Garden After Dark

Winner

There are moments in life, when you stop and think to yourself, "Yeah, I picked a winner."

Joey is incredibly smart. Sometimes the way his mind works is hard to explain.

A few weeks ago, while attending an International Conference in San Francisco, Joey presented a demo called Radio Tomographic Imaging. Okay, okay, before you hit snooze, I don't understand a word I just wrote either, but the point is, Joey won. Tekkies can read about it here.

I'm really proud, and a little amazed, he's my other half.

Life

Sometimes, you feel amazing, witty, smart, beautiful, important, unstoppable, talented, down right smokin' . . . basically like this:


But, let's face it, sometimes, you are tired, really unmotivated, lonely, sad, not exactly hot, boring, unimportant and the list could really go on and on. I kind of imagine like this:



It's been a long week, but we are turning a corner. Hooray for new days.

Magnificent Meg

This little girl is now eight and is one of my favorite people. She was born a "mom" caring for siblings, cousins, friends. She loves Owen (which automatically makes me love her) and will rescue him from any perceived danger.

She is musical, dramatic, artistic, loving, energetic and a joy. We love you Meg! Happy Birthday.

Our Life, Right Now

I would regret it, if I didn't record the daily happenings in my little guys life. O's life is full of passion, happiness, energy, and the occasional strong-willed moment.

Owen loves being with his momma. He is my shadow, and has taken to wearing my clothes (yes, I actually wear these leg-warmers/socks to sleep in) . . . . . . and painting his toe nails. He follows me everywhere and "helps" me with all my daily tasks. We love snuggling while watching a show, reading books before bedtime and he is always asking "what's that mommy?" or "what's that noise?" He says my name frequently and I don't think I'll ever grow tired of it.

Our morning routine usually consists of milk on the couch while watching a show on the Disney channel. He sits for about 10 minutes and then is eager to get into his stroller for a walk or trip to the playground. We couldn't sit still for too long, now could we?

Owen loves his little friends. He often says, "Can we go to Henry's house?, Jackson's house, Sammie's house, Meg's house, James' house . . ." you get the idea. He even refers to all of his friends in his books. Oh, that's Kyle mommy. That's Grant. That's Emmie, mommy. He is lucky enough to get to spend a few days a week with his buddy Isaac. These two would run away together if left unattended for more than five seconds. It's a good thing I am still quicker than them.

Why is it that you always want what someone else has?
Now, we're happy.

Owen is a good kid. Trust me, he has his moments. He smacks his head when he is mad. He tells you "No I NOT!" when he doesn't want to do something. But, he understands consequences, he will usually apologize before being asked and has a darling "sorry mommy."

Life is good. I think I'll keep him.

Sisters, Sisters

My sister and I used to watch White Christmas together, all year long. We'd dance in the basement and I'd use the fireplace as a stage. I was quite the dancer in high-heels for a six-year-old. I think I secretly thought that you fell in love dancing and singing and that most conversations could actually be put to music, but I digress.

Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters . . .


I wish I had that dress. We do however, have matching blue, as you can see below, thanks to my mom.


Although I don't have feathers, I thankfully have the best sister in the whole world. She's honest, no-nonsense, witty, did I mention beautiful?, kind and believes me to be a better person than I really am.

I remember walking into her room when I was 15 and she was in a ball weeping. I asked her what was wrong and she replied that she hated that I was so sick. I had been struggling through mono, pneumonia and some other viral complications that had completely wiped me from normal daily activity. She wanted to take it from me. She said I didn't deserve it.

She has loved me purely, whole-hearted and is without question, my best friend. She defends me, believes in me, and never questions my judgment.

We have our moments, I'll be the first to admit it. She has her limitations, as do I. Fortunately for me, she is half blind to my faults. She's the best sister, and I'm glad she's mine. Happy Birthday Kate. I love you.

Family and Celebrations

We gathered as a family in July to celebrate several birthdays. Missy, Joey's sister, hosted. She invited the refugee family she has taken under her wing. It was remarkable (and quite chaotic) to see several families together, celebrating.

A few pictures of the cakes I made for the occasion.


This was only half of them. I get tired just looking at this picture.
If you look closely, you'll see Owen attempting to blow out the candles, not unique for this little guy. Always happy to help.

This is moments before Owen, left me, to go sit by a boy who was sitting alone. Little kids get it. So full of love and don't see barriers quite like adults. Love him.