Remembering Papa

One year ago this month (January 13th at 2:25PM to be exact), my Daddy left his earthly home and entered HIS Heavenly Kingdom. The days have certainly been long, but the year has been quite fast. Never has a full hour gone by, where I've not been flooded by fond memories of such a devoted, loving father who was my very best friend!

I would like to share this beautiful (pictured above) Newsletter that my sister, Cheryl, wrote, edited and designed for her church in Tennessee. She actually writes the Church Newsletter monthly, but January's edition is quite special because it honors Skyler's Papa and features child-like faith. The front page reads as follows.....

A Child-like Faith

A year ago this month, my Dad passed away and journeyed to his heavenly home where he's spending eternity with Jesus Christ. Given specific instructions from Pastor Green, I'm confident my Dad is waiting for us at the second tree on the right.

A few days after her Papa's death, my two year old niece told her mother, "Papa is happy and his ear is better." Stunned by this remarkable news from such a little person, my sister asked her daughter how she knew this Skyler replied, "Papa is here."

{I scanned page 2, below, which I hope you find easily legible}

As mentioned in the Newsletter above, Skyler is constantly sharing stories regarding her conversations with Papa and they are truly remarkable. Events that she shouldn't even know about, she has so lovingly shared. 

My Daddy's one year anniversary fell on a Sunday, so I asked Skyler if she would like to wear anything extra special to church honoring her Papa. She quickly replied, "Yes! I want to wear a blue and yellow dress." I kindly asked her why blue and yellow and she simply stated, "Blue for Papa's eyes and yellow for Jesus' gates." 

I proudly present the Princess dressed especially for her Papa...

After church, Sky changed into play clothes but expressed her desire to continue to wear blue and yellow. Her wish was my command! My sweet girls below.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your continued love and support during this past year. Not only am I blessed with your friendship, but I'm deeply honored for you caring about my Daddy, Peter L. Green. He was so much to so many.

Bubblin' Fun!

The Florida weather has been pretty typical.....just plain gorgeous! We've been spending much time outdoors and this past weekend included a new Monster Bubbles machine given to the Princess from Bob & Sandy Larson. (Tom's cousins from Connecticut)

This has definitley been a fun Christmas gift! After switching on the machine, Skyler turns the handle back and forth to make massive size bubbles.

 Making bubbles.....

Ta-Da!

 And off they fly......

Following Jesus...Matthew 4:21-22

For the past two weeks, Skyler has been studying the many ways to follow Jesus. We've jumped into the book of Matthew, Chapter 4 verses 18-22. Sky has learned about the four fisherman who later became Jesus' disciples to advance God's kingdom and carry the gospel message to the world. 

Here's Skyler doing a Cubbie homework assignment as I read her the story of Peter, Andrew, James and John fishing in the Sea of Galilee, before Jesus appeared.

Keeping with the "fish" theme, we made fish badges to help remind ourselves to tell others about the good news of the Lord Jesus.

 Another successful night at Cubbies....

I just adore this artistic picture from the Princess. It's her creation of a fish in Sea of Galilee that she drew last night at Cubbies.

Matthew 4:21-22....Jesus called them, and immediately they....followed Him. That makes ten learned bible verses for our adorable tot!

Still the Princess

Our Princess still enjoys dressing up, especially on Sundays for church. Skyler received  two more beautiful dresses from Auntie Nicola and Uncle Bogie this past Saturday. Decisions decisions on which one to wear first! Thank you Auntie Nic and Uncle Bogie for such lovely dresses and for always remembering Skyler.

I apologize for the delay in updating the blog. I am learning a new software program at work and it's really eating much of my spare time. Hoping to get back on track by weekend......thanks for all your patience.

Gal Pal Day

Nothing screams Girl Day like sharing an afternoon with your Bestie at a beauty salon. Skyler and Reese enjoyed NeNe's pampering at her salon last Saturday. Can they get any cuter?

We later got together for a cook out, that included motorized cars, S'mores and Princess costumes.

A first for the girls......

Helmets on for safety, lol!

Double Yum!

Even Daddy tried one...

Back to zooming around the cul-de-sac....

The four wheel fun switched to lower gears.....

We took the fun inside once the mosquitoes starting buzzing. The girls ended the night playing dress up. Always a hit! It had been a few weeks since a Gal Pal play date. Although the holidays & busy schedules  kept them apart, their friendship remained solid! It's truly adorable to watch them together. 

Welcome 2013!

Sweet Skyler has slept through three New Years celebrations, but her forth one was quite the opposite. Our party girl witnessed (on tellie) the most prominent celebrations in the country......the dropping of the beautiful Waterford Crystal Ball in Times Square! We enjoyed ringing in the new year at The Knowles' party, a.k.a Clayton's house!

We arrived around 8:30 and Clayton & Skyler quickly became attached to the hip! They've been buddies since birth.

The only time the two were apart was when Skyler wanted to hold Clayton's baby sister, Alison. Our Princess adores little babies, as you can see in this next picture.

We danced, ate, played with sparklers and enjoyed the elaborate neighborhood firework display. It really was amazing and I felt like we were in downtown Lakeland. The fireworks were that great!

With less than one minute left in 2012, we all ran inside to watch the ball drop, along with an estimated One Billion television viewers! I explained to Sky about the New York City tradition and how this year's ball panels feature doves etched into the crystal to symbolize peace since 2012 was such a tumultuous year.

Let the count down begin.....

 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
 

Happy New Year!!!

Our family enjoyed welcoming in 2013 with Brian, Rebecca, Clayton and Alison Knowles. We wish you all a healthy and prosperous New Year! Thanks for keeping up with our precious daughter. I look forward to sharing more new adventures during 2013.