"One's sister is part of one's essential self, an eternal presence of one's heart, soul and memory." ~ Susan Cabil

Children and mothers never truly part – Bound in the beating of each other’s heart. - Charlotte Gray

Thank you, Leo Joseph, for making my favorite word "mama.".

Her angel's face, As the great eye of heaven shined bright, And made a sunshine in the shady place. - Edmund Spenser

Today is a beautiful day. The sun is out and the temperature is warm. Leo and I went to visit his aunts and uncles. We walked to the playground and came home to race around in his walker on the driveway. Leo is now enjoying a nap in Aunt Veronica's arms.

"A Sunday Well-Spent Brings a Week of Content."

Leo was awake early this morning.  The three of us woke up to a blanket of snow.  We played for several hours.  Once Leo was ready to nap, we joined him.  We all slept soundly for four hours. We had a delivery from Veronica, delicious chocolate chip cookies.
We had a cozy day and Luke made a wonderful dinner, chicken parmigiana with peas.  This is a very simple recipe, but very tasty.  My grandma has always said, "if you can read, you can cook."   
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Trying to get a drop of Mama's coffee.

So big!

Leo playing with all of his friends.

“Life is infinitely strangerthan anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare toconceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence. Ifwe could fly out of that window hand in hand, hover over this greatcity, gently remove the roofs, and and peep in at the queer thingswhich are going on, the strange coincidences, the plannings, thecross-purposes, the wonderful chains of events, working throughgenerations, and leading to the most outre results, it would make allfiction with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions most staleand unprofitable.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Complete Adventures ofSherlock Holmes

 Northern New York has been rainy, gloomy, and cold today.  Leo had the right idea and took two long naps.  This allowed for cleaning, reading, and cooking for me.  I'm reading Jodi Picoult's Lone Wolf and Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff.  Both are very enjoyable.  However, I don't think Lone Wolf will be a favorite amongst the Picoult books.  Leo was able to undo what I organized in moments.  We had a great day together.  He is standing on his own and walking if you hold one of his hands.  When he eats in his high chair he says "MUMUMUM" (yum yum yum) and squeals with laughter.  He also loves to wrestle with his dad.
Right now Leo and I are watching "The Dancing Men."  A rainy day is the perfect opportunity to sit back and watch Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes.  Although he is not replaced, PBS had a new series called Sherlock.  When it was suggested that I should watch the series, I thought I wouldn't enjoy a modern twist on Doyle's stories.  I enjoyed the series, in spite of myself.  Season Two begins this May.

"...the avocado is a food without rival among the fruits, the veritablefruit of paradise." — David Fairchild

Leo had, the majority of, an avocado today!  It is one of his favorite foods.  He looks so cute eating!  Despite the serious looks in these pictures, he was very happy eating. 

Mark 14:36 He said,"Abba, Father, for you all things are possible;remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want."Gethsemane is where He died; the cross is only the evidence. - LeonardRavenhill

It amazes me how quickly a year can go by. A year ago I was the size of a house! I would be lying if I said I wish I could go back to that time. My pregnancy was not kind to me. This was around the time my preeclampsia was kicking in.  The experience was well worth the end result!

Poor little Leo has a cold, but he has been a trooper.  He had an appointment today and is a whopping 22ibs. 

Easter was lovely. Claire was in town. I love when all of my brothers and sisters are together.




                                     

The happiest little boy I know!

"The only difference between an extraordinary life and an ordinary one is the extraordinary pleasures you find in ordinary things." - Veronique Vienne

Leo's favorite things:
   Reading books
   Wrestling on the floor
   Clapping
   Blowing Raspberries
   Eating applesauce, sweet potatoes, avocados, pears, and your puffs
   Playing with my every time you fall asleep
   Conversations
   Walks
    Bath time: it's always over too soon!
    Peek a Boo
    Winnie the Pooh!
    Turning on and off the T.V.
     Climbing
     Car Rides

Mommy's Favorite things:
    Watching you sleep
    Watching you try to walk
     Rocking you to sleep
     Your toothy smile (you have eight teeth!)
    When you shake your head to help me brush your teeth
     The way you get upset when I say "THE END" because you know the book is done.
     Nights that you sleep in your crib for the whole night!  I know you know how to do it!
     Your laugh
     Tickling you
     Feeding you
     Bath-time!
     The way you humm when you're sleeping
     The way you nuzzle, yawn, and rub your eyes when it's time for bed.
     The way you speed - crawl to me when I get home.
     The way you made my favorite word 'Mama'
      
     
      I'm so thankful for your beautiful life!  I can't imagine life without you!

“The human heart feels things the eyes cannot see, and knows what the mind cannot understand” Robert Valett

Leo is 10 months old! Leo, Luke, and I went to Burlington's Fletcher Allen hospital to check out his heat. He was a great traveller. He made many friends and actually enjoyed himself. Luke and I left the hospital with light hearts because Leo's heart looks perfect.

Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives. - C.S. Lewis

The true object of all human life is play. - G.K. Chesterton

A happy family is but an earlier heaven. -George Bernard Shaw

“I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart for so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can be together all the time.” ― A.A. Milne

You are my sonshine!

No day is so bad it cannot be fixed with a nap. - Carrie P. Snow

It is not a slight thing when those so fresh from God love us. -- Dickens