September 11, 2001

 Never forget.  

19 years ago, our family was living just outside of Boston, Ma.  

Ironically, Ryan was in Augusta, Ga, our current home, on a business trip.  Colin and I has stayed behind and had plans to join friends for a playdate at the Little Gym that morning.  With Colin plugged in front of the TV watching Baby Einstein, I hopped into the shower and began getting ready for our day.  The TV was on in our room with the Today Show on the air.  I was half-listening to the Katie Couric and Matt Lauer when all of a sudden I heard Matt begin to speak of a plane hitting a World Trade Center tower.  I stepped into the room to hear more, watched the video playback - Matt was guessing the type of plane as that information was not readily available at that moment.  Then, as one tower was shone burning on the screen, another plane came in and hit the second tower just minutes later.  Matt was stunned as was all of America.  We were under attack.

I listened to the radio as we drove to our playdate....panic was setting in all over the world.  Planes were grounded, towers were falling due to the inability to withstand the heat, and yet another plane would soon hit the Pentagon and another would nosedive into a field in Pennsylvania.  By noon, America was well aware of the danger of the situation, and the deaths were adding up by the minute.  Families were frantically calling their loved ones.  

What I remember about that day most are the clear blue skies.  It was beautiful.  The crisp air, a slight breeze, Fall was coming quickly to the New England states and that particular day was ideal.  With all of the beauty that surrounded me, it was hard to believe that just 40 minutes from our location, two planes had taken off destined for tragedy, led by horrible people.  

Ryan was due to return home the next day.  His flight was immediately canceled until further notice.  The more we watched and were updated on the situation of that day, the more terrified I became.  My family was all in SC.  My husband was in GA. Thankfully, Ryan was able to get one of the last rental cars from the airport.  He and his coworker drove home that day and arrived safely well into the night.  He still speaks of the smoke and flames he saw as they drove around NYC.  

It's hard to imagine that I lived through that.  It's even harder to realize that it has been 19 years  - it truly seems like yesterday.  

Happiest of Birthdays, dear Chapman!

And last but certainly not least, we celebrated Chapman's birthday!!  It is hard for the youngest sister to watch her two big sisters have birthday celebrations right before her own is celebrated....way hard.  But, she does it each year and we all celebrate big when her day/week arrives.

Our girl LOVES all things outdoors and animals - all the animals, big, little, slimy, and soft.  So, this called for a trip to the zoo.  She loved every minute of this and begged to stay longer.  

Birthday week was spent at school with her new Kindergarten friends and they all sang Happy Birthday to her - she gifted them each with a special cupcake.  Her actual birthday was spent doing all things little girl.....manis, pedis and an ice cream lunch that included a special treat from the ice cream store.  

Lastly, we had a big day of family singing and presents and her favorite, a Peppa Pig cake.  Oh, and a singing birthday card from Gran and Pop.  Singing cards have become a hot item during birthday time.  

We are so thankful for this gift.  She is all things precious - quite a combination of the personalities of her siblings.  She is absolutely the sweetest, cuddliest little one yet there is some spice in her too.  She has all sorts of knowledge that we often wonder where she has learned things but don't ask her to read or write as those two things are not on her agenda just yet.  She loves playing with her big sisters but can be just as content to play by herself.  She is a fish in the pool.  To know her is to love her - the cuteness factor is big.  Her one request this birthday was a lamb stuffed animal with glasses just like hers.....thankfully, one was found and her day was made!