A family effort

Last weekend we headed to the zoo. We had bought a zoo pass last year and it expires soon so we got in one last free admission to the zoo . I was being lazy about taking pictures but between everyone in the family taking the camera and taking a few pictures we came out with a few pictures of our day. The above picture is so sweet. The babies had just hatched and the momma was sitting on some more eggs getting ready to hatch. The daddy goose was keeping a close eye on us. The picture reminds me of spring.

I was teasing the twins that they are getting to old for the carousel ride but really I just wanted to buy me a ticket and ride the carousel too!!

Look at the animal she is riding on. Makenzie hates anything that may resemble a bug, spider, or snake and some lizards. I asked Kaitlynn to help Makenzie to get on an animal. This is the animal that Kaitlynn picked for her. I think this act was a passive agressive move played by Kaitlynn. Quielty in her mind she was saying, "MUWhahaha, I am going to put her on a snake!"
I love the love between siblings.

This is the first time the leopard has come out when I have been at the zoo. Guess what, I missed it; I was in the ladies room when this picture was taken.

The twins took the follwing pics.....

She is as tall as an orangutan but her arms arms could be a little longer. The baby orangutan was out but he would not hold still long enough to take a picture. His personality and actions were eerily similar to that of Makenzie. I think they would be best of buds if introduced to one another

Are you there God, It's me Michele!

I was going back through old posts and trying to figure out what happened to my Easter memories post with all the pictures. Somehow the pictures became jumbled and the comment box was at least a three page scroll from the beginning of the post, oh well I am not fixing it now. Anyways, as I looked back through old posts there seems to be a high quantity of Makenzie stories and I am lacking in twin stories. For entertainment purposes the three year old provides a lot to write about. The twins are at the pre-teen years. Our conversations have become more adult-like. They are starting to watch some of my T.V. programs with me and they are interested in helping with chores and the cooking that I am doing. When they come home from school I get the typical grunts and groans of how the school day went. They come home get a snack and play on their Wii or the computer then they take off to a friends or retire to their room and giggle and talk about their day to each other. They are beginning that slow detachment from their parents and beginning to figure out who they are. I have not lost them completely though, they still find their way to my side every night and sit beside me and hold my hand and include me in a few things that happened that day.
Their room is the beginning of a teens room. Their clothes never seem to find the hamper. There is lip gloss, cd's, shoes, and notes written at school from friends. Speaking of notes, I found one with hearts and the name Nicholas written on it; I wondered if it was a secret crush or is this Nicholas aware of this crush. I saved the twin the embarrassment and did not say anything to her but I am keeping my eyes on this Nicholas boy.
I am sure I will have more stories as they move into their teen years but I am sure they will put restrictions on what I can write about them, they don't want to be embarrassed or humiliated. I am positive they don't want me blogging about their changes into womanhood. In fact, that is a wonderful title to a blog post as they transition into puberty, "Are you there God, it's me Cheyenne". In the meantime the 3 year old is fair game. She always provides me something to write about and she is to young to say, "Don't write about that, I will be too embarrassed!". She is a long ways away from puberty and because she does not know her alphabet I am pretty sure she does not know that I am writing about her. I will continue to share stories of the three year old and hopefully more of the twins that are not humiliating, embarrassing, or talking of their womanly changes that may result in them never speaking to me again.

Memories

You know what I love about old pictures. It is not the picture of me but what is in the background and the memories that each of them have. I remember the shirt that my sister is wearing, that couch, the curtains and of course the dog, Vader. I think my dad swore at that dog more then any other dog we owned.

This is me dancing in my Aunt Wanda's living room. My Grandma Viv and Grandpa Mac are sitting on the couch.They both have passed away. I remember the shirt I am wearing. My parents went to Reno and I stayed with my grandma Viv while they were gone. They brought me that shirt and a stuffed animal that was a lion. I am sure music was playing and that is why I am dancing. There was always music and dancing and laughter in Aunt Wanda's home.

I still have these shelves. They are now in my family room. Our family dog Robbie. I remembered the day she died, my heart broke that day. The stereo in the back ground. I used to sit on my living room floor and listen to scooby-doo stories on records. I remember that dress and the one my sister is wearing

This picture was also taken at my Aunt Wanda's. She always had something to give you to eat. She always made me honey and peanut butter sandwiches. She was a wonderful cook and this picture reminds me so much of her. She had a laugh that makes me smile when I think of it.

Those are the feet of my Grandpa Howell. He was a kind man who loved us kids. I used to cheat when I played the card game old maid with him until he figured it out and beat me at my own game.

My first pet. His name was Tweety. I loved that bird! He loved gum and would attack you if you knew you had gum in your mouth. He had a bell in his cage that he thought was his mate and he once got his toe caught in that bell and had a deformed toe because of it.

