Precious Times

I shot out of work today and went straight to pick up two very adorable little girls. Their parents were looking forward to a quiet evening with guests. I was looking forward to a less-than-quiet evening with the girls.

Once we got back to our house, we ate a quick dinner then drug the toys out to the living room.

 Elise is still a bit short to reach into the toy boxes so I turned them on their side.

With remarkable speed, toys were strung around, better to pick and choose from!

One highlight of the evening was Cordelia making a drawing of the solar system, all by herself, then telling me the names of all the planets...in order.

She was pretty proud!

Me, too!

Bode kept an eagle eye on the toys.

After finding him chewing on a toy we realized he thought we'd

strung out a smorgasbord for them so we had to clean up some of the toys.

And guess what!? Elise found two Spidermans!

She was so excited and she had a very specific plan in mind.

They both had to be wrapped in blankets but it was was NOT appropriate

to wrap them up in one blanket together. She reprimanded me for that

so I grabbed another blanket and did it correctly.

She then made me situate her in between them both and watched

as she read a book to them.

As you can see,

they were enthralled.

I watched those pretty little girls

and said a silent prayer of thanks for this

precious time in my life.

Les Miserables - Movie Review

Mike and I recently went to see Les Miserables.  I even learned how to pronounce it!

This movie was so very different from "Parental Guidance" in nature, but actually I think both had a lot to say about forgiveness. Les Miserables is a very dark movie, though.  I mean that quite literally.  There are actually only a few scenes shot during a time of sunshine. The following trailer comes early in the movie and it gives you a sense of the hopelessness many of the characters felt.

One thing I really enjoyed was the singing!  It is quite beautiful.   The characters were not singing to a soundtrack; that was obvious. The whole movie felt a bit like watching a major play production, but with really, really good seats.

This trailer will give you an idea of some of the majesty of the film.  I would definitely use the word "gritty" to describe most of the scenes. At first it is difficult to imagine this film has any potential to be uplifting, but it really is in a way. It shows characters who are in the most miserable situations, who have been abused and mistreated. It shows good people resorting to theft and prostitution to survive. I  know, that still doesn't sound very uplifting.

The thing is, at the end of the film you realize you have seen depictions of people who are remarkable in their ability to let go of hatred.  Someone else may get something totally different from this movie, but to me, that was the central theme. And how important is that!? Even in our ordinary lives it is so easy to cling to hatred of those who have hurt us. Yet, that hatred just continues your own pain.

So, yes, I recommend this film.  You need to know that it is very, very long.  Mike said the guy in the seat on the other side of him kept sighing. You need to know that a lot of it is difficult to watch, emotionally wrenching and downright grimy.  You need to be in the right mood for it when you go. Afterward, though, I think it is one that you will be thinking about for awhile.  You'll get your money's worth and love wins out in the end...just as it should.

Too Sweet

These photos of Uncle Sam playing with Cordelia are so precious ...

 ...you are going to need to eat something salty to counter balance all that sweetness.

A Girl and Her Trucks

The other night I got out some of the toys Ben and Sam used to play with and offered them to Cordy to play.  Having watched little boys take those trucks and immediately make truck sounds, it was interesting to watch Cordy's way of playing.

Cordelia's trucks talk!  They say things such things as, "Hello.  How are you today?"

Cordelia's truck carried flowers in the truck bed!

I love watching this little girl grow and learn and love and change.  She's delightful!

All is Well in Candyland!

Maria and Eric have started teaching Cordelia to play several games, including Candyland.

She's loving it!

She follows the rules.... for awhile.

She takes it quite seriously!

Then, she makes some new rules of her own.

And in the end, the little guys play with each other... 

...and then, 

like many of Cordelia's toys, crayons, playdough containers, etc.  

they line up in perfect order

and

All is well in Candyland!

To My Children, A Word About Your Father

Dear Maria, Ben and Sam,

First of all, let me say, "You are welcome!"

