Happy 10th Birthday, Makenna!

Dear Makenna ... 

as I've been going through memories of February 29th, ten years ago 

and all the years since, 

I cannot believe what a treasure chest, overflowing full, of times 

we've had with you on both sides of the world.

You were the tiniest of all our grand babies, cute as a button!

My thoughts go back to visiting you on your first birthday 

and how you decided to start walking while we were there! 

Your smile has always come easy, feeling loved and secure in who you are.

Today, I want to share some of those times, some being
just baby steps to a relationship that began before you even remember:

the gift of you falling asleep in my arms

story reading, time and again

swinging, racing, twirling, eating in our back yard

patio picnics with cousins

swimming in a pool in Jakarta

baking together 

a river cruise - checking out the orangutans

dressing up to greet us at the airport

baking buns in a hot humid kitchen, a cookbook photo

warming up by the fireplace 

cereal and real milk in Canada

cousin time

pretend dress up play and dressing up for real to be a flower girl

play times, barbeques, swim time, overnights, 

marshmallow roasts and boat rides at the Lakehouse

water slides at Lake Chelan and camping

more cousin time

matching pj's at Christmas with all the girl cousins

birthday parties

Build-a-Bear date

book signing with Grammy

dates, to the park, to the corn maze, to the zoo, 

hiking, mini golfing

Papa's stories

playing in the leaves
decorating sugar cookies
hiking the desert

Disneyland with cousins
sharing Popsicles

Easter egg hunts and twirling in a pretty dress

picnic at Fishtrap Creek

bridal and baby showers for aunties

American Girl store shopping with Papa

tea parties

Cousin sleepovers at the Lakehouse

extended family gatherings

gondola rides

cartwheels where ever possible

fancy shoes from Canada

exotic beaches and lake shores adorned with water lilies,

and so much more!

How we would all love to be at the table with you to celebrate you today

but from here, we thank God for the gift of you 

and for the way you so easily adapt to any and every circumstance. 

You take life as it comes and reach out to make friends. 

May the Lord keep and  protect your whole being ...

and continue to give you many more reasons to smile. 

Sending love and hugs,

Papa and Grammy

♡♡♡

Beauty in Imperfection

I did not take a photo of this bouquet when my cousin brought it over ...

beautiful in its perfection, all standing straight, barely opening.

But, these last few days, whenever I walk through the family room

and see this array of blooms stretching out  ...
portraying a bit of an attitude ...

I smile inside. 

There is a beauty even in this, right?

Seeing Double

Since I posted the pictures I was going to post here

on the recipe blog,

I'll share a bit more of that day ...

when just the three-year-olds came to play.

Oh, and maybe I just have to go back to these ...

I think this container was about three quarter full when we started.

Now check it out in the next photo ..

... the inside scoop, is what you get here.

Evy decided a baby spoon would help.

Wishing you all a Happy Valentines! 

New Office Help

 My experienced staff keeps busy with coloring
on top of the desk beside me while I sit in my chair.

He's not there yet ... but no worries.
auditing my trash is keeping him busy for now
and may keep me accountable in a whole new way.

My Brown Eyes

I was born in a country where blue eyes, such as my siblings', were noticed. I can still hear the Spanish expression of admiration. They were unique and special, while brown eyes were - well, just brown and normal! I remember looking in the mirror in my grandmother's apartment and saying to her, "Omi, I have beautiful blue eyes, right?" She would look at me with her large, sorrowful blue eyes and say, "No, you have brown eyes, Anni."

I think she was fine with my eyes, but when you keep hearing the comments in public, you come to believe that blue is better, and I literally kept track of people's eye color all of my growing up years, including when I met my blue eyed husband.

Today I look at my brown eyed grands, with so much else going for them, but I just love the fact that they have a tiny something that I can say is  from me! I love their brown eyes!

And one of them happens to be three years old today!

Jade, you make us laugh and love you to bits!
When you walk in the door with your "pack pack"
your whole being seems packed with joy and anticipation
and it's hard not to feel the same.

♡♡♡
Papa and Mimi

Let's Race!

... that's what she calls out as she runs off ...

and you wonder how entertaining the scene could become.

Sigh... sometimes it's hard to know 

if I'm being energized or worn down.

What I do know is that I want to remember

the phrases, so much a part of a three-year-old's language
 yet so easy to forget  ... those tiny inflections that
really do make so much sense.

"Everybody doesn't like rain on their clothes!"

or 

"Her puts it on the seat beside where her drives." 

or

(while coloring a tiger)

"Thems guys be orange, right?"

Evy's absolute favorite lunch at this house is 

crepes sprinkled with sugar.

Her favorite DVD is Boz (Bananas, Bubbles and Busy Bodies).

Her favorite game is an an old Sesame Street  matching game

and she loves to read books over and over again.

♡♡♡