So it begins...

...that time of year where you want to soak up every moment but by the time you get a handle on that, it's over.  Summer. I don't mean to sound so negative. I often feel like we need a plan so we can do all the things we hoped or thought we'd do over the summer. But then things (good things) start happening and before you know it summer is over. I can already feel that happening! But perhaps I just need to go with the flow a bit more and have the plans in my back pocket when needed.

Dennis has been begging asking me to get the boys summer cuts for quite a while now. So hard to say goodbye to the curls!  His cousin's fiance was kind enough to come to the house and cut all of our hair. So sweet of her. (We paid her and fed her :)

Last week we had some extra kids. Two shown here came for one night but the rest were with us for 5 nights and 6 days. But who's really counting?  Actually, it went surprisingly well. No one was seriously injured and I still love them and I think they still are willing to come over again. I call that success!

The 3 E's and and  a little A.

Rain or shine we make sure that we get strawberries from our favorite spot!

May is done, June has begun

If you were to ask my daughter what the most important thing about my birthday is, sh would reply that it is also the new kittens birthday. We were headed out the door when they kids come running up the basement stairs holding the teeny kitties. We thought the cat had worms...not babies. I didn't know they could get prego so soon (she's not even a year old).  Ah well. A memorial weekend with 2 cakes and many loved ones and perfect settings and kitties. Not a bad way to turn 36.

We finished our first year of homeschool! Evaluation done (Eden reading for the evaluator above) and now turning in papers, then we can get started on next year take a rest.

Last Sunday evening was beautiful and we took a ride exploring nearby abandoned barns and a quick stop to the river. The wind was blowing in Beck's hair and it stayed like that. Back home for a strawberry lemon tart. My kind of Sunday.

I have this app called Old Photo Booth Lite (lite as in free version).  Now and then we go to it so we can laugh really hard. Here is Jesse. He like the one with the tie while I am particularly impressed with how pretty he is.

Oh my pretty little boys. Van on the left and Beck on the right. Beck's might be my fave.

Eden. Ah, the mullet is kind to no one. I'm thankful my kids are good sports, but I do wonder if we should also start a therapy fund for them.

#4 is 3

My youngest is 3! Eeeek! A simple celebration was had with the family that lives close. He sang a long , loved that the cake was chocolate and said thank you for his presents. That's my boy.

My sweet Beck., you are such a joy to us! I love how you put on a serious face when you are being snuggled at bedtime or saying "I love you". You love to be silly and still suck on your two middle fingers. You love your blankets and trucks and big brothers and sister. You prefer to be outside than in and the more dirty the better.   You are a joy among joys. Happy Birthday.

MAY!

May is my favorite month. Even though that's a bit self centered I'm sure I'm not the only one who loves their birthday month the best. The celebration of my life is not the only reason I love May. May means the arrival of longer days, strawberry season, and summer, just to name a few. 

Field trip to Hans Herr House (don't they look thrilled?), Jedi Lion (or "just a guy" he says), Rides on the four wheeler (with the appropriate head gear), date with my #3, boo boo kissing, kitty snuggles, swinging, and brothers building bridges.

April Out

April as month feels like a blur. I know it was there. I remember things that happened. But....was that April? I suppose it was.

My sweet sister in law Gina thought it would be fun to  take the girls to a hotel for her birthday. It was! We did the pool, got dressed up for dinner and went to the mall the next day. (look at my daughter's face in the dark restaurant photo)

Oh my girl. She had money to spend spend she did. Jewelry, flip flops and a mug for her brother (from Anthropologie no less) And then her photo faces. If you ever see a sweet pic of her I guarantee you there is a 4:1 ratio of silly faces to a normal face. Look closely above.

The calves escaped, before bed reading, sunset beauty,  Gina's official birthday and a new family addition (Airbender).

My Girls

16 years ago this September, I drove up a steep road in Estes Park, Colorado and I was totally freaked out. Due to all my other plans being totally wiped out like a sandcastle at high tide, I was going to spend roughly eight months in the Rocky Mountains at a Bible school. This is where I learned to stop saying "I will never." Like "I will never live outside of California" or "I will never go to a Christian school". The list continues but those were the first two. I didn't want to be there. Yet I knew I needed to be there. Long story short my life was flipped over and met my husband and I made the kind of friends that you dream about. We saw each other here and there, at weddings and when passing through the other respective state but life was moving on. Then one of us was hurting. Like gauze to a wound we gathered around her and each other to heal hearts and reforge our friendship tattered by distance. We decided then and there to not let crisis be the only reason see each other and agreed to get together once a year while taking turns at the hostess role. Somehow through all of our moving and grad school and babies we managed to do it even though we took a few years off. I amazed that we've been able to not only maintain but grow in our relationship mostly through email (over 1000, no exaggeration) and an occasional phone call.  These women are a gift, a balm to my soul and a joy in my life. They stretch and challenge me as well as encourage and love me.  Thank you ladies for staying in my life and for coming to me this year. xxoo

Dream sharing, coffee loving, hugs, favorite things exchange,  Internet video watching, and pretty mugs.

Reunion meal, great conversation, prime rib dinner, and Spangler brothers.

Suzanne, Tina, Me, Elicia, Laurie

*For the record that year in Colorado was full of amazing women. I can honestly say that each one touched my life in one way or another and ultimately for a good. I wish I could see more of my RC girls more often!

Returning home?

Even though I am nearly 36, I've been married for nearly 14 years, lived eastward for eight, and moved into a home that my husband and I built from the dream floor; it still feels odd to say I'm "going home" when I leave my parents house. California will always be home, and yet it's quite clear that I'm a grown up, building a life in my own home in PA. Home is truly where the heart is and my heart is spread wide.

It's always bittersweet to leave. That's the question people ask. "Were you sad to leave?" or "Were you ready to go?"  Yes and yes.  It's a very "you can't have your cake and eat it too" situation. I'm never ready to leave CA but I'm usually ready to get back to our space and routine. I want both.  (Insert foot stomping and whining.) Still, I'm thankful to have more than one place to call home when so many have no place at all. My life isn't perfect but compared to most of the world it's cake.

We returned and hit the ground running. Saturday night we went to see the play Esther. It was written and directed by my dear friend's mom and it was quite good. I had helped Rachel a bit with her part as the narrator (shown above) and it was fun to dip my toe into the world of theater again. 

Dennis took the kids fishing and Eden had success! Van and Eden have been dancing, but she wasn't keen on me capturing the moment. We have dogwoods! And I met a local gnome.