This is one of my favorite blogs http://mycharmingkids.net. I started to follow it just before baby Stellan was born. This family is just amazing, fun-loving, prayerful and down to earth. There is never any complaining, just praise. I really enjoy it. I have learned many little "life" lessons from MckMama. There is a video on her 4-27-09 posting made by Niecy, and the second photo in the video is mine! I made Stellan's name and little hearts representing each member of the MckFamily in the sand at low tide, Mark added a gray heart-shaped rock (he is trained to look for them as well!)to the upper right corner as his contribution. I did this one night last week when we were out walking. I sent my photo into to Stellan's name gallery just for support along with hundreds and hundreds from all over the world. I was shocked when I viewed the video yesterday and there was my Stellan name photo! The video is beautiful. I try not to "whine" too much/too often in my blog and this blog is like a breath of fresh air. After all Stellan has been through, his mother still keeps upbeat and never, ever has complained! 
I got my first glimpse of May flowers on April 24th. This is the earliest I have ever seen them. Every year since Ashton could walk, she would bring me a tiny fistful of these flowers. Will she keep her tradition of bringing me flowers this spring?? I also saw my first dandelions of the year.
In the photo above are some tiny green fern buds I saw last week. In the photo below, here are what ferns look like now! This was taken today, the 27th.
Today when Buddy and I were walking on the preserve I had to stop and wait for him a few times (chipmunk chase being one reason) so really looked around at the various types of buds appearing. In the spring I am always so anxious to see the flowers bloom and the leaves appear. I found that the buds themselves are very intriguing and pretty as well.
This photo shows a bud and if you look very closely, a little spider web is attached to the bud and branch.
I have no idea what the little bud above is but it caught my eye.
I was amazed by how very fancy some of the buds were.
These bright spots of green amazed me, the buds have pushed their way right through the leaf!
I don't know what this bud is but it was so pretty. While Buddy happily dug in the mud beside the trail I snapped some photos. Below is a view looking down upon the flower. 
This view shows the dainty inside. I think a lesson I took from today's walk is to slow down, look around and enjoy the little things in life! I try to "learn" something new each day. Guess what I found today in my travels...
These photos are of Ashton's older brother Courtney's Grand March. The first photo was taken as he came into the high school gym at the beginning of the Grand March. In the second photo he is looking towards the camera. The young men wear tuxedoes with a red carnation boutenniere and the girls wear long, white gowns, white shoes and carry a bouquet of carnations. The students practice daily for two weeks at the end of the school year for this March. Its very elaborate and townspeople crowd the gym for the event. Its held at 8 p.m. on Graduation night. Ashton has her hair appointment already scheduled for the big night! One must have a fancy hairdo to go along with her beautiful dress. Her dress has been purchased for a couple of months now. Its hard to find an all white gown unless you go to a bridal shop or specialty shop. I found Ashton's on sale at JCPenney's. The dresses that are worn range from simple to very elaborate. The parents of the graduates march into the gym ahead of the graduates and have reserved seats so they can watch the event with a great view. Once the March is done, the girls separate the bouquet they carried, one part to the young man, the other to her. Then the graduates mothers' receive the bouquets from their child. Its very touching and I plan on carrying a box of tissues! However, I must admit I have been looking forward to seeing my daughter participate in this wonderful night. 
This photo is of Courtney dancing with Ashton after his Grand March. She was 5 in this photo. Gosh I loved dressing her in fancy, ruffled socks and patent leather shoes and her dress was so pretty with a petticoat underneath. Her cousin Robyn is all dressed up as well in a party dress and braided pigtails. 
Here is our family at Benjamin's Grand March in 2004. I must say that Ashton (with braces!) enjoyed dancing after the graduates had marched in, with all of her friends. There is a DJ for the occasion and once the big event is over, little girls take to the floor and dance away! Next it will be her turn....And yes I did say on the day Ashton was born that I would need to start saving for her Grand March dress! You remembered Aunt Jean! 
Here is a body pillow for her dorm room. She and I went to Target one day this past week and guess what? She came home with the coveted pillow she had wanted to buy during an earlier visit but decided after much discussion with her mother that she had plenty of time to choose her bedding for college.
Well what can I say, you might as well buy the matching sheets and comforter to go along with the pillow while you are there....and especially when one has been "dreaming" about this very same set since one laid eyes on it the week before...
This past week has been a little more "spring-y". Once daily savings time starts, I will wait for Mark to get home from work and together we walk either next door on the Zak Preserve, Ovens Mouth east or west, Linekin Preserve or the Porter Preserve 
The previous two photos of a blue heron were taken with using my zoom lens. The bird was across the river from the trail we were on and I was lucky to have a "bird's eye" view of it. We are awaiting the arrival of the heron that visits our marshy backyard each spring.
These ferns popped right out with their gorgeous green color. They looked as if they had been carefully placed there. 
The boys taking a rest...and here is a photo of Ovens Mouth east, looking across from the west trail. We have kayaked through here a few times from our home and it is a peaceful trip. And I found another heart rock....
On our walk late Wednesday on Porter Preserve we found this little group of jonquils (??) down on the shore line. There was a home located there close to a hundred years ago but all that is left is a foundation and well. It was nice to see something growing near all the foundation rocks and right near where the tide comes in. 
