Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Update...

Two posts in one day! 
Has to be some kind of record (for me), but I wanted to share with you the completed class page I did for my daughter's teacher.  It will be included in the scrapbook album that the parents are presenting to her on Friday afternoon.
I have such a hard time with photos like this...all sorts of different colors, so this one took me a few hours to do.  In the end, I didn't think it turned out too badly.
Happy Tuesday!
M.

A beautiful day in so many ways

Spent all day Saturday with three of my favorite people.  My girls.  We went to lunch and then headed to Ft. Popham where we explored, played in the sand & surf, and looked for sea shells in the sun. 
Simple pleasures that I will cherish forever. 

I absolutely love spending time with them because they're each so special in their own unique ways.  I feel as if I'm learning something new and exciting every time we're together.  I realize that time isn't on my side, so I'm drinking in every single second and etching it into my memory.
 It was a beautiful day!
I hope you had a memorable weekend!
M.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Words aren't enough

My daughter, Madison, and nephew, Kolby, are both finishing up second grade this year.  They've been blessed with the same teacher since the beginning of first grade.  Miss Morrow.  Not only has Miss Morrow fostered a love of school and learning, but she's instilled a sense of confidence and an understanding of true friendship in each and every one of her students. 

I've personally witnesses an incredible change in my daughter since meeting Miss Morrow.  She's gone from an excessively shy little girl to an active participant in the gifted program, while my nephew has emerged from his shell with a zest for life and the ability to make new friends.

Two years is certainly long enough to form a special bond but not nearly long enough when it must come to an end.

Teachers like Miss Morrow who invest not only their precious time but willingly offer a piece of themselves to each student are rare.  It's not lost on the parents of her students either, and we intend to present her with a one-of-a-kind memory album.  Each parent is creating a scrapbook page of their child and including letters from both parent and child.  I think it's the perfect gift when words aren't enough to express our sincere gratitude.

This is the page that I created of my daughter:

My Madison has the most contagious smile, and I wanted to capture it's beauty.  Our letters are written on individual tags tucked inside the envelope.
This is the page I did of my nephew, Kolby.  My sister claims she is devoid of any artistic talent.  I don't believe her, but I did it anyway because I love doing anything creative.
Kolby is unique.  He's a loner with his own way of viewing the world.  I chose pictures that reflected this.  Their letters are also written on tags tucked into little coin envelopes that I created from coordinating patterned papers.
The last day of school is June 13th, and we're presenting Miss Morrow the album sometime before that.  I hope to get some pictures of the completed project beforehand so that I can share it with you.

Until then, have a wonderful Monday!
M.

UPDATE: 
I finished the cover to the album and wanted to post a picture.
I also added an element to Kolby's page.  I thought that the third coin envelope should have something in it, so I created a "living" tag on a popsicle stick and stuck it in.

Thanks for peeking!
M.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Do I need a door stop?

They say that all great things must come to an end.  Well, I refuse to accept that with arms wide open and a grin just because they say so; especially when those great things involve my girls growing up too fast.
My oldest, Molly, will be attending Junior High in the fall.  I'm not even sure when that happened.  In a blink of an eye she went from the most adorable cooing baby to a tween with an attitude and weird taste in clothes (she does look good in those skinny jeans though).  All this time I managed to fool myself into believing that she was still my sweet innocent little girl because the backtalk and the fact that she knows it all didn't slap me in the face hard enough.  Then I spent 12 hours with her and 80 of her 5th grade classmates walking the Freedom Trail in Boston. 
She was able to visit the places she learned about in the classroom, and I was forced to look at and accept reality.  My baby girl is growing up whether I want her to or not.
You don't have to like it when the door closes on something great; you just have to open your eyes and yourself to the next great thing coming in.
We both learned something on that hot and humid day in Boston (there IS a Dunkin' Donuts on every corner).
Molly is a beautiful, friendly, smart young lady with a great sense of humor.  I'm proud to be her mom, and I'm looking forward to walking hand in hand with her through the next door to all the wonderful things yet to be (this time I'm wearing a helmet).
M.