Birthday

Little Man's 4th birthday was this past Sunday, and since we weren't having his big party until the following day, he got to choose what we did that day ! 

So after church we headed over to Maine with my parents for ice-cream and playing in the park ... 

I should say after we waited in a long line at the border for almost an hour :)

So worth it !!!

Just plain ole vanilla was the birthday boy's choice ....

After ice-cream they some how convinced Mimi to play a very quick game of tag ....

Then it was off to the park :)

Lots of hanging upside down ...

Hubby even tried out one of the swings ....

Couldn't resist posting this picture ....

Now that he's 4 , he has mastered pumping on the swings!

With a few pushes first :)

His favorite thing ~ the digger !

Big Sis taking a break ....

We all had a great time playing at the park ...

A perfect birthday for a boy who is 4 :)

We ended the day with a swim ....

Party tomorrow :)

Welcome To The Country

Was fortunate enough to get stuck behind a combine yesterday ...

driving very slowly ....

for many miles ....

Where is the room to pass you ask ???

How do the vehicles meeting you get through you ask ???

All very good questions :)

The answers are : You can't and they basically drive into the ditch :)

Welcome to the country :)

My BOY Is 4

4 years ago today ....

6 weeks early ....

Only 3 hours of labour, scared only after the doctor told me to pray you would weight at least 4 or 5 lbs. My delivery room door left open so the ambulance attendant standing there could be ready to put you into an incubator and whisk you off to a bigger hospital ....

You came out without a cry and full of infection because you weren't quite ready to be born , but proved yourself by being a whopping 6 lbs even though you came a little early ...

Cooper Myles William 

You spent your first hour of life in an ambulance on your way to a NICU ...

We didn't see you until three hours later ...

2 days later we were able to hold you  ...

1 week later we brought you home ... All 5lbs 4 oz... of you ....

We loved you, fed you , and you grew and grew ....

You spend your days smiling and laughing ...

You melt your Mama's heart with your hugs and kisses and " I love you Mama" ....

You so far don't seem afraid of much ...

Now you climb higher and higher ...

You smirk and say " don't worry Mom I'm fine "

You tell me " I don't need any help, I can do it no problem "

 I think you outgrew that little incubator ...

Happy 4th Birthday to my Big Boy ...

Who by the way judging from these pics ... may or may not be in need of a haircut :)

Easy Dill Pickles

I bought some fresh cucumbers a few days ago. Notice I said bought not " picked them out of my garden" ...  So I dug out my recipes books looking for an easy Dill Pickle recipe. I found one :)

Start with fresh cucumbers. I used 10 for this batch. 

Wash them well .

Cut them up into strips and make sure to take the seeds out. Let them soak in cold water while you are getting everything ready ....

Wash and sterilize your jars...

Don't forget to boil your lids ...

Fill your jars with the cut up cukes ....

Cover with Fresh Dill 

Heat in a sauce pot :

~ 2 Cups of Vinegar

~ 1 Cup of Pickling Salt

~ 2 and 1/2 Quarts of Water

Bring to a boil , pour it in the jars right to the top! Make sure the dill is covered. Seal your jars immediately, and listen for the popping :)

Make sure you let the pickles sit for 4 - 6 weeks before sneaking into them :)

ENJOY !!!!

Summer Is

Summer is :

Laying a blanket on the lawn ...

Eating Meals outside, after a swim in the pool ....

Running around in bare feet ....

Wrestling with Daddy under the trees ....

Mason Jars filled with iced cold drinks :)

I hope everyone is having a great Summer !

One Year Ago

One Year Ago today ....

My husband and I walked in to the hospital to be induced to miscarry... I was 12 weeks 2 days pregnant at the time. I had found out two days earlier that our baby had stopped growing and his or her little heart stopped beating about 2-3 weeks before that. I was given a choice since the baby wasn't coming on his/her own .... to wait it out or be induced. I chose the later ....They said it could be anytime or it could take weeks, and carrying the baby around for weeks wasn't emotionally an option for me ! So one year later and here we are ! Today was a much happier day ! In fact I had put it almost completely out of my mind until I sat down to write this post ...

I learned much after going through this loss :

~ Life is fragile and precious and can be over in the blink of an eye ~ even in the womb.

~ Miscarriage is a silent subject - not talked about -  because others just don't understand your loss unless they've been through it themselves .

~ I will never take for granted getting pregnant and being able to stay pregant again ..

~ There was nothing I could or couldn't have done to prevent this from happening ...

Everything happens for a reason ...

One year later ~ Today was a happy day :)

Things Found Outside

I've been neglecting my blog the last two weeks ! It's simply because the weather has been so HOT, and we don't dare come inside until bedtime .... and living where we live we need to take advantage of every single nice day  :) It won't be long and the snow will be falling ....

When I was watering my flowers this morning, I looked down and thought it looked like this flower had a face :) Does anyone else see it ??

The girls had to dress up as a bug one day at the DVBS they were attending. Hence my Ladybug and Bumble Bee. They constructed these outfits all on their own :) Watch out Alexander McQueen ....

Little Man likes to play his drums more and more as the days go by ... 

Which is why we keep them in the playhouse ....

My flowers did not always look like this, in fact a few weeks ago, I thought they were on death's door, great invention that miracle grow !!

We've been blessed by an abundant of blueberries on my Grammie's bushes ....

Sunny days at a new park we discovered by chance on our grocery shopping trip in Maine ....

Proof that my garden is not a complete failure ! Green beans and lettuce picked fresh this morning :)

Everything is Fresh :) Fruit and Veggies everywhere :)

The girls are at basketball camp this week from 9-4 everyday. We thought it would be good for them to improve their skills .... They were more excited to be with their friends, take bagged lunches and swim at the public pool on Wednesday :) Money well spent :)

Happy Summer !!!