To my children I have yet to meet

I dreamed of you three nights ago. I couldn't see your face clearly, but you were laughing. Daddy and I ran a long distance to get to you. Then there we were, a family of six, happy and complete. Our Lord is with you, though we are not. You are known, and you are loved!

We're baaack!

Yes, I've been gone a long time, but I'm not a quitter. I will not be beaten by my dirty house, work, homeschool, beautiful but needy 7 and 4-year old sugar boogers, the most active dog on the planet, the garden that is forced to fend for itself way too often, that nagging number 4 in a red circle on my Facebook icon (sorry if I haven't accepted your friend request yet), or the overwhelming desire to plop the kids in front of the tv, toss the dog a rawhide and curl up on the couch with a good book that will not improve my life or teach me any lessons whatsoever! No, I will persevere. I will neglect all of those things to write to you about all of those things, my readers, if any of you are still checking this blog. Why are you still checking this blog? More to come...

First Day of Kindergarten

Garrett started kindergarten this year. I had been dreading the day for quite some time, and my crazy emotions didn't let me down! Garrett was really excited (though sleepy from the early wake-up time), and we all got to school early. Garrett's school has a separate building for kinder with a cute little courtyard, and we were waiting with other kinder families for the doors to open. We had attended kinder playdates during the summer, so we knew a few families from that and from preschool. It was a process making sure snack, lunch, water bottle and backpack all made it to their appropriate spots, but after a few minutes of bumping into kids and some mommy bottoms, success! Garrett was happy to find his seat and start coloring. Scout insisted on planting no fewer than 10 kisses on him and saying goodbye at least as many times. He barely glanced up to send us off, but Ryan and I insisted on a hug and a proper goodbye. I felt like I was holding it together until we were almost at the car and my terrible friend Kim leaned her head out the car window to ask how I was doing. Okay, she's actually a great friend, but she did make me cry a little, and I squeaked out in an unsteady voice "I'm okaaay." I have to admit I was in a bit of a funk the entire day. Scout got a million hugs and finally got sick of my affection. Picking him up was fantastic, and I almost cried again. We met Ryan at Yogurt Planet (G's choice) for a treat and ran into one of Garrett's classmates. After, we walked over to the water feature, and I got to be the best mom ever, letting my kids run through the fountains fully clothed.

The best reason to go to school - a cool backpack

Too cool for school

Ready to go in!

Ms. Brooks

After school treat


Frozen yogurt!

Still dry

Wet and cold

I have a few months and a little perspective, now. I still think the day is way too long, and that he should be at home more. I still miss him terribly, but I've stopped smothering Scout. We make the most of our days off and covet family time. I absolutely love his teacher Ms. Brooks and couldn't have designed a better fit for him. Garrett has made some great friends at school, and we've had a few really great playdates. I've loved getting to know more people in my neighborhood and feeling the closeness with other families in my immediate community. I think everything they do in kindergarten is painfully cute, and it's been fun learning about "real school". It's exciting to hear him talk about the things he's learning at school and want to get books from the library to learn more about those things. It's funny to watch him try to implement kinder rules at home. Raising your hand at the dinner table and ignoring those who don't hasn't caught on. We each have sticker charts at home. Guess who has the most? Overall, I'm really happy with kindergarten, but I will miss our lazy days at home and going to the park on a whim. Most of all, I'm really proud of the boy Garrett is and the friend he is proving to be. He is so smart, thoughtful and funny. I love you, G!

Ryan's birthday

Ryan's birthday was this summer. The kids got up early to help me make muffins for breakfast. I let them choose cupcake toppings, and we ended up with Spiderman and Tinkerbell, of course. When Ryan got home from work, we had transformed the master bedroom into a Daddy Day Spa. The kids scrubbed and massaged Ryan's feet, while he relaxed (as much as he could while his feet were tickled by little, gentle hands), read a magazine, and munched on some snacks they'd chosen. My mom showed up to babysit (she's the best) while Ryan and I hit the Drafthouse for dinner and Inception. Best movie I've seen in the last several years, by the way. It was a nice way to end a fun birthday week. I love you, Ryan!

Lake weekend

This summer, we got to enjoy a relaxing weekend once again with our friends the Ridgells at Jamie's parents' lake house. The kids always have a fun time together, and this weekend was no exception. We swam in the lake and at the pool. We jumped off the boat and tried not to think about what was deep below us. We panicked and squealed when we felt something brush our leg while imagining what might be below us, only to discover it was just the strap of the life jacket (okay, I did that). We took turns tubing behind the boat. We cooked and devoured delicious food. We felt baby Austin wiggle inside Jamie's beautiful belly. We forgave the children and put them in front of a movie when they woke up at an ungodly hour the first morning. The guys stayed out late fishing. The girls stayed up late talking. We stayed pretty dirty most of the day. We made more memories with good friends to stock away with the countless ones we've made with them before.

Anniversary Party

My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this July 6th. My sister Andrea and I wanted to do something special for them, so we planned a surprise party for them at my house. I really can't describe the stress and anxiety over this event, except to say that I'm sure I lost a few years of my life to it. However, the look on their faces when they walked through the door and the continual words of appreciation they've shared with us since, made an early death much easier to bear.

We used their wedding picture for the invitation and sent it to as many old friends and family members as we could track down. Andrea scanned hundreds of old photos and sent them to me to put together a photo book, which included well wishes from loved ones. Ryan used the photos to create a slideshow and put together a little vow renewal ceremony. Andrea and I worked hard to convince our dad that this was the year to get Mom the big diamond ring he's been talking about for years. We ordered a wedding cake and yummy food from Mandola's. Ryan snagged tables and chairs from