Caitlyn turns Seven!

Our lovely lady turns seven! It is strange to imagine that seven years ago she was simply a little seven pound five ounce package! I remember her full head of dark hair and the way her legs wanted to bounce up to her ears and remain in her "breech" position. Then the colic hit! I never thought she would stop crying! But she did! She went from a fussing infant into a round happy baby into a chubby toddler and then now....a slender glad hearted girl. Happy birthday, dear one. And many more!

Merry Christmas 2007

Merry Merry Christmas!!!!

Speed Bump!

Well, last year our poor neighbor girl was accidently scraped by a door and earned the nick name.."Door Stop". Not to out done Conner had a run in with a bike, literaly.

Young Haileah was riding her bike and had problems braking. Calling out to Conner, "Move out of the way. I can't stop!" Did Conner move? No. Conner got run over by a bike. We can call him Speed Bump. He is sporting a fine set of road rash! Way to go boy! Now Speed Bump can marry Door Stop!

It's over 100 years old and it is still true.........

Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.




"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.




.....Please take a moment in the holiday rush...as you look for gifts, plan events, head out to parties. Be you Christian, Jewish, Moslim, Buddist or of any other faith...take that moment and look at the blessings in your life. Cherish them, give thanks for them, love them. In the end, we are all travelers on the same journey and the trip is better if we share it.

The Twins Turn FIVE!!!

What a road we've traveled! It is very difficult to come to terms with the fact that it was only five years ago that the boys were born. Dad had his second heart attack and triple bypass, I was in the maternal ICU. Dad got better, I got worse. Then here came the twins...William 4lbs 5oz, James 4lbs 13oz. Eight weeks early. What was going to become of them? Would they be on 02 for days, or Heaven forbid, a vent? Would there be deafness, blindness, brain bleeds? What was going to happen. Typical Rooney boys. They each weighed in at about two pounds heavier than expected for their gestational age. Neither had vents, blindness, deafness or bleeds. We were home in 14 days, just in time for Christmas. Mom and Dad had Caitlyn, Jennifer made a mad dash to be with me while Steve nursed a fledgling company. Were we INSANE!! I think so. I must have Dad digitize the early twin photos. Very scary.
But here they are! William at 51 lbs and James at 45 lbs. Both boys smart, both healthy. Both fully capable of driving me nuts with their anitic. Happy Birthday, Miracle boys. Start to finish you were and are an answer to many prayers. Live, laugh, love. Love ya, brodders.