Check out Adam's blog. He has always had a great eye for photography and recently began sharing some images on a new blog.
Here's a shot he took of David on PEI. I think it's awesome! I love the layers in the middle band of the photo.... And I love my Derf™ and miss him terribly.
Last night we celebrated Adam's graduation from high school. It's surreal to be celebrating this milestone in his life and in ours as well.
We are so proud of our Adam, so very thankful for the choices he has made and we both admire so many of Adam's qualities. He has truly made parenting easy and made it radically fun. We are so thankful that God has blessed us in this way with Adam, we are just so thankful.
With his little brother Dave:
Gold balloons symbolize a lost classmate. The young man was known for his gold accents on his sneakers, etc.
A butterfly release symbolized another lost classmate. Class of 2014 suffered this year. The principal broke protocol and made a short speech. He acknowledged the unusual hardships the class had experienced this year and noted how the faculty had struggled with knowing how to comfort the students. He said it ended up being the students that comforted the teachers. If he were to get in a time machine and choose a year to be in school again he would choose the class of 2014. That was a great tribute to the group of grieving teens that made up that class.
These past 12 months have been a eye-opening, heart revealing period that was packed with changes, adjustments, giant decisions, lowest lows and happiest highs. We have loved and basked in God's goodness and in His presence in our lives. This graduation feels like a seal at the end of a challenging year and I look at it and see grace written all over it. Awesome kid, awesome God and awe-filled thanks to Him.
I know it's Spring....so snow pics should increase your appreciation of the warm air and longer days. This snowstorm was a big one, everyone had to help out to make us mobile again.
Gordie representing Cape Breton with that warm scarf from Mom! Everyone lives that scarf!
David's Social Studies teacher is very supportive of the US Armed Forces and the veterans that have served our country. When Adam had him as a teacher, he gave extra credit to kids who visited the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall when it was set up in East Hartford. Gordie took the boys to that exhibit and Adam took tons of really cool photos with his little Rebel.
This year the same teacher offered extra credit to students who created a care package for soldiers. You had to provide images of your care packages so we took pics as David was setting them up. Adam helped him shop for the items, they took their own cart around Target and set aside their differences for a short while in order to better serve their country. Short while. Jokes aside, I thought they did a great job of picking things. Dave also added his old-ish iPod Nano, and a headset to one of the boxes. It was great to watch him pack these boxes as though he was giving a gift to a specific person. He had as much concern and care about the relevance and usefulness of each item as if he was giving the boxes to a friend.
We celebrate Christmas today here at the Ramsay house. Ashley and Uriah came tonight, we wrapped up wrapping and I'm looking forward to opening presents and eating breakfast. Landon put his reindeer food out, we'll see if it's still there in the morning.
With Gordo away for the past few days, I have been running.around.like.a.crazy.woman after i get home from work. Soccer for two kids, scouts for two kids, school open house (4 different dates), grocery shopping squeezed in there and it seems like I am never getting my house cleaned or tended to. So tonight, after getting home from work, I mustered my crew and gave them all a job.
I was expecting whining and insubordination for some reason but they all reported for duty with fervor, zeal and determination (ish) . And by all I mean everyone but Landon. I forgot to include him.
So happy was I about my kids that I wrote a text to my husband and dramatically staggered it so that it said: "Your kids are being" it's always bad when the wife refers to the kids "your kids" isn't it? Next text: "extremely" ..pause.. Text: "over the top" ....Pause....
....Pause a little more...
....ready Text: "Helpful to me "
Don't you know, he was in the shower and got them all at once. No waiting with bated breath to see just what his kids were up to. But he was still happy.
So it's Friday and my kids are making me happy and proud.
It's school vacation week! We made no plans to go away anywhere, just do some random projects at home like... make stuff, paint stuff, spread mulch, play Xbox, get the boys ready to go to Canada for the weekend. We made a list of things we'd like to do.
Top of the list was: Panera for lunch, 5 Guys for lunch, Chipotle for lunch. Whose kids are these anyway?! We did go to Panera for lunch, but out for lunch everyday- fuhggedaboutit!!! Ham and cheese at home kids! Actually sandwich making at 7 am is one of the things I love missing when the kids are on vacation. I make 3 different sandwiches (with love, mind you) and I don't mind it terribly but I love not having to do it. Here is what they take- no variation except bananas instead of freezer jam for Dave, occasionally.
Maura made this in Girl Scouts and I just love it. She has a great eye for design and unknowingly used the Rule of Thirds here, it always makes a design or photograph more interesting. Also, the fennel seeds remind me of picking Caraway seeds with my Grandma when I was a little pest.
Venom: He is one of Spiderman's archenemies so that makes him bad. He seems quiet and unassuming but the things I read about him are indicting and reprehensible. I can't believe it. One day as Landon was heading off to the school bus with Daddy, I kissed him goodbye and the just to be silly I also kissed Venom, who was being carried in Landon's fist. Then I heard a squeaky voice, "Aw, just what I always wanted, a family of my very own." Here he is, Venom, found in almost every seat you try to sit in.
Also on the list:
Not to be confused with the raw eggs.....
Finished products:
It can be hard to get the tip of the nose and the tip of the ears in the same picture.
After picking up apples with groceries, I tried to be strategic about how I stored them. I have a two tier stand that I thought would be perfect. The Macintosh can go on the bottom shelf so that a certain short person who eats apples indiscriminately, with careless abandon and foolhardiness will default to reaching for them on the bottom. (They are the smaller, cheaper apples). The Jazz apples go on the top where you would think he wouldn't see them or even notice that there is a top shelf. They are delicious, meant to be savored and appreciated. I'll be going back to the strategy drawing board because I found these labels he made and attached to each tray. Never underestimate the palate of a six year old.
The Macs:
The Jazz:
Yummy fresh pineapple:
Today we are going to visit Gordo at work. Before we leave the boys are helping Grandpa with some yardwork and I looked out the window to see Adam driving the Ranger with some stones in it. The stones in the bed of the Ranger, perfectly lined up is so 'Adam', he is very particular about aesthetics like that.
Before we take off..... I've been enjoying this piece by Selah called "Beautiful, Terrible Cross"
It was March 19th that they rolled in their mini-van. Little blue eyed people warily assessed the large barking dogs and cousins weary with waiting. It didn't take long before they warmed up and settled in. We had them here almost a week and it went by much too fast.
Notably: Landon, Jonah and Nate had a great time together. Us old folks aren't so great at staying up late anymore, much to our disappointment. Mark is funnier than ever. Leah is perfect. If she really isn't, don't tell me the difference. Finding little tiny baby socks and onesies in the laundry is soul-food. A burst of babydreneline maybe? I may have initiated conversations with Nate just to hear him speak in his own adorable diction. (Asking for poxles (popsicles) and saying he doesn't like aunties, just uncles. ) Quinn smiles all the time. Quinn reminds me of Heidi as a baby. It was an extra bonus to have Ashley here as well, three of us together in one spot is a feat at this point.
I didn't take many pictures, but here is what I have:
