A Special Birthday

Dad's office is one of Ryanna's favorite places to hang out so it was the perfect place to have her very special birthday party. The pink rainbow chip cake was exactly what she wanted but even she agreed it was a good thing we also had a chocolate cake there!

 Unwrapping her new purple bike which has already been put to great use :)

 Of course Q loves daddy's office too. I think one of his favorite parts is all the sports equipment like the above helmet. His hands are like that because he was trying to catch a football - one of his favorite things to do with dad.

Can she really be 5?

 Today there are no words for the gratitude I feel to be this blossoming girl's mother. Simply put she's got it all. Spunk. Brains. Compassion. Determination. Strength. Patience. Heart!

 Mom was looking for suitable black shoes we could use for dressing up on Sunday. Ryanna came around the corner with these and we knew they were perfect for her special "5 years old!" pictures.

 For a few years I worried about Ryanna being able to handle some of the social aspects of school. This year of her attending preschool has put my feelings in their place. Maybe I'm alone but I can see that simply put I just always expected her to act older than she was. She's at just the right place to start kindergarten next year and excel.

 Last week was a crazy one. There have been more and more of those lately. Every Tuesday Ryanna comes home with a homework sheet in her backpack. She's always happy to get it out and done as soon as we get home and I hand it over to her. Well Thursday morning rolled around and we were running out the door. Palm to forehead - I had forgotten about Tuesday homework and though I knew the preschool teachers wouldn't worry about it, I knew Ryanna would be devastated not to hand it in. I calmly brought it up(preparing to convince her it was okay) to which I was shocked when she gave me a consoling look and said, "Don't worry mom I got it done and here it is in my backpack." I was shocked. It had not occurred to me that she may have taken the initiative herself and got it done. As we walked out she said, to herself I think, "What do you think my teacher would say if I showed up without my homework?!?" Yes, silly mom.

 I remember 5 years ago clearly. The calm confidence in her eyes above are exactly as she looked at me, newborn in my arms. We've been each other's every day since and I could't be more blessed than I am to be a mother.

And just when you think she's taking life a bit too seriously for a 5 year old she pulls out the old cheese smile and gets you laughing till you're sure your sides are splitting. Life holds pure joy for her. Love you my sweet girl!

Men's Hearts Shall Fail Them

Update and pics

It is sad how neglected this blog is. Below is an update I sent for the Baldwin news letter. For as much writing as I do you would think I could get on here more but obviously I just don't. I'll try to make it up to you by dispersing some pictures throughout. :)

Q the ninja, Ian the lion, Ryanna the cupcake
at the library parade

Our fall has been busy and full of new adventures. We decided to have Ryanna go to preschool this year and she has loved every minute. I taught her in a small group last year and she did love it but informed me that this year she wanted to be big and have a real teacher, not a mom teacher. :)

The head teacher at the preschool is our Bishop's wife and is amazing. She even lives up to my high(perhaps too high) expectations for education and structure in the learning setting. Quinten had a hard time with sister being in school 2 days a week. In fact, the first day he cried from the time we dropped her off until the time we picked her up. It was heartbreaking but now after 2 months he is used to the new routine and enjoying mom time.

A few months ago we decided to have Quinten tested at an early intervention program here for his speech. Though we understood a lot of what he said, most people told us they could not understand even one word. His assessment showed that he is not significantly behind but enough so that he qualifies for services such as speech therapy/play and kindermusic. When he turns 3 he will be considered for an excellent preschool here with certified speech therapists as the teachers. Don't mistake this to mean that he is seriously delayed or considered at risk of any long term delays. This is a proactive option we have and so far are pleased with the progress he is making in annuciating words instead of just blurring them all together.

Also new this fall, I've started writing news from home for the radio station Brian works for. They have been short handed and pay me per story I email to the news director. So far it has gone well. Little extra income without too much pressure or added stress. I usually do my writing after the kids are in bed and a radio news story is a pretty basic and cut down version of news. It's been nice to exercise my mind and put my writing background to use.

A good witch who was sad after
not getting to ride the bus home
from preschool

eating snow after our first snow a few
weeks ago

Visit to the newly opened Dinosaur quarry
with our buddy Dylan

excited to show mom all the bones

Of course with the school year Brian has been busy as usual. Some days he feels frustrated by his school district job and all it entails but he does great and we appreciate his hard work. He also holds an important place at the radio station as a second job and is considered the production manager. If and when the owner gets another studio built, he will also have a morning show on a country music station. We'll see how life balances out when that happens but it is exciting to look forward to.

I enjoy this life with this family at this time.

I struggle every day with the right balance of it all.

For example, my dishes are almost never all done at the same time.

ALL that kind of stuff is a struggle for me.

It is never a struggle however to enjoy Ryanna.

She has a light and determination that scares me....quite a lot.

But leaves me admiring and enjoying her all the more.

She is beautiful in soul, body, and spirit.

It is never a struggle to laugh with and melt for my blue eyed boy.

There are moments I can see the person he is and will always be.

He is charming and his laugh is infectious.

I enjoy being a partner and team member to Brian.

There is a peace in having each other as we are,

 and with our different perspectives on many, many things.

This family that is mine is the treasure in my heart.

I'm grateful to my Heavenly Father for his perfect love,

and blessing me to have this family.