Five years

Today was the first day of Easter Break and, theoretically, the first day to sleep in for all of us....but I still woke up just before 6am. It likely was my body reminding me of what happened so early in the morning on 04/17/2020. The memories of that morning lives on auto-repeat in my head and those final moments with my Dad are forever etched into my brain.

Today is also Holy Thursday which has long reminded me of my family of origin and the traditions we had as children. Dad used to be one of the men who would sit on the altar as they would reenact the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday....even though decades have passed, each year Holy Thursday rolls around, I remember those formative years and the pivotal role my Dad played, along with my Mom, in helping to shape and form my brothers and me in the faith. I really hope to do the same for our Charlotte Annie.

With it being the first day of the break today for Charlotte and me but Adam still having work, I had planned a day of surprise outings for her and a friend to keep us out of the house while Adam would be on his calls.

We first made our way to the movies to see The King of Kings. We got to Robinson earlier than I had anticipated so we squeezed in a run to Claire's for the girls to pick out earrings and to pick up an Easter bow for each. The girls were delighted to bump into their Art Lab teacher while we walked around in the mall!

We next headed to the theater to enjoy a brunch of popcorn and Reese's Pieces while watching the movie. The girls were spellbound the whole time and seeing the depictions of the life of Jesus in this way was pretty powerful. Next, we headed back to the mall for a Chick-fil-A lunch (yum!) in the food court. After that, it was time for the girls to get pampered at Sharkey's where they picked festive bright Easter colors, along with sparkly nail polish, for their nails. The ladies at the shop were so nice and let them pick out pretty princess rings, a sticker, a lollipop, and a balloon! 

As we drove away from the shop, I spied a furniture store that had come highly recommended to me so we made a pit stop for the girls to test drive alllllll the furniture while I scoped out the couches. Here's to hoping we can get a sectional, soon! As a treat for their patience, the furniture store let them have ice cream that they serve in the back of the store. Go figure!

As we drove away from Robinson, we swung by Andy's Candies where I spent far too much money on chocolate that promptly melted in the car while we played at a nearby playground for 1.5 hours. Oops! As we rolled back to town at 5:45pm, we decided to grab some dinner at Eat and Park. It was only fitting as that is one of the restaurants Mom and Dad frequented when they would come visit. I attempted to order a dessert Dad would have been all over (chocolate peanut butter cake) but they were sold out of it...so I had to settle for a Peanut Butter Cup Sundae. 

Today I'm thankful for : 

• the memories & stories that remind me of the very real impact of the larger than life man I'll never forget and who is still touching so many lives today, 
• the sunshine that followed us all throughout today's adventures, 
• the two little girls who kept my mind occupied as I tried to outrun the memories today always brings, and
• God's Promises.

Ezekiel 34: 26 - there will be rain but there will also be an abundance of blessings.

Awareness for others... And for me!

 In one of my classes last week, we recently unpacked Vocation and vocation which led me to briefly touching on Deaf and deaf differences.

On Sunday, I went to one of the most powerful performances I have attended in having a front row seat of The Miracle Worker which is about Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan. I remember as a child, upon learning about the impact the teacher had on her pupil, hoping I could be a teacher like Annie one day.

In two of my classes on Monday, I had to ask different students to move their hands as they spoke with hands obscuring their mouths and I misheard other students one or two times when they were asking questions. The below visuals are pretty good representations of what it felt like in the moment when communication wasn't entirely accessible for me the other day.

Hopefully, for my students, these are moments of modeling how to advocate and correcting missteps I have made along the way when hearing something incorrectly (in addition to my growing in humility) for my students.

Charlotte Annie is nine!

Wow! Charlotte is nine years old today. Time these last nine years has flown by that is for sure. Charlotte didn't have school so off to work with me she went today. She was thrilled to hear she would be going to class with me because she had been asking to come to work with me for a while. 

The theme for her birthday party on Saturday is based on the Solar System! This party is going to involve a lot of educational fun from a gizmo to a rocketship race to fun readalouds grounded in the out of this world theme. 

This was taken yesterday on her way to school. She had outer space-themed cookies in that box to share with her classmates and teachers.

Charlotte continues to be a girly-girl loving the color, pink, drawing hearts on everything, and signing her name in cursive. She continues to enjoy water activities and playing with her dolls and dollhouse. She can often be found rearranging the furniture in the dollhouse and also enjoys drawing items, or printing them, to place inside the dollhouse as she creates different "scenes" for her dolls.

