Look How You've Grown - Happy Birthday Cora Ann

Tuesday - March 29, 2011 Two years ago, Cora Ann was only two days old! Sunday she celebrated her second birthday with family and friends. How much she has grown and developed can be seen when browsing through the following pictures. she has gone from an infant to a toddler overnight . . .or so it seems! She has gone from rolling over, crawling, walking, to running. No longer is she wearing infant clothes, but she now is into toddlers and growing out of them almost before the clothes can be washed a dozen times! We love this precious baby girl so much and are so thankful she is in our life. Even though we do not see her everyday/or week/or month, there is NOT a day that goes by that she is in our thoughts and prayers. Our prayer is that she will know how much we love her! I have put together some pictures - many of which were taken by Jeni - to go back in time and see how this precious child has grown. Her personality shines through on many of them.

The following pictures shows Cora in her "first" baseball outfit - courtesy of Grand-dad! :) She was just a little over a week old when this picture was taken!

Almost a year later she is celebrating her first birthday . . ."Miss Ladybug" had grown so much! Oh how gooooood that chocolate chip cookie was! After moving from Bedford, she lived in Columbus for several months, but she did not like the grass . . . . therefore, she sat on the quilt and enjoyed the sun! No longer taking a bottle . . .the "Sippy" cup is her new best friend . . . and the fruit taste pretty good too!

Staying protected from the hot summer days with her floppy hat . . .

. . . and wearing her mothers shades helped protect her eyes (even though we were inside) :). . .

. . . but sometimes she had to dress up . . . . notice her hair is now long enough for pony tails . . .

. . . she loves the "Mickey Mouse" ball we have at out house . . .

. . . sadly she had an accident and broke her leg, having to wear a cast for about six weeks . . . can't tell anything is wrong now . . .

. . . during Halloween she dressed up as a fairy princess and enjoyed riding the pony . . .

. . . she had an announcement for us all this past year . . . she is going to be a big sister to a little brother . . .

. . . she smiles a lot and is a happy toddler . . .

. . . is curious about many things and will investigate when allowed . . .

. . . this much snow was an adventure for her . . .

. . . loved her cousin's Christmas toy . . .

. . . is beginning to love to pose for her picture to be taken . . .

. . . and loves ice cream . . . .

. . . loving the warm weather in WV after that harsh winter up North . . .

. . . posing on a tree stump seemed to be the right thing to do . . .

. . . opening gifts on her second birthday wearing her fairy princess outfit and Cincinnati Reds cap . . . .

. . . our baby has become a toddler . . .a beautiful one and a delight to be around . . .

Cora Ann has grown so much this past year. I can't even imagine how much she will grow in the coming year. I do know that our love for her grows each and every day, and that we cherish the time we can spend with her. We pray that God will watch over her as she grows and learns so many more things. We pray that He will protect her from all harm, and that as she grows, she will become the person He wants her to be.

Cora Ann,

Grand-dad and Mammaw loves you very, very much!

19? 91? Happy Birthday Mom!

Thursday - March 17, 2011

It has only been a few days since my last posting, but I am still way behind. Mom celebrated her 91st year of life on February 28. Last year, when she turned 90, we gave her a surprise party at church! She was completely surprised and had such a great time with all who were able to attend. It was one of those weekends that "mother nature" opened up the sky with a large snowfall. Sadly, this kept many from attending. There was a lot of planning, sneaking around, and preparations that had to be done without her knowing what was taking place. It was all worth the hard work . . . she was overwhelmed and when thanking all in attendance for coming and their generosity of giving her gifts, she said she would give all of us a surprise party when we turned 90! :)

As her birthday was approaching, I got to thinking what could we do to top last year! NOTHING!!! . . or so I thought. I have a FB account with over 300 friends, many of whom are my former students. I thought , what if I set up a social event; one that was simply to have as many of my friends that could send Mom a birthday card. My goal was to see if I could get at least 20 - 30 of my friends to send a card. Mom loves getting mail . . . even the bills. She will make a dozen trips a day to check the mailbox. Her mail is never delivered at the same time each day. Some days she will get in before noon; other days it is around 5:00 before it makes its way into her mailbox. This gives her something to look forward to . . even if it is junk or bills! :)

Never in my wildest dream did I think so many people would respond. She would have normally gotten cards from close friends and family, which she was looking forward to receiving. However, when she got that first card (one from a dear friend and former colleague), she was puzzled. She knew who Sherry was, and wondered how she knew it was her birthday. The next day she received two cards from Florida . . . friends of my SIL, Rhonda (who had also posted the event on her FB account). This really made her wonder what was going on, and why they were sending her a card. She loved them all and even said "Bless their hearts for sending me a card, a person they don't even know!"

