my baby is grown up..

...and he has left our home... It's a major milestone in our family... We are officially empty-nesters...

I was looking through old photos the first of this month of my family for our Princess Bride who wanted to share some photos of her and her brother on her blog... and I came across these... where have all the years gone???

Daddy, helping him learn to walk in February or March of 1991...

I kept sitting him down every time he tried it on his own

so he didn't "really" walk until late June...

His 1st birthday in May of 1991

when our boy made mud pies,

he really got into his work! (August 1991)

he's always liked guns... (but his mother hates them)

this is the BB-gun his uncle gave him and his brother

the picture was taken in August 2000...

in December 2001, on the way to California

for my dad's 90th birthday party..

Freshman ~ HS Cross Country September 2004

His nickname was "the Flash"

because that summer before he started HS,

he survived a lightning strike at BSA Summer Camp

this was taken in HS... Sophomore year

and this was taken a few weeks before his High School GRADUATION,
just one short year ago...

Here is one with him by a sunflower that

was growing wild in the back yard...

He was here doing some yard work for us the last few weeks...

BTW, he is over 6 ft tall... that is a HUGE sunflower...

we had two pop up back there...

I love my baby boy... I am proud that he was willing to SERVE our country, even when our country does not always serve it's people best... To stand up and defend an amazing country whose "politicians" could surely learn a bunch of things about love of country and regard for freedom from the men and women of the armed forces that protect them too... Even if things do not work out the way he wanted, I am grateful that was willing to give of himself and his life for something he believed was good... In the years to come, he will no doubt be asked to give of himself no matter what life has in store for him... in ways he cannot even imagine today...

He is a fine young man and he will do well in whatever he puts his heart into... but he will also always be MY baby boy... and I will always care about his happiness and safety... so my prayers rise heavenward each day, that he will be cradled in God's gentle and loving hands at all times... and that he will feel our love and support at all times though the months and years ahead of him when he may be far from us... away from our presence but not out hearts...

to quote...

~Neal A. Maxwell

"As parenting declines, the need for policing increases. There will always be a shortage of police if there is a shortage of effective parents! Likewise, there will not be enough prisons if there are not enough good homes." Take Especial Care of Your Family, Ensign, May 1994, 88

July has been a busy month...

...simply little time to do anything but work and rest... so I am going to post a slightly edited entry from my journal this morning...

I have been painting... well, cleaning, repairing and painting... I started in early June where I left off last year when the Princess got married... I got the half wall connecting the living room, dining room and kitchen repaired and painted, it has bugged me so much that wall especially was unfinished... I also got the kitchen painted and am about a 1/3 of the way done with painting the kitchen cabinets... (thanks to the help of a couple friends...)

Son2 had a set back in his plans to enter the Marines in early July... he is still weighing his options and may or may not still make that choice... He just doesn't know what he wants to do at this point... It is so hard to change gears after being “mom” for years and years, to step back and watch your adult children struggle alone through challenges... but that is part of life, isn't it??? And especially when they don't really want you to help very much, you have to step back...

Princess Bride and Sir Knight are doing very well... Working, and stable... How nice that is to say about your adult children... It's what we pray for as parents... Happiness and stability in our children's lives... Last week they found out that their bid on a house they really like was accepted... so they will very soon be in the process of jumping through hoops to comply with all the bank/lending requirements... LOL... (because the house they are buying is a short sale, there are a lot of levels to the process... so the time frame can take longer, and when they will actually get to sign the paperwork is still very much in the air... We are hoping for about 60 days...) We pray that all goes well for them and that they are soon in their new home which they have lots of plans for...

Son1 finished his first year of nursing classes and all pre-post requisites for next years classes... and now only has his last year of dedicated nursing classes to finish before graduation next May... we are very happy for him... he has done well, and his darling wife is a wonderful support to him... Son1 and Sweetee are well entrenched in their new home they bought last March and have been enjoying a wonderful, but very busy summer... you can read about them on their blog if you like... Sweetee will be teaching Kindergarden this coming year... the school year will be starting soon for her... We are so glad that they live close so that we can see them pretty often...

Hubby has been working long days... mostly regular shifts, but with few days off because they are short 2 nurses again, at his facility... He remains forever my wonderful and faithful, best friend... 26 years after meeting (26 years yesterday, was the first time we "met"...) we are still BEST friends... He's such a good man, he's fun, intelligent, exasperating when I least expect that, and interesting all the time... I am very grateful that he is a part of who I have become... We enjoy being together as much if not more than when we were dating... no matter if it is working, playing, talking or just resting... we can never get “too much” time together... We try to concentrate on cherishing the time that we do get, and I personally thank a benevolent and loving Heavenly Father for my wonderful hubby every day... I cannot say enough how much richness he brings to my life...

Are there more things to say??? Probably... but I sound sappy... so I think I will end here...

to quote...

--Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"The more we treasure the words of the prophets and apply them the better we will recognize when we are drifting off course—even if only by a matter of a few degrees." A Matter of a Few Degrees, Ensign May 2008, 57–60

have a safe and happy 4th...

and MORE...

This is the time of the year that we reflect on our country... our heritage and our freedoms... It is important that as americans we do that, probably more regularly than we are prone to... Lately I have been remembering that it is critical to us all that we do more than just reflect...

While you are thinking about our country's birthday, take a few minutes to review in your own life things that you could do to improve the world around you... (or your neighborhood, your home...) then when you find a few things... do them...!

I hope (and pray) that each of us will find ways to make more than just noise about being a good citizen... I hope we will take the time to BE good citizens... to be caring, truthful, law abiding, involved, and diligent... I hope that we will try to bring happiness to others, not just ourselves...

Soon my youngest son will join the ranks of this country's military and I have realized that for many years I have taken the sacrifices made to keep this land free for granted... Son2's choice to join the Marines has changed that for me in a big way...

I have also taken for granted my very blessed, physical world... but my guilt has reach it's peak and I can no longer sit on the sidelines and hope for good things to happen around me... I need to take it upon myself to, at the very least, improve the corner of the world I live in... I believe that by doing something each day of value and worth to someone besides myself that I will be keeping alive the principles this country was founded on...

We can all find ways to lift, inspire, defend, protect, enlighten, and improve our world... it starts with our corner... and our country... (which ever corner/country that is for you...)