Wordless (mostly) Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

A Decadent Decade

Has it really been 10 years since I posted my first blog post on here?

10. Whole. Years. ???

Wow!

That's so amazing. When I started, I thought that blogging was more of a vanity thing. Like journaling for the world to see. Then I realized it was a good way to keep track of stuff -- happenings, memories, accomplishments, milestones.

And, while I haven't been able to stay completely faithful in writing on here, I have enjoyed it. It's fun to muse and remember and ruminate on the stuff bouncing around my head.

And it's even more fun to go back and reread the happenings of the past 10 years, memories I might have forgotten without this little blog-thing.

So here's to -- hopefully -- 10 more years?

Thanks for reading!

15 Sweet Valentines

For some Valentine's Day is just another Hallmark occasion...a time to buy the clichéd cards and chocolates and express the stereotypical sayings about love.

For me, it's another occasion to praise God for the precious Valentine He gave me in 2001.

Happiest 15th Birthday

to our fantastically funny and gorgeously handsome son,

Edward Stuart!!

View on Flipagram

EIGHTEEN Years of Emily

 

Happiest 18th Birthday to the best-ever birthday gift and blessing that I've ever received!!!!

*   *   *

Doesn't God give the best gifts?

I guess, considering I was in labor for most of my birthday (she arrived after lunch), I gave myself God's gift to me. *wink-grin*

No regrets.

No sadness.

Just pure joy!!

So many people tease us about sharing a birthday...saying that Emily "took" my special day. I stare at them and think: Seriously?

As if any of us doesn't share our special day with somebody else. There are only 365 days in a year, 365 different chances to be born on a different day. Emily and I were born on the SAME day. If we believe we are preordained to be born at a certain point in time (and we do), then before I was born God had already decided Emily's birthday, too. It just hadn't happened yet.

And really. How cool is that???

*   *   *

So on this, OUR special day -- yours and mine -- I celebrate YOU, sweet girl!

No regrets ever.

No sadness ever.

Pure joy always!!

HaPpY HaPpY HaPpY dAy To YoU, EMILY SUSANNE FOOTE!

Seventeen Years of Emily -- Part 2

It's the night before our oldest child's 18th birthday...and she's not home. It's the first time in her whole life that she won't wake up in her own bed for her special day.

To be honest, it's a little odd...and a little sad.

But sad doesn't mean it's not right. She's in college, after all.

Part of living at college is being away from home, even during those special moments you've always celebrated at home.

I remember the first birthday I woke up in a different place... I was also a freshman at college, though I'd taken two years off to live in England with my parents. I turned 20.

I felt it was probably one of the most depressing parts of "growing up." Being alone on your birthday? Well, alone in a dorm is a little different than actually being alone. Although, I felt I might as well be alone to start with...no one really recognized that it was my birthday. Of course, I had my 21st birthday and my 22nd birthday...and my 23rd birthday at college, too. But by then I was more used to it...and had a few friends to celebrate it with.

I celebrated my 24th birthday in Honesdale, Pa., during my employment with Highlights for Children. Actually, that year is a bit of a blur since Stuart had a horrible accident that month and ended up in the hospital for nearly three weeks, and I had to go represent HFC's book side, Boyds Mills Press, at library book conferences in Harrisburg, Williamsburg, and Syracuse.

By my 25th birthday, I worked for the Reading Eagle and had to take off for my birthday. It was a company rule. You had to take a personal day for your birthday and one for your work anniversary, unless you were married and then it was your wedding anniversary.

That was the year "Birthday Adventures" were born. It wasn't elaborate or even very memorable, but I remember doing something different that year, like taking a bubble bath and getting a bunch of library books...and just relaxing.

I know that Emily will be a little bit sad to be away from home on her actual birthday. We'll head over to steal her away from campus later in the day after her classes. But she's growing up and spreading her wings and experiencing life in a whole new way.

And it may not necessary feel good...but it's right.

Sleep well, sweet girl. We are dreaming of you always.

Seventeen Years of Emily -- Part 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

S-s-s-s-seven!

How did we get here? I'm not sure, but today is the day...

...and Ethan Samuel is officially...

7!!

 

Happiest of Birthdays to our fun and precious "caboose,"

the "baby toe" on our Foote, our Ethster Bunny.

 

We love you so very very much!

Birthday Boy!

Every birthday brings with it a chance to reflect. ...on the speed of time, the size of our children, and how important it is to love these kids -- each and every day -- with our entire beings.

This is our little Valentine boy...

This is him today.

 

 

14!

Wow!

And, best of all, he is 14 on the 14th, his star birthday. And he is definitely our star today!!

Happiest Birthday, Budboy! We love you more and more everyday!!

