Eye of the Tiger

 

I had Amelia for the afternoon when she took her first climb to stairs! I believe it all began at swim lessons earlier that day when one of the tasks was to learn to crawl out of the pool in an Army crawl fashion. She took her skills and applied them to the stairs.

At first, I watched to see what she would do on the 2nd step. Then, I got behind her so she wouldn't fall back. When she made it 1/2 way up the steps, I started to videotape her to send to her mommy & daddy.

As she got close to the top, Papa David, was cheering her on!!

"Good girl! A little further! Come on sugar! Almost there! Don't give up! Don't give up! Almost up! [friendly growl] Eye of the tiger!! Eye of the tiger! Finish up strong! Finish up strong! YES! You did it!" He swoops her up, holds her in the air and kisses her cheek.

Brooke & Alex arrived minutes after and when I told her she just climbed the stairs, Brooke said, "No she didn't." I proudly shared she did AND we have a video!

Left attended grandchildren will be loved, spoiled, and quite possibly taught new tricks!  

And Then There Were Four

 

Mariah and I were having a Momma + Daughter date night in a cozy cafe, both of us drinking Honeybush tea with extra honey, when she bent down and held up the sweetest little onesie...

And then there were four 

There are such special moments of realization forever etched in life where your brain registers that life is about to significantly change, that immediately triggers your heart, that goes straight to happy tears, all in less than 2 seconds! My sweet girl is pregnant!!

To tell the kids, they did a photo shoot on the beach in Florida. Here they are holding up the ultrasound photos. What a wonderful moment and I so love that the kids are running towards them. They Face Timed me from the beach, I wanted them to be able to tell me, too, "mOmMy'S gOinG tO hAvE a bAbY!"

How blessed I am with extraordinary grandchildren! My Sofia is 6 years old, Rowan is 4 years, Claire is 2 years, Amelia (Brooke's) is 1 year old, and another one arriving in October. Each so unique with different personalities and wonderful qualities. 

Sofia with her brown hair and brown eyes and the mini-me of her momma, is so sweet, so funny, incredibly loving, smart as can be, nurturing, and feels emotions so deeply. I love conversations with her. 

Rowan is all boy!! Frog holding, arrow shooting, chicken chasing, working with his daddy and building things. I love to hear him talk and I smile when he shares stories with me. He's the one who sticks close by me at all times with snuggles. 

Claire, looking like an angel with icy blue eyes, blond hair, and kissable lips, the quiet one, is matter of fact, unapologetically herself! If she did it, she claims it! She's funny and doesn't take anything off her older siblings. 

Amelia is cute as a button, fabulous smile, on the go on the verge of walking, independent, with bright blue eyes, bows in her thick head of hair, 50% Brooke/50% Alex, crazy over the moon over Papa (my dad), loves to clap, laugh, and a little fish in water. 

It is indescribable how wonderful my little descendants are to my soul, and another is on the way!

Thank you, Lord! 

Hello March

 

Did I just blink through winter and see daffodils starting to bloom? This January and February were quite possibly the fastest winter months on record. Hello March!

Ahh, it's almost vacation and we are looking forward to the changes in latitudes and changes in attitudes in beautiful Key West! 

We got the sweetest compliment from my Mariah. She is at a training in Florida and her instructor was talking about a 60-year old woman in fabulous shape, when Mariah pulled a photo on her phone of David and I on the beach last year. David is 61 with a rock hard 6 pack stomach and me, well, I'm still able to pull off bikini's at going on 54 years old. That said, guess who is knows a beach vacation is approaching? This girl!!! 

Nothing says Keto, intermittent fasting, lots of water, and exercise like a beach vacation. 

We are Carribean Life (tv show) junkies in winter months. My husband wants to buy a house in the Carribean when we officially retire for a snowbird lifestyle. Me, the thought of constant sunshine, outdoor adventures, fresh seafood and fruit sounds divine. 

In the meantime, I am working on a base tan so I can spend my days in sunny Key West.

I got my toes in the water, a~~ in the sand

Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand

Life is good today

Life is good today