... while Emily is ALMOST a teen

Yes, here we are ... celebrating the first grandchild birthday of 2012. Emily is the birthday girl today and she is 12 years old. Oh my!!! Next year, ALL of my children will be the parent of a teen. How in the world did that happen?

So how do you describe Emily? Using the letters of her name, I say she is ...

Energetic ... and an awesome fast-pitch softball pitcher

Magnificent ... hunting Easter Eggs

Incredible ... just to hang out (or sit on a fence) with

Laughing a lot (especially with best friend Nattalee)

Young lady - and a beautiful, intelligent, kind and caring one

And in addition to all of that, she is thoughtful and caring. Below is the poster board she and Lauren worked together on for my birthday. That's rather awesome that they did the board, but even better that they thought of it all on their own.

Emily, my precious, I love you MORE THAN THE WORLD!!! I am honored and awed by God's goodness when He gave you to us.

Bunches, my sweet, bunches,
Nana

... WHEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

I've been on roller coasters that didn't go this fast! 

Where did the year go?

60 Lessons I have learned:

1. Love is important - make it a goal in your life.
2. Fall in love with your best friend - or become best friends with the one you love.
3. Staying in love is a choice. Choose love EVERY day.
4. Parents are to be cherished, honored, and eventually, taken care of. Don't miss your chance.
5. Sometimes family WILL let you down. Don't let it make you bitter.
6. If you love someone, tell them often. Don't miss the chance to let them know how you feel.
7. Good friends are hard to come by, so cherish them.
8. Don't be ashamed to mourn the loss of someone/something cherished.
9. Fake friends are a dime a dozen - treat them kindly but don't give them your trust.
10. Smiles are the least expensive face lift you can get.
11. Giving smiles away brings great rewards.
12. Laugh - laugh often - laugh with gusto. 
13. Holding a baby (especially if it's your grandchild) is better than any tranquilizer in any pharmacy.
14. Mistakes teach valuable lessons. Learn and move on.
15. Bloom where you are planted!
16. Don't fill your life with "stuff". Instead, fill your life with people you love.
17. There will always be time for the things that are important to you. You need to decide what that is.
18. Reading the Bible is important. Praying is more important. Make time to do both.
19. Take time to have fun.
20. Be kind to the downtrodden. You may be the only friendly face they see.
21. Hugs are medicinal. 
22. A child's giggle is priceless.
23. When you promise a child you'll do it "later" ... really do it later. 
24. Before you can love others, you must love yourself.
25. Don't let others control your happiness/mood/emotions.
26. No matter how little you have, realize that there are others who have less.
27. Wanting more than you can have will destroy your enjoyment of what you already have.
28. Embrace your uniqueness. 
29. Never compare yourself to others. You should be your own measure.
30. Try something new. It's okay to fail if you learn from the trying.
31. Stop wishing your life away. Enjoy Mondays as much as you do Fridays.
32. Take joy in the simple things. There are far more simple things than grand things in life.
33. De-clutter your life. In throwing out the trash, you just might discover a hidden treasure.
34. Set goals.
35. I don't have to be the best person in the world ... I just have to be the best "me".
36. Choose words carefully. Once they leave your mouth, you can never take them back.
37. Never stop dreaming.
38. Kindness is free. 
39. If others hurt you, don't try to get even. Let God deal with them.
40. Take care of your health - physically - emotionally - spiritually.
41. Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you. The world is an amazing place full of wonderful things.
42. Be confident. Trust yourself more than you trust anyone else.
43. Think good thoughts. They'll crowd out the bad ones.
44. Be thankful. 
45. Expect good things to happen and recognize them when they do.
46. Procrastination does not necessarily equal planning.  Recognize the difference.
47. Sometimes you need the shortcut, but when you can, take the scenic route.
48. Use your power for good ~ not evil.
49. When possible, refuse to live by the clock.
50. Compliments should be free, but not cheap.
51. Enjoy being creative ... in whatever way you enjoy. 
52. Engage in conversation - listening - talking - sharing!
53. Never say "never". 
54. Stand up for what you believe in. 
55. Speak the truth.
56. Never expect more from someone than you know they are capable of giving.
57. Embrace calm. It gets you through a lot of rough times.
58. Let your actions speak louder than your words.
59. Live your life so you'll have no regrets. There is no rewind button on life.
60. Don't lie about your age - don't regret birthdays - they are a privilege that many were denied.