2014: A Year in Pictures

A new year. It's always difficult to remember everything that happens in a year, but I love how photos can tell that story. I'm a bit, okay, a huge lover of photos. I love taking them and looking at them and collecting them. I really enjoy how they freeze a moment in time so perfectly. Even the photo mistakes have meaning to me. 

So digesting our last year to just 12 photos? I used to be able to do it...in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. But, if you indulge my photobuggedness (is that even a word?), I'll keep it to a few each month....

Here goes:

JANUARY

 

We started the new year with a few of us getting ill and a LOT of snow, especially, of course, during the Pennsylvania Farm Show, which, sadly, we weren't able to go to. The doggies got new sweatshirts. We finished the first semester of school. January sped by, leading us to...

FEBRUARY

This was the month that Edward became a teen, turning 13 on Valentine's Day and got his first iPad mini, with money from everyone in the family. We had to reschedule his birthday party to the weekend after his birthday due to snow...and nearly had to reschedule it again due to snow. Edward chose to have a Build-a-Bear party at the store in Lancaster. While Stuart was on a trip, we used some of Stuart's hotel points to go overnight to a local Hampton Inn. Always a fun time for us...so fun that some of us were extremely sad when it was over. And Emily and I went to the PaSRBA Convention where we found a new furkid named Lovebug, who joined our family and lives with Ethan.

Next came...

MARCH

The month continued the "snow" theme. Emily, Edward, and I went to a local rabbit/cavy show where we showed three of the Himalayan dwarfs and one of Edward's piggies. We enjoyed a fun St. Patrick's Day with "Taco the Mornin'" and the more traditional (American) corned beef and cabbage. Emily took her SATs, and Ethan enjoyed his half birthday (5.5). I took Emily and her friend Lucy to a Skillet concert where we got in for free by volunteering to help with Food for the Hungry. Emily started the newspaper at school, thus The Agora Times officially went into production with the first issue happening in...

APRIL

 

Easter came in April. The kids looked dapper. We had fun doing Easter eggs and having our traditional egg hunt. We missed one and found it later in the month...after a squirrel had eaten all the goodies inside. Emily celebrated her half birthday (16.5). The trees and flowers were beautiful and led into a wonderfully plush and flowery...

MAY

A beautiful start to the month, and I had a lovely Mother's Day. But the 22nd brought "The Hailstorm of the Century" to our area and wiped out all the flowers and leafy trees and our car, house and porch roofs, and outside furniture and toys. God provided us with the insurance money to replace everything -- with even nicer things. We celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. Emily went to the prom and took her first AP test, which she passed with flying colors and got a 4. 

JUNE

This month brought a fun trip to Knoebel's Amusement Park with school and the END of school. Edward (a.k.a. the "Blur") took another session of one-on-one soccer at Body Zone. We celebrated Father's Day. The month flew by into...

JULY

We went to our borough's annual July 4th parade. Ethan and I went to the Crayola Experience with our friend Beth and her granddaughter Madison. Gigi got a new summer dress that she loved. And Emily and I started on the "2014 Official College Tour," which included Albright College, Kutztown University, Reading Area Community College, and Arcadia University.

AUGUST

This month brought the open forum for politicians that Emily created and organized with seven other cyberschooled students, including her brother. Edward started high school soccer. We got school materials for the new school year, and we had our annual "Camp Woohoohaha!" family day camp. Edward had a fun half-birthday (13.5).

SEPTEMBER

Edward started at Voices. School started after Labor Day, Emily's last year of school. Now, we officially had a senior, freshman, and 2nd grader. Stuart had his birthday, turning a palindrome, 44. Ethan had his birthday and turned 6. Edward had his first soccer game of the season. Ethan started his Fall U8 soccer season with us as his coaches.

OCTOBER

Our birthday month. Emily turned 17 and I turned 44. We celebrated with My Little Pony shirts and all of us going to a local hotel to swim all day in their pool and have a night away. We did our school photos in the park. Halloween was fun with trick-or-treating in the cold. 

NOVEMBER

We had a chilly month with Thanksgiving bringing a bit of snow. My lovely aunt and uncle hosted a beautiful dinner as usual. We went shopping in the little shops on Penn Ave. with our friends, Dawn and Katrina, on Small Business Saturday. Ethan got glasses.

DECEMBER

Christmas Eve with candles. Christmas Day with family and presents. My mom and dad made a lovely and yummy dinner as usual. Boxing Day was a success. Pagoda Day on top of Mt. Penn. We started the month with Breakfast with Santa. We went to NYC on the Eve of Christmas Eve. And played games and watched movies between the holidays. New Year's Eve was spent with our friends, the Stumps, and games and lots of goodies. And then it was...

2015!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!