Fashion Show: Blast from the Past!

Kate tried on a few of my old clothes that my mom had saved for me.

I remember LOVING this skirt with the little kitten on it! I think I wore it in first grade. 

 I wore this shirt with a jumper on the first day of Kindergarten (the pants are Katie's)

Here I am with the jumper and that shirt. Oh, and I curled my bangs myself!

A favorite puzzle sweater (Kate is such a sport to try these on for me - any normal kid would be too good for these old 80's rags)

Here's the puzzle sweater. I'm wearing my new eye glasses and holding a new Cabbage Patch doll. My mom was afraid that I would feel different because I had to wear eyeglasses due to a failed eye exam before first grade so she bought me a Cabbage Patch doll that had purple glasses just like me. The sad thing is, I lied during the eye exam in order to get glasses because I wanted the attention-I've already apologized repeatedly to my parents.

I don't have any pictures of me in this cutie but it was supposed to be worn as a dress but this girl of mine is much too tall already. I think I wore this when I was 6!

 This was my FAVE nightgown! It says "Kiss the Koosa!" Kate loves it too and plans to wear it tonight to bed.

 

I owned several suspender dresses. This one was a favorite. I wore it when I was about 7-it fits Kate perfectly!

Here I am in the dress with Chris, Jill, and Jeni my siblings.

Seriously, I wore this when I was 8! This was my baptism dress! 

Me, in that dress, Christmas 1987 or so, just before my baptism in March of 1988.

Finally, something that is too big for her. I wore this when I was 10. Kate said the ruffle part was "wierd". Yes, it's very 80's. 

Dad and me in West Virginia in that dress and a goofy face in 1990.

What a super-fun walk down memory lane with Kate. She was so sweet to do this with me and to act interested and play along. I see a lot of my goofiness in Kate. She is exquisite and adorable to me.

merry christmas

this is the best christmas ever! kate has been adorable and has made everything so magical. what would we do without her? yesterday kate asked me about 7 times, "mommy, have i been good this year?" i would answer "yes" the first 5 times and then i started saying, "what did i answer the last time you asked me?"

we spent christmas eve-eve with my family and christmas eve with scott's. today we spent the morning with scott's family and now we are about to head to my family. not everyone has family close by. i love being so close in proximity to all our siblings and parents. i hope everyone has a safe, magical holiday.

The North Pole Express

We rode the North Pole Express Train Christmas Eve-Eve with all of my family. We had a magical time. Kate truly believes we went to the North Pole and back. We drank piping-hot chocolate {that spilled all over Kate's leg} and ate chocolate-chocolate chip cookies, we sang Christmas carols, and visited with Santa, Mrs. Santa, and the elves.

 Kate with Mrs. Claus

 Santa asking all the young ones what they wanted for Christmas. This is Brooke, Sam, and Taylor

Kate taking her turn with Santa {James & Taylor in the background}

Some of the children scattered when the camera came out. This is Zack, Sam, Brooke, James, Justin, & Kate

After our trip to the Pole, we drove to my parents' house and had a lovely dinner and played Rollick, a new game developed by a friend of ours. Once some of the family left and it was just Jeni, Cameron, Sam, Scott, Kate, me, and my parents, we sang Christmas carols around the piano. Super Fun!



The Things She Says

On Tuesday, Kate overheard Scott and I talking to Scott's brother about his wife's recent miscarriage. We were asking how she was doing and as Scott continued to listen to his brother Kate pulled at me so she could whisper something in my ear. Her little words were: "Mommy, aren't you glad I didn't die in your tummy?" My face lit up with joy and a resounding "Yes!" came out with a twinkle in her eyes and mine. What a dear, sweet girl. We talked quietly about all the wonderful things we have together, all because she lived.

A week ago, while I was rushing to get Kate ready for preschool and fearing that we would be late again, I rushed her even more and with all my, "Hurry, brush your teeth... Hurry, brush your hair... Hurry, get your coat..." Kate stopped me and softly said, "You know Mom, sometimes you just have to miss it."

I was pulling our clothes out of the washer to hang on the line in our laundry room and I pulled out Scott's pants thinking they were mine. When I realized they were his, I said something about it and then mentioned how silly it would be if I could fit Daddy's pants. Kate told me how "some moms are that big and have really big bum bums." And then she said, "But that's okay, that's just the way God made them."

Bon Fire for My Old Flames

This might shock some but, until three days ago, I still had a somewhat large collection of old love letters from boyfriends past. I would take out the box every couple years - about the time that I retried on my wedding dress to ensure that I haven't completely let myself go - and reread some of the letters. In this moment of reverie, I could once again relive those years before Scott and I were married and think with fondness of the kind boys who showed me I was worthy of being loved.
On Monday, I read a snippet from a Feng Shui Book that had lots of really good tips on organization and ideas to help ch'i flow through your home easier. One of the things the mentioned was that keeping old love letters can prevent new love from filling your whole heart. Holding on to anything that reminds you of the past is just plain bad ch'i. I realize that now. I have been holding on to my box of letters mainly out of fear - I was afraid that no one could ever love me that well and that no one could ever say sweeter things to me.
What added to my need to hoard these pieces of paper was my mom who always recommended I keep them. I think she wished she had kept all of her old love letters from her main flame during her late teens and she always reminded me to hold on to them. She said that even if I didn't want them, my children someday would get a kick out of them. And I bought into that for all these years. But, after reading that piece of the Feng Shui Book, I spoke to my wise friend who helped me see that my dear Kate will want to see the love letters between her parents, not old flames. My old love letters would only show her that I never really loved her dad fully. And we have a substantial collection of well-worded, loving cards and notes from our many years together and they are collected in a binder as well as a journal so when I want to reminisce with fondness on my past love, I can begin and end there, in those two books, full of the love I enjoy right now.

So, I lovingly opened the black, photo box of letters and cards and touched a few of them for the last time. I saw the names of the several authors and said a prayer of gratitude for God sending those good boys into my life. And after I thanked Him, I told Him that I was ready to let them go and give my whole self to my husband. I first tried a small bonfire in a #10 can as a royal Bon Voyage but the flames were too big and the smoke overwhelmed the kitchen - HA! So, I placed the unlit pile in the recycling bin and said farewell. I think recycling has a more positive connotation than burning anyway.
And when I called my mom that day to tell her that I had finally let them all go, she said, "Are you sure you don't want to store them at my house, just in case?" Too late mom - they are already gone.

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - Rube Goldberg Machine version - Official

Icicles & Snow

Kate found a collection of icicles under the trampoline. Kate thinks icicles are for eating - no matter where they come from. She knows that we don't eat yellow snow or brown snow but she thinks all other snow is fair game and regularly goes outside with a bowl and fills it full of her snow treat. I even caught her piling snow onto saltine crackers and eating them.