Starting to Cave

I might be starting to cave-in a little bit. I was introduced to these sweet little seven week old Bernese Mountain dogs, and I might just have to say my heart expanded a few sizes. They still shed, they still use my lawn as their bathroom and they require an insane amount of maintenance… But I might be going a little softer to the idea of having a dog. Just don't tell my children!

The Moment He Became a Dad

He insisted we stop on the way home from church to pick up a pregnancy test. And he insisted I take the test, not at the suggested first hour of the morning, but as soon as we got home.

So to appease him, I did. I set it on the counter to wait the requisite 60 seconds before you look. I started the microwave timer to ensure that I would not cheat. The buzzer went off.

I walked over to the test, this 6-inch strip of white plastic that has the ability to change your life forever as you know it sat there glaring at me. 

And I remember saying “hmm, that’s interesting.”

I handed him the test. He took one look at it and burst into tears. 37 years of waiting and he was going to be a dad.

My mother told me recently that I hit the lottery…

And while I agree with her, I also know that there were many frogs before I found my prince. Luck did play a part in it, but hard work, and never giving up on what God would have in store for me, allowed me to get to this point.

Bar none, my biggest achievement in life will be these two little human beings that this man and I brought into the world. He is a dad because of me, and I am a mom because of him. And I am eternally grateful.

Happy Father’s Day, my love. You are positively amazeballs. 

Firelight

My dear, sweet husband built me a fire pit recently. And I have to admit, we've used it more in the last two weeks and we burned any fire in the last two years!

So after a lovely dinner with some old friends last night, we jotted down the back stairs and put a little squeeze on the last few flickers of daylight and had a backyard fire with the kiddos.

Nights like this make childhood wonderful. Adulthood, too. 

A Trip To the Children’s Museum

Can't tell you how much fun it was to finally try out our children's museum with our cousins in from Arizona! My kids have been twice before, but this was my first time. I will lovingly admit that this is not my wheelhouse. This stuff gives me the heebie-jeebies and I would rather organize the whole thing and then sanitize it. But it was great to catch up!

Growing Things

Look! Look! I am getting things to grow again! Green Thumb,  here I come!

The Party That Was Fashionably Late

Leave it to my brother to create a 40th birthday party for his wife - 2.5 years after the date. He's got a sense of humor like that. But she's totally worth it - and it was a fun night. Perfect weather - a live band, decorations, catered food - which he produced all on his own - and the whole thing was kept a surprise from her for MONTHS! Pretty proud of this little baby brother of mine. :)

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

The Thing About Endings

Endings are tough. I'm not quite sure there's another way to describe it. Either something good is coming to an end and you are lamenting it or a struggle is coming to an end and you've endured the hardship the entire way through.

I'm sure there are some endings that are welcomed and received. But the end of the school year is not necessarily either for my children.

Again, this year, the end was met with tears. It's change and transition. It's the unknown and wondering what is to come.

After a long day at school, and a tunnel full of pool noodles as parents and teachers cheered on… And squirt guns at the bus stop and a pizza party on the front lawn… And gigantic over frosted donuts with gummy worms for a treat, copious amounts of Popsicles, playing with a garden hose and putting toes into the neighbors pool for the first time in this year. So many wonderful things… It was after all of that ended that the tears came. That moment sitting in the backyard alone - with me wandering up to see what was going on… He had no words and only tears.

I remember our dear beloved kindergarten teacher who said that the tears came because the ending reminded us that the rest was so good.

And instead of telling him it was OK not to cry… I simply looked at his big brown eyes and said it's OK, go ahead and cry. So he did. 

But like at the end of last year, and the year before… Other things crept back in to bring the joy. The neighbors from across the street, baseball practice after a mighty win, gorgeous sunsets and maybe one last popsicle.

Tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow is a day in which we look forward to the 78 that remain in the summer. We can worry about new schools and new teachers and locker combinations and different bus rides another day. For now, summer is here. We will say goodbye… And welcome all in one breath.