Snow. Again!

My Favorite Holiday

I love this day - and the 25 other people who surround the dining room table. It's a lot of food, a little work and a joy I can't even describe.

The Trip

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Blue Noodle Turned Purple

38+ years ago I had a blue leotard and could do amazing splits. 

Mini me is now getting called a noodle. But this time in purple. 😊

A Little Preview

Just decided to bust out a few photos before the dreary comes back to the week...I smell a Christmas card in the making!

Date Night

Momma and Dadda and Bubba. Filling buckets one burger a time. 

Friday Night Lights

Under the lights of the stadium - on the parade route - at the tailgate - we breathed in all things Homecoming. It was a rough week that ended well. The sun was out. I wore my Captain-of-the-Football-Team-Husband's letter sweater. KK got to cheer on the actual sidelines of the big-kids game. We had a great time.

Just what the family needed!

Joy

I really do love being his mom!

Just Like That

And just like that, he is 11. How did over a decade go by? How did I wait and count and pray and promise for 40 straight weeks to cook him and then watch as we now share the same shoe size, I have to lift my chin to reach the top of his head and we talk about preteen things?

He is a wonderful young man. He loves Jesus. He loves his family. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He has a few solid, true, fabulous friends. He likes to be an introvert with a few of his mother's extroverted tendencies. 

He's about 5'1", he weighs about 100 pounds. He's got eyelashes that go for miles. He still loves to cuddle, hold my hand, and tell me I'm the best mother in the world. I could not have been blessed with a more fantastic son.

Part 2

When you get to share your lawn, life and birthday week with your neighbor, you play it up big!

And then you head to Culver's with your grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins to enjoy a treat or three.

Birthday Prep

Birthday prep in full effect - and Bubs got to take his buddies to Craig's Cruisers for Go Karts and Laser Tag - plus all the non-healthy snacks a boy could want. What a way to begin to ring in your birthday!

It's When She Doesn't See Me

Please, Lord, when it gets harder, and I know it will - please don't let me forget this.

When her joy is contagious.

When she laughs like no one is watching.

When she smiles with reckless abandon.

Because in those moments, I'm just in awe.

And enormously proud to be her mother.

Lions and Tigers and Budgies, Oh My!

It's a half-day today, the first of the year. And, the first of the year for the traditions I started two years ago of "what are we going to do for fun?!"

I've tried to make this day unique. Just the three of us doing something we don't normally do.

Over my shoulder, a little "free" coupon to the zoo was set to expire on Monday. Why not today?

Because it's chilly. It's going to rain. It's going to be rush hour getting home.

Doesn't matter. Not today. Get. In. The. Car!

We raced around the entire zoo, almost completely on our own. That's what mid-day, in chilly, dreary weather will get you - the zoo, all to yourself - and every access to animals with no lines! It was awesome. So many cheers and yells and "hey moms."

Exactly what I hoped for.

He Stole Him

Found Me a Cheerleader

Cheerleading is going really well. She's having a great time. It's a team sport which is good, she's learning about teamwork and getting along with others. And she really enjoys it. As a blessing for the mama, the weather has been fantastic for the last three Saturdays! Fingers crossed for the next month.

Simple Things

Earlier in the week, KK had asked me if I would be willing to ride bikes to school. It's only about three blocks. But it is entirely uphill. And that's no lie!

I put her off, it was a workday and I needed to get on to my job, but Friday would be a day we could probably do it. The weather was holding pretty good.

But she forgot, and I forgot. I got dressed for my day. I got all cute! I put on a skirt, I was ready to go. And with five minutes before we left for the bus she said "but mama you promised!"

I walked around mothering for the next five minutes changing my clothes, changing my shoes, and swearing I did not want to do this.

I got my bike out, the tires were flat. So I got out my husband's bike and put on a happy face. Not five seconds in our journey "mama this is so awesome, thank you so much for doing it!"

Funny how God works, and so often through my children, to tell me to chill out, that things will be fine and that the memory will be worth it. And just look at her smile in the end!

Reading

Reading as a primary love in this house. I don't know how I got blessed to have children who really enjoy reading, but I sure did. 

And for the first time, my daughter wants to do the reading challenge at school. She's kicking it into high gear and clipping through. At the rate she's going she'll be done by Thanksgiving not the end of the school year.  Bring. It. On. 

Game Day

I do love a good day at Spartan Stadium, especially when we get to go with our friends. The end didn't turn out as wonderfully as I had hoped… But any day with friends and the sunshine and the pig skin is a good day!

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My Sale

Some of my favorite people at the end of a very long 25 hours of trying to get 200,000 items into a 40,000 square-foot space. 

But I did it. For the 27th time.