A Post Full of Joy

On December 19, 2014 By AngeliaIn In my heart forever & ever, Timeless Treasures31 Comments

And pretty, pretty yellow lights.

And also…

…a very cute baby that I adore.

I tried to do Christmas photos on Sunday of all the kids. My step-daughters and grand baby. I got lights set up. I got the flash set up.

But…they spent half the day at church and the rest of the time one of them had a school project. She worked on it allllllll weekend loooong.

The baby was way too quick for me. I’m lucky I got two. Everyone always says….Oh, I can’t wait til they start walking! Um, No…just no…not when you are a photographer.

So maybe, we didn’t get Christmas photos this year. Maybe, we don’t have a card to send out.

But do you know what we do have?

Joy.

Heart-felt…full-on…precious JOY.

Wishing you all the joy your heart can hold. This season and always.

Jump over to The Daily Post – Weekly Photo Challenge – Yellow to see more posts about the joyful color yellow.

The Amazing Way Life Changes

On November 27, 2013November 28, 2013 By AngeliaIn Into the Blender we go- Wee!, Timeless Treasures19 Comments

I’m sure you can guess what is at the top of my Thankful list. The very top of a very long list (more on that below). I am thrilled to have so much to be thankful for this year. And being surrounded by the love of family. Many included as family are part of extended families and ex-families and almost families.

And that is not weird to me at all.

I grew up loving a Grandma that was not related to me by blood …I never knew until I fully grasped family trees….and she wasn’t on my branch or even my tree.

I had no clue.

She never acted like she wasn’t my Grandma. And you know what? She was. She was my Grandma. Blood relation or not. That is who I called Grandma and always will. I think of her most at this time of year. As children we made the trek from Oklahoma to Colorado to visit her every Thanksgiving. Most times it took the entire day to get there. She would cook and serve the big feast, then send us packing up the mountain to ski Monarch the next day. That was her Christmas present to us, always the same, a day together of snow, ski, and fun paid for by Grandma.

I will always treasure those Thanksgivings. I wrote about it on this blog in December of 2009 Timeless Treasures. She is my most special Grandma (that wasn’t my Grandma) who made our holidays joyful and bright. And she is who I look up to as a role model. Now that I am a grandma, I hope I can live up to her highest of standards.

I appreciate her these days more than I ever have. I hope I can give as much as my heart to my grandchildren as she did.

My most precious gift this year is my very own grandchild. She is growing so fast. Faster than I ever thought possible. I had no idea how much love a grandmothers soul could hold.

Oh man, is it a lot!

This little angel just turned three months old.

Three months in the blink of an eye. She now recognizes my face and voice. She smiles instantly when she sees me. She stares at me with those grey/blue eyes full of curiosity.

We talk and play and take lots and lots of pictures. She started cooing recently. It is not like the coo I have heard other babies say. Hers is like a musical note. It is so pretty! I swear it is not ooooo. This coo is like a note Snow White sings in the forest to all the wild animals that flock to her side. This music she strains to do by pursing her mouth just so and looking around with her big eyes (like…did I just do that?). Then, she smiles real big and kicks her legs because she knows she just did and it was awesome.

I wonder if she has inherited my mother and father’s musical talent. My mom toured singing Sound of Music as a teenager. She, also, won the crown of Miss Ada (the same Ada Blake Shelton is from). Her talent? Singing. My Dad toured with a 60’s garage band, they were invited to open for the Beach Boys. Musical talent gone wild in that pairing.

I didn’t get a smidge of musical talent. Sydney might have got just that, a smidge. But Averey. Wow. Looks like she may have got the full dose. I guess time will tell if she can carry a tune as a well as a coo. But dang if she isn’t cute doing it.

Excited face!

Smile…

What she looks like talking…

Thinks Grammy is telling a story face…

Three months.

Newborn Averey

I am so thankful.

Newborn Averey

To have this squishy little person as my musical serenader.

Life.

The way it changes?

Amazing…

Happy, HAPPY Thanksgiving to each and every one. May you be blessed beyond measure and treasured beyond time. And be so completely enamored by the life and love of a wonderful family (blood relations or not).

And thank-you for most for being part of my journey.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Surprise

On December 21, 2012December 21, 2012 By AngeliaIn In the lives of children20 Comments

“Guess what? We are going to see the REAL Santa tonight!” I happily exclaimed with enthusiasm (and a dash of hope). She is on the cusp of childhood and disbelief. This is my only chance to reclaim some of it back. Go away all you trolls that steal the magic of Christmas.

In a brief glance, I see the stern look cross her face. The look that says children in 3rd grade have already told her there is no REAL Santa. He doesn’t exist. And if a 3rd grader says it’s true….well, it must be so. Besides that, why would the REAL Santa leave fake plastic jewelry in her stocking last year? Ummm, my bad.

But she smiles and nodds in agreement. I mean…..little sister is watching, right? I see her shoulders shrug ever so slightly.

Thing is…I know something she doesn’t. It is the REAL Santa. The one that knows magic. The one that has the Santa laugh that goes….HoHoHoHoHo.

The one that tells stories and gives big Santa hugs.

Not the “helpers” at the mall. This is the boss. The big man. The one.

He has the twinkle in his his merry eyes. And do you know what?

Click on any photo to display a slideshow of images.

The real Santa visits.

Santa telling the kids a story.

Bridget doesn’t have the Santa magic to keep the light bulb on.

Santa does magic. The light bulb only stays on for him.

Mr. Claus

An 8-yr old skeptic believes again.

Girls and boys gather around for the REAL Santa. Yes! We KNOW him!

Santa hugs.

After meeting with the REAL Santa……she believes. She really believes.

……at least for a little longer.

After all, it’s easy to spot the fakes after you meet the real one.

How do I know? Well, because Sydney visited the REAL Santa too. Many times when she was little, and even when she was on the cusp at eight.

(Sydney with the real Santa – fifteen years ago)

Sydney still knows. He is quite convincing.

Meeting the real Santa?

Well, it is the best surprise a child can have at Christmas.

For more surprises visit The Daily Post @ WordPress.com for their weekly photo challenge entries.

The Little Shop of Costume Horrors

On October 17, 2012October 17, 2012 By AngeliaIn Life is what you make it.31 Comments

There is a crisp breeze to the air. Orange is the primary color of the month. And at every store corner is a jack-o-lantern with an evil grin.

It must be the season of the ghoulish ghouls. Mwahahaha!

A perfect time of year to take the little girls to the Halloween store and ~~scare the wee out of them~~ look at bloodcurdling costumes.

I mean, how scary can it be? It’s not like anything is real. Right, girls? Girls?

Heeeyyyy, I found an old friend (ha! punny!). Nothing to be frightened of girls. It’s just me, hanging with my buddy, he is an environmentally friendly fella. Heh.

By the way, the girls did NOT like my fella.

I think they said, “Get me out of here!” Or maybe it was, “Get away from that thing!”
I know there were some terrified glances, a few squeals, and then a mad dash. We lost them for a few minutes in their flee of terror. I am not sure why? Don’t they know they are not real? We kept trying to tell them…..

Dad didn’t help matters.

I finally found one of the girls just a few aisles over.

Ummmm….W-O-W. Back that thing up.

Let’s label this photo: too much booty for an eight-year old. And I’m really not sure why anyone would want to be a GIANT derrière for Halloween. I think there is enough of those this year, with the election and all. HA.

Maybe it goes with a Pirate costume…..

Anywho, I quickly led her to a different aisle.

And discovered this atrocity.