I Looked Out the Window and What Did I See?...

...Popcorn popping on the apricot tree!" It is cherry blossom time and if you are advantagious enough you can drive to Washington DC to see the beautiful cherry trees and take part in the parade...or you can come visit me and look down my street and see what literally looks like "popcorn popping on the trees!" All we have to do is look out the window or walk out the door and you are in the presence of beauty provided by nature! This new background of blossoms looks like the trees on my street. I will have to take a picture of it if I can get a camera that works.

Along with the beauty of the blossoms there is the sudden appearance of the bees, wasps and flies! It is as if they were just waiting for company. They don't seem to want to come out to play unless we are out there!

At this time of year, activities also change...we are involved with softball(Kathryn and Angela), track(Aaron) and graduation preparations(Jonathon from UHS and Andrew from WVU)...plus Nathan and Jessica's wedding coming up in July! Lauren is thrilled as we have gone through our bookshelves and has discovered some books she hadn't read yet.

There is a lot to be excited about but mostly it is just wonderful to walk outside and feel the good ole' sun shining delightfully from up in the sky to say "Welcome to the day, and isn't life wonderful".

Jon won #1 in State Wrestling Finals!

Well, all those hard days, months, and years of practice finally paid off for Jon the end of February. We went down to watch the State finals held in Huntington, WV. It was a very exciting moment. I had to call my two grandsons for good luck and to calm my nerves before the match. The guy he beat was a 2 time champ and was ranked nationally. Jon was confidant and Ben was right there supporting him. He did a great job and won 6 - 3. It has been so fun and exciting for all of us to share in Jonathon's accomplishments. Jon will tell you that it was with the help of his bro and friend, Ben, who helped him out as a workout partner. He had great coaches and underclassmen who were supportive. It has been so fun to watch our two sons wrestle through high school and as the coach said at the banquet, there will be no Waldron's on his next roster. This is the first time in over six years there won't be a Waldron on their team. Between Ben and Jon it has been a great experience watching them go through all these matches and learn so much. They have matured and have grown. We are closing this chapter in our Waldron book of life but I am sure there are more chapters ahead that will bring us much joy.

Nathan is Engaged!

We are so excited to be gaining another daughter in our family this coming July. Nathan has great taste in choosing a companion. Jessica Miller is everything we could hope for and more. She is a doll and so sweet. She isn't afraid of our big and crazy family, in fact, she fits right in. I remember one of the first times she came to visit us and we played this crazy card game called 'Egyptian Ratscrew'. It is a game where it can be a little intimidating. She was a little nervous to play but in the end, she won! She has also won our hearts and we are so thrilled for them. She has what Nathan seems to need and visa-versa. They met while working at Kroger's and the story they tell about getting up enough nerve to talk to each other is cute. Nathan bought her a beautiful and unique ring. We officially met her family at a dinner we had together at the church, which is wonderful for us as well. They are planning to get married July 12th, this year. I have to say, I have not seen Nathan this happy in a long time, he just seems to glow.

Due to "Technical Difficulties"

Don't you just hate it when you hear...'due to technical difficulties'...the show will be postponed or whatever. Well, that is sort of what has happened in my life. I have had one "technical difficulty" after another. If it isn't the camera breaking ( all 3 cameras at the same time!!!!), it is the computer that has a virus (I am not complaining only amazed that not only is it our home computer having problems, but Richard's work computer and so here I sit at the good ole' public library using their computer - if these go down, then I can say that I have some bad luck! ha) ...to my cell phone being lost ...to me trying to finagle any sort of a cell phone to use until the two year contract comes due again.... to my microwave quitting the day after Kathryn looks up and asks me how old it is and how much longer will it work?! Ugh...I am afraid I am living in a technical world and am very tetchy-deprived lady which is why I haven't been on my blog recently. I have had with-drawls. I have thought of all sorts of things to write about...like the other day - it was a snow day (wait, we've had several snow days, so they kind of run into each other). Anyway, like I was saying, it was snowing and there were some cardinals pecking on the pine cone covered with peanut butter and seeds that Angela's Activity girls made for the birds. It was a beautiful sight and what was really neat is that the birds really ate from the pine cone. I had no camera and no Internet to write it down so I add it here. I did witness it and it was a lovely moment. Ugh... the life of the bloggers. I will return. Hopefully it won't take me too much longer to resolve my techy problems plaguing my life.

Angela's Hair Cut

I have been pretty amazed at my daughter Angela. She is very loving and giving of herself to others (most of the time that is...). Well, she has been growing her hair out for several years now. Last year she decided she would grow it long enough to donate it to the 'Locks of Love' foundation. Originally we were going to cut it last summer but then her sister Rachel got engaged and I asked her to wait until after the wedding so it would be long and pretty for the pictures. She agreed a little reluctantly as it was hot and got pretty tangly by then...(she has a very sensitive head!). Well, the wedding came and went - her hair looked beautiful for the pictures. Then the holidays were upon us and to be honest, I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. Then after the holidays, Angela came to me pleading to cut her hair. She wanted it cut before she went back to school. I was still quite apprehensive about cutting it myself but she wanted me to. I found a website http://www.locksoflove.org/ It was very helpful explaining what was needed and how to do it. I got my courage up and decided I could/would do it. Of course there was now working camera in the house, so I had Richard film it on the video. (A couple days later, when we went to babysit Eli for Ami, we asked her to take a picture of Angela. That would be the one at the top.) It was a very exciting moment for Angela. After we measured her hair, we found out she would be able to donate 14"! Wow. (a minimum of 10" is required) We gathered her hair into an elastic and put it into a ponytail and braided it, then cut it off! She was so happy to have that much hair to donate! She looks adorable with her new short little bob!

There's no day like a Snow Day!

Snow Day!

What better way to start off the new year than with a snow day? School was cancelled. It was so great to not have to get up the 2nd day of January and get all the kids up and out the door...instead we made pancakes, dressed warmly and went outside and played in the powdery stuff called snow. I think we had about 13 inches or more! It was beautiful! Friends came here and then they went to the Ude's and then Hanna's and then to the Wright's. It is so nice to have good neighbors! I think the kids played more outside than they would have on on a normal day.