Clare's Oil Painting

Last week was Clare's 12th birthday.  She spent the whole day, from 8:30 a.m. breakfast until 11:00 p.m., with her sister, Sarah, Sarah's boyfriend, Jeremy, and Jeremy's niece, Haylie.  The majority of her birthday was spent at Hersheypark.  We only saw her for one short, sleepy round of "Happy Birthday To You" before she was ready to hit the sack.

The next day, Clare was invited to the home of a friend of ours who is an artist.  In three hours last Friday she tutored Clare in creating this work of art, of which Clare is extremely proud.

Worth A Thousand Words

I must add that although her first ride traumatized Natalie, a few weeks later she willingly went on this ride again with only Theresa and Noelle, and she fearlessly came down the big splash with a triumphant smile on her face.  Unfortunately I didn't buy a copy of THAT picture, but the memory is etched in my heart.

Milestones for BD

BD celebrated his homeschool high school graduation, his 17th birthday, and the prom in rapid-fire succession - Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

The twins, hard at work on his birthday cakes.

Then came the prom(s).  He attended an earlier prom with a friend in May at our school district, and today's prom was at his girlfriend's school.

Blossoms

Several times over the last few years, I've had portraits taken of the younger girls, but Sarah has always been excluded - partly because she's always off somewhere, partly because I just didn't think (and justifiably so!) that she'd be interested in participating. 

April 2009

September 2010

 But each time she's seen the results, she has protested, "Why am I not in this picture?!?!"

This landmark photo may be the first time we've gotten a picture of all of our daughters, together, at the same time.  Happy Mother's Day to me!

May 12, 2013

Sarah, 22 holding Regina, 2.  Clare, 11; Theresa, 9; Noelle & Natalie, 6.

Not Today, Lawnmower!

Today while cutting grass, my husband ran over a small hole filled with dead grass, only to find that it was filled with more than grass - six baby bunnies!  They're only about 4-5 inches long and competely adorable.  They capture the heart of everyone who beholds them.