Saturday, August 29, 2009
Listening to Little Ones....
I hope Amber doesn't mind that I share this, but it touched my heart. Ciara started school this past Wednesday and Amber was able to go with her and stay with her. It was a shortened day and the next day would be a full day 8:20 - 3:20 all by herself. That night Ciara was saying her prayers and asked Heavenly Father to help her so she wouldn't cry at school. After she finished, Amber asked her if she thought she might cry tomorrow at school. To which Ciara said with simple confidence, not any more, Mom. I prayed and Heavenly Father will bless me. What faith, no!?
Friday, August 28, 2009
Playing Catch Up!!
Well, I have a lot of pictures here. I finally made some time to sit down at the office and get them all uploaded - pheeeew! They are not in any sort of order, but hope you enjoy them!!
Jasmine's Piano Recital:
Just before the show started! (8.19.09)
Kind of a goofy looking little guy that showed up in our yard...but I thought he was cute.
I can't understand what happens to time. Wasn't she just a baby like a few months ago!? Her she is about to go to her first day of Kindergarten!
Jasmine's Piano Recital:
Just before the show started! (8.19.09)
The maestro at work! (Did I even spell that correctly??? Oh well, you get the idea!)
The beautiful Cooley girls after the show.
Jasmine's First Day Back to School:
Jasmine's First Day Back to School:
A big third grader this year! (8.20.09)
Play Time With Ciara:
Play Time With Ciara:
The Princess Bride - Outfit totally designed by Ciara herself (8.21.09)
And after the wedding.....the Queen and her new King....gotta love that pose!
My Miracle Flowers:
My Miracle Flowers:
With the slower housing market I decided I wouldn't spend money on flowers for the yard this year. I was really disappointed as I love them, but it was the smart thing to do. Much to my delight I had an amazing "crop" of volunteer flowers! I usually have one or two pop up, but the entire length of the driveway was filled in!! I didn't plant a single flower, but look at the pictures! Can't you just hear the chorus of that primary song..."Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me." Call it want you want, but this was a miracle for me!
The Pirate Party:
The Pirate Party:
Just for fun Chantile planned a pirate themed party for Jasmine and some friends. (7.31.09) Everyone had a great time. Way to go Chantile! You're a cool mom!!
Dalin loved the pool -
Water balloons are always a hit! Chantile is helping the kids get stocked up.
Uncle Matt grilled burgers and dogs for everyone - they were yummy! Amber and Dalin are eating it all up!
Look out! Dead eye Jaz is loaded and ready to go!
Family Night 8.2.09:
Family Night 8.2.09:
Dessert shall not be wasted.......The Kotter Kreed
A Cute Little Visitor:
A Cute Little Visitor:
Kind of a goofy looking little guy that showed up in our yard...but I thought he was cute.
Ciara's First Day of School:
I can't understand what happens to time. Wasn't she just a baby like a few months ago!? Her she is about to go to her first day of Kindergarten!
So Grown up!
Not to be outdone, Dalin was doing some prat falls and freezing for me so I could take his picture..He and I stayed home while Amber and Ciara went to school. He's such a little entertainer...what fun we had!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Laughter Is The Best Medicine!
Yesterday I was watching the kids for Amber so she could go to the temple. Ciara and I started texting George at work. Here's our conversation:
Julie texting: "Hey"
George's reply: "Straw"
Julie: (giggling to self)
Ciara: "What are you laughing at Grandma?"
Julie: "I typed 'hey' to grandpa and he typed 'straw' back"
Ciara: (laughs with a head shake and eye roll)
Julie: (eyebrows raised with surprise that she got the pun)
Ciara: "Type..... FLOWER NECKLACE ... Papa will laugh so hard he'll drop the phone"
Julie: "OK" and I type 'flower necklace' and what Ciara said about laughing
George's reply: "yep, I almost dropped the phone"
Ciara: "Did he drop the phone?"
Julie: "Yep. What should we type next"
Ciara: (thinking for a second)... "Type BOO....he'll laugh harder than a bee!" (roaring with laughter and slapping the table) "Aaahhhhh, I'm a natural!"
Julie: "OK" (wiping a tear,uncrossing my legs and texting the message)
Julie: "Papa wants to know if you're a natural comedian"
Ciara: "No...(smiling crossed with a questioned expression) I just make people laugh naturally!"
I LOVE SPENDING TIME WITH MY GRANDKIDS
Julie texting: "Hey"
George's reply: "Straw"
Julie: (giggling to self)
Ciara: "What are you laughing at Grandma?"
