Passionate Chocolate

Dove with Almonds
Happiness is the experience of living every minute
with love, grace and gratitude.
Oh, the words of chocolate!

Christmas Various

Mason on Christmas day, 2 months.
What a gift!












Luke, what a smile!















Mackenzie--6 1/2
Isaiah--almost 8!
Blaize--less than 1
Luke--3 1/2
Christmas eve service.











My Gorgeous Sister!
Brittney,
Look!! She is wearing a dress
AND
a smile!!!!!!!














Mason 2 months.
Great smile.

New Years Eve Gift

Several days after the incident my black eye is nice and formed.
It extends all the way down my cheek and to my hair-line.
OH< how it hurts.
The nice cut is really just a scrape; nope, no stitches.
Happy New Year!

One week later....
Full, lovely color comes in!
Ok, here's the story.
We had been working hard on the farm in Athens.
(the grandparents place)
Post hole digger for Jeremy,
Tractor driven wood chipper for Summer.
Granny was in charge of All the kids.
New Year's Eve.
Grampa comes over and says:
It is 4:30, lets call it a day, play with the kids,
then eat dinner and do fire-crackers.
Why don't you two go for a little ride on the bike
(Granny's tandem bicycle).
I did not want to go.
I have control issues and I would have to ride in the back
with Jeremy steering.
I said ok.
Off we go.
On the country road, the 5-7 dogs (little mutts!)
all chase us at the same time.
We get past them. My legs are burning.
I am not used to this much exercise!
Jeremy says, you wanna drive.
I convince him I am simply too short.
I can't sit on the seat and touch the ground.
We are off, again.
This time My Brilliant Husband says:
"Lets get a good start and we will get past the dogs,
they are already up on their porches!"
Now my control issues are surfacing!!!!!
Here they come.....
Mostly they stop near us and chase us.....
Mostly....
That one little black mutt.....
GOES RIGHT FOR THE FRONT TIRE.
He does not stop.
He runs right in front of us.
We hit him square on!
I don't remember the rest.
The way I heard it was:
He spun around and we ran over him again with the back tire.
My face connected with the gravel.
I hurt my big toe, my knee, my elbow and my upper arm.
All on my left side.
My hands were not even dirty! How did I do that?
I jumped up, all wobbly.
I did not want to get bit by the stupid, now angry, animal.
Jeremy grabbed me before I fell over again.
You know how much head wounds bleed?????
Jeremy starts calling out: anyone home?
We are just down the street from our property
but then you have to walk down the driveway.
A guy comes out, disclaims the dog:
"Not mine, people come and drop off their mutts here!
I'll call animal control."
(We know it is yours!)
So, he drives us home, Granny freaks.
Coralyn says: "My Unca Je-my, no-no, no hurt my
Ant Sum"
We explain.
Granny cleans me up and gets ice on my face.
Coralyn says: "NOW! All better, go play"
She knows the drill.
The neighbor is an EMT. He comes over to check my face.
No broken bones, does not look like stitches.
No ER for me.
Animal Control came.
The Police came.
Jeremy is not so bad. I am guessin' he will lose his toe nail.
His knee and palm still hurt but
His Face did not See the Ground!
My hands were not even dirty.
Oh, no fire-crackers.
We did have a bon-fire and ate some perfect Marshmallows.
Happy New year.
It is now 2 1/2 weeks later, my knee hurts and my face hurts.
(no wise-cracks, Your face hurts me too! :) )
I wonder what kind of scar I will end up keeping.
Oh, what a great story!
New Years Eve 2008

More Mason

Mason at one month,
resting with Daddy

Is that Mason resting with Dad again?
Dad, don't you know that it is not nap if only YOU are resting?

Big, alert eyes
Mason, 1 month

Thanksgiving,
Thank you for cousin Isaiah,
what a loving guy.
November 2008

Mackenzie's layered trim

She has never had much hair.
The ends are yucky and it breaks very easily.
Yes, she is wearing HUGE Christmas earrings.
These are for special occasions only, not every day.

We got at "trim", girls don't get their hair cut.
(She was afraid they would cut her hair OFF
like when we cut Luke's curls off)

The before picture
November 2008,
Mackenzie is 6 1/2 years old.

Mason one month

Mason and daddy
Look at that head control!

My big guy and my tiny guy

resting in the sling

How does this thing work?
We are not sure.
Mason, even at the young age of a month,
does NOT like things on his head.
Not hats, not hands, not sling.
November 2008

"The First Year"

An exerpt taken from "The Girlfriends' Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood" by Vicki Iovine
"Having a baby is like entering a carnival fun house...It's a thrilling adventure, even if you do look a little distored in all the mirrors, you have no sense of direction and have to feel you way along in the dark, and even if every once in a while something pops up that you didn't expect and scares the heck out of you. You can fight it by running around looking for the exit or you can just exhale and remember, life is a carnival...."
* * * * *
And with every new addition, the carnival rides again! Get to know each kid individually; learn their unique personalilty. Watch it develop and grow and mesh with the rest of the family....enjoy!