did no one tell me they were taking a picture?

My least favorite thing to do is look like an idiot, but you know, you can't win them all.

It's all over facebook now, but at least my boots look nice.

the best time to be a mom

Mother's Day this year was full of good things. One of my favorite things was this sheet Grant filled out at school about me. And he gave it to me during a homemade scavenger hunt!

I am always chasing him around telling him he is so CUTE! I'm glad that one stuck with him all the way to the classroom. 

And then my wonderful husband blew my mind with supplies and bar skills so I can have lemon drop martinis at home! What am I a queen??

Yes sometimes it is good being me. 

cinnamon

This week we are rodent-sitting Cinnamon, the hamster. Oh the squeals of joy! Calli cannot contain herself!

Meanwhile, I imagine the Wonder Pets are getting a call and singing ... "there's an animal in trouble, somewhere."

You are laughing if you are a mom of a preschooler.

kid life

I actually took some kid pictures this weekend! Sorry I've been lagging behind on that! Grant has been taking indoor soccer classes for the last few months. He will probably play on a team in the fall. He is really doing very well with his ball skills. Call is getting better at looking at the camera with a pretty smile but I am usually waving behind the camera to get her attention so you'll see you wave back to mom!

We grabbed some after-soccer slurpees even though the weather is SO not warm yet. 

I have a girly girl on my hands here - and I love it! I'm just hitting my own girly stage now so we have something in common there. She loves dressing up in the dresses Papa gave her for her birthday. 

my baby is 3

My baby is 3 years old! She is beautiful and amazing in so many ways!

My very favorite Calli-thing is our weekly swim date. We started in the shallow end with a life jacket and now after 3 months of practice you'll find us in the "deep" end with the curly water slide and no safety devices (besides mom). She can zoom down the slide all by herself and go all the way under the water before I scoop her up for air. I am in awe that she has bravely taken on each new swimming challenge and conquered it! It only took me 6 years to learn I didn't have to be like every other mom and take my kid, kicking and screaming, to swim lessons. Calli's love for the water was always lost at those lessons but playing with me in the water it has grown greater and greater. She pleads to go swimming every few days and when I promise her tomorrow is the day she will wake up and remind me right away that it is "swimming for today"! 

Happy Birthday little girl. From your curls to your jokes, you are the glitter in my day.

this crazy life

Tonight was one of those truly magical, glamourous Family nights. Cough*Sarcastic! It began with tired cries, and yelling and time outs. A hurt knee and coughing coughing coughing (Grant is on three meds), and more crying. Then spilled juice, and crying, and coughing. And now I am getting the family cold which means I'm just as cranky as the children and loosing my voice. But when I yelled,"we are all going to frozen yogurt!" Tim kindly climbed aboard the crazy train. And we even stuck with the plan through more crying from both children (Grant was hit in the face with a shoelace gone rogue) and just a little vomit.

Calli was carried all the way. Something was wrong with her itty-bitty knee. But for 6 minutes tonight we ate yogurt (that was undoubtedly bad for our coughs) and we smiled. I'm glad that our home is usually not this unhappy and, when it does start to crumble around us, that Tim and I can often laugh at the insanity. Even though I've both cursed at him and flipped him off in the last 24 hours. When you can be grounded in love in the middle of chaos you know you have something special.

This entire week was a battle actually, but we've made it though. And it being the week leading up to the death of my Lord Jesus I felt spurred on everyday to continue. He went through betrayal and darkness that cuts to the heart. My life is nothing in comparison, yet I still know he cares for me and he went through great pain to aid me in my "small" burdens. Any day that I am lost, He saves. What a wonderful thing I have!

lost and found

When a very kind lady knocked on my door and said she found my son, lost on the street corner, I (1) thanked her and (2) offered a quick explanation so that she wouldn't call the police. "He was out with his grandmother, so we'll go find her now." And then I realized that it sounded like I just confessed that I not only sent a 6 year old out on his own right before dark, but I also sent an Alzheimer patient to watch him. Now that's NOT what I did. But yes, that's what it looked like.