Julie: "I typed 'hey' to grandpa and he typed 'straw' back"
Ciara: (laughs with a head shake and eye roll)
Julie: (eyebrows raised with surprise that she got the pun)
Ciara: "Type..... FLOWER NECKLACE ... Papa will laugh so hard he'll drop the phone"
Julie: "OK" and I type 'flower necklace' and what Ciara said about laughing
George's reply: "yep, I almost dropped the phone"
Ciara: "Did he drop the phone?"
Julie: "Yep. What should we type next"
Ciara: (thinking for a second)... "Type BOO....he'll laugh harder than a bee!" (roaring with laughter and slapping the table) "Aaahhhhh, I'm a natural!"
Julie: "OK" (wiping a tear,uncrossing my legs and texting the message)
Julie: "Papa wants to know if you're a natural comedian"
Ciara: "No...(smiling crossed with a questioned expression) I just make people laugh naturally!"
I LOVE SPENDING TIME WITH MY GRANDKIDS
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Angels Among Us
I have always believed their are angels among us - both the two legged variety and the four legged ones! I was checking my email this morning when this story caught my eye. I have read other stories where pets and animals play a key role in peoples' lives and it always touches my heart - deeper than just the emotional level if you know what I mean. I truly believe animals were created to bless us - not just to feed us and help us to work, but to bless us spiritually as well. I wasn't sure how to create a link to the site so I copied and pasted the story here. Unfortunately the picture of RaeLee (pronounced Riley) didn't come through - suffice it to say, his is a very cute mid- sized tan dog. Enjoy!!
Lost and Found Dog Saves Life of Boy with Down Syndrome
by Helena Sung (RSS feed) Aug 11th 2009 5:00PM
Photo: St. Petersburg Times / ZUMA Press
Do you believe in canine guardian angels and the kindness of strangers? You just might after reading this story. Early one morning, Yolanda Segovia's neighbor, Stacey Savige, knocked on her door and asked her to temporarily take in a stray dog she had found. The scruffy terrier mix had no collar or microchip. Segovia eyed the pooch -- burrs sticking to his belly and mud caking his fur -- and reluctantly agreed to foster him for the day. An erstwhile hairdresser, Segovia hasn't worked since 2006. At 47, she is a survivor of breast cancer and cervical cancer. A divorced single mother of two, Segovia shares her Port Tampa, Florida home with her 10 year-old son Azaiah and 21 year-old son Christian. Her elder son has Down Syndrome; he cannot speak or bathe himself, and he has had heart surgery and a kidney transplant, reports the St. Petersburg Times. Azaiah immediately took to the dog, whom he named RaeLee (pronounced "Riley"). Segovia and her sons bought the dog a collar, leash, ball and brown bed from the dollar store, and all that day, Azaiah played with the dog, laughing gleefully whenever RaeLee licked his face. "Don't fall in love with him," Segovia warned.Segovia and Savige made 4,000 FOUND flyers with the dog's picture, stuffed mailboxes and put an ad on Craigslist. When no one called, RaeLee stayed the night at the Segovias' house. His dog bed was placed in the living room, but when the boys climbed into their twin beds, RaeLee dragged his bed down the long hallway and bunked with the boys in their room.By Saturday -- four days later -- no one had called to claim RaeLee, and he was still living with the Segovias. The honey-colored terrier had started responding to his new name. He almost never barked, loved playing rambunctiously with Azaiah, and was tender with Christian. One afternoon, the dog settled himself on the floor near Christian as he watched a "Barney" video in his room. Segovia was outside watering the plants when the placid moment was shattered by the sound of RaeLee crashing into the screen door and barking crazily. Alarmed, Segovia opened the door, only to have the dog race back through the house towards the boys' room. Segovia followed, screaming when she caught sight of her son. Christian was "slumped over, his body writhing in a seizure, blood streaming from his nose and mouth." RaeLee stood next to him yelping, but suddenly went quiet when Yolanda reached down to hold her son. "If he hadn't come to get me," Segovia said, "the neurologist said Christian would have choked on his own blood and died." The dog, she decided, was a keeper.But the next day, Segovia and her sons were heartbroken when someone called to claim the dog they had come to love. Randy Cliff, 34, who lived six blocks away said he had been searching for his dog -- real name Odie -- for over a week. Odie had lived with Cliff, his wife, their four children and infant granddaughter. Savige cried, telling Cliff, "That dog saved my friend's son."When Cliff came to collect his dog, RaeLee a.k.a. Odie, leapt off the Segovias' porch and into his arms. Christian watched from a window. Azaiah stood on the porch watching the man hug the dog he knew as RaeLee. "We're going to miss you," he said, tearfully. Looking up, Cliff took in the scene -- Christian looking scared, Azaiah looking downtrodden -- and asked, "Is that your brother?" Azaiah nodded yes.With a sudden change of heart, Cliff put the dog back down. "Maybe Odie was supposed to find you," Cliff told a stunned and delighted Azaiah. "Maybe you should keep him."And that is how the kindness of strangers -- Savige for rescuing a lost dog, Segovia for taking him in, and Cliff for giving up his pet to a pair of brothers who needed the dog more -- brought RaeLee to live with Azaiah, Christian and their mother.
