So glad my husband saves everything.

Every now and then I go through my husband’s boxes and say, “do you really need this? ’cause I want to throw it away…” I frequently go through and toss out my own things. Sometimes… I throw away things I didn’t mean to throw away.

My mother-in-law (Nona) loves quilting. Which is great, because she has shared that love with me. I found the snakeskin patterned material a month before I headed to Texas and it is so soft.

Like today, I kept thinking, “I’m pretty sure I ordered a 8X12 photo of the baby, why hasn’t it shown up yet?” When I checked my email, I discovered it came in the mail already with another photo I ordered and the 8X12 was still wrapped and inside the box waiting to go out with the recycle. Well, that wouldn’t be the only photo I misplaced.

Sometime in January I was organizing my digital photos into folders on my external hard drive.

Nona and her fancy sewing machine. Nona put the tiny binding on, because I was messing the binding up…and super sick from being pregnant.

I was very meticulous about making sure everything was on my hard drive before I deleted it from my SD cards. Everything got saved, except the photos from December 2013, Christmas in Texas with my husband’s family.

When I got to Texas for Christmas break, Nona bought the fabric for the other side and the batting as part of my Christmas present. That stuff ain’t cheap!

I went looking for those photos because I wanted to blog about finishing the quilt my mother-in-law helped me make. They were no-where to be found. I started having anxiety. I checked every SD card, external hard drive (every folder within = a lot of folders), and it was gone. GONE!

Wiley watched at least 2 movies that afternoon, so we could keep him out of trouble. I was grateful Papa and Gregre helped keep him entertained as well. So grateful for family.

I felt sick to my stomach. The four generation photos were in there! I do have a few blog posts with some of those photos, but I needed the originals for the digital scrapbooks I am putting together. Last night I was going through my husband’s external hard drive looking for a different photo and found a folder, within a folder, within a folder named, “Katie’s Photos.”

I think Nona spotted this material, isn’t it darling?? I love it! We also ended up being a bit short on the binding material, so I said I would buy more binding and finish it when I got home.

Lo and behold, THE LOST PHOTOS from December 2013. My husband, who makes copies of copies, had saved those photos!

Since I was very sick and pregnant, and then busy with a new baby, the blanket was finished in February of this year (2015)…I decided the orange binding that was larger was super cute. So the top and bottom are Orange and the two sides are bound in a grey color. It is finally done. I have so many plans for future quilts…

It was a happy moment of gratitude that my husband saves everything… Danny saves the day, again!

What Pablo Picasso and I have in common

What the heck makes someone “special”?

YAY! Wiley, after jumping into Grandbo’s lap!

Several years ago, while living in Utah, I was ordering a sandwich at Subway, along with my older sister Kelsey. I recall using the name of the female employee (well, the name shown on her employee name tag) while giving my order and after I thanked her for my sandwich, I bid her ‘goodnight.’

On the way to my sister’s car I said, “I like to use people’s names, because it makes them feel special.”

I will never forget what my sister told me…

Wiley loves seeing Grandparents!

Kelsey said, “she is special Kate, you were just reminding her she was.”

Dang, I should have known better! Of course she is special!

Something Pablo Picasso quoted his mother saying to him made me think about the sons I’m raising,

“When I was a child my mother said to me, ‘If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general. If you become a monk, you’ll be the pope.’ Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.”

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—It struck me that, although my mother didn’t say the same thing to me, it was how my mother raised me that lead me to feel special.

Sure, when I was a little girl I wanted to be Miss America – she got a crown, a dozen roses and a strut down the runway with falling confetti.

Nona said baby looked like Dom Deluise…I can see it.

What child didn’t want to go to the Olympics and represent their country for a chance to win a medal? Well, I wanted to do that too…but,

I didn’t need those things in my life to feel special.

I was raised by a mother and a father who loved me – they gave me their time, they listened to me, they counseled me (even when I didn’t want to receive it), and when I came home late, my father was always waiting.

It’s my hope, that my children will grow to know they are special – with an Olympic medal around their neck or not.

He said he didn’t want a nap…

We are special because we are children of God!

Which means more than we know.

Nona and Grambo Came Over Last Weekend!

 

Last weekend Daniel’s parents rolled into town (the same night as my younger brother’s Prom)…so again, I didn’t even check my camera settings until it was a little too late. I’m not sure where my brain is.

The good news? I still managed to capture some photos, blurry, dark, eh, it still works.

Both grandparents are playing with Wiley.

When Wiley initially saw his grandparents he was a bit hesitant to even look at either of them.

After about 20 or so minutes, Wiley decided Grambo was okay…

He loved climbing the step ladder, onto the coffee table and jumping onto Grambo’s lap!

My in-laws were only in town for two days, so when Wiley wouldn’t let Nona hold him, or look at him…

Ready, set, GO!

I was seriously annoyed at my child.

Best buds!

Don’t be that kid, Wiley, nobody likes that kid.

Nona kept telling me, “it’s okay, I don’t want to traumatize him…”

Miracles, miracles!

Her patience paid off!

Just one hour before she left, Wiley finally let her hold him!!

She didn’t force her presence, she waited, tickled his toes, gave him a lollipop and some other snacks…that eventually led to snuggles!

We had a really great weekend. It went by so fast. They came, they showered gifts and shared their time.

Both Nona and Grambo took time off work and left animals for other people to look after to drive 13 hours up – spend two days and turn around 13 hours home.

That’s what grandparents do!

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When it was time for them to go, Wiley started crying…

and after they drove away, he screamed for a solid minute in his daddy’s arms.

I think it is safe to say, come next month when we visit them in Texas, he will remember a little better and warm up a lot faster.

We love you both! See you soon!

XOXO