Starla Lost Her First Two Teeth!

Starla lost her first two teeth! Starla's first tooth was missing. We couldn't find it. (I think she accidentally swallowed it.) And her second tooth was hanging by a strand, so while she "directed" my hand, I (Lily) pushed it out. We only do the tooth fairy for the first tooth, but Starla got double the loot for losing two teeth on the same day. Her she is showing her holes.

Lily's first Texas Birthday Party

This year for the first time I had a Texas birthday party. I invited seven girls but only four could come. We all had a great time. First, we played some ice breaker games. Then we went to the neighborhood pool and swam. Afterwards we had cake and ice cream and ended with a game of water balloon pass and, of course, a water balloon battle. I got some great gifts that I'll get a lot of good use out of too. Down below are some pics. (Notice the cow in the picture of the backyard.)

Brian's Birthday

Another year already? We made Brian his favorite meat--an old swiss steakish sort of recipe with lots of onions and worcestershire sauce, mashed potatoes and corn. The girls baked a german chocolate cake and we made merry.

Mother's Day

I walked by the Mother's Day card displays with a sigh this year processing the reality that I won't be sending any more cards to my mom. My mom's birthday was May 7 so historically we often celebrated the two special days together. "Firsts" after the death of a loved one often insight a deep sense of loss and I felt that as I roused that morning. But, my girls are so creative and they gave me such a beautiful gift. God used it to salve my spirit. That afternoon, I took a comfortable seat in the recliner relaxing to the quiet lull of relaxation music and aromatherapy while they soaked and washed my feet in warm water then dried them and put lotion on. After that, they gave me a foot massage. It was such a sweet, innocent act of service and so timely as it brought to mind my own childhood and a particular way I pampered my mom. She used to love to get a facial. I would soak washcloths in warm/hot water while slathering her face with Ponds cold cream. Then I would lay one hot washcloth after another over the cream on her face. She was convinced that the warm compresses melted the cream into her pores. I don't know if our facials actually moisturized her skin but she sure had lovely skin even in the last years of her life. As the girls pampered me, I told them how I had pampered Grandma when I was a girl and we laughed and celebrated the unique and precious gift of being a daughter and being a mother.