Joleyn Larson Photography & Design

celebrate alex’s 9th birthday this weekend.

dirt cake.

nanna and bampa came for the weekend.

the party boys.

auntie sara’s candy jar. he has about half left i think.

I heard daddy whispering quietly one night,
He said you were sleeping while his ear was pressed tight.
I pushed out my little hand in search for the sound,
He must not have noticed for his head did not turn around.

Daddy went on to say, “We 4 are waiting for you,”
I said to myself, “four? I only know of two!”
I know of Mommy and Daddy, who else could he mean?
I’m starting to remember, I’ve heard them talk of the BEANS!!

Daddy said, “Listen little one, you have two big brothers.”
And we are all so excited to see you, especially your mother.
Then Daddy mentioned something about maybe 1 week
Maybe he meant that’s when we will finally meet!!

“How exciting”, I said “Maybe I can finally come out!”
Daddy then said, “Hold on there, there’s still someone to think about”
“Your Mommy has been working very hard for you, three more months it would be a year!”
“Let’s make this day easy for her, that day being when you appear.”

I said, “Ok, Dad…I’ll do my best—
Cause Mommy already told me that she would do the rest.”
Daddy said one more thing to me, so I sat up tall..
“You’ll find out soon enough but, you’ve got the best Mother of all!”

“Mom, I think I’m going to like this new little nest,
Because You, Daddy and the Beans sure sound like the best!”  

one of the things i love about birthdays…getting mail days later.

this one was for Tracy…..a package from Erlenbusch’s….i always say…if you guess the gift….momma gets it.

well, he guessed it…big goob.

well sweetie, today is your day. happy birthday to you.

i love you, i love you, i love you…because i love you.

good morning mom, we love you, but it’s time to grow up..and that’s an order! love you to the moon and back.

birthday…mine today. wow another year. this last year went so fast. the kids were painfully quick to let me know that i could no longer be 29. they wouldn’t even let me celebrate my 2nd or 3rd anniversary of being 29. nope, naddah….35 it is. not even a good morning kiss to wake me up, more like a jump on mom and let her know it was time to grow up today!

what is it about the number 35? I sit here saying it over and over and over….thirrrteeeey five…..thirrrrrty fiiiiiivvvvvvah. Thirty Five.   no matter how you say it, i still have to wonder and maybe it’s just me…. but I do wonder at times if I will ever feel…like I’m growing up…or does everyone experience this feeling of not “feeling” old enough to be thirrrrty-fiiive.  not really sure how i feel about it yet. don’t think it’s sunk in enough that i can write about it anyway.

what i am going to say is that wow…i feel so blessed. so many people helping me celebrate my day…it was so wonderful, so caring, so full of love…that i feel extremely happily wonderfully blessed. tracy taking the afternoon off to spend time with me, spending the entire morning running around behind by back buying up all the gift “ideas” i threw at him. he made my cake, got me chinese….fed the kids, wrapped the gifts. it was an amazing day filled with phone calls and cards and friends and hugs…and just everything a girl would want on her birthday. and can i just say facebook was never more friendlier than today. thank you all for such a wonderful day…it will probably keep me high for the next week.

making up my list….did my best.

me and my peanut

my cake..white, white…white…with two attenna candles.

me and my kiddos

last but not least…my hubby and me. i just wanted to say THANK YOU…for making my day so special. you know how much birthdays mean to me, and that sometimes they are so hard for me too….but you go out of your way to make things happen, to bless my day….and i am so appreciative of it all! i noticed everything you did…and that my dear…makes me feel like a queen for a day. who wouldn’t want that on her birthday. i love you. thank you. … me

baby girl turned 7.  i can’t believe it. our baby….is now 7. everything we could have hoped for and more. she’s growing up so incredibly beautiful. {sigh} i love her….to the moon….and back….and then some.  

kenna and jhacie…and daisy…hiding. her girly bday party. we watched hanna montana…have to say…that was a pretty good movie too. played girly games…and ate strawberry icecream.

her birthday dinner….tacos.

her birthday cake…strawberry, strawberry, strawberry.

she was so spoiled.

think we have another scrapper in the family. she’s about completed her little book.

Well birthday number 2 was celebrated. and mom is having to deal with the fact that my kids are growing up faster than i’d like them too. Ryan turned twelve this month so it’s official…another babysitter for mom and dad to count on for date night…yep he can babysit too now.

