Another Happy Birthday New Year

On January 5, 2015January 5, 2015 By AngeliaIn Beautiful Life17 Comments

Yes, I married a New Year’s Eve baby. I fondly call him the last gift of the year. He dislikes that his birthday is the same day everyone is partying for a different reason. I suppose he has a point…

BUT, we do make the best of it. We don our hats. Present our gifts over dinner and cake. Sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY at the top of our lungs. From morning to almost midnight is birthday, birthday, birthday!

Then, we quickly switch out hats for the countdown to midnight.

Phew! What a rush.

A good Happy Birthday, Happy New Year kind of rush.

So far this year, I have eaten a BIG BOWL of black-eyed peas.

I have driven my new car – every day. See, I bought a car on my husband’s birthday. Well, I leased it.

We planned on using one car for the next three years and that is why I traded my car in a year ago. It did work out the last year. There were a few challenges. The break-in hit me especially hard. No car in the driveway…but really, that wasn’t the only reason to get a car. There were many. It was time and I needed it.

I didn’t think my credit would be good enough to lease, but lo and behold.

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A brand new car!

I love it.

So, a very HAPPY NEW YEAR from our family to yours!

2015 – Be good to me.

How is yours going so far?

Giving Thanks

On November 26, 2014November 26, 2014 By AngeliaIn Beautiful Life23 Comments

I can’t believe it is Thanksgiving already.

Where has the year gone?

I think this one zoomed by faster than the rest.

This is my second Thanksgiving with my little grand girl – Averey Elizabeth.

An itty bitty baby a year ago.

And this year, she has changed so much. She is a mover and shaker. Loves to play, laugh, clap, squeal, and RUN.

This is her and Bridget at the park last weekend. The baby is running, and Bridget is trying to keep up.

The best part of my outing is when Bridget plops down next to me and says out of breath, “I am tired!”

I guess being an eight-year-old and chasing after a busy toddler is too much for her.

What’s funny is I have photos of her “running” all crazy. And you know? It wasn’t that long ago…

I am so thankful I have been in her life since she was a toddler.

I am thankful to share the love of Averey with her.

I’ve had an entire year plus a few months of being a Grandmother. I wish I could explain what joy that brings me, but it isn’t something you can explain. It is just something you feel in your heart.

I am grateful for this experience. It is a treasure and a gift.

And yes, it is going by way too fast. I don’t want her to grow up, and yet, I can’t stop time. I’m not sure I would want to either. I am enjoying the great changes she is making.

So, I will cherish every moment. Every run. Every laugh. Every squeal.

And I am thankful.

So very, very thankful.

I thank you all for being here. I wish you many blessings and memories on this Thanksgiving Day.

If you don’t celebrate, that is okay. You can still be thankful.

Just take a quick lesson from a very cute fifteen-month-old.

A Bug, A Princess, and A Biker Chick

On November 1, 2014November 1, 2014 By AngeliaIn Beautiful Life, Life..Camera...Action!16 Comments

Last Halloween, Averey is little bundle of joy not more than 7 lbs. Far too little to dress up and take around the neighborhood. Plus, the weather turned pretty chilly on Halloween and she mostly stayed in. But this Halloween, in 2014, Averey is walking (almost talking). She may not get it completely, but she knows what is going on.

Candy? Mmmmm.

Hey, this is all okay by me.

Averey gets her first treats.

Tried to get her to put her candy in the bucket and that was not happening.

End of the night and she still had the same two pieces of candy clutched in her fingers.

Her first treats she got when we arrived at the girl’s Mom’s house. Every year, they trick or treat in her neighborhood, no matter whose weekend it is. We have many reasons for doing this. But the main one is that her neighborhood gets into Halloween. There are LOTS of dressed up kids and parents. Many houses decked out in spooky wonder. It is the perfect Halloween neighborhood. The last few years, I had to work until late and didn’t get to take part in the festivities. This year I planned ahead. And? Sydney and Baby Averey got to come too!

I wasn’t expecting that.

To be part of her trick or treating this year brought joy to this Grammy’s heart.

And now I present the stars of our Halloween.

The oldest. She picked a Biker Chick costume.

Mom coloring her hair pink.

Pretty in pink.

My biker chick!

She is pretty tough.

I hope she doesn’t want a motorcycle soon.

The youngest decided on an Asian Princess. And ohmygoodness, be still my heart. She made a gorgeous princess (of course!).

A beautiful princess.

Pretty in pink as well.

Be still my heart.

And then, the youngest of the bunch, my little Lady Bug granddaughter.

Baby Averey and Sydney.

Little bug on a spooky bench.

I ain’t afraid of no ghost!

They all look so cute trooping through the neighborhood house to house. Averey randomly laughed at everything. Not sure if it was the costumes or the kids or just her having fun. Whatever it was that made her hysterical…well, it made us hysterical too.

Halloween 2014

A princess, a bug, and a biker chick.

Trick or Treat!

Spooky house.

Give me some treats!

The girls getting a boat load of candy.

Spooky house #2.

Mr. Bones.

Our favorite house was the hot dog house. One person handed out candy. The other person handed out hot dogs. No kidding! Hot of the grill dawgs. How awesome is that?

This Halloween meant a lot to me. Sharing our night with family and enjoying the little ones. Becoming a Grammy made me softer and more nostalgic. Am I complaining? Heck no. I love this time of treasure.

Today marks November 1st. How amazing! It shakes me up a little. November already? Where has the year gone?

To you all, I wish you a happy November 1st!

Hope your Halloween was extra good.

Happy Hallows Eve From the Pumpkin Farm

On October 31, 2014October 31, 2014 By AngeliaIn In the lives of children, Into the Blender we go- Wee!, Life..Camera...Action!14 Comments

First off, I have signed up for this…

Yes, really. It is time to write my heart out! Or at least share more photos. Like the ones from last weekend when we went to the pumpkin farm. And apparently, everyone else went to the pumpkin farm. And OHMYGOLLYWALLY so….many….people!

I wanted to rip my eyeballs out. A big part of me is very introverted and not a fan of crowds. I have to find a “real” pumpkin farm next year. One that is out in the country with lots of open space.

And the light? OHMYGOLLY The harsh rising sun light is just brutal to deal with. We had tiny slivers of shade that I could put a body in. So tiny.

But I did the best I could. I got lucky because the day Sydney and Baby Averey planned an outing with me is the same day the girl’s Mom was taking them. What an incredibly lucky break to have them all there together.

Here is a shot from the weekend before when Molly got her face painted scary.

Yikes!

Her stone look is chilling, right?

This last weekend was the farm and this was Averey’s first visit. She had so much fun, especially, when the girls showed up.

Baby Averey and a miracle that no one is in back of her.

My little grandbaby lady bug.

My hearts..the littlest girls.

Showing off her two teeth and her love of clapping. So cute.

We found a baby pumpkin just her size.

Wiping off the dirt.

Grabbing her little pumpkin.

We are hilarious, right?

My first year to get Mom and Baby together in the pumpkins.

Sydney and Averey – 2014

Her shirt says, Cutest Pumpkin in the patch. Awh!

My pumpkins!

I did a few photos of the girls too. They are growing so fast. My goodness, they will be teens soon. Where has the time gone?

My oldest step girl who is 10.

My youngest step girl is 8.

Little beauties.

We didn’t get photos on the tractor, but I have to tell you. It was near 90 degrees and the sun was beating down. Not to mention a billion people trying to take pictures, corral kids, and maybe buy a pumpkin.

So….yeah. Maybe next year I will have find a new venue.

Wishing you all have a very HAPPY and SAFE Halloween!