Hairy news

So this is my darling little Chloe this past Saturday morning. The long awaited day had come. Little miss Chloe has been growing her hair out to donate to Locks of Love. For those not familiar with who they are, click here http://locksoflove.com

We have talked at length talk about the little girl who would receive her hair, once made into a wig. She has very sympathetic heart and felt so sorry for the children who suffer with hair loss, from cancer or other diseases. She was beaming when I told her the day had come to go get all her hair lopped off. It was almost like Christmas for her, so full of pride and excitement as we washed and dried it as instructed. I had a heart pang as I blow dried and brushed her hair. I can't fully explain it but I hoped that whoever the recipient of the hair was, would feel the love Chloe has for them. That the mother who gets to brush her little girl's hair again like I was doing, would feel such joy knowing her daughter was not self conscious or embarrassed anymore. I know- it's just hair, but it was my daughters hair and she gave it all so freely and so lovingly. Chloe is a tender sweet angel and I am blessed to be her mother.




Hair be gone :)Or hair today, gone tomorrow...lol, I crack myself up :)




10 inches of pure love



The made over sweet pea...isn't she cute?

I have a NEPHEW!!!

I love all my adorable beautiful nieces to bits, but boy oh boy, was it time for another boy. Connor is ecstatic and so am I. We all are.

Oliver McCluckie made his debut in Oxford, England on Sat. morning, 3 weeks early. He may have the luckiest mama in the world. From what I have heard it was FAST and pretty pain free. Who has a fast and relatively pain free first child???? Well Miss Helen bo belen did. I am jealous!!

Mama and baby are doing well and already home. He couldn't wait to let his mama have her baby shower that day. They had to party on with out her...lol.

Waiting on pics but had to announce to my friends and loved ones that I am an Auntie again and this is my first nephew. What I would pay to give him a big cuddle right now. :(
Welcome to motherhood Helen. It is a special club to belong to. Life changing :)

Love you Helen, Dave and baby Oliver...muahh xxx

The Leader of the pack...

I have had many moments in the last few weeks that have made me proud and excited. Proud as a mother for my son who has made good choices in his 9 years. Yep- he just turned 9. You all know how I feel about time whizzing by so I won't go down that road but gosh, he's my baby :(




So- here is why I am proud. There is a big construction site down the road from our house. We have walked there often and many days we hear the roar of the big earth movers. Connor and some of his friends decided to venture down there. Yep- something bad happened. Let me explain.

Connor came home as I was doing some dishes and stood beside me. I knew immediately he was about to tell me something. He tapped me and told me that the boys he was with had been throwing big rocks at the tractors and diggers windows. Of course like a record screeching to a halt, I stopped everything and had him explain the whole story to me. He did and I asked him many questions to see if he was involved. As a mother who knows her child, I knew he had not participated and for that I felt grateful, but also proud that he came straight home to tell me.

We talked at length and I knew that we had to call the police and tell them who had vandalized the equipment. Brave little Connor had to tattle on his mates but also tell the whole story to a cop, who towered over him. He was doing the right thing and he knew it. I sat back and let him tell the whole story and be accountable for being there. The police officer told me he could tell that Connor didn't do anything and told Connor how proud he was of him. I was proud, very proud.

The cop visited all the other boys homes involved and 3 parents now have to pony up $3000 for the windows. ( They were too young to press charges).
I am soooo glad that Connor listened to the still small voice inside his head and came home, avoided doing something that he could have so easily been tempted into doing. I mean come on, who doesn't like breaking things :)




Now another thing making me happy is the fact that it is happening!!! What? I hear you say. The leaves are turning and fall is right around the corner. I was stood in my kitchen and saw the light streaming through the trees and a bright orange blob caught my eye. I went out to investigate and this is what I saw. I missed the perfect timing to take a picture where the sun hit this leaf perfectly and made it look like a fire out in the woods but I still thought it was quite beautiful. So to the leaders of the pack, in any situation- well done!

School RULES!!!!

This summer was seriously a blur and went so fast. The kids started back at school and I have such a different feeling than last year when they began school. Chloe felt so little and I was scared for her to start school and be away from Mommy but this year we were all excited. My kids love school, I know, I know, it won't always be the case but for now they love it and I love having some peace in the house again :) They have amazing teachers and should do really well again this year.

Connor has a brand new teacher. She is new to the school and this is her first official year teaching. She is young, sweet and full of ideas and optimism.

Chloe's teacher is new to the school, but seasoned. She taught in Florida for years and seems to be on the ball. I really like her and she can see Chloe's abilities and will hopefully keep her challenged. Some of the homework Chloe brings home just makes me and her laugh. She is so advanced. I am not sure how it happened but she is so smart and I hope she will be OK in the first grade. She is showing signs of boredom already but we'll see.

The days are long. Here are some pictures of their first day on the bus (6:40 am) and then arriving back home looking beat..hair all messy..lol.
And a picture that is a rarity. It is a picture that I never thought I would capture, not since my little boy was a baby. It is Connor NAPPING!!!! He is full of energy and NEVER naps. Dan and I just giggled at the sight of out little man layed out- totally out, when there was so much going on around him as he slept.

And just for good measure, a picture of Annabelle. It is a good glimpse of her days right now, for 2 reasons.
1- she has a shoe addiction. I kid you not. The girl wants to walk around all day in shoes. At church sometimes the only thing I can do to calm her down is to give her my HEELS...yes, I said heels, and she walks perfectly in them!

2- because she loves being naked. She rips clothes and diapers off all day long. So I just have to give in sometimes. Right after I took the picture of her she tinkled into Connor's church shoes! Hahahahahahahaha...don't tell him :)

The song for this post (Viva la vida) was our Summer anthem. The whole family would rock out to this song all summer. It was the song of Summer 2008 for the Leyland family. So good bye to summer and HELLO fall. YAY!!!!!!!! My favorite season is just about upon us.