She continues to love being a student in our local Catholic elementary school and has been enjoying life as a 3rd grader. She lists her favorite specials as being gym, music, art, library, and computers in that order. 

She is still a music lover and is a self-proclaimed 'Swiftie' who wants to be a singer when she grows up then a teacher or babysitter. Even though it is March, she can often be found belting out lyrics to a favorite Christmas song. Shortly after the New Year, we brought home a new puppy, Oreo, whom she loves playing with alongside Hershey (who will turn ten in April). 

Since last year's birthday post, we have gone on adventures, often going on them with our friends, Robbie & Liz, like last year. 

Once again, Charlotte was able to bring a friend home to Grammy's house last summer. Natalie and her mom joined us for Grammy Weekend! A highlight, while home, was creating our own chocolate candy bars at the Hershey Chocolate Factory! 

Adam and I have noticed she has come out of her shell a bit more this past year, which has been terrific to see! In fact, she picked out a library book at school that goes with the party theme and she wants to read it aloud to her friends during the party! 

She still enjoys going to plays and musicals, movies, and playing with her family and college friends when they babysit her. She has been enjoying taking tumbling and cheer classes at the local family activity center. 

She still often colors her nails with markers, rather than using nail polish. Eat and Park is her favorite restaurant followed closely by Texas Roadhouse. 

Currently, she uses the word, available, instead of the word, able, and I am here for it. The other day, she was lamenting being unable to put on a shoe but said, "I'll never be available to get that shoe on my foot"...or if she's sad about not being able to have a playdate, she says, "Mamaaaa, I'll never be available to play"....it's really cute and I will miss these sorts of expressions once she outgrows the incorrect usage of the word. 

We're still enjoying sharing birthday week with my birthday having been seven days ago. In fact, Adam said he had been waiting for nine years to snap this photo after a recent grocery run. ;)

The above photos capture how Charlotte decorated for ME last week. So sweet! Here she is with the shared birthday balloons, too. 

Thinking of some of her favorites, she still enjoys spending time with her college friends, Girls GIFT (Growing in Faith/Fellowship/Friendship Together) teachers and peers, puppies, babies...especially her new baby girl cousin who is one week old! She also loves her friends and painting or other sorts of crafts/art. 

Happy 9th Birthday, Charlotte Annie, on the 7th of March!  You are out of this world fun and your Daddy and I feel so lucky and blessed to be in your orbit. 💫

Something I didn't quite connect the dots on in the last nine years is that the day before Charlotte's birthday is the feast day of St. Colette. She is known as a patron saint for expecting mothers and those experiencing infertility. Go figure! The very next day, Charlotte's birthday, is set aside for Sts. Felicity & Perpetua, who have long been some favorites of mine. I've written about them here. Sts. Colette, Felicity, & Perpetua, pray for us!

Charlotte Annie's Horsin' Around: Unicorn-Style 8th birthday party (March 2024)

Last year's birthday party took place at a Horse Ranch about 45 minutes from us called Faith Ranch. As I currently have my sights set on the new theme and upcoming party for Charlotte, I'm taking a moment to remember last year's theme/location. One of Charlotte's first favorite TV shows was Spirit and as she was about to turn eight, she was obsessed with unicorns. So, where else to have the 8th birthday party but at a Christian-based family-run horse ranch?!  

As with Charlotte's previous birthdays, we utilized a Facebook event page to invite family and friends to Charlotte's 8th birthday party. Below is the image we used. It was from another ranch we enjoyed visiting during one of our summer adventures....one that has all kinds of amazing plants and flowers called, Groovy Plants Ranch! 

The Ranch staff were so helpful and friendly - I highly recommend having an event there! They thought of every last little detail and were very communicative from start to end in the process. Here is the itinerary I used to plan:

Date:  Sunday, March 10th, at Faith Ranch in Jewett, Ohio

Time:  1 - 3pm

• Arrive by 1pm

• Wear close-toed shoes (regarding the short pony ride, it’s important to wear protective shoes around horses).

• Wear pants/jeans since it’s been quite chilly/cold these days.

• For little ones who may need it, the parent will walk alongside the pony and hold his/her child by the back to steady the child. This is most common with pony rides, especially with kids under 2.

• Parking:  Literally past the ranch house, as coming up the driveway, we’ll see the cars just past the ranch house on the left side in the designated parking lot.

• Two handicapped parking spots and right next to the ranch house, there is a small pull out for any who would need it. 

