Serious

Yes she is.

She's a BIG Super*Why Fan.

One minute she's watching the show

and the next her little feet are pounding the floor

to her brother's room where she's raiding his drawers for
items for her "get up."

She has me rolling on the floor on a regular basis!

How Much Do You Love Them?

How much do you love those who love you?
Do you love them enough to make sure you take care of yourself?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month



For as long as I can remember, I have gone for an annual mammogram.

The uncomfortableness is miniscule in relation to

the peace of mind that comes from having an annual screening.

Do something special for those you love....
love yourself enough to get screened.

Real Life

I can now say, first hand,

that if you look deep enough into the eyes of the one you love;

allowing the day to day "noise" and fantasies of "perfection" to fall away...



You will remember the very first moment you realized

that you could not move forward without him

and that your life would never be the same.

You realize that he was the missing piece of your perfectly IMPERFECT life

and that he couldn't fix it all

but all of a sudden you were no longer alone...

which makes all the difference

and

then...

well, then....

you just thank your lucky stars!

(**special thanks to the Boy Wonder for taking these great shots

of the two people who love him most in the world....his parents!)

Whooo Hoooo....it's Black and White Wednesday
and the very last Wednesday that

Reagan Elizabeth WenYi Furey

will be separated from her Forever Family!!

It's finally HERE.....the last stop on the

The Long Road to China

Lisa and Marla will be here having dinner with me on Friday

and will be across the world in China scooping Reagan up on Monday morning!!

It's official.....I've begun holding my breath!

Love Notes

Last week I called JR in the middle of the day to tell him that a big project

I'd been working on for the past several weeks finally paid off.

My region was ranked #1 in the nation and I was very excited.

When I got off the bus from New York City at the Park and Ride lot

and walked to my car,

I noticed something in the door handle.

Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a love note...

written by WonderBoy and the Love Posse.

JR drove the kids to the parking lot that afternoon to search for my car.

They scanned the commuter lot for my car and found it

among the hundreds that are parked there each day (in no particular order!).

Have I mentioned I adore these people?

(and I know I'll remember that note far longer than the #1 rank at work!)

It's the Tender Moments

The tender moments between these two are the ones

that make all the times I want to pull my hair out....
completely fade away.

Well, for a while anyway.

This is Sweetie, fresh from her slumbers

watching her brother get ready for school.



Here he is....Light of her life (and mine, too!).

She hates when he leaves for school;

especially if she oversleeps and he's gone before she gets up.

That's a free ticket to Meltdown Mania for me.
Front row seat.

She seems to be able to handle his leaving

if she spends a few minutes watching the morning scurry
(translation: my scurry since he is in no particular hurry!)

She reminds him, ever so softly,

that she needs her brotherly mornin' lovin'

before he gets on the school bus.



And he always obliges.

Yep, that's when I just can't help but feel the ends of my mouth curl up.
And my heart swell with pride.

It's the little things that are the biggest things, indeed.

How do I love them? Let me count the ways....

(and yes, that's Kiddie in tow...as usual, only now, he tucks Kiddie in right next to his baby sister when he heads off to school)

Happy 3rd Birthday, Sweetheart!

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you,

pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.

Ralph Waldo Emerson




Three years ago today when I saw your face for the very first time,

I could hardly believe you were mine.

This morning as I stare at you sleeping next to me,

I am amazed that I feel exactly the same way.

I dreamed about you my whole life and some days

I wondered if you would ever really be more than a dream.

You have made each and every one

of these 1095 days the very best days of my life.

(even the ones when I told you that you drove me crazy!)

You captivate and charm everyone you meet and

although you are so very beautiful;

that physical beauty itself pales in comparison

to the incredible person

I see emerging from within you.

I hope you will one day realize how truly honored I am to be your mother

and to follow you on this incredible journey ahead of you called:

LIFE.

Thank you for making all my dreams come true.

Happy 3rd Birthday, my Darling.

You have my heart.

Mama

(Pictures of the small family celebration we had yesterday soon to follow)

Good for What Ails Me

I've been putting in lots of extra hours on a project at work.

In fact, I had to go away and leave my babies TWICE for several days

in the last month in connection with work.

Anyone who knows me knows I don't go away without my kids.

I just don't.

It damn near killed me.

JR has really stepped up and been handling all the Daddy AND Mommy duties.

Yeah, I know you noticed but were too cool to call me out on it....

I haven't even had time to update here.

I have hundreds of photos that need editing and several events I hadn't had time to post about.

I will get to them and I have promised myself that I'll post them....

I just need to figure out where I can steal the time from!

All the traveling, commuting, running around, working, mommying, entertaining, etc. have just worn me flat out.

I am definitely burning the candle on both ends.

It's no wonder I woke up this week with a nasty sore throat.

I just don't have TIME to be sick!

JR, WB and Sweetie decided to surprise me with some hot tea

and lots of hugs when I got home from work tonight.

Sweetie insisted on dressing the part and checking my vitals.

She's getting so big.

My little Trio....perfect for what ails me!

Summer Afternoon

Summer Afternoon . . . Summer Afternoon
the two most beautiful words in the English language.
- Henry James

This favorite little dress of ours is another wonderful creation by ManiMina.

(Yes, I'm addicted.)

Thankful Thursday: Sweet Dreams

No matter how many years pass

between today

and the day

when you fly off on your own,

my little angel...

this sight of you

has been indelibly etched

in my mind

and on my heart forever.

You will eternally remain,

my very own

precious little girl.

Back to School

Go Get'em, 6th Grader!

Oh, and don't you worry one iota, Kiddie.

