milestones

Here's Ramsey before a party last night to celebrate the end of 8th grade. Our little girl is headed for high school in the fall.

must see to appreciate

Here is a photo of Cook and Pop's camp on Old River that I took on my way down to the pier on one of our first trips there (June 2007).

And here's one from October '08 that I took while we were boatriding that shows Cook standing in about that same place on the steps.

Well here is a photo we received from Cook and Pop last night to let us see what the flooding is like on Old River right now. This was also obviously taken from a boat. The difference is so unbelievable that I asked Cook if I could share here.

squeaky

Just came across something cute that I think was filmed before I knew how to blog video clips! It's from May of 2006. Look at my little baby girl!

grandparents in town!

Just for an extended weekend, but so great and fun! We were blessed with a couple nice days, and we walked around the arboretum for a while Sunday evening.

We were sad to see them go so soon, but we look forward to spending more time with them this summer! Thanks for everything, Memoe and Paw!

hula hoop contest

More like a hula hoop marathon. Something cute our school does at the end of each year. 30 minutes nonstop for Alaire's age group, and 45 for Maren's, though both of my girls tried to get a little too fancy with tricks and dropped their hoops just near the 10-minute mark. Their mother would break a personal record if she made the 1-minute mark, so I think they're awesome!

20 years ago

looonngg before there were 4 cajun cuties known as Ramsey, Maren, Alaire, and Curran there was just this cute young couple so in love.

and it's gone!

Just fell right out during music class on Thursday! That permanent tooth it's been sharing a space with for a couple weeks finally decided to push it out for good!

These photos of Alaire sitting on this chair sent my memory back to pics I used to take of her as a baby propped up on this chair, and I went looking for a particular old favorite of mine just for a little comparison of what 6+ years has done to her...

8th Grade Awards

8th grade awards for the last-ever 8th grade class of Mission Valley Mustangs! I keep telling Ramsey she is a part of history in the making as a member of the school's last class.

The ceremony was nice, and she was honored with awards for merit in English and French II, an award for her community service with her school's YES club, and an award for having a GPA higher than 3.5. Words just can't explain how much love, joy, pride, respect, and gratitude we have for this awesome girl.

A little get-together for dessert at Amelia's after the ceremony was the perfect way to wrap it up. Many thanks to Megan and Bruce for hosting!

Not enough Ramsey around here these days. So many activities happening with the younger girls at elementary school, and I'm feeling like my little Ram isn't getting enough blog time. :)

mother's day

8:00 am

cool breezes and chirping birdies through open bedroom windows punctuate this moment with perfection. God is so good.

We went to church (by the way, I think Mother's Day mass is my favorite) then we headed straight to the airport to get our Daddy before having some lunch out. Played a little and later had some cake that Ramsey baked. And I ended up with some photos of myself with the most amazing children in all the world that somehow God has entrusted to little ol' me. How blessed I am!!

and by 8:00 pm we all ended up right where this beautiful day began.

because it's mother's day

and our mommas live far, far away, and we love 'em.

Remember Photo Booths?

I think the last time I've been in a photo booth was probably 1995 when I squeezed into one with my hubby and Tim and Laura Raymie at a mall somewhere in Washington state! And those photos are still around somewhere--Laura and I have both come across them recently!

But last night at Ramsey's school open house (which was a HUGE event due to the school board's decision to close this school after over 50 years as a junior high/middle school) what did we stumble upon? A free photo booth complete with a box of funny costume props! So hilarious trying to scramble into a new look with only about 5 seconds between the snaps of the camera!

School Carnival

Alaire and Curran hung out with Mommy and Daddy at the school carnival, but Ramsey and Maren went off to have fun running around with friends. This is two years in a row now that I don't get much on camera at this event--it's just too busy and fast-paced!

Alaire's favorite new request for face painting is a cupcake of course.

Maren and her buddies Paige and Lily had a sketch done too, and I love how much it looks like Mare-mare!