102

this pic was taken at her 100th bday party in 2009

Yesterday we went to the funeral for the very best neighbor we've ever had. She was 102-years-old. She was wonderful and kind. Gentle and caring. Thoughtful and sweet. We only knew her for the last 10 years of her life. When we moved in she was still taking care of her yard (minus the mowing). She would make treats for the girls every Christmas. She would sit outside in the summer, just to watch them play. She worried and prayed when Tessa was sick just after birth. She had a couple of falling accidents that took their toll. Her family began taking shifts to care for her, at first during the days, and then 24 hrs as it became needed. We became close to them as well.

Rest in peace, Mrs. Jones. We loved you.

One night last month as I was putting Tessa to bed she told me, "Mom, the Bible says if you obey your mom and dad you'll live a long and happy life. Well, I think Mrs. Jones must've been very good at that."

Less than a week before her 8th birthday...

My little girl decided to jump from the top bunk bed. It didn't work out well for her. Birthday plans of a trail ride with dad and a new bike will have to wait. For now, she's playing wii and making up her own algebra equations on her dry-erase board.

bugs in a bag

I have two daughters with birthdays in July. One is turning 11. The other, my baby, eight. Seriously, where has all of the time gone? Thankfully my Tessa still likes little girl things. So, for her approaching birthday I made these:

Five little finger puppet friends, a butterfly, a bumble bee,

a blue bird, a daisy and, of course, a ladybug.

Tessa has always had such an amazing imagination. My mom jokes that if Tessa is playing in the other room, there's no way to be sure if she's alone or having a party.

She also has a wonderfully tender heart. Often she talks to me about Lucy and how she wishes her cousin were here on Earth with us. No bug collection is complete without our ladybug.

I was going to make just a plain old bag for the bugs,

but then I had the idea to make a tree.

I can't wait for T's birthday.