This was the house I was raised in. The wheelchair in the background was my Grandmother Howell's. I never knew her I was two when she passed away. My daughter Kaitlynn's middle name is named after her, Ruth. I wish I would have had a chance to get to know her. I also never meet my fathers father, he passed away when my father was young. I am glad my children know all their grandparents and even a few great-grandparents.

That light in the background was my Grandpa Howell's camera to make home movies. He loved technology. He would have loved all the computer, and digital things we have now a days. All us kids would scatter when we saw that light come out because it would blind you. In all the home movies we are squinting. I am glad he made those movies. They are all wonderful memories.

A surreal experience

I finished my last cadaver lab today. I know as I go forward in my medical career I will see things that sadden me, amaze me, confuse me and maybe forever change me. So far I have been around those who are at the end of their life or their life has ended. There was a cadaver of a women in our labs who was the same age as me. She died from breast cancer, she had refused any medical treatment. I don't know why, it could have been for religious reasons, it could have been out of fear, or maybe she felt as soon as someone said that death may be near she gave up on life at that moment. I think the last scenario bothers me most; the thought of not wanting to live, not wanting to experience what a precious gift that we have been given to experience a mortal life on this earth.

I am fascinated by human nature in general. I love to watch and observe those around me. I wonder about the other cadavers in the lab. They were older and had lived a full life. Were their lives happy? Were they surrounded by loved ones? Did they isolate themselves and live a life of bitterness and anger? I would wonder the same thing when I worked in the assisted living center. Their were residents who's rooms were filled with pictures of families and pictures drawn by their great-grandchildren. Then there were those who's rooms were bare and no visitors came to see them. Were these isolated residents abandoned by their loved ones or did the resident isolate themselves? It is an amazing thing that the person with the bare room could have millions of dollars in his bank account but at the end of our life those that we surround ourselves with and love become our greatest treasures and worth more then any material thing.

Our attitudes is the most important thing on how we conduct our life. It is the factor that determines who and what is in our lives If we have the right attitude everything else will fall into its place:

" The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. the only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes." .....Charles R. Swindoll.

What was the attitude of this young women who had passed away from breast cancer? What was the attitude of the lonely residents in the assisted living center? I hope I would fight with everything I had for life. I hope my walls are covered with pictures drawn by my great-grandchildren. My attitude is maturing and growing. I am learning to let go when it is time to let go and react with an attitude that will help me grow. I am in charge of my attitude and in turn I am in charge of my happiness

Here we go again!

So I posted sometime back about one of my twins cutting their own hair. She had a mullet by the end of her cutting experience. She was happy with her results and was proud to sport her new look. Last night the three year old decided to take the scissors to her hair. This was different, she was trying to remove a hairband that was tangled in her hair so she thought she could cut it out. After several snips and a hairband that was still tangled we had a new hairdo. She was immediately not happy and was trying to cover her mistake with hair accessories. I suppose because I have been down this route before I found incredible humor in Makenzie's reaction. It was the polar opposite of Cheyenne's reaction.

It is always an adventure with kids. You never know what is around the corner waiting for you. I suppose the older I get the more I let things roll and just take the moment in. We laughed and joked about the haircut. It will grow back and life will move on. Once again I am left with a great memory.

Conversation with a three year old

A conversation that Makenzie and I had after she had been let out of her room for being in time out. She was in time out because she was playing in my makeup.



Makenzie: " You should not put me in my room and make your voice loud at me!"



Me: "Why should I not put you in your room when you do something that is wrong?"



Makenzie: " You should not put me in my room and make your voice loud because you love me
and when you love someone you should not put them in their room!"



Me: " I always love you but sometimes I don't like what you are doing and that is why I raise my voice and put you in your room."



Makenzie: Pause............"Jesus loves me.....he would not put me in my room and raise his voice
at me and guess what, he likes me too!"



Me: Silence..............



She left the room at that moment and I was left realizing I lost the verbal smackdown with my three year old.

I Am Rich!

I posted some pictures of Easter of years past in the previous post. What wonderful memories. There is some pictures from the twins first Easter egg hunt to last years hunt. It is amazing how fast they grow up and seems just like yesterday that they were those little girls stumbling around the backyard trying to figure out what this egg hunt thing is.

The video I posted is Makenzie egg hunting this year. There was 2 large eggs for each of the girls and in the egg was a milky way rabbit and a dollar bill. She had already found the first large egg with the money in it and this is video of her finding the second egg and her reaction to another dollar bill. She exclaimed, "I am rich!". We all laughed and she was pretty excited about all her finds.

I thought how true that statement is concerning my life.."I am rich!". Not financially, though at times life would be easier a lot of days if there was more money in the account, I mean my life is rich with love and family and happiness. As we celebrate these Easter holidays we are reminded of Jesus and his atonement for us. He has given me so much to be thankful for in my life. My girls are amazing souls that I am so grateful for. They make me feel as though I am the richest person in the world.

Easter Memories