I hope I've learned more than this. 

I hope I continue learning. 

I hope I have many, many more years to utilize all of this knowledge.

Happy 60th Birthday to me ... 

and thanks to my Mom.  She's the one who did the hard work!

Bunches!

Nona

and Lauren is 15...(WHAT???)

Seriously, how is that possible. I'm too young to be the grandmother of a 15 year old. Oh yeah, I forgot y'all know how old I'm about to be.

So it seems that our lovely Princess Lauren is 15 years old today. The day she officially became a part of our family was such a special day. Our numbers grew by leaps and bounds that day. It was a happy day for so many reasons.

Family gatherings are so much fun ... and here are 4 great kids who get along so well. Lauren is so much fun ... the cousins love hanging out with her.







Here is Lauren with her younger brother, Andrew, when the entire family went to Turner Falls. He adored her then and he adores her now.

Among Lauren's many talents, is the ability to play the flute. 

Although she isn't actively playing now, 

it is a knowledge that she will carry with her throughout her life.

Lauren has a great relationship with her Mom ... they share so many interests. 

It really does make me smile to see their closeness.

Ever the supporting cousin, Lauren took great delight in cheering Emily along at Emily's birthday dinner at Babe's. Frankly, Lauren is probably just delighted that she's not the one with the chicken on her head.

 Lauren is such a good caregiver and helper. 

Here she is playing with her little cousin, Libby, 

at the Saginaw Aquatic Center during this past summer.

 And here she is at Thanksgiving ... growing into a lovely young lady.

Happy 15th birthday, Princess Lauren.  

I love you "more than the world".

Bunches

xoxoxo

~ ~ ~ and thankful for those who came before

I'm thankful for my grandparents. While I never met some of them, they are all very special to me none the less. I have pictures of my grandmothers on my dresser, and they both passed away before I was born.

My daddy's mom was only 26 when she caught pneumonia and passed away (Daddy was just a tiny little guy and had no memories of his mother). Still, I'm thankful for her. She was a strong, beautiful woman. In the picture below, my daddy hadn't yet been born, but based on the ages of my uncles, it is likely that she was in the early stages of her pregnancy with him.

Times were hard in the early 1900s and so my grandfather had his mother come live with him to help him with the four boys he was left to raise without their mother. Never met this lady either, but my Daddy loved her and she helped shape him into who he was, so I'm thankful for my great grandmother Roland.

But then, whether through love or necessity, my grandfather married the lady that I loved and knew as my grandmother. I know that by the time I came along, they were deeply in love with each other. She came complete with three children of her own. It wasn't until I was in my late elementary years that I realized that this wonderful grandmother was actually my step-grandmother. Made absolutely no difference to me as she loved me and I loved her. Perhaps that is why I don't make any differentiation between my step-grandchildren and my grandchildren. To me, they are all mine. That is a lesson I learned from my Grandmother Ballew, a lady that I am also thankful for. She is shown here with my Grandfather Ballew at a birthday celebration for him.

Grandfather Ballew was a man of God and always dressed so nicely to go to church on Sunday. I have so many fond memories of sitting with him in church, trying not to squirm or wiggle, because he was so attentive and I never wanted to disappoint him. I'm thankful for his example and his patience with me - I'm thankful for him!

My momma's mother, Grandmother Spharler, passed away before I was born also. She was only 56 and based on stories that Momma has told me about her, she was a true lady. That's easy to imagine when I look at this picture of her in her young days. She and my grandfather made an extremely attractive couple. 

Here's a picture of her probably not too many years before she passed away. Her hair was long (at one point, it touched the floor) and she always wore it up. I'm thankful for her for so many reasons, but probably the biggest reason is because her first child is my mom.

I'm thankful for my Grandpa Spharler. I hear stories of what a harsh man he was, but by the time I came along, he had mellowed and was a loving and gentle grandfather to me. I'm so thankful for him and the love he gave me. When he would write letters to Momma, he would often tape a piece of chewing gum for her to give to me. I wonder what kids today would think of that. To me, it was a piece of love traveling the miles.

Yes, for each of these beautiful people who came before, I am thankful. 

Thankfulness comes from deep within us ~ ~ ~

Bunches!