As the days got closer to her birthday, the number of cards she received in the mail increased . . . she received one, then three, then five . . .all a week before her actual birthday. Then the numbers increased drastically . . . . eight, eleven, twelve, fourteen, and then the largest number of sixteen! When the week and a half of getting cards in the mail was over, she had gotten a grand total of 98 birthday cards. She was so thrilled. She was just like a child in the candy store when she went to the mailbox . . . anxious to see how many cards were waiting to be opened by her. Many wrote sweet notes wishing her a Happy Birthday as well as telling her how they had a connection to her. Some told her that I was their former teacher, and that they wanted to make her day special by wishing her a Happy Birthday! She was just overwhelmed at the the kindness these "strangers" were showing by sending HER a card, and they didn't even know her! She also received 65 birthday wishes on FB . . . more birthday wishes than she has ever received . . . 163!!! She felt blessed and loved.

I would like to thank everyone who really made this a very special birthday for a "very special lady" . . . my mother!!!!!! Following are some pictures from this very time in Mom's life!

I couldn't pass up these beautiful flowers for her . . . purple representing her birthstone . . . amethyst . . .

The joy on her face when opening her cards . . . .

We stacked them into four categories . . . family, friends she knew, former students, and friends of ours . . . .

Here she is opening up some of her cards . . . .

. . . and SURPRISE . . .she had a gift . . . which she loved . . . and in a couple she found gift certificates and even money . . . . those brought a BIG smile to her face . . . . :):)

She even got a birthday cake . . . .but wait something is wrong . . :):):)

:):) ahhhhh . . .that's is what it is suppose to look like . . . 91 rather than 19!

She may have turned 91, but she has the heart of one who is 19. She loves her Father Above, her family and friends, and is thankful for all the Good Lord has blessed her with . . . .she knows that one day He will call her home, and she will be with Dad, John, and all her loved ones and friends who have gone before her. But for now, she is thankful for each new day and gives all the glory and thanks to God!

Loving Being Grandparents

Sunday - March 13, 2011

Oh my, where have the last six weeks gone??? We have been busy doing some extra cleaning because we were going to have company; and we are redoing the kitchen and dining room - painting and decor. It is nice to be "retired" in that we can do the work at our own pace! I still stay with Mom, but since Dink and Rhonda are staying, I have a few more days at home! Thus this is when we decided to paint the dining room and get rid of the wall paper in the kitchen. We are taking pictures and will soon have a posting on the renovation!

During the middle of February, David, Jeni, Cora Ann, and Molly came to visit. They stayed with us, but their trip was based on helping David's grandparents celebrate their 70th anniversary. Now that is a milestone that should be celebrated. They came in on Thursday and spent Thursday and Friday with us. We had a really great visit! Cora Ann was a big help to me in the kitchen! Oh how I wish we could see her everyday! The weather was unseasonably warm for February which gave us all some time to stay outdoors!!! It is a joy to be able to see this precious baby girl grow . . . and the memories we hope she will have in that Granddad and Mammaw love her very, very much! We love being grandparents to Cora Ann and her little brother who will be here toward the end of June . . we can't wait!

I would love to share some of our favorite photos from the visit!

Cora Ann loved my little red wagon. . .

. . .opening up Christmas gifts in February . . .

. . . Cora loved sitting on the counter helping me fix cupcakes . . .

. . .and she says, "All dun" . . .


. . . she loved wearing a hat and playing with the big ball . . .

. . . walking around the yard just like Granddad . . . hands behind their back . . .

. . . and oh so cute . . .

. . . on the counter again eating a snack while Mammaw cleaned the kitchen . . .

. . . it is much more fun pulling Cora Ann around in the wagon than the laundry

. . .

. . . David, Jeni, and Cora . . .

. . . Molly stayed with us while her family went to visit family in Huntington . . .

. . . a nice warm bath after a hard day of fun . . .

. . . a great profile picture of our precious baby girl . . .

. . . Molly getting a treat from Granddad . . .

. . . she is such a big girl . . .eating her breakfast . . .

. . . on the counter again for a great photo shoot . . . I love this picture!

We love being grandparents to this precious baby girl, and we anticipate the joy of soon having a grandson to love as much as we do Cora Ann!