How peaceful is this? We like to stop here on our hike and just "rest". The bench is set up on a huge rock and gives a most wonderful view of some little islands in the river as well as a rock at low tide that harbors lots of seals. We saw a few seals this day lounging about.
The photo below is a neat rock from an old stonewall that we hiked by on our way out. 
And last but not least, a perfect spot to spell out "Stellan" in a sheltered cove. 
Friday afternoon Mark put the bluebird boxes up after carefully reading an article my Aunt Jean sent me called "Bringing Back The Bluebirds". The article was perfect, explaining how to put up the box and where it should be located. 
Just in case I haven't mentioned lately (ahem) that we had two male bluebirds in the yard from the end of January through the end of March. We had much enjoyment watching the bluebirds and my Uncle Ken very nicely and efficiently made us some bluebird boxes. I hope the boxes will hold bluebird families this spring and summer. The vacancy sign is out!
Yesterday Mark and I headed out along the main highway that goes by our home and picked up the litter. Mark made a day of it last spring and once again in the fall and yesterday's haul is shown below. The sad thing is that this is the result of collecting approximately 1/4 miles round-trip from our driveway. Grrr....Its not my favorite thing to do on a beautiful and sunny Saturday but I felt much better after picking up all the trash. If we all would just do a little bit wouldn't that be wonderful? Of course if people didn't throw trash out of car windows we wouldn't have to spend time cleaning up! The haul was quite interesting, two tires, two hub caps (Chrysler and Ford) a smashed cell phone and across the road its battery, lots and lots and lots of cigarette butts, and fast food trash galore and many soda bottles. We found a grocery list, special order tag for a construction company, dead birds (that we left alone), and various pieces that might have one day been a shelving unit. 
Friday night I saw a big turkey across the brook. I was able to zoom in from my living room window and caught perhaps a "rendezvous" in the making!
Oh was Mr. Turkey strutting his stuff....
And there she was, the objection of his affection! Another P.S. I was just finishing up my post when two eagles soared overhead. It was amazing to see two at once, usually we just have one here. I was mesmerized by the graceful soaring they did as the pair made their way towards my neighbors homes.
Here he is on his first birthday, looking quite dapper I must say. The bow tie really gave him a "classy lookl".
A die-hard Red Sox fan from way back when, attending his first Red Sox game at the age of 4 and sitting through it nicely.
This is one of my favorite photos. He was 13 years old. This photo was taken by a photographer from a local newspaper and catches him in the air, while throwing the ball. Ben loves baseball and has played since he was 4. He has been on many All-Star teams over the years and Ashton and I have certainly followed the team all over the place. I miss it now.
He was a "Dennis The Menace". I would never know where I would find him, doing whatever suited his fancy or like this photo, sitting with a paper bag on his head (around age 4)or perhaps up in a pine tree! He was about 5 or so in that photo.
He was 5 years old in this photo.
Ben had just turned 3 years old when he visited the Easter Bunny.
This photo was taken in 1998 when Ben played on the Maine baseball team at Cooperstown, New York. What an experience he had. He was the team catcher. The boys stayed in a bunkhouse with other teams. The coach called me early one morning at the motel I was staying in that Ben had fallen out of the top bunk the night before but never woke up during the whole experience! He assured me Ben was fine but Coach thought he had better report to Mom! The park was huge with several fields to play on and with teams from all over the country. Ben was chosen to be in the Home Run Derby for the Maine team and that was a big thrill. It was a week that I imagine he will never forget and me either. He is posing with his cousin Stephen who lives in NY and came to watch a game with his parents and baby sister. 
Ben was 13 years old here. He, Ashton and I visited some friends in The Forks where the kids got to swim, canoe and ride bikes on dirt roads for miles. Ben was my navigator on many road trips.
Here he is feeding a deer at Kokadjo near Moosehead Lake. All animals seem to gravitate towards Ben. Actually BuddyTheElf "chose" Ben to be his master instead of the other way around!
As the family says "Ben being Ben". Ashton is so very lucky to have her two older brothers as they both have always doted on her. They also are very protective of her and would do anything for her. The next photo is of Ashton and Ben when he was 5. He could always get her to smile and laugh.
In the following photo Ben had just turned 9. He and I made our first plane trip across the country to California to visit a sister and her new baby. Ben guided us everywhere through the changing of planes, through O'Hare like he had done it forever and was thrilled to be able to buy a Michael Jordan t-shirt in Chicago. M.J. was Ben's hero for many years. Ben is sporting a newly shaved head. My brother-in-law was stationed at TwentyNine Palms as a Marine and thrilled Ben when he took him for a real "Marine's haircut". Please note that Ben also was sporting new Michael Jordan sneakers we found on sale while in TwentyNine Palms. We had a most wonderful trip together.
And my "Dennis the Menace" grew up to go to college and graduate in May 2008 with a degree in Sports Management. The little boy who told me when I gave him a hug after graduation "don't cry Mom", and made me cry even more, the little baby who we almost lost when he was just 3 months old and underwent heart surgery, and the teenager who volunteered as a basketball coach at the Y, who mowed lawns and washed dishes summers, and worried about his sister when she went to school. The little boy who now works for a professional hockey team! 
Happy, happy Birthday Benjamin love Mom.