Lost and Found Dog Saves Life of Boy with Down Syndrome
by Helena Sung (RSS feed) Aug 11th 2009 5:00PM
Photo: St. Petersburg Times / ZUMA Press
Do you believe in canine guardian angels and the kindness of strangers? You just might after reading this story. Early one morning, Yolanda Segovia's neighbor, Stacey Savige, knocked on her door and asked her to temporarily take in a stray dog she had found. The scruffy terrier mix had no collar or microchip. Segovia eyed the pooch -- burrs sticking to his belly and mud caking his fur -- and reluctantly agreed to foster him for the day. An erstwhile hairdresser, Segovia hasn't worked since 2006. At 47, she is a survivor of breast cancer and cervical cancer. A divorced single mother of two, Segovia shares her Port Tampa, Florida home with her 10 year-old son Azaiah and 21 year-old son Christian. Her elder son has Down Syndrome; he cannot speak or bathe himself, and he has had heart surgery and a kidney transplant, reports the St. Petersburg Times. Azaiah immediately took to the dog, whom he named RaeLee (pronounced "Riley"). Segovia and her sons bought the dog a collar, leash, ball and brown bed from the dollar store, and all that day, Azaiah played with the dog, laughing gleefully whenever RaeLee licked his face. "Don't fall in love with him," Segovia warned.Segovia and Savige made 4,000 FOUND flyers with the dog's picture, stuffed mailboxes and put an ad on Craigslist. When no one called, RaeLee stayed the night at the Segovias' house. His dog bed was placed in the living room, but when the boys climbed into their twin beds, RaeLee dragged his bed down the long hallway and bunked with the boys in their room.By Saturday -- four days later -- no one had called to claim RaeLee, and he was still living with the Segovias. The honey-colored terrier had started responding to his new name. He almost never barked, loved playing rambunctiously with Azaiah, and was tender with Christian. One afternoon, the dog settled himself on the floor near Christian as he watched a "Barney" video in his room. Segovia was outside watering the plants when the placid moment was shattered by the sound of RaeLee crashing into the screen door and barking crazily. Alarmed, Segovia opened the door, only to have the dog race back through the house towards the boys' room. Segovia followed, screaming when she caught sight of her son. Christian was "slumped over, his body writhing in a seizure, blood streaming from his nose and mouth." RaeLee stood next to him yelping, but suddenly went quiet when Yolanda reached down to hold her son. "If he hadn't come to get me," Segovia said, "the neurologist said Christian would have choked on his own blood and died." The dog, she decided, was a keeper.But the next day, Segovia and her sons were heartbroken when someone called to claim the dog they had come to love. Randy Cliff, 34, who lived six blocks away said he had been searching for his dog -- real name Odie -- for over a week. Odie had lived with Cliff, his wife, their four children and infant granddaughter. Savige cried, telling Cliff, "That dog saved my friend's son."When Cliff came to collect his dog, RaeLee a.k.a. Odie, leapt off the Segovias' porch and into his arms. Christian watched from a window. Azaiah stood on the porch watching the man hug the dog he knew as RaeLee. "We're going to miss you," he said, tearfully. Looking up, Cliff took in the scene -- Christian looking scared, Azaiah looking downtrodden -- and asked, "Is that your brother?" Azaiah nodded yes.With a sudden change of heart, Cliff put the dog back down. "Maybe Odie was supposed to find you," Cliff told a stunned and delighted Azaiah. "Maybe you should keep him."And that is how the kindness of strangers -- Savige for rescuing a lost dog, Segovia for taking him in, and Cliff for giving up his pet to a pair of brothers who needed the dog more -- brought RaeLee to live with Azaiah, Christian and their mother.
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