It's A Big Day At The Stone House!

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Spring…I think

Nature can be cruel. For the last two months she’s been teasing us with new growth, warm weather, signs of wildlife, plants on sale at Home Depot. Then, she mercilessly dumps 4 feet of snow… and laughs. *sigh*

Well, I think it is FINALLY over. I think.

It’s supposed to be 80 degrees tomorrow. It couldn’t possibly snow after that, could it? Never mind, don’t answer that. Don’t get me wrong; I’d take this any day over 120 degrees. But let’s call a spade a spade, shall we? Do not call it Spring, with promises of baby bunnies, flowers and butterflies when it is really just an extension of Winter, with a token day of warmth thrown in here and there. I’m just sayin’.

A few weeks ago, when we thought it was Spring, we grew some butterflies. We bought a butterfly garden, then sent away for our larvae. They arrived as tiny little caterpillars which doubled in size every day for about 10 days. One day I came downstairs to find most of our 10 baby butterflies encased in their pupas. Isn’t nature wonderful? I tried to talk Jacob into documenting the progress and sharing it at school. He was not interested. I can’t believe I didn’t even take one picture of the journey.

Once they were all cozy in their little cocoons we transferred them to the butterfly garden. 10 days later, Voila! Beautiful butterflies! We kept them for a few days in the enclosure, feeding them sugar water on artificial flower petals, but the weather was deceptively warm, and since butterflies only have about a 3 week lifespan (which I neglected to tell my children), I decided it would be best to set them free while they were still alive.

Speaking of the cruelty of nature, one of our sweet little butterflies emerged with deformed wings. She was never able to fly. It broke my heart to watch her struggle to take flight with her tiny shriveled wings. But, I digress.

We had a few days of decent weather after our butterfly release, and I like to think they spent those days happily mating and laying hundreds of tiny butterfly eggs before nature killed them dead with frost and freezing rain. Farewell beautiful creatures! Hello Sprinter! (Spring/Winter)

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A Royal Wedding

Jacob decided he and Vivian should have a Prince and Princess wedding. Don’t you love their outfits? Jacob orchestrated the whole thing. I was the royal photographer, and later the “lawyer.” “The lawyer?” I asked. “Yes Mom, you know, the one who marries people.” Hmmm, okay. These pictures are priceless. I can’t wait to put these in his wedding video collage!

It was hard for me to hold the camera still, I was laughing so hard!

Vivian wasn’t too keen on the whole “kiss the bride” thing, but Jacob insisted this was a very important part of the wedding.

We even had a Cinderella moment.

Here comes the bride!

 

 

I now pronounce you man and wife!

Time for the reception! The dancing was awesome!

I just love weddings, and I love being the royal photographer!

This is a repost from a couple years ago

I thought this was worth reposting because I often find myself feeling this way. I hope it reminds you of your divine calling.

Healing Balm For My Soul

A great friend sent this to me. She will never know how much I needed it right now. Thank you Jules!

If you're a mom, this will hit home.

I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going . she's going . she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."  And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Kathleen B. Morgan
390 Brushy Ridge Road
New Canaan, CT 06840

Just Some Cute Pics & an Update

It’s been a really long time since I posted anything! In my defense, I’ve been a little busy moving. Still, it’s no excuse. This whole unpacking thing is taking far longer than I ever anticipated. Grrrrrrrrr.

I think we finally have a handle on the main level. We just have a few more pictures to hang, and a few more boxes to shuffle. The upstairs, well, that’s a different story.

Can I just say, I am ready for Spring! I’m over all this mud and snow. We have never seen our yard. We have seen pictures of it in the Summer time, but I am itching to get out there and get my hands on it! I guess the fact that we can’t be outside will force us to finish the inside first.

I’ve been trying to get some  pictures of Vivian for a cute baby contest on Live with Regis and Kelly. It’s for Parenting Magazine. The grand prize is a $250,000 scholarship. I also entered Vivi and Jacob in Parenting Magazine’s model search. So the following pictures are a result of trying to get some decent shots. I’ve come to the conclusion that I NEED to learn Photoshop. I was going to sign up for a class, but not knowing what Rich and Karen’s schedules will be in the next few weeks, I decided against it. Maybe next term.

This is Vivi’s mad face. Whenever I take her picture, she starts dictating what kind of shot I should take next. She’ll say “Mama, I do mad face.” or “Mama, I see my tongue.” She is so funny!

What a ham!

Well, there you have it! My kids are such shrinking violets.

I am going to start blogging more. At least, that’s my plan. Stay tuned.

Merry Christmas From The Stones!

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Jacob's Soccer Team

I obviously have a lot of blogging to catch up on. I’ve been a little out of sorts since turning our life upside down and moving to Utah.

One of the first things I did was sign Jacob up for the city soccer league. He was in HEAVEN! He scored a goal in his first game.

It was such a kick to watch all these little 4 and 5-year-olds running up and down the field, trying to get a piece of the ball, even if it meant steam rolling their own team mates!

Jacob definitely has some great kicking skills. Now all we have to do is get him to RUN FAST!

I LOVE this picture. Click on it so you can see their faces. It cracks me up!

Here is Jacob lining up to score a goal. I love the goalie's face.

Look at how tiny they are. SO CUTE!!! Jacob was a giant compared to a lot of these kids.
Nice kick Jacob!

Jacob loved being the goalie, but most of the time he was swinging from the top of the goal, or staring at airplanes and the like.

There were more than a few injuries, and Jacob was convinced they were intentional because “the other team just wants us to lose!”

Yeah! High five Coach George! Great job buddy!