Thanks to my fine choice you three have experienced the fatherly love of a good man.  All right, I admit, I didn't really think much about his fatherly potential when I chose him.  Nevertheless, I'm taking the credit.

You already know he was and is a fun person.  You  have to admit he was good at taking the time to play.  He was the one who would pretend to push you into the hot lava or shout out, "Kid Hunt!"  He also played a lot of Crazy 8, Candy Land and Old Maid.  He's a quirky guy with lots of character and I think that just adds to the adventure.

I hope you always knew of his love for you.  He made a lot of sacrifices on your behalf... all three of you.  He always put your needs before his own.  I think you know that, too, don't you?  He wasn't always confident that he knew how to parent but you always knew he would be there for you.  You knew he was steadfast and fiercely loyal to his family.  Even if you never really thought about all that, I'm sure it must have helped you feel more secure in a world that doesn't always feel safe.

Ben and Sam, in a world where boys aren't always shown how to be good fathers, you were given that valuable example.  Maria, because of him, you were able to recognize a good man for yourself and a good father for your own children.  For all of you, he's taught by example the value of integrity, generosity and perseverence.  He's also let you see his love for God, family, music, Montana, baseball and goofy dogs.  I don't know how all these things molds you, but I think those things, to you, will always be associated with your Dad.

So, again, I say, "You're welcome." Above any gift I ever bought or made for any of you, providing you with this man for your father was a stroke of genius and I know you are thankful.

Love,
Mom

Grandpa is So Much Fun!

Grandpa, come over here.

 Sit right here by me, Grandpa.

 I'm waiting for Grandpa.  I just want Grandpa.

Whoa!  Grandpa got me, Momma!

 Grandpa is making me kick you, Momma!

 Grandpa is sooooo much fun!

I love that you stopped by to read my blog. I'm really grateful and pleased when someone wants to share my posts or photos. Please just remember to link them back to my blog. It's the right thing to do; you know it is.

Babushka Dolls

We have had Cordelia hanging out at our house more than usual lately.  Our daughter and son-in-law just bought a house and are madly painting the interior in just a few day's time so they can move in.  It's been fun for us to spend more time with this fun little soul!

One of Cordy's favorite things to do with me is to play with the Babushka Dolls.  I looked them up on Wikipedia and found they can also be called Matryoshka Dolls or of course, Nesting Dolls.  You've seen these, right?  It is simply a set of look-alike little Russian girls made in descending sizes.  The cool thing is each nests into the size above itself.  When you put them all together you have what looks like just one doll. 

Cordy first shakes the biggest doll.  When she hears rattling, she knows there are more inside.  She likes to sit on my lap to do this but it can also be done on the stool in our living room.  We work through the revealing pretty quickly until we get to the last tiny doll.  When Cordy shakes that one (I know, I know, NEVER SHAKE A BABY!) she hears nothing and knows there are no more.  She announces, "Baby!" and almost instantly she says, "Aaaaaaagain!"  I love how she draws out that word.  I don't know why she says it that way but it does kind of add to the fun.  Cordelia has a LOT of stamina for this little game and we do it over and over and over and over and over.....

This routine is even more fun to me because the Babushka Dolls (say it out loud...it sounds cool and is much more fun to say than "nesting dolls") were a gift to me from an oncology patient.  This particular lady likes to travel and has done so sometimes when we thought she was probably too worn out to even go to the grocery store.  I admire her spirit!  She was in Russia and said that when she went into a little shop to buy these dolls, they had just run out.  Before she left the shop, though, a country woman came in, bringing a new batch of Babushka Dolls that she'd just made.  I love that some woman in rural Russia handmade these and they ended up being part of important playtime for a little girl in Wyoming!  I get the same joy when we make something for our Wyoming Rose Boutique and it ends up being sent to someone out of our country.  It just think it makes us all seem more related, more together in this experience of being human.

Let's Play!

Cordelia LOVES being outside...

...in her precious blue coat.

Daddy and Grandpa are FUN!

Life is SOOOOOOO good!