This breaks my heart.

Water For Christmas is gearing up!! Be prepared. $20 can give one person clean water for a lifetime!

William's dreams

Recently Wm has been remembering and telling us about his dreams.

The first was scary. He woke up yelling. Boulders were running after him and he was yelling at them to get out of his room.

And last night...."The man from Minnesota came and told me I should go fishing. Can we go fishing?" I'm wondering if this was really a dream or just him recalling some tid bit of wisdom passed on to him from some 'Man from MN'...though I don't seem to recall if I know many men from there who fish... : )

Maybe he'll have to try out some fishing when we're back in Dec.

Own it.

I think I may have changed most in the last year than in the 4 years prior to that. Or maybe just changed for the better, where as I feel like I was changing more for the worse just prior to that. PA has given me some experiences that I never expected. I'm glad for it though. I have become more confident, less insecure. More content, less jealous. This may be largely to do with the amazing group of ladies I meet with on Wednesday evenings. They are incredible! I think they are helping me to become Me just by being Them.

So, just the other night I was watching a show that summed it up for me. One of the main characters, the owner of a clothing store, was trying to encourage one of her employees, a girl who had dreamed of being a model, but just wasn't getting the break she needed. The Owner, we'll call her Kourtney, was trying to encourage this girl, Carrie, to continue to follow her dream. Carrie was complaining about some part of her looks, etc. Kourtney kept encouraging her and also arranged for Carrie to have a spot in a fashion show and told her, "You look amazing, You're you, Own it!"

What I got out of it is this, YOU'RE YOU, OWN IT!

I have recently been so less worried about what other people are thinking, less worried about others looking down on me or judging me. I've gotten better at shrugging off what people say that may have hurt me before. (Not completely there, but better.) I have become more myself lately. I've been discovering who that is. I've been being me and being happy with that. I realize I like Me. I'm not trying to be like them, dress like her, look like that, do what they do. I've been more like Me, dressed like Me, looked like Me, done what I do and have been happier with that than I ever was with all that trying.

I'm me, and I'm Owning It!

PS.....

Guess the show and you'll get 500 points (I've left hints)....Disclaimer....it is not a highly moral show, not one I'd recommend normally, but when you're up at 1 am sewing...there's not much on, and, hey, just shows you can learn a lesson from any show!)

Great day out with Thomas....more pics to come.

My 4 year old...

...has really been surprising me since he turned 5!

(I begged and begged him to stay 4 and he refused.)

He has never really drawn anything that looked much like anything. Just scribles. I've asked and he's done a few things, but won't even cooperate for much of a circle. So, when at his well child dr visit, the dr asked him to draw a man and he started drawing a big circle on the paper, I said, "Is that a man? Are you going to draw a man like he asked?".... and he continued to draw as we talked and he came up with this!!!!

The doc said he was "just looking for 6 identifyable items". I guess what the doctor wants the doctor gets. Oh, and the horizontal lines by the legs are not feet, those are there too at the bottom of the leg, but these lines are the man's "boo boos". We were at the doctor afterall.

And today he was being such a good helper. He helped empty the dish washer.

He put all the silverware away all by himself. And it looked like this!!!

Perfectly alligned. He's amazing! But where did he come from?

And here is his 5 year Birthday interview.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Truck driver with car carrier and a doctor and a car driver and a truck with packages and a loader loading up a truck... that’s it

Favorite food?

Peach and apple, cupcake, and pancake and blueberry and that’s it.

Favorite thing about our family?

Going to Hershey park, the circle ride with the cows that say cheese. (Chocolate World)

What makes you laugh? Silly faces

one thing you would like to get better at? swimming

What is your favorite part of the day? God

If you had to eat the same food for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a week, what would it be? Blueberry pie

What bugs you most? (annoys you?) hitting

How tall do you think you will be one day? Like you

Whose job is harder, Mom’s or Dad’s? Dad’s job

Favorite game? Flying paper airplanes at my party

Favorite candy: chocolate milk and Hershey kisses and it’s M&Ms too

Favorite animal: tiger

Favorite color: black

Best vacation: the one that did not have the waves

Least favorite thing to do: hitting

Saver or spender? Spend my money

My friends are: the people at my party

People bug me that: bugs

What do you think about turning 5? good

William is getting interested in sign language

Today he asked how to sign "hungry" and then....want, dog, and food.

We also looked up the alphabet and practiced the first three letters.

He just told me "Mamma, I'm hungry (sign) for alphabet (sign) soup"

Amazing!! : )

Reading-singing baby baluga with goggles on.

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