All Ball

He hit the ball. Not once but twice. Bringing in a run with both of his hits. His teammates did the same for him. If you have any idea what this kid has gone through, parents desperately trying to build up his confidence, then you know this was quite the victory.

You should have seen the smile on his face.

It's All Happenin' Weekend Edition

I am in smit. In deep smit.

(Name that quote.)

Last week, J performed in his end-of-the-year program. He pretty much loved being up on that stage. Can you see him in the front? (6th from the left... just in case you need some help.)

His giggles can brighten my whole day.

This is J's 4th Birthday present that was finally delivered to our house just recently. He LOVES it. His Auntie Leya made the super awesome "Chef Josiah" apron for him. A day has not gone by without J making something from this kitchen. His specialty is soup. What can I say? The kid likes soup.

He is growing so fast. This boy has my heart.

I feel like this photo should have a formal title. Bright Future? Hey, What's That Over There? Deep Thoughts? Maybe not. It seems to have a 50's iconic look to it, doesn't it?

Scruffy Brothers.

Little Ms. Sparkle

I was 5 months old when my parents took me to get my ears pierced. I always said that if I had a little girl, I would want to get her ears pierced early on as well. So a couple of weeks ago, we trouped out on an angry, stormy night to meet our friends who wanted to do the same for their baby girl, Zaria. It was nice to have the experience of this family whose 2 older daughters have been sporting sparkly ears since infancy. Plus how could we pass up an opportunity for these 2 little girls to have to the potential life-long friendship story... "Remember when our parents took us to get our ears pierced together?". That is just irresistible! So, on with the photos...

Daddy and daughter quite wary of the gloved employee.

Moments after. Lyla's sweet little friend, Zaria, had already forgotten. Lyla decided to keep re-living the moment for a while.

Pretty little sparkly girls!

Colors

One of my favorite parts of Spring here in Kansas City is the annual tour of my father-in-law's gardens. I can count on every year seeing new splashes of color that last well into Summer. On Mother's Day, we spent some time at our parent's house and I got my tour...

Isn't my mother-in-law beautiful? We were so thankful to be able to spend  our afternoon with her.

Boys eating mint leaves.

This duck is sub-letting one of their bushes for a month or so. Yes, she built a nest right by the house and is sitting on 8 eggs, we think. What a good Mama duck to not leave her babies.

We'll Call You

J, show me your...

Sad Face.
Happy Face.
Mad Face.
Silly Face.
Surprised Face.
And Scene.

You Are Beautiful...

Dear Mom,

I understand now. I understand the need to protect them, no matter what. I understand the fear, the pain, the occasional feelings of utter exhaustion. But I also understand the determination that no matter what, we will continue to be a family. The determination that, if need be, I will be the glue that holds us together.

I feel it now. I feel the well of love that I saw in you. I write letters to them as you did. Sometimes writing it down allows for freedom to say things that just might be too difficult to say in person. 

Thank you for not only being that Mom who I am so grateful for. But for being my best friend.

I love you!

6 Months

Yes, she is. 1/2 a year old. And quite possibly the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on.

All photos taken by my new Nikon D70, care of AutoFocus =)

I Got Sunshine

Florida fits us like an old glove. Or that favorite, worn sweater. It feels good, it gives comfort in its familiarity with so many memories attached to it, but you come to the realization that you could never really wear it again. Does that make sense?

Last month, we spent 11 days visiting family and friends. We stayed in St. Augustine for a week with my side of the family and spent the rest of our time visiting Seth's Grandad and others. We had a wonderful time catching up with everyone. 

Josiah is the most affectionate little guy I know. He couldn't wait to give "Poppy" a big hug!

Grandad finally got to meet Lyla, his 5th great-grand.

Cousins on Easter Day. 

Our beach house. It was awesome. (This is my brother's fiancee, Crystal, catching up on her reading.)

What better place to have some guy talk??

Intro to Beach Life 101: Look Cute!

Yep, she passed.

Just couldn't contain the excitement!

Scuba masks help make better sand castles. You haven't heard this?

My baby boy turned 4 while we were in FL!

Party Time with Auntie Susan and the cousins. He had a great day.

Is this prophetic?? Only time will tell...

Lake Lily. So many memories: Eli learning how to walk, feeding the ducks, losing Seth's glasses in the lake. We added 1 more: 5 of us picnicking on the lake.

Cleaning House

So I have come to the conclusion that my blogging this last year has been very similar to my house cleaning philosophy. Procrastinate until I can't stand it anymore and then fly through the house, cleaning everything in sight.
I'm going to try to change this. Steady plodding is a pretty good way to go in so many areas of life. I guess it can also be applied to blogging. Keep all informed of what's going on at a steady rate instead of blasting you with waaayy too much information.
First, I shall be doing a little "catch up" this weekend. I have much to share of our last month.
Stay tuned....

The Flip Side

So, yes, I have had one of the worst weekends of my life. But I'm going to be the bigger person here and share what I have been thankful for these last few days.

Spring. It reared its shy little head last week but has been bullied back down by Winter. Bad Winter. Go home.

This man has been a saint. He took wonderful care of me. He made sure the whole house kept running. He cleaned up a couple of ungodly messes that a certain 7 year old made. He did laundry. And in the middle of all of that, he even went to the store and picked up some ice cream per his dad's request. I'm not sure how it's possible, but I think I actually fell more in love with my husband this weekend.

I had this adorable face to look at all weekend. Sure it just about killed me to not be able to kiss those irresistible cheeks, but I'll just have to make up for that this week.

Hot water bottles and warm-up puppies. Need I say more?

Our super amazing friends, Dan and Misty, dropped off a very sweet care package for our recovery. They also found very generous buyers for our Phantom tickets.

So thankful for boys who are very good at entertaining themselves. That comes in very handy when you feel like your body is going to break apart. By the way, this little man is turning 4 years old in a couple of weeks!

This poor kid went through it even more than I did. He moved down a few points on his near-perfect record of making it to the toilet every time this last week. Oh well, I guess we can't all be perfect now can we?

This is what we have to look forward to come Saturday. I need to breathe lighter, brighter air for a little while. Even if it's just for a week or so...I'll take it! 

This is what I'm mostest thankful for. Not only will we be in Orlando for a few days visiting family and friends, but we will also be spending a week in St. Augustine with my side of the family. Joy of all Joys!