Singing in the Rain!

Grant and I just ran outside and danced in the rain.

I have NEVER seen rain like this in my life! We were only outside for about 10 seconds before we were completely drenched! Clark and John just stood at the open screen door watching us be silly - they weren't interested in participating.

The thunder was clapping RIGHT over our house and it was just GREAT!

I love the rain!

Here are the pictures from the previous post!

Grant's is 8 Years Old!

I love this boy! Grant has lived in 5 states and is attending his 5th school right now. We have made a lot of memories with this amazing child! He never ceases to amaze us with his love of life! He has figured out his new Heelys, reads a book in a day, and is excited to be a new Cub Scout! Happy Birthday, Grant!

For Memorial Day weekend, Andrew brought home a yellow balloon in remembrance of his sweet sister, Cristin. Cristin passed away at the age of 19 in a serious car accident. Although I never met Cristin, I feel very close to her. Cristin was a violinist and the shortest member of the family. She had a love for all people, and was just amazing.

When Faith (age 6) was born by Emergency C-Section, I felt a closeness to Cristin that I had never felt before. I truly felt that Cristin was watching over this little girl. She knew how much Andrew and I both needed to raise this daughter, in order to grow and develop into the people we could become, and maybe even encouraged her to stay.

So, now Faith Cristin shares her name with her Aunt and I know they will have a very sweet reunion someday!

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

My amazingly talented and sweet Andrew had his 35th birthday! I knew I loved every bit of him when we got married, but now I love him 10 times more than that! I am so grateful to be married to this wonderful man, who is a great father and husband. He and Faith went to Las Vegas this weekend for Jeff & Jenn's wedding - more on that later.

While Mimi was in town, she and Andrew took Faith and Clark to the Air Show at Andrews Air Force Base. Despite the HUGE crowds, they had a GREAT time and loved the Blue Angels the best.

I am amazed that four planes that are completely different can fly so perfectly in sync with each other! Incredible! Clark was VERY impressed, but said that he wants to fly even HIGHER than the planes and be an Astronaut! Go for it, buddy!

Grant's trip to the Baltimore Zoo

(Grant is dictating to me about his trip today - this blog is in his own words) Today we went to the Baltimore Zoo and this turtle was in a tank with a lot of fish, which you see behind him, and a big crocodile. This tank was inside a building and inside the same building there was a monkey cage, and when we came back, Mrs. Rockwell as a fact why they put glass up. And do you know why? They will try and throw poop at you!

This curled up thing, even though you can't see it so well, is an Arctic Fox. Arctic Foxes live in the Arctic and they're basically the scavengers of Polar Bears. That means they follow Polar Bears around to get their food. The Arctic fox is the grey/white thing in the middle and the brown stuff around him is the log he likes to sleep in.

This is a Polar Bear named either Magnet or Alaska (hard to tell them apart) because even though they stood really close together, they don't realy have any height or fatness difference, it was hard to tell them apart. Here's what I know about Polar Bears:
1. Polar Bears are on the Threatened list - that means they are above Endangered, but below Extinct
2. Polar Bears hunt and kill seals and they only eat the blubber, so Arctic Fox's eat the meat.
3. Polar Bears have regular behavior that they do everyday, and one of them is called "lipsmacking", but it's not what you think it is. It's really opening and closing the Polar Bear's mouth.
4. Polar Bears will never meet with penguins because they are on the other side of the world!
5. If Polar Bears don't get enough food in the winter then they may have to eat in the summer because it's hard to find seals in the summer. They may have to eat plants in the summer.

This is me taking a picture of myself. I am a little bit cuckoo, but I had a great time with my friends. 5 of my friends are: John, Spencer, Deepak, Ian and Miss Gale.

She will sleep well tonight...

My dear mother, Linda, left me today. As my tears drip onto the keyboard, I can only tell you how grateful I am for her!

She washed/folded at least 10 loads of laundry, did all the dishes, cleanup, read books, sang songs, held my sweet John who was feverish from Strep Throat when I knew she could barely hold herself up, decorated for Andrew's birthday, made a homemade cake, organized my Rubbermaid drawer, and so much more!

I know that I could not have recovered like I have without my amazing mother. Thanks, Mom, for dropping everything in YOUR life to come save MY life. Your advice (and past personal experience) took me to the ER, where they discovered my blood clots, and possibly saved my life. Your Christlike service has helped in ways that you will never know. I love you and thank you from the bottom of my heart (and lungs!)

A boy and a tree...

While Faith was playing soccer...

Clark found a tree. These pictures make it look big, but as Clark climbed, I wondered if the tree would even stay upright. He climbed and he climbed until...

He got as high as he could go! It made me smile to watch my boy (1) find a tree (2) determine it was climbable, and (3) without checking with anyone, just start climbing! Great job, Clark!

Here's Faith doing a BIG kick! She loves soccer, and will someday get the concept of the game! Till then, we're just having fun!
By the way, my INR number on Friday was up to 2.0, barely into the "safe zone", so I got to stop my stomach shots (Yay!). I am feeling stronger every day, and my pain is very minimal. The only issue right now is that I run out of energy very quickly. But, I know that will change. Back to the gym beginning tomorrow morning - that will make me stronger, right?