Memorial Day 2018...

We had a nice little hike. The kids threw logs down the river to see how fast the current was. We had a picnic. It was perfect.

A real haircut...

When Halee visited recently she claimed that Grace and Scarlett were starting to look like pilgrim girls...don’t you just love honesty. Their hair was pretty darn long I must admit so I took matters into my own hands (not literally because I’m a horrible hair cutter) and de pilgrimized them. It’s hard to believe we cut off four inches. And it’s still lovely and long. They haven’t stopped running their fingers through it.

Potential...

Have you ever walked three miles straight up hill? I’m here to tell you that it’s painful and your knees want to fall off and your butt and thighs are on fire and you want to crawl in a hole and sleep there. 

After the first 1.5 miles we came to a peak where it was beautiful. There were lots of sunflowers and the river was lovely. I wanted so much to stop there. We all did...except the naughty Austin who wanted so badly to make it to the top of the mountain. I told him that we shouldn’t bother...it couldn’t get much prettier than this! But I could see in his eyes how much he wanted it so we trudged forward. The last mile was so hard. You were up so high that there was moisture and it was so cold. But near the top the clouds and rain cleared and all of a sudden it was like stepping into munchkin land where you go from black and white to a million beautiful colors. The amount of flowers at the top was exponentially more than that of the lower peak. The view was so much more pristine. It was like stepping into heaven. I thought to myself how easy it is in life to settle for less than our potential. If we just sacrifice a little bit more and endure a little bit more the payoff is worth it. We are worth it.

Planting time...

I’m so thankful for my worker bees. They helped us till and hoe, mow and plant all morning. Soon we’ll have squash and tomatoes (cherry tomatoes are my personal favorite) carrots, cucumbers and corn. And by fall we will have jack o’ lantern style pumpkins. If it weren’t for the kids being so excited and eager for a garden I’d probably be too lazy to make it happen but the delight in their faces when the vegetables start to grow is worth every minute of the hard work.

Worthy memories...

Grace and I pulled out my running medals that I’ve done over the past 8 years. My kids love to admire each one and compare and contrast the colors and quality of each medal. Tonight while looking at them it reminded me of each and every race and the differences between them. Some were much much harder than others. There were a few I felt great in and others where I had such a bad headache afterward I thought I might die. Or where my body hurt so bad that I could barely walk. Or others where I’d literally fantasize about stopping and sitting on a nearby park bench and just give up. But I kept going. I couldn’t help but recognize that my races are like life. Some moments are more difficult than others but you just have to keep going...one step at a time. And looking back (just like life) I wouldn’t change any of the difficulties I endured because it made me stronger. 

My buddies...

I have absolutely loved having halee home for 10 days. She’s been running with me and today we even dragged Austin along. Afterward we went biking which was such a blast. I’m going to miss this girl when she leaves. 

Mother’s Day 2018

I got a super great Mother’s Day present this year. Halee came to visit. I had all 6 children under my roof at once. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. 

Prom 2018...

My boy went to prom...he’s just so very handsome. I love him.

Boys will be boys...

P.S I’m really glad I’m a girl.

Beautiful...

There’s really no other word to describe how lovely our hike was on Saturday. Nevermind...I lied. It was HARD. It was at least four miles round trip which wasn’t easy in and of itself but it was the up up up then down down down that made this baby difficult. It was so worth it though being surrounded by the gorgeous wild flowers and scenery. Plus, we got to do it with our best friends. Needless to say when bedtime came we all basically slept like rocks. Such a wonderful day...

Breakfast at Tiffany’s....

Well not quite...but close enough because we took Grace out for brunch to celebrate her birthday once more. She got a huge waffle topped with strawberry’s and whip cream. She’s worth all the yummy treats in the universe.

Music to my ears...

My boy...serenading me. ❤️

My men...

I feel so fortunate. I have three teenage boys. That can be scary at times but mostly it is very comforting. I won’t lie...I’m not a feminist...I like to be taken care of by my husband and teenage boys. The more the merrier as far as I’m concerned. Yes indeed, I am so blessed.

This child...

I’m not sure what to do with this boy but nobody can claim he doesn’t have a sense of humor.

P.S He passed his drivers test with a 95%. Watch out universe...

11 years ago today...

A beautiful little lady named Grace came into this world. She came with kindness and love. She gives more than she could ever possibly take. She’s one of the most selfless human beings I know. Her dogs are her world. She loves, loves, loves whales. She wakes up smiling. She always says “love you mom” at least 5 times before she leaves for school and before she goes to bed at night. She loves gymnastics and is legitimately good at it (as is Scarlett.) She cries in movies about dogs. She’s reminds me of lilacs in spring. 

We love you dear Grace. Stay young just a little bit longer...