First Hair Cut!

Well... I did it! I finally convinced Tony to cut Aiden's hair over the weekend!!

Here are before and after shots. Sorry they are not the best photos but they were the only ones I snapped that showed the difference.

Before - "The Mullet"

After - My Big Boy!

We planned to cut the top as well but Aiden wasn't in the best mood. Oh well. At least he isn't sporting the mullet look anymore!

My Little Photographers

Photos courtesy of K&A:

My girls... full of happiness, hugs, kisses, giggles, imagination, spunk, sass, and attitude galore!

I love watching them grow up but these pictures make me just a tiny bit sad. There really is very little "baby" left in them. They want to be big like their older cousins and can't wait to go in the school bus to their "school in the woods." Don't ask me where this school is but they can tell you all about it. :-)

Kaylee loves to learn her letters and color. She takes so much pride in how she has learned to color in the lines. Alyssa loves to play dolls and make up entertaining stories for anyone who will listen. So far it seems like Kaylee is our learner while Alyssa is our dreamer. I can't wait to see how that changes through the years.

They love to play together and can entertain themselves for hours on end. They also adore their baby brother... until he tries to touch one of their toys, that is!

They also like to create a bit of mischief at times. Like this weekend when I heard Alyssa talking quietly about how she was brushing the kitty. I only heard bits and pieces of the story at first but I managed to piece together the phrases "brush the kitty" and "toothbrush." I knew this was one story that I just HAD to hear. As soon as I asked for more, details, the tears began flowing. In between sobs, I managed to pull out of her that she had "Used mommy's toothbrush to brush Tonto but it is okay because I cleaned off all the hair in the water and put it right back." HaHa. We lost that toothbrush pretty quick but gained another funny story to add to the books.

Love you girls!

13 Months Old!

I know... I know. There is something definitely wrong with these pictures. My boy isn't playing with his tonka truck or balls. He is playing with his sisters minnie mouse and fairy princess house. He was entertained for more than five seconds though so who am I to interrupt his fun?

Aiden still isn't walking yet and seems to have zero interest in learning. You can try to stand him up but he will buckle his legs and drop down to start crawling. I think he figures crawling gets him where he wants to go just fine so why change it up? Lazy boy!

Other than that he is growing up just as quickly as his sisters did. I still haven't found a way to bottle them up and keep them just as they are. Sure wish I could though. :-)

Remembering Him

Today marks the six-month anniversary of my brother passing away. It is incredible to imagine that it has been half a year already. Hard to believe that we have made it through all of those days, weeks, months, while missing one of the most important people in our lives and hearts.

Yet, no matter how hard it is to believe or accept…it is always with us. Almost like a nightmare that just never ends. I read somewhere that you never truly get over a loss like this. You just absorb it into your life, into who you are, and somehow learn to live with it.

I am sure it will take a long while to get to that point but we take baby steps each day I suppose. And, through all of the sadness and missing, I am so thankful for all of little reminders we have of Rickey each day. The funny stories that pop into my mind when I least expect it, the special appearances he makes in my dreams, the way his daughter looks so much like him that you have to stop to catch your breath at times.

Yes, Rickey lives on through each of us and in some ways; he lives on through perfect strangers as well. I know Rickey would be very happy that because of him, someone was able to see for perhaps the first time. This has really opened my eyes to what an incredible gift organ and tissue donation is and I believe Rickey would be so proud to have been a part of it.

Love you Rickey!

To Remember Me

Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise,
a baby’s face or love in the eyes of a woman.

Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused
nothing but endless days of pain.

Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the
wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his
grandchildren play.

Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to
exist from week to week.

Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my
body and find a way to make a crippled child walk.

If you must bury something, let it be my faults,
My weaknesses and all prejudice against my fellow man.

Give my sins to the devil.

Give my soul to God.

If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind
deed or word to someone who needs you.

If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.

Robert N. Test

Hail Storm