Butterflies, Bows and Beauties

Happy Halloween!

 
 
 

Happy Birthday Sunshine

Life is full of surprises and I've had my fair share. Some were big, some small. Some were good, some... well... not so good. But by far, the best surprise for me in all the world was when I found out I was pregnant with Ella.

Four years ago today, my youngest daughter was born. She is so many shades of wonderful that I can't even get it all into this post.

Ella's favorite things include sleeping in our bed, playing with her sisters and running with the dog. She loves to eat mac and cheese, listen to music and dance. When we're on vacation, she chases seagulls on the beach. Most of all, she loves her family. And it shows.

My mom describes Ella best. She calls her sunshine. When Ella's around, she fills the room with brightness and laughter. She is and will always be my baby girl.

Happy birthday sunshine.

I've added Ella's party pictures to our Fall Fun '09 photo album. Click here.

Corny Corn Maze

Whew! I'm tired. We went to Ken's Corny Corn Maze today in Garner. It was too much fun! It was cold and rainy but we didn't let that spoil our good time. The maze was pretty amazing with 2 1/2 miles of paths. Once we were in, I wasn't sure we'd ever get out! A hayride made the day complete. Fall fun... I wouldn't miss it -- rain or shine! Click here for our photo album.

The Good

I sit here on the floor in our bedroom typing this post. Our daughters have fallen asleep in our bed. And I'm thinking of the good, bad and ugly of the day. The bad and ugly involved a day on almost no sleep... a protest at the station... and a whole lotta fighting between siblings.  

Where's the good you say? There was plenty of it, especially tonight. We attended the Light the Night rally in downtown Raleigh. Our family walked in honor of Hannah's victory against Lymphoma. The girls were armed with pictures of their cousin so they could remember the reason why they were taking part in the walk. CBC, our parent company, was the top fundraising team for such a worthy cause.

We walk... we raise money... we do what we can in hopes that one day there will be no need to walk, no need to raise money. 

So, yes, the good certainly overcame the bad and the ugly today. We lived, loved and laughed for Hannah and so many others fighting this terrible disease.

The Gift of Laughter

I'm still telling myself that 40 isn't so bad. As far as birthdays are concerned, my 40th was probably one of the best.

I started my day at work with lots of well wishes on my desk. It was clear this birthday wasn't going to go under the radar.

My girls (Missy, Tammy and Jane) hired a singing gorilla to humiliate me at work. Check out the look on my face. Mortified.

And when I got home, Olivia was so proud to present the gift she made for me. It's a vase with handmade flowers inside. If you take a closer look, you'll see that under the blue wrap is about a pound of glue. Under the glue... a Lenox crystal vase from my china cabinet! I'm not sure if Goo Gone or any other household product will restore my vase, but it's kind of sweet just the way it is -- don't you think?

All in all, the day was filled with laughter. You couldn't ask for a better gift than that. Thank you to everyone for the wonderful 40th birthday wishes, gifts and for making me feel so special and loved. Everyone ought to have a day like this! 

Turning 40

So, I just turned 40... minutes ago. What does it mean to turn 40? I don't feel any different. It certainly hasn't matured me any. I can't think of a better example than the conversation I had with Olivia tonight.

We're reading a story about bunnies. In it, all the normal-looking bunnies with upright ears are making fun of a lop-eared bunny. I tell Livi that sometimes this happens to kids at school and she should never be one of the mean, laughing bunnies. With her serious face on, she promptly tells me, "I never laugh at anyone. There's a kid in my class whose last name is "Weiner" and I never make fun of him." So my response? I start laughing so hard at the word "Weiner" that I'm sure the moral of the story is lost. Way to go mom!

40 is not so bad. As Julianne, my friend of nearly 30 years, told me this past weekend... it's just a number.

I had a little list of things I wanted to accomplish by age 40. And it's true that I haven't crossed too many things off that list. I'm okay with that. I guess you could say that I traded some of the things on my list for other things that I think are WAY better.

So, 40 it is. And at age 40, I am so, very thankful for my family and my friends. They've made every day of 40 years a blessing.

Light the Night

Do you see the beautiful girl wearing a scarf? I'll be walking in celebration of her fight against Lymphoma next month.

My niece, Hannah, was diagnosed with Stage III Lymphoma this summer. She's just 19-years old. I have yet to meet anyone as brave as she has been in the past few months. Her motto is: CANCERVIVE.

Hannah is the oldest of my sister's three children. In this picture, she is holding the oldest of my three children. We all hope and pray that this wonderful daughter, sister and cousin will be well again.

I've been so inspired by Hannah's spirit that I will be taking part in the Light the Night Walk... the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's fundraising event in downtown Raleigh October 17th.

Click here to see my personal fundraising page. Please think about donating to the cause.

Live, love, laugh for Hannah. That has been my family's motto. You can read more of Hannah's story on her family's blog.

The Wish

Loved ones who are gone are never forgotten... not even by children. I witnessed one of the most remarkable things last night as my youngest daughter, Ella, remembered her Papa.

 

We were staring at the stars in the sky and reciting: Star light, star bright... first star I see tonight. Wish I may, wish I might... have this wish I wish tonight. Then I told her, "this is the time to make your wish." She looked at me and in a sweet, little voice said, "I wish Papa could come back. I miss him." There was no prompting... no discussion beforehand... just this one wish from the heart of a three-year old.

 

Even though Papa's not with us, we still feel his presence in our lives. It's very subtle; he's with us in little ways. Perhaps, it was our trip to Ohio that sparked Ella's wish. Perhaps, it was something more. 

 

Our trip to Ohio was truly wonderful. We had a chance to see almost all of our family and friends. Ella had her first plane ride. Moments of our journey together were right out of a sitcom. It was just me traveling with three children. All of them needed something -- usually at the same time. Over and over again, I reminded them I was no octopus. From overweight baggage to the words "I gotta go potty" at the worst possible time, it was the stuff family trips are made of.

 

Now a few thank yous...

 

Thank you so much to Linda for giving us a place to stay... to Deb for bringing the neighborhood together... to Angela and Don for inviting us to such a blessed wedding and to Anne and Baba for preparing a wonderful family dinner. It was beautiful; it was home.

 

Click here for a photo album of our trip.

 

 

 

 

Back to School

The day started with teary-eyed Ella crying that she didn't want to spend the day all alone. She knew that her sisters would be heading back to school. The day ended much like it started with a teary-eyed Ella. This time, she didn't want to go to sleep all alone. Whew. She exhausts me.

In between Ella's tears, Isabel started third grade and Olivia started first grade. They were the only girls at the bus stop in our neighborhood, a neighborhood filled with boys.

Olivia showed off her new smile... she lost her very first tooth on the last day of summer break. She's so proud. The tooth fairy brought Olivia a Euro from to Finland and a little cold, hard American cash just in case she wanted to save up for something special.

It seems like we waited a long time for the bus to arrive and for the school year to officially begin. The wait is now over. Ella's tears have dried. It's time to focus on the year ahead. I hope and pray it'll be an incredible year for these three amazing girls.

Bye Bye Summer

Dear Summer,

This is it... our last weekend together. We had a great time. The highlight by far was our 8-day trip to the beach and visits with family and friends.

It's time now for things like school buses, packed lunches and homework. Isabel starts 3rd grade. Olivia starts 1st grade. And Ella? She'll be sad to see her sisters leave for that long day at school.

G'night to our fun, but exhausting summer... can't wait 'til next year! Gotta go back-to-school shopping now and maybe, just maybe, get in one last splash at the pool.

Sincerely,

- Aysu, David & the girls