Oregon Ducks...

The boys are off to see the Ducks play. They’ve been looking forward to this game since I purchased the tickets in July.

I’ve been disgusted and saddened by the actions of the NFL these days and must say that college football for us is where it’s at...The players are still honoring this country, our flag and our freedoms...so I’m all in until I hear otherwise.

Win The Day...🦆🦆

Girls night...

The boys headed off today to see the Oregon Ducks play and the girls and I decided to get crafty. When you’re a mom who doesn’t know the first thing about sewing, you improvise so we did some tie blankets. The girls each picked their own materials and did 80 percent of the work on their own. Later we will grab pizza and watch a movie. Yay for girl time...

The ultimate gift...

I was looking through my camera roll and came upon this photo from Scarlett’s baptism. Her smile says it all. She’s thrilled to be a member of the church just like all of her brothers and sisters. I can see that in her eyes. There’s no other happiness that compares to receiving the lord, Jesus Christ in your life. No other happiness.... 

Brotherly love...

I’m thinking that in a year when Austin leaves for a mission that a certain little girl will be heartbroken for a little while. These two have a bond that is truly unbreakable....

Hidden talent...

My little Grace asked if she could learn to French braid. I showed her one YouTube video and then demonstrated it myself. She tried it on me and literally did amazing. This was her very first try. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that I couldn't truly French braid until I was like 25! But my girls...they amaze me with how natural they are at this kind of thing. They could teach me a thing of two...

Teacher...

I was so proud of Connor last night. He realized he had to teach a class at church to the 15/16 year old boys and he immediately started preparing. He and Chris worked on it for at least an hour then Connor tied it all together on his own.

In the end...he ended up having to teach ages 12 to 18. But because he was prepared he was able to do it and do it well.

Positively beautiful...

It's been so fun to watch Halee transform from a child to a homemaker...She calls or texts everyday telling me of all the yummy dinners and treats she's making for herself and Jared. Plus, she's working so she has a lot on her plate and yet she has such a positive attitude. I think she's really in her element right now. And she's dang good at it.

Little reminders that remind us of love...

My husband has had this shoeshine kit since I don't even know when. All I know is that he has had it ever since we married 20 years ago and he's probably had it years before that. I was doing a bit of decluttering today since I will be going back to work next week and Chris gave me permission to throw it out. When Austin found out about it he immediately told me that I absolutely and positively could not throw his memories away. He then texted his older sister for back up. And apparently she agreed with him. So as it stands, it is now safely tucked away in the attic. Something tells me that one day even I will be happy that we kept it.

When you see your child happy...

Halee sends me pictures like this and all I see is happiness...pure and simple happiness. And then I feel an enormous amount of gratitude to Jared for taking care of her. For being "Johnny lingo" and telling her and showing her, through affection and effort that she's worth that of a queen.

One day they'll make babies and those babies will be so blessed to have them and this unique relationship in their lives.

Young at heart...

I showed this picture to my girls the other day and asked them who it was and they immediately knew it was my mom (their mamaw.) she has not changed much. Yes, it's been close to 60 years (since this photo) and she's a billion years wiser. But her countenance is still the same. And it's beautiful...

He knows...

"It's a wonderful life." Pretty much the best Christmas movie ever made. I love this line from that movie. "Ask dad he knows" because let's face it...he just does! I also love this candid picture of my dad because you just plain cannot argue with a face like that. He just knows...and what a comfort it is that he does.

Handy as heck husband...

My dishwasher quit today and I had a mini meltdown because I can't live without a dishwasher. I texted Chris and said I wanted to cry because I simply CANNOT survive without a dishwasher. So what did he do? After work he climbed on in and did something to it...I have no clue what...he could have been making out with the dishes for all I care. Whatever he did worked like a charm. He became my true hero of the day. What would I do without a man in my life!?!! (Take that...feminists.)

Fire...

It's a hard thing to watch. The place you call home on fire. Is our house on fire? No. Is our home on fire? Yes.

We've lived here for 15 and a half years and the beauty that surrounds us is breathtaking. Seeing so much of it go up in flames is not an easy pill to swallow. But more than that...my heart goes out to all the families who have had to evacuate their homes. 

It really is a testament that God can give, but he can also take. And he doesn't do it to punish us, but sometimes hard things happen so we can grow. That's how much he loves us.

We pray this ends soon and the beauty of this area can one day be restored. 

Pure imagination...

What is it about a child's imagination that is the coolest thing in the whole universe? Because, well, it's authentic. They believe in the things they create and they aren't hard on themselves like we as adults are. They are so much more forgiving of imperfection.

Grace made these homemade shoes out of bubble wrap and some shiny paper. Put her signature brand on them (GC) and couldn't be a happier girl.

It reminds me of my favorite movie (willy wonka and the chocolate factory) I love the line from the song "pure imagination" that goes "come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination living there you'll be free if you truly wish to be." 

Grace wished it and she got it...

Paddle time...

I still officially have two weeks left of play time before I have to go back to work. I've loved having so many days of one on one with Austin. Knowing he will be leaving on a mission in a year and a half has made me appreciate every minute I have with him. He is such a blast to hang out with...

All good things must end...

It's happened. Summer has officially come to an end for us. After Labor Day it just feels time to think about fall and Halloween and stuff like that. And I'm actually really excited about this.

We ended our summer with one last boating day. There are fires burning near us and the air wasn't that ideal but we made the best of it. We also took a few minutes to pray for the people affected by a huge fire 20 miles from us. I couldn't help but feel gratitude today that my family was safe and my heart goes out to those that could potentially lose their homes.

We ended the day with pizza, salad and soda.

A great way to end our summer...