Leslie Jenae

 I'm not sure if our children can fully comprehend a parent's love.  (Maybe when they become parents themselves!)  I love each one of them so much, that there is no way to quantify it.  Therefore, there is no way to love one more than the other.  However, there are different WAYS to love them.  And because my four kids are so unique, I find that my love manifests itself differently for each.

Our family celebrated Leslie's 23rd birthday a couple of days ago.  It was really great that she was able to make it home and spend her special day with us!

Leslie is the second of our four children.  From the very beginning, she was an easy child to take care of.  She was calm, laid back, and even started sleeping through the night when she was only a couple of weeks old.  The first night she did that scared us to death!  We were afraid to go into the nursery for fear that she had stopped breathing in the middle of the night!

Newborn Leslie and Me

When she was young, Dan and I gave her the nickname of Miss U.N. (United Nations) because she always wanted to keep everyone happy.  Leslie would pretty much do whatever her big sister, Maria, wanted to do because if Maria was happy, then Leslie was happy!  And then, if Maria wasn't around, she wanted to make sure Mom and Dad were happy.  Maria, Leslie, and I used to wait for Maria's kindergarten bus to pick her up after lunch.  As soon as Maria's bus was gone, Leslie would turn to me and say in her sweet little voice, "Mommy, it's my nap time.  Please put me to bed!"

Maria wanted to be Jasmine for Halloween, so Leslie played along and became Raja!

All parents believe that their own children are incredibly intelligent.  It's just that in my case, it happens to be true ;)  Of the four, Leslie was the one that was blessed with (what I like to call) "school smarts"!  She has the type of  intelligence that most school teachers traditionally look for.  She does very well in school, studies hard, completes assignments, and is well behaved to boot!  When she was in 4th grade, her teacher changed the class' seating arrangement monthly.  Towards the end of the year, she let the kids pick where they wanted to sit.  Leslie requested that her desk be right up against the teacher's desk and not with any other students.  (This had always been reserved for trouble-makers.)  The teacher asked Leslie, "Are you sure you want to sit there?"  Leslie replied, "I have never gotten to sit close to the teacher.  I would like to just this once!"

As Leslie grew older, she continued to be an easy child to raise.  As a middle-schooler, she and her 3 best friends would have sleep-overs.  Instead of calling boys or sneaking out, these 4 girls would stay up late writing and editing each others' fantasy stories.  We used to joke that Leslie really didn't need any parenting. She could have raised herself!

A description of Leslie's personality would not be complete without talking about her spiritual side.  I started to notice how faith-filled she was during her high school years.  The Grace of God has touched her in a special way because she has a belief in Him that is strong and enduring.  I am humbled, but happy, to admit that each of my 4 children has attributes that I aspire to achieve myself.  In Leslie's case, it is her strength of faith and commitment to God that inspires me to be more like her.

Now, before you start to think that our Leslie is too good to be true ... most personality traits have a good side and  ... shall we say ... a "flip" side!  Leslie's eagerness to please came about primarily because she was non-confrontational.  As she grew older, she learned that passive-aggressiveness was a way to get what she wanted without messing up the "Miss U.N." status.  Here's another example:  Leslie has always had a very clear sense of right and wrong, good and bad.  It's probably what helped her be such a good student and well-behaved child.  On the flip side -- she is very pragmatic!  Dan and I joke that Leslie had to leave home and go to college in order to become difficult to parent.  Leslie usually sees just one way to do things, and to suggest she try a different path ... can be exasperating at times!!!

Leslie graduated from Benedictine College in May 2012

Now Leslie's life-path is about to take some wonderful, interesting turns!  She is about a year away from completing her masters in library science.  (Who would have guessed that she would follow in MY footsteps for a career path?)  And just a few weeks ago, she said, "YES" to Andrew Gasper when he asked her to marry him!  How exciting!  It is simply marvelous to love your daughter soooo much, and then witness the man who is going to love her for the rest of their lives.

I love you, Leslie!  Happy Birthday!  And I'm so happy for you!

Cheers,
Paula  

      

 

  

Why So Cheery?

I'm starting a blog.  Not sure how this is going to pan out.  I'm actually not much of a writer.  My husband, Dan, is an accomplished writer, and I have quite a few friends who have a knack for the written word.  

But ... I DO have thoughts and ideas that I want to get out somehow!  So ... a blog seems like a pretty good way to do that.  

This first entry is about why I chose the title for my blog.

Cheers, Paula

Anyone who knows me, probably recognizes that this is how I sign off on almost everything -- letters, emails, cards, etc.  

It started way back when I was still in high school and was a cheerleader.  Back then, it was just kind of a cutesy thing!  Over time, it just stuck and has become a sort of philosophy for the way I try to live my life.  

Cheerleaders have to be eternal optimists!  Even when your team is losing (sometimes badly), you still have to smile, and clap, and face the fans with spirit and enthusiasm.  At the end of the game, it didn't matter if your team had won or lost.  The athletes could show their
disappointment.  Cheerleaders could too, but just for a little bit.  And then it was time to jump up, sing the school fight song, and swish your pom-poms through the entire routine.  (And don't forget to smile!)  

I guess after 7 years of that (Yes!  I was a cheerleader for 7 years), it just starts to become a way of life!  I started noticing something about my personality.  For me, winning or losing wasn't that big of a deal.  But ... keeping a positive attitude no matter what life threw at me was how I dealt with LIFE!  

Now, that's not to say that I am a regular "Pollyanna"!  I can be pretty negative sometimes, especially in private or with one or two close friends.  (Just ask Dan!)  But what's the point of staying in that state?  For me, it just doesn't work.  I might as well face the crowd with a smile, clap my hands and see if I can get the crowd to stand up and clap along!!!

In case you are wondering if my blog is going to turn into a big sappy happy optimist fest ...

I hope not!  I do plan on sharing with you some of my life's wins AND losses.  But I'm also going to be me!  And that means finding a way to be a "fan" of my life (and life in general) regardless of circumstances, choices, decisions, or fate. 

Cheers,
Paula