I didn't know what to say!

I have always told Sara that she can do or be anything she wants to be!  And I know that in my heart to be true, and I think that it has empowered my daughter to do some amazing things already.  She's learned to sit up, crawl, and walk with a walker (all things the doctors told me were probably impossible).  She's already learning to read, and she understand other advanced concepts most of her peers don't even know exist in the world yet.

But then this weekend, I finally didn't know what to say.  My daughter told me she wanted to be a fighter pilot when she grows up...and I know that will never happen for her.  But I've spent all this time telling her she can do anything, so how do I now tell her that she will not be able to do that?

It started because there was an air show this weekend at the airport near our house.  The flight path for the runway takes them right over our house, so we got to sit in the yard and watch the planes flying over head.  Sara was completely fascinated by the F-16 fighter jets!  She just thought they were awesome, and that's when she told me when she grew up she wanted to fly them.

It almost brought me to tears to think that I had to tell my little girl that she had finally found something that wasn't an option for her.  So after quickly gathering my thoughts, I told her I thought that would be fun but if she couldn't what else did she want to do.  She said if she couldn't fly jets, then she would still be a doctor.  She told me she wanted to be a doctor so she could help other kids like her a couple months ago, and of course, I encourage that with my whole heart.  I know she can do it.  She's smart enough, kind enough, and understanding enough.  And being in a wheelchair might actually make her better at it.

But it was really hard to look my daughter in the eye and have to consider telling her there was something she couldn't do.  I hope that I didn't say the wrong thing, I hope that she won't realize too soon that there are limits which she is bound to.  She is a free spirit, and I want her to remain so as long as possible.  But she's growing up fast, and all too soon she'll realize that I'm a liar...there are lots of things she will never do!  I hope that day never comes, but I know that some day it will have to.  Please God, don't let it be soon!  I'm not ready to break her heart!

Family Pictures

This last weekend we met with some of the family to have some pictures taken.  Mostly it was to get my nephew's newborn photos done, but it was decided that we should also take a new family photo.

So here are some of the photos that were taken.  We took up three different sittings to get them all done, so obviously there are too many to post here.  But of course, I will provide you with my favorites!

Here are the highlights of Sara and myself!

Here are just a couple of the rest of the clan!

Sara and myself, along with my sister, Barb, and her son, Corbin.

 The kids...Brian (my nephew), Alexis (my niece), and Sara (my baby).

The whole clan...Barb, Ed (my stepdad), Alexis, Bonnie (my mom), Corbin, myself, Brian, and Sara.

So there you have it, some of the results of 3 hours of taking photos with 4 crazy kids and way too many adults trying to make decisions!  Its hard not to love family chaos!

Sara's New Best Friend

We went this weekend to meet my nephew, and Sara's cousin, for the first time.  He's a handsome little devil, but I might be a tad biased too.  Sara wasn't so sure at first, and she never did hold him, but she loves being next to him and singing to him.  She told me that she plans for them to be best friends, and she can't wait to show him all her toys so he can play with her.  She also asked my sister if we could take him to the zoo soon cause she wants to show him all the animals.

He's really wiggly for a newborn.  If he's awake, he's flailing his arms around and throwing his head all over.  This made it really hard for Sara to hold him and she decided not to.  But when we put him in his swing for a rest, she was quite the attentive little baby sitter.

Here are some pics that were taken this weekend.  He's a thumb sucker, so it was hard to get pics of him without his hand in or near his mouth.  But I got a couple good ones!

And here's a video I shot of her "taking care of him" while he's in his swing.  The audio is a little hard to hear, but she's singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat to him in the beginning.  Its a little long, being about 1:30, but its a cute one!

I can't wait to see them grow up together!  And I hope that Sara is right; I hope they are the best of friends!

Announcing....

I'd like to take a moment to introduce my new nephew to the world!  Welcome to the world little man!

Corbin Taylor

AKA Bean

Corbin entered the world on Aug. 1, 2011 at 7:44pm!

He weighs in at 7 lbs. 7 oz. and is 20 in. long!

 

Veggies Anyone?

Our garden has been coming along really well.  We lost some plants in the beginning, but the rest have flourished.  Up until now, we've only gotten one or two strawberries or a handful of green beans.  Not much to brag about.

But this weekend it was time for the first real harvest of our garden!  And here's what we got....

Yes, that's a 12" ruler in the middle.  And yes, that cucumber at the bottom is about 18" long and so big around my hand can't fit all the way around it.  That tomato is almost the size of my fist, and they were all so good!

Its really awesome to be able to walk out to the garden, pick some veggies, bring them in and wash them, and then eat them right then. 

This is just round 1.  There are still about 7 or 8 cucumbers that are ready to be picked (all as big as that one in the middle), and my tomato plants are out of control.  We're just waiting for the fruit to turn red.  I have 4 tomato plants (2 regular, 2 cherry) and they each hold about 12 to 20 tomatoes each!  Guess I'll be making lots of chili and spaghetti sauce.