Day 119

I took Charlie for a quick walk this afternoon and brought along my camera. Though it was windy and Charlie was tugging at my arm, I did manage to get a picture of this pretty butterfly in a neighbor's garden. Capturing little moments like this is a good reminder to me of life's beauty.



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Day 118

Playing outside today, one of the neighborhood kids yells for me to come quickly. I rush over only to discover a baby bird has fallen out of the nest before it could fly. The mama bird was keeping a close eye on her baby, coming down to bring it morsels to eat, and chattering away at us. I dashed home to get my zoom lens and got some great pictures.



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Day 117

Today Anna had a hearing test followed by an appointment with an ENT specialist. The hearing test indicated moderate hearing loss due to middle ear fluid. She had a similar problem when she was two years old and had PE tubes placed then which have since fallen out. The ENT wants to try a two-week course of antibiotics then check her in three weeks to see if there is any improvement. If not, she'll get another set of PE tubes and her adenoids removed. She was such a good girl at these appointments. Can you believe that we had the same audiologist we had seven years ago? She was very patient and kind with Anna, and of course, Anna had to show her all of the things her new baby doll, Shirley, could do.



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Day 116

Just a gorgeous shot of Jenny... I love the lighting in this one.



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Day 115

Curtis is very committed to volunteering his time to help others. Recently, he reconnected with a friend on Facebook. He was devastated to learn that his friend has lost his young son, Colin, in an accidental drowning. Now this boy's parents have started an organization to raise awareness about water safety. Today was their first annual Water Safety Walk and Curtis took Dominic to hand out safety packets to area neighborhoods. Dominic was happy to get a new t-shirt and we are happy to share information about Colin's Hope. Please take a moment and visit their website: Colin's Hope.



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Day 114

Because the Abilify is allowing Anna to regain impulse control, she was able to earn "prize" for a good week at school (minus Monday and Tuesday which we aren't holding against her). She worked so hard to turn her attitude around and stopped herself numerous times from acting out negative behaviors. So she got a new baby doll today which is the creme-de-la-creme of prizes for her. She named this baby, Shirley, after her Nana (my mom is so tickled!). I thought it was so interesting that even with an inanimate object, Anna doesn't make eye contact!



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Day 113

Today I volunteered as a chaperone for a walking field trip that the kindergarten classes got to take to a pond that is near the school. Dominic was so very excited that I got to come along and was able to sustain such good behavior all day that he earned a 1-1 dinner at Chuck E. Cheese with me this evening. We had a really good time! I love this picture of him sitting between his friends. Just a perfect moment of childhood captured.



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Day 112

If you have never tried a double-stuffed Oreo... well, you simply must. You will never go back to the regular Oreos again! These are the kids' nightly treat after dinner, only now Anna has to have the sugar-free kind. I like to have one mashed up in a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Yummm... go indulge yourself!



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Day 111

We had a rare family afternoon and evening together. Curtis, me, Dominic, Anna, Jenny, her boyfriend, Chris, and even my mom played outside and went to dinner. I got this picture of Dominic and Jenny together while we were outside... I didn't realize just how brilliantly blue both sets of their eyes are together. It takes my breath away!

I'm going to blog more about this in detail on Elusive Tranquility, but today was a much better day for Anna today. YAY!



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Day 110

Yesterday was a horrific day for Anna at school. The medication she's been on for the last four years is not working anymore and is causing her health problems. She has little impulse control... and many behavior problems have ensued. I just did not have the energy or emotional bandwidth to take a picture yesterday.

Today is a new day though. I found a child psychiatrist who will take her case and her neurologist is changing her medication. School today was almost as bad as yesterday though I did not receive a call from the principal nor get a pink "discipline referral" slip today. After school, I focused my energy on trying to make it a pleasant afternoon. We got two of the sweetest, older neighborhood girls to come over to play. They set up a tea party at my mom's house and invited Dominic. I got this shot of them at the table having tea. Do you know that I used to play with these very same cups and plates when I was a little girl visiting my grandmother? How cool is that!



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Day 109

No photo today.

Day 108

Just hanging outside late this afternoon with the kids and I caught Jenny looking so pretty after an afternoon nap (she wasn't feeling well earlier, but you can't tell, can you?).



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Day 107

I took Anna and Dominic to our local zoo today. It's just a small, rescue-type of zoo with a few exotic animals. We have an annual membership and go quite frequently when the weather permits. Today this peacock was everywhere, showing off his feathers. This shot, though, was so vivid and colorful, that I had to share it.



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Day 106

This is my mom's house... just two houses to our left. I've always been enchanted with big trees and this one is just growing its spring coat. I was outside playing with the kids this afternoon and it was cloudy and overcast. I just happened to look up and was taken in by the majestic nature of this beautiful tree. I hope you enjoy looking at it too.



