Mark got a new toy......

I stole this from Macy. Mira and Macy went to a concert in Columbus Friday....I am glad they like to do stuff together. Makes me smile ........

My dad took this picture of Marko last week......

and here is the picture of Mark coaching Marko a few weeks ago.....

Here is Marko as a first baseman......

and here is a picture from last night.....My dad took Marko to the Indians game last night and it was $1.00 dog night.  Can you tell they love baseball???

. . . whether your name is Gehrig, or Ripken, DiMaggio, or Robinson, or that of some youngster who picks up his bat or puts on his glove, you are challenged by the game of baseball to do your very best, day in and day out, and that's all I've ever tried to do

Cal Ripken Jr.

Washing camping blankets......good times!!!!

I am simply grateful for today.....

Mother's Day 2013 and Mother's Day 2004

So I've decided to be proactive and tell my kids what I want for mother's day. Here it is:

What I Want for Mother’s Day

Dear Children,

Mother’s Day is coming up, and I thought I should tell you what I want. This way there’s no guilty panic or last minute purchasing of flowers at the closest gas station. So, this is what I want, this year and every year after; it’s pretty simple really.

I want you to be a decent human being.

I want you to be who you are, but don’t be an asshole.

I want you to work hard at everything you do, because life is too short not to give it everything you’ve got.

I want you to ask for help when you need it.

I want you to help others when they need it.

I want you to learn how to cook, do your own laundry, pay your bills and know how to clean a bathroom.

When you screw up, and you will, more than once, I want you to own it, because it’s the screw-ups that make the victories sweeter.

I want you to travel, because the world is huge and you are one part of it.

I want you to know that even when we hate each other, I will never stop loving you.

I want you to play nicely with others.

I want you to feed your curiosity.

I want you to find a way to do what you love, and realize that that might look different than you originally thought.

I want you to respect every human being’s right to be who they are.

I want you to sometimes be more interested in someone else than in yourself.

I want you to know that you are flawed and you are extraordinary. There is no one else like you.

I want you to know that I would lay down my life for you in Lily Potter fashion any day of the week.

I want you to realize how lucky you are every once in awhile even if only for an instant.

I want you to know love, even if it means getting hurt.

I want you to relax and not feel guilty about it.

I want you to know life can be brutally hard sometimes.

I want you to know that you can choose happiness even when the dark side offers you cookies.

And I wouldn’t mind breakfast in bed.

See, simple.

Love,

Mom

ps.  Mary Carpenter wrote this...not me....but I feel like it could have been written by me!!!

Twelve Signs You Are A Good Parent©

Twelve Signs You Are A Good Parent©

I have number 3 down pretty well.....
I love this article!!!

 Here is a picture from mom's weekend at O.U.  We had so much fun!!!! I am so proud of Mira and who she is.......
I hope you enjoy the quote below.




As I crawled out of the hell of my own making, I became willing to develop a voice based on a higher truth. The first step was to lose my need to align my acceptablity with mass consciousness-after all, I would return to the Great Mystery the same way I showed up, alone. Hiding in a crowd, avoiding the truth of the Emperor's new clothes, or getting a bunch of money was not gonna stave off the great equalizer when the mistress of Death came to call. It had been easy to be mesmerized by cultural norms. After all, I had been taught it was rude or judgmental to speak of things that weren't quite right. I had to discover that acknowledging and judging were/are different things. I had to find the courage to see, no matter what, if I was gonna make it into conscious awareness! -  Gini Gentry

“Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.” 

-Mary Jean Irion