Gray hairs? At five???

Today as he was enjoying an apple, I noticed something:

No, not the freakishly large, out of proportion, alien-like head (that's for another post entirely)..... That, right there...What's in his hair....Looks like maybe a gray hair to me.... what do you think? Here's another shot:

I grabbed at it and it came away from his head quite easily. I also noticed that it had a much more coarse texture than LD's hair. His hair is coarse - like his daddy's. But not THIS coarse. And it's a little longer than the rest of his hair... and really more white than gray.....

Now... do you notice a guilty look on this dog's face? Oh I do.....

The gray hair wasn't a gray hair at all... but a DOG hair that LD picked up because he spends so much time rolling around with THIS dog... 

 

This dog, who happens to enjoy taking his naps on the couch... and on LD's pillow... and anywhere else he can find that's soft.

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How many kids do you have?????

When asked that question, I often reply, "none, baby goats are hard on the upholsetry."

But I know, they really mean, "how many children do you have?"
And the answer varies. I, personally, have given birth to two babies. My first: She's beautiful, sensitive, funny....... and a girl, through & through

Because her father & I divorced when she was 3, the amount of time, and consequently number of photos, I have with & of my daughter are fewer than those I have of my second born.... my boy child...  and he's ALL boy.... he's also a ham, has his daddy's easily frustrated nature, and LOVES to snuggle:

Brother & Sister..... what more can you say?

Along with second marriages often come step children. Step children can be challenging... and when they become teenagers...... well, you finally understand why some animals eat their young.

My life as a step parent was VERY challenging. I tried to always look out for what my boys needed. And I tried hard to balance that with what my daughter and then son needed as well. I tried to be fair, and I tried to make sure that EVERY child in my home knew I loved them. Sometimes I succeeded. Sometimes I didn't. I made note of the successes, and the failures, committed them to memory, and learned from them.

My step sons are 18 and 16 now. Ryan is off doing his own thing. Devin is back with his mom, because that's what he needed. Decisions we made, right or wrong, led us to where we are today. And whenever I wonder if we did right by these boys, here's a few "memory lane" items...... I look and them and I know exactly what it was that we were thinking:

This was the last picture we had taken of ALL of them together... 

Don't they look like they're up to something?

And the last of the three boys together... at lest in a studio....

Ryan enrolled in Grizzly Youth Academy. It's a federally funded program, run by the National Guard, for at-risk youth. It's an AMAZING program. 

Dale and his boys (minus LD cause he was too tiny to do this) spent an afternoon hiking around Upper Bidwell Park

Kids, Children, Offspring, Parasites, Punks, Ankle-Biters... call them what you will. 

We love them, even if they do ruin the upholstery.

It's why we're here!

Family. Mom. Dad. Brother. Sister. Grandparents. My family is why I've made the choices that have brought us to this little tiny northern California town. Having MORE time to spend with them mainly. Don't think I'm mislead to think I actually HAVE more time now. I still only have 24 hours in each day. However, I now get to spend MORE of that time with my family than ever before.


And, I vow to make the most of each moment!


About 8 years ago, I met my husband... at work of all places. A year later we eloped to Reno & tied the knot. Another year later and  we "did it right" and made sure that all of our children were part of the to-do. (All except Dale's daughter, but that's a story for another day.)

Back when we both worked for a "Fortune 500" company, we spent our days in drab surroundings....

This is from our "Family Ceremony" when we were able to have all the children with us at the same time.

Sometimes you think you have things all figured out. You've got it all planned. Then life happens, and you realize that despite your best efforts to plan things out, there are multiple factors beyond your control.

What you think "should" happen often ends up being the complete opposite of what DOES happen. And no matter how hard you try to make sure that the people you love make smart choices, sometimes they just don't seem to be able, or willing, to do the right thing.

That's what is so great about pictures. They nearly always show life's perfectly planned out moments - even when they're "candid" shots.

Here is one of those great memories... Dale pinning boutonnieres on his boys (Ryan and Devin).

These were taken at the B&B where we had the reception. A year or so back the place had a "suspicious" fire in the kitchen... and then was up for sale. We really wished we'd been able to buy it. What a great story that would have been. But we couldn't. And I'm not sorry. Sometimes memories are better left as memories!

 I just love this picture. Not to mention it's one of the very few where Dale's actually smiling :-)

Left: My mom & step-dad with Beth & LD. This was taken right before Beth moved to San Diego with her dad.

Below Right: G'pa Bill and LD watching Spongebob.

LD used to call him "Gampa F**K".... seriously... I can't make this up!

This one was taken in the back yard of the last house we rented. It was January, and cold, and the sun was REALLY bright. And it was taken with my little Cannon point & shoot.

Here, Dale is showing Beth how to stand REALLY close to the edge of the cliff. What you cant't see is that it's about a 15 foot drop to ROCKS below them. She wanted NOTHING to do with that edge.

I really love this shot of Dale. When we went to Ft. Bragg for our anniversary in March (and our first family vacation in nearly FOUR years) we spent a lot of time walking. During our hikes he'd often take off down some little path, or out on the rocks, like he did here. Then, he'd stand there for a bit, I'd like to think pondering the great mysteries of life...

My new camera has a self-timer feature, which is really nice if we ALL want to be in a picture together. Do you see that? There in the right hand shot? How Beth is almost as tall as me?? I think I'm going to have to invest in some heels that can be worn hiking. Do they even make such a thing?

Ahhh Family..... and I suppose you've by now noticed that my dad is absent from these pics... well he's not a big fan of having his picture taken. So I have to sneak them when he's not paying attention, which is NOT often... I need to brush up on my sneaking skills.....

Stay Tuned :-)