking and talking just like him...and, oh, that sideways hat!

WonderBoy doesn't realize he doesn't need gimmicks or stuff to maintain his current status of cutest boy on the block...he just has to look inward.

Though not that easy to live with these Tween days...I adore every ounce of him and empathize with the new feelings and emotions that come with growin' up.

It's Black and White Wednesday
To see some fabulous images, click on over to

The Long Road to China

All Right, Mr. DeMille...

I'm ready for my close-up.


Life on the Back Lot

It's Black and White Wednesday
To see some fabulous images, click on over to

The Long Road to China

Spring Beauty

Dutch tulips from their beds
Flaunted their stately heads.
- James Montgomery, The Adventure of a Star

It's Black and White Wednesday
To see some fabulous images, click on over to

The Long Road to China

Bright Lights, Big City

Yes, I'm still alive...



...but I guess its no secret that my new job is kicking my butt!



I'm officially one month in and I'm not sure if its the grind of the daily commute,

meeting all the new people and traveling around the City

to different locations throughout the week

or learning all the details of my new role but, I quickly realized

that I'm not quite the spring chicken I once was.

As a matter of fact, I'm dog tired by the end of the day.












The minute I get home I just want to spend every minute with my lovelies and the last thing I feel like doing is hopping on the computer and being away from them.

This is the reason I've been missing around Bloggerville lately...the only reason!
I miss posting on my regular schedule and I sure miss making my stops around to your blogs to say my hellos and check in on all your beautiful pictures and stories.

Out of sight is not out of mind for me when it comes to my blog buddies though,

so just know I am thinking of you and will be catching up as soon

as I can catch my breath!

It's Black and White Wednesday
To see some fabulous images, join in the fun over at

The Long Road to China

Busy Little Bee

Sometimes a girl's gotta keep her head down
and her nose to the grindstone....
but that doesn't mean she's gotta like it!



I've been busy getting acclimated to a new job this past week or two
and have been preoccupied with all that that entails.

I'm hoping to be back up to my usual blogging self very soon.

I sure do miss making the rounds and seeing all my favorite folks!
Can't wait to catch up on the happenings in your neck of the woods!
Soon...very soon!

In the meantime, it's Black and White Wednesday.

Click over to The Long Road to China HERE and join in on the fun.

Sunday in the Park with Papa

Check out all the wonderful Black and White images

at Black and White Wednesdays

HERE.

She's The One

This is my baby girl.



The baby I waited my whole life to have...
and due to my procrastinating nature...almost missed.
The one I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to love
as much as I love my sweet baby boy.

The one who never forgets to say please and thank you.

The one that brings me a tissue when I tweeze my eyebrows
because she thinks it must hurt me and I'd need a tissue to cry.

The one who takes it upon herself to hold the vaccuum cleaner cord
behind me as I vaccuum; just to help.
The one who rushes to unpack the grocery bags when I return from

the supermarket and who puts
all the refrigerated items in their correct spot; first time out.

The one who hears the electric toothbrush (with her supersonic ears) on the other side of the house and comes running
to brush her own teeth along with you...

no matter that she just did the same with her father and her brother.
The one who cries real tears
when she wakes up in the morning (every morning!)

and sees her Daddy is gone to work already.

The one who adores her Nana more than almost
as much as she loves her Mama.

The one who tells her father from the backseat,
"Go easy, Papa" when he takes a turn a little too quick in the car.

The one who grabs my ears and pulls my face right to hers when she's tired.
The one who reminds me of the love I have for her father when I look at her.

The one who will walk through life with her brother long after we're gone.
The one who has brought us so much joy;
joy we never even knew we were living without

a mere 29 months ago.

And just so you know...I'm not the only one who adores her.

This was her brother's homework tonight.
He completed it before I got home from work and couldn't wait

to show me the second I walked in the door.

He was so proud and after he read it outloud to me well, I was so proud of him.

And to think...we never even knew what we were missing!

It's Black and White Wednesday again.
Join Lisa at The Long Road to China HERE
along with her merry band of roving Black and White image takers.

Perspective

Sometimes life can get so busy that I find
I allow myself to pulled in many different directions and
I wind up feeling overwhelmed.

I lose my perspective on what is really important
to me and it hampers my ability to enjoy the beauty of those things.

I have a tendency to look at the big picture and set my sights down the road,
which isn't always a bad thing unless you forget to live in the now;
enjoying the simple pleasures life offers every day.

Sharing my life with JR and the children has given me an opportunity
to learn that I am not a One Woman Show anymore
(as I was for most of my life before them).
However, if you ask JR, he'd tell you that he has to remind me of this quite often.

I have a friend who regularly visits my blog.
She says that when she visits our life always looks so perfect
and it makes her feel like she's not doing enough.
I laugh because I think sometimes I am not doing enough either.
I tell her that its not perfect...
we, too, have our ups and downs in our daily lives like everyone else.
On any given day we stress over...work, the children, school,
extended family, juggling finances, communicating with one another,
eating and exercising right, keeping our relationship in growth mode...
the list goes on.

When I started this blog I chose to dwell on the small details
of our lives to remind myself that though not perfect,
we have so much to be grateful for and life is, indeed, beautiful.

I decided that there are so many special moments that
I want to cherish and give the honor they deserve.
I don't want to ever take them for granted or allow them to elude me,
and although I don't capture every one of them;
I find that by celebrating the little things our lives
are enriched in so many different ways.

It's my hope that by sharing the little special things that happen here,
those who visit will smile and realize that life is not perfect,
nothing beautiful ever is,
rather, truly living really is in the details.

Perhaps being reminded of this they, in turn, will pause a little longer
on the very special things in their own every day that make life exceptional...

like holding onto the people who mean the most to you,



and never forgetting the importance of laughter.




For more wonderful Black and White images be sure to check out Black and White Wednesdays HERE.

January Day in The Village

Last week I had an appointment in New York City.

After leaving Midtown, my car just begged me to drive downtown

to my old college stomping grounds.

I walked around and had lunch in Greenwich Village;

enjoying the sights, sounds and memories that the afternoon brought back.

Even the gray, cold, rainy day didn't dampen my spirits.

I thought this image lent itself well to black and white, especially given the kind of day it was.

Join Lisa at Long Road to China HERE for Black and White Wednesday