You've made it through another summer.

Your Christopher*Robin will be back home before you know it!

Discovering Beauty

In summer, the song sings itself.
- William Carlos Williams



Be a gentle friend to trees and they will give you back beauty,
cool and fragrant shade, and many birds, singing.
-Unknown

Delight in the beauty that surrounds you.

Happy Anniversary: 11 Years Together Forever

Yet another year has passed, my precious Boy Wonder, and after 11 years,

you still hold my hand.

Some days it seems like yesterday when I first held you in my arms

and other days it seems like a lifetime ago.

I marvel at how you drew me to you

and how my love for you

completely changed my life, our lives,

in one single day;

FOREVER.

I am so incredibly blessed to be your mother;

to spend every day with you,

watching you...

remembering our past,

savoring today

and dreaming of our future.

I love you with every single ounce of my heart.

I wouldn't change one second

of the last 11 years we have shared together.

Thank you for being my son.
Happy Anniversary!

Thankful Thursday: The Generosity of Friendship

I can't tell you how often I stop and think about

how fortunate I am to have such wonderful friends.

Case in point:

A few weeks back when I was lucky enough to be part of Lisa's 1st Photography Workshop ever, I had the opportunity to bunk with an amazing woman I had only hoped of meeting one day,

Wanda from At Last..We Are Family.

She was everything I thought she'd be and so much more.

And I'm here to tell you, she's even more strikingly beautiful in person than she is in pictures...and that's hard to imagine!

Well, not only is she gorgeous, sweet, smart, warm and completely charming...

she is one incredible talent!

In addition to her photography, Wanda is a true artist...a painter, in fact.

Wanda had a very special surprise for me when I finally got the chance to hug her in person.

So special, in fact, that I had to fight the tears back when I saw it.

Not a day goes by that I don't look at this incredible work of art created by

the hands of this very dear friend and realize just how special she is to me.

The lid of this box is not a photograph, though it looks as perfect as one.

It is all hand painted.

Wanda studied a photo from my blog and created this masterpiece.

It takes my breath away.



My heart just skips a beat when I see my Sweetie's eyes staring back at me!

Perfection!

Inside is my daughter's name

along with this beautiful quote.

The detail is simply exquisite.

Wanda also surprised our friend, Lisa

with an equally stunning box all her own.

Wanda, I can never thank you enough for this unforgettable gift

and the richness your friendship brings to me.

I will treasure both for a lifetime.

(To see some of Wanda's gorgeous paintings click HERE)

*****

That evening, as Wanda and I made our way back to our hotel room,

we found on our table a little taste of heaven sitting on a silver tray.



There was a note.

We were like two giddy little school girls devouring our find.

We just couldn't believe the thoughtfulness and generosity of a very special girlfriend

who wasn't able to make the trip.



What can I say about Valerie?

I adore her...

she has a heart of gold, a lightning quick wit and a sense of humor like no other.

She often has me gasping for air from laughing so much.

I tell her regularly that she needs to do stand-up comedy.

She'd sell the place out.

Every.Night.

I truly don't know if I've ever met someone so innately funny as Val.

I'm laughing writing this just thinking of her!

As big as Val's sense of humor is, her heart is 100 times bigger.

Wanda and I immediately huddled around the phone in our hotel room with Val on the line

delighting in our little sweet gift from our ValPal in the Lone Star State.

She was the only thing missing from our perfect weekend.

One day, Valerie...one day soon.

Batten down the hatches!
You are an absolute gem and I am so lucky to have you in my life.

With friends like these...well, with friends like these,
Life is BEAUTIFUL!

Thank you both for the gift of your friendship.

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

Fun is Fundamental

On Friday night, the Boy Wonder lost a molar.

I can tell my boy is growing up because I didn't even hear any inklings

of a possible loose tooth that was wiggle worthy enough to actually come out.

Well, out it came with very little fanfare from my little Big Man.

He then began pumping me about the toothfairy and, actually,

with a knowing twinkle in his eye, he gave me his best

"I really do still believe, Mom" look.

He told me that he thought the toothfairy should

leave him BIG money since its a big tooth.

Well, guess what he got.......





We all had a good laugh.

A good laugh, that is, until he told me he wanted to go to the bank

and cash it in for some tens and ones.

That's when I had to have a little chat with him about

how NOT to get your picture on a poster in the post office.

Morning Minx

My Sweetie Pie insists on preparing a little "appetizer" for herself and her dolly in the mornings while I prepare breakfast for her.

I stopped trying to manage the "crumbing" of her playroom because it's a lost cause.
I just wait until the damage is done and she moves on to the next room

then I dustbust the daylights out of the floor, the couch, the chairs, the stairs, etc.

Apparently when I answered the door for the mailman yesterday morning

she got into her brother's chocolate frosted brownie
(the one he was saving; the one that he moved to the back of the kitchen counter so his father wouldn't eat it)
The only remains of WonderBoy's treasure were those you see on that precious face

and that adorable pajama set from Bali, from the beautiful Swede in my life, Ann-Charlotte.



He wasn't amused when he returned home from camp

and I had to break the news to him.

A hint of a smile never even registered across his face

when I showed him these totally off the Cute-o-Meter photos.


That's okay, I'm still smiling!

Black and White Wednesday: Heartbeat

When I look into those eyes...

I can actually feel my own heart beat.

and when I see these two together...

I can barely contain myself.

Unconditionally and forever.

Ma raison d'etre.

********

It's Black and White Wednesday
To see some really fantastic images, click on over to my dear friend, Lisa's gorgeous Blog

The Long Road to China