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Day 105

Angel bears hold a very special place in our family. When Anna was three years old and I was seven months pregnant with Dominic, she got sick and I brought her to bed with me. Curtis was out of town and so was my mom... a very unusual occurrence. Jenny was 9 years old and had a friend sleeping over. I remember waking up at 5 a.m., Anna convulsing beside me. That was her first seizure. EMS came, I remember my voice shaking on the phone, I thought she was dying. I remember a neighbor coming to take care of Jenny so I could ride in the ambulance. I remember feeling so alone in the ER, talking to my husband and mother by phone. That was the beginning of yet another fork in the road on our journey with Anna. And it was the beginning of the angel bears. I don't remember if it was my mom or Curtis who brought it home, but that angel bear kept watch over Anna from that moment on. Four months later, Anna was hospitalized the first time for a series of seizures and another angel bear joined us. Two more months and another hospitalization, more bears came as I shared their meaning with friends and family. Over the years, we've grown a collection of them in Anna's room. These angel bears watch over her.

Now we have one to share with a little boy named Julian.

Saturday morning, just a few blocks from our home, his body was discovered after having been reported missing just hours earlier. Like Dominic, Julian was five years old and in kindergarten at our school. The police have not released his cause of death but are investigating it as a homicide. Today, I visited the site where his body was found and added one of Anna's angel bears to the growing pile of toys, bears, flowers, cards, and mementos that his family and our community started to honor his memory.






Our thoughts and prayers are with Julian's family. Thanks for looking and go hug your babies.

Day 104

I took several pictures today that were photo-of-the-day worthy but this one really was the prettiest. This rose is growing in our front yard! Despite being neglected, nearly mown over, and generally ignored, this little rose bush is thriving.



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Day 103

Rocky, our 10-year old yellow labrador retriever, is quite simply the best dog ever. Charlie is wonderful, don't get me wrong, but Charlie is a dog that is more than a dog. Rocky is one of those pure dogs... sweet, kind, patient, obedient, and very tolerant. It pains me to see him aging and having joint problems but I love that bringing Charlie into his life has added a little friskiness to his step.



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Day 102

I've always wanted to try photographing that leaning-against-a-wall look. I don't think I quite pulled it off but how else do you learn but by practicing? Jenny is so beautiful, she makes it easy. Thank you, sweetheart!



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Day 101

It was a full day of chores and cooking and playing with children, so at 8:00 p.m. or so I realized I needed a picture for today. But it was dark outside. No fear, I took my tripod and set the shutter speed wide open and waited. I got this shot of our peculiar and gorgeous tree in full bloom. The previous owners planted it, saying it was a breed from A&M. We don't know what it is, but it is beautiful! I'm glad we all get to enjoy, even in the dark. (And yes, it was nearly full darkness in this shot!)



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Day 100

I can't believe it's the 100th day of the year! I've missed a few days but for the most part, I've kept up with this project. I'm so glad now, I have lots of beautiful pictures. So for this one of Dominic, I'm trying my hand at a more vintage look.

Dominic was in a very good mood today. I got lots of hugs and kisses and his favorite neighbor friend got to come over and play for several hours. Life is good for this little boy!



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Day 99

It was so beautiful today! A picture perfect spring afternoon. And Dominic was being so cute and charming playing outside. He was mid-sentence when I snapped this pic and I think he looks so much like an older version of himself... it gave me a little shiver! I swear I think he could be a model, but perhaps I am a little biased. ;)



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Day 98

Jenny got home from school so very excited because she won Lady Gaga tickets from a local radio station! Here she was looking at Dominic as she told him the news... he declared he wanted to go to the concert but she is taking me! Woot!



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Day 97

Two of Anna's current favorite things are frogs and Max from the Nick, Jr. show, Max and Ruby. One of her favorite episodes is called Max's Froggy so how appropriate is today's photo! We were so excited to see the toads emerge from hibernation last week and we have been on daily frog hunts after school. Today we found this tiny little toad in our flower garden. Anna named her Tina and brought her inside to watch Max's Froggy while we had a snack. After the episode, Anna disappeared outside and I found her and the tiny toad playing with Max. Of course, I had to take a picture. Tina was returned to the flower garden a short while later.



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Day 96

There is nothing more fun than brand new paints... the new brushes, so many color choices, even the smell screams "play with me" and "get messy"! I love the look on Dominic's face here... intense concentration, even his tongue is sticking out in the way that only little boys have when focusing their attention. It was a good day.



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Day 95

Dominic LOVES his Nintendo-DS. He goes through phases of wanting to play it frequently then he drops it for a while. Jenny gave him an old Pokemon game and he is so addicted. It cracks me up to hear him talk about the characters and their moves. On school days, he's allowed 30 mintues of playtime... 15 after school and 15 after dinner.



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