the diAry of angi b.

oMa and mE

finally finished a page that's been on my desk gathering dust for weeks and weeks. this is an old pic of Oma and me but it's the only one I have of us chillin together. the journaling reflects how I love to just chill with my grandma and listen to her re-tell her life's journey. She lived on 3 continents and is matriarch to a huge clan that includes 8 children, 16 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren. Amazing.

sEe the gOod

sibLings have a nAtural tendency to bicker and tattle on one another. this has always been since the very beginning - just look at cAin and Abel. well, cAin was the instigator, but I digress... this afternoon was no different then any other - my children (ages 2,8,10 and 15) are in constant static zOne. of course they pull me in to referee... and I always tell them that I would much rather cut and paste their photos then do that. I must constantly remind them that their siblings are a Blessing and someday when John and I pass on, they would need each other and are meant to watch out for each other. My hope is to instill these sentiments in them and plant the seeds that will bond them throughout their lives. Some days they surprise me and are sweet and loving towards one another. It catches me off guard and it just warms my heart immensely. Today fell into the category of the former unfortunately - static and whining. So as we sat down for lunch, I sprang this little exercise on them: turn to the person on your right and say something nice about them . As soon as we finish that round, we will go in reverse so that everyone has a chance to sprinkle niceness on each other. It took them a moment to think of stuff. They even got off track and tried to slip in a few less-than-stellar traits. They did try to give each other helpful hints on what to say though which I thought was cool. Since I was part of the group, my middle son Sean, the 8-year-old, turns to me and says " you like to do art... and, you know, you do pretty good work" ... thanks, little dude - he totally cracks me up! This was a touching moment for today. I've been feeling a little frustrated lately that I have so little time to do my Art Journal and work on scrapbook pages. I get irritable about it and my moody twin will come out and snap at those around me. (the very same loved-ones that I scrapbook for.) I really have to stop and smell the roses sometimes. I'm so glad I did just that today....

isN't she lOvely?

so this is my mama. the woman without a doubt is super-woman. she has been with us for over 8 years caring for my baby boys while john and i work full time. she first came to stay with us when Sean was just 6 months old. john just began his quest to pursue his teaching degree and we ran the household with only 1.5 incomes. it was a tough tough season in our lives financially and emotionally. this woman was my lifesaver back then and continues to be a lifesaver for me today. john finally earned his degree and teaching credential and was hired in our hometown's school district shortly after he completed the credential program. At the same time sean was on the verge of entering kindergarten which meant my mother was a FREE agent.... that is until the blue line appeared (or was that pink?) in any case, i was pregnant with our fourth child and needed my mom for childcare another 4-5 years. she almost hit the roof when we broke the news. {beleive me we almost hit the floor too)... so this is my little belated mothers-day-tribute to this lovely woman. she's my bestest friend and i love her, love her, love her with all my heart!!!!

{photo taken today with my new Olympus digital camera that i won from Parenting Magazine!!! Ash, i'll be tracking down that 'DORK' streetsign for you very soon,girl!}

oh yeah, and  if you're at the grocery store pick up the June issue of Parenting Magazine and turn to page 183 where you'll find my photo entry which placed third. {my small claim to fame!!!!} 

Here's one for Chris T.

 

Here's one for my cousin Chris. Thought I would scrap photos from 2004 before Miley grows up and has children of her own :) HA! These 2 are a couple of cutie-patooties aren't they? So cool to see our children hang out. Remember when we all lived under one roof on Menlo? Fun times. Wish we had more photos of all of us together from those days.

Four

I confess. I'm so behind in my scrapbooking. Here's a photo of my four children on New Years Day 2004. I just recently made a scrapbook page about it and posted it to 2Peas. We have an annual tradition to take pictures at the beach on New Years Day. Well, it's more like my annual tradition. Mr.B and our children just go along to appease me (how sad! It's not like jury-duty!)

So here are my children, 3 boys (Chris 14,Sean 7 and Dominic 14 mos.) and princess J (age 8) These are their ages at the time this photo was taken.

I am always drawn to taking their photo while they're all lined up and walking away. Perhaps it's my chance to turn the other way and bolt! HA.