Perspective...

"In the depths of winter...

...I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

~Albert Camus~

Snow Day=Snow Play!

I took quite a few pictures of the kids in the snow today. They had such a good time. Here are a few of my favorites.

LOVE!

Practicing for her skiing/snowboarding trip with Student Council in a couple of weeks.

Julia wouldn't go down the hill at all in the beginning of last winter.  Look at her now! : )

The tipping point...

LOVE the "front teeth" missing grin! : )

Here is the whole set.

Blizzard Pictures

Yes, I went out in the middle of a blizzard and took pictures. It was worth the trek through the snow to get these shots (which are just a small sample of the many I took).

One of the few trees in the open field out beyond my backyard.

The birdhouse picture is my favorite of the bunch.

Yup, it was definitely blizzard-like.

Love this one with the birdhouse in the distance.

This one is looking out on the field that borders my back yard. So pretty.

Family Photo

This was taken by my sister at my nephew's 5th birthday party over the weekend.



As you can tell by looking at the kids, there was a Halloween theme!

Vacation Pictures: The Complete Set

You can find the pictures here. This truly is one of the most beautiful places. Check it out!

Julia: Dennis, 2010

Below are some of a set of pictures I took of Julia while on vacation. These were taken on the porch as the sun shined in. I love how these came out!

The one below this is my favorite of the bunch. Sunkissed and sweet!

Back

Dr. Bottero Road Dennis, MA

In case you were wondering what heaven's address is.

Look...I even have proof.

This Week's Schedule

Monday: Massive house cleaning and laundry

Tuesday: Massive shopping for food and random vacation needs (like loads and loads of suscreen)

Wednesday: relax at the pool

Thursday: packing, packing, packing.

Friday: Dennis, MA and Chapin Beach...watch out! Here we come!

Milestone!

Julia lost her first tooth tonight! She was scared at first, despite my having told her that this would happen, but after she settled, she told Emily that she could, "help wiggle her loose teeth anytime she wanted." It was cute to see how excited Emily and Katherine were for Julia. Here is a picture of her, showing off the spot where the tooth was!

Summertime And The Living Is Easy

Katherine at Salisbury Beach.

Em...chillin' at the pool.

One of my favorite pics of Ryun and I...taken this weekend at a 4th of July Party.

Gorgeous sunset over Plymouth Harbor just before the fireworks.

Julia, all decked out for the 4th, at a party over the weekend.

Yup...I cried...

...when the kids got off the bus. It was really all Julia's fault...well Julia and her teacher's.

I think my Facebook status from yesterday sums it up nicely: "Yeah so I totally cried when I went through Julia's IEP progress reports/report card. This girl has made such a dramatic leap from where she was just a short time ago. What really did it though was the 8x10 framed photo of Julia with a note from the teacher on the back. Lets not even get to the thank you note her teacher wrote for the end of the year gift we gave her. I was literally a mess this afternoon!"

When I look way back to when Julia was first identified as having delays...when I remember the girl who didn't take her first step until she was 20 months old...the girl that I actually had to teach to eat...the girl who barely spoke a word until she was two...to the girl who has met every single benchmark and goal set for her in PT, OT, Speech and Language, ELA and Math, so much so that she will be going forth next year with no IEP or special ed services at all, I can't help but be overwhelmed with sheer joy and emotion. Along with the joy comes an immense sense of accomplishment (on her part and mine) and such an intense feeling of pride that words can't even begin to explain.

Here she is...on her last day of school for this year.

Miracle!

All three girls...all smiling...all looking at the camera...twice!

Happy Birthday Emily!

For those who may not understand how fast time passes...I swear this first picture was taken just the other day...



...not 13 years ago!

Seriously though? Happy Birthday to my oldest daughter Emily!

Kindergarten Concert Pics

As you can see, Julia is very shy on the stage..ha ha ha!

Cape Cod Canal

I decided to to take my lunch with me and head down to the canal earlier this afternoon. I could not have picked a more perfect day to do this. My Twitter update from earlier says it all: Lunch break at the CCC. Perfect. Coffee, book, peacefully flowing water, warm breeze and the sun: I think this might be heaven.

Of course, I also brought my camera.

The sun was reflecting off of the water causing the sparkle effect...love it!

Pretty flower growing between the rocks.

I was actually there for the lowering of the bridge so the train could cross. In all of my times at the canal I have only ever seen this twice. It's a pretty neat thing to watch.

The water was so peaceful today.

I have no idea why, and I don't even know who that is, but this is one of my favorite pictures of the day. So thank you, Mr. Fisherman, whoever you are.

7th In A Series Of Favorites

Snow falling in the back yard.

Leaves scattered about the driveway.

Chapin Beach, Summer 2008

Love this picture of the Castle.

Julia at Chapin, Summer of 08.

Which one is your favorite?

6th In A Series OF Favorites

A closeup shot of the grass one early fall morning.

The Middleboro Town Hall has always looked so...majestic to me.

This giraffe was so close to the car driving us through the safari ride at Animal Kingdom, I could have reached out and given him a hug!

I love the sun rays in this one!

This is my sister Suzanne and nephew Jack...taken at Disney last summer.

Which do you like best?