For his special day,  Dad and I were able to take him out to lunch…to his favorite spot…burger king. After school he had a few friends over for dinner and cake…and then a quick game of football outside…before the wind blew their ball away. Wow the winds blew that week! His dinner was BBQ hamburgers and his cake…chocolate chocolate. Over all it was a fun night…and he was really loved.

man pictures are so not cool anymore….i got what i could…nanna’s and bampa’s.

i swear I look at him now, and all i see is my grampa wambolt. he seems so big. so handsome. 13 years ago, he was my lil’ bean. he was our “tank”.  he wore his blue elmo sweatshirt every where along with his red elmo slippers. he walked around showing people his muscles or where his nose was…or he shook his “booty” to make everyone laugh. {sigh} the stages of mothering have all changed with this guy.  maturity setting in. independence..all he wants. choices he makes will be his own and not mine. yet sometimes he still cares what mom wants. he tugs on my entire being with his compassion, even though he tries so hard to hide it at times. he has a huge heart. he has so much love. he’s so wonderful. i love him to the moon and back.

me and our teenager.

Got the bday pics up today. He’s such an incredible little boy. 

His favorite dinner :: ham & mac and cheese

With his bday gifts.

Cheese cake….blow out your candles!

His buds over for his first sleep over.

Gifts that came in the mail.

alex is celebrating his 8th birtday today. we are taking him out for his birthday lunch today, and tomorrow he is celebrating with friends who get to sleep over. he is so excited for that. his birthday dinner is ham and cheesy noodles, and his birthday cake….cheesecake. lots of fun to be shared tonight with our family as well, and i’ll be sure to get pics up of that later. 

Auntie Sara’s favorite.

happy birthday lil sis. hope you have a wonderfully blessed day.

eat some cake for me. {hugs}

my sister is the only person i could tell on in the morning and giggle with by the afternoon. she was my first confidant and my closest companion. and she will always be my precious friend.

i love you. happy birthday.

baby girl was born february 15, 2009 at 1:11 am. weighed 6lbs and 6oz. 19 1/2 inches.

we cannot wait to see this little one in person. save this auntie some smooches ok.

celebrated my 34th birthday today. can’t believe that, but oh well. had a good day. loved all the phone calls, the company, the gifts…everything was all so special. i think the best thing though, was celebrating the steeler’s win with my wally. he was beyond happy, the joy was amazing.

Joleyn,
Happy Birthday! I remember the day you were born…of course, the doctor wasn’t there so the nurse, Betty Findlater, delivered you. She was so good. The doctor was so mad at me when he got there because I hadn’t waited for him. He was a doctor from Egypt (Dr. Rabbi) – pronounced rawbi-…hard to understand, fairly abrupt, not a real good bedside manner!

Guess God knew that Betty would be a better person to deliver our first child. She was so good! We had been in the hospital for a couple days because at that time, if you lived out of town, they would let you stay in a hospital room as soon as you started dilating (for no charge) until you went into labor. They they moved me into the labor room the night of the 31 st. We were so excited about having our first baby…but not even having a clue what joy you would bring into our lives!

Dad brought me a bouquet of tulips..pastel colors. They were so pretty and so “Dad”. He was very proud of them.When they let us go home, you and I stayed at Gramma & Grampa Uricks for a week or so. Dad drove back and forth to the ranch every day to feed and came into town at night until we went home. It was so nice to get home and stay all nice and cozy in our little trailer with our new baby girl. Dad would stop by the trailer often during the day just to see you.

Can’t remember a day in your life that we both were not excited to see you…still are! We are so happy that you are in a wonderful relationship with such a special husband, that you have four wonderful children, that you have such a wonderful relationship with God and that we have wonderful relationship with all of you too!

Have a great day..I’m sure I’ll be talking to you later but wanted to let you know I’ll be thinking about you in such a special way today and that Dad & I love you very much!!
Have a wonderful day…love you lots!

Love,
Mom

Today’s Daily Word – Sunday, February 1, 2009

Courage

Through the strength and wisdom of God within me, I am courageous.

Often the media is focused on the problems of the day or warnings of trouble to come. In the world at-large, there appear to be huge hurdles to surmount.

Yet I put fear aside when I turn my attention–mind, heart, and soul–toward the reality of the spirit of God in my life and in the world. Spirit is present within me and every person, every country and situation.

Through the strength and wisdom of God within me and expressing as me, I am courageous. In faith-filled ways, I follow inner guidance. I resolve challenges with enthusiasm and accept opportunities with heartfelt appreciation.

Trusting in God, I give myself wholeheartedly to life, and I am blessed.

“I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!”–John 16:33

Jeesh, you are wintering well. Happy, happy birthday!