• Check in between 1 - 1:15pm

• When passing the ranch house, go on the cement sidewalk that leads to the main door. This is the lobby where we will be greeted, weighed (those who are riding), and checked in…

• Be in stables for the pony rides by 1:30pm — Children will be put in groups of ten. Four ponies will be available so for kiddos who are waiting for their five minutes of riding the ponies, the other children will be loving on the ponies. 

• Aunt Karina: monitor kiddos coming and going from dining room area to ensure everyone gets a turn with the ponies and take pictures. 

• Uncle Patrick:  take pictures of kiddos on ponies.

• 38 to 39 children are planning to attend

• Confirmed numbers by Wednesday, March 6th, at around 12:45pm.

• Pony Rides / Learn how to care for ponies / Play games in dining room / sign Birthday Book from 1:30 - 2:30pm

• Migrate to whole group back to dining room by 2:35/40pm

• Readaloud of book to settle kiddos

• Serve treats and dismiss by 2:55pm

Note:  Treats will be served at end of party and favor bags will be sent with kiddos at dismissal!

Favors: Use these treat bags (100) — Maybe Mom and I will arrive a half hour earlier or so to set up treat bags, birthday book, and cupcakes in dining hall ??? Or maybe on Friday (afternoon / evening)..?

• Unicorn slime kit (36)

• Unicorn/horse figurines

• Unicorn pen (24)

• small horse keychain (60)

• Unicorn Hair for girls (20)

• Pamphlet or flyer from Faith Ranch advertising summer programming

Treats: Serve “trail mix” in large bowls and have the 50 snack cups with hearts to scoop

• Sign (4 x 6”)

• M&Ms

• Nuts

• Popcorn

• Pretzel sticks

Unicorn and Horse Cookies

Unicorn Cupcakes

• White or yellow cake mix

• White icing

• Rainbow colored for swirls/hair

• Mermaid sprinkles

• Black piping for eyes/eyelashes

• Caramel or original flavored Bugles chips for unicorn horns

• Clear or white cupcake liners

Faith Ranch will provide:

• Styrofoam products (plates, cups)

• Napkins

• Jugs of water and Kool-Aid

Time	Activity	Materials	Leader
Arrival at 1pm	Check in / Registration in main office while remainder of party waits in dining room downstairs Ensure waivers were signed Anyone under the age of 18 receives helmet	Additional waivers for any last minute stragglers Scale during check in (less than 240 lbs.)	Faith Ranch staff
1:30 - 2:30pm Before or in between pony rides and caring for ponies Five activities happening simultaneously of playing games, reading/signing book, riding ponies, stickers, craft Games and Signing of Birthday Book Stations led by: Brigid Kayla Colette Faith Ranch staff (for craft)	Sign birthday book Play Hungry Unicorn game (Kayla)  Play Unicorn Candy Land game. (Colette) Unicorn sticker sheets (match sticker to number), 100 pieces of rainbow scratch paper / scratch sticks, coloring book, unicorn hair for girls — independent station? Faith Ranch Craft - decorate horseshoes	Birthday Book Pens and markers Sign about signing Birthday Book yearbook-style Hungry Unicorn game Unicorn Candy Land game	Faith Ranch staff
Read birthday book, sing Happy Birthday to Charlotte, and distribute treats of cupcakes / unicorn / horse cookies / large bowls for eating trail mix! Whole Group Fun! Conclude by 2:55pm.
End of party Dismiss at 2:55pm	Favor Bags & Treats: Unicorn cupcakes Be sure to have Alternative Treats!! No colored cupcakes or icing.		Faith Ranch Staff

Decorations - Mom and I possibly go out on Friday afternoon/evening to decorate

* Unicorn balloon from cupcakery in Dublin, Ohio

* colorful streamers and balloons and balloon air pump

One of my favorite parts of last year's party was three student teachers asked if they could come assist with the kiddos. I was so touched they were willing to give up part of their weekend, during a busy semester of student teaching, to do that! They sure are special women who have such a heart for serving!

Charlotte was able to color in this t-shirt with Grammy in preparation for this party!

Getting ready to ride the ponies!

Miss Kayla reading from the birthday book to the captive audience (the girls had unicorn hair!).

Love their smiles!

The cookies were a work of art!

Later that night we went to Texas Roadhouse for more "saddle" fun & dinner!

These girls have special places in Charlotte's and my hearts, that's for sure.

The birthday photo albums served as the perfect "centerpieces" on each table as guests could rifle through them and try to find themselves in pictures from the last year of Charlotte's life! :)

Unicorn hair ready to be claimed by little girls!

With a March birthday, we have come to expect all sorts of weather! This day provided us with snow flurries, sunshine, and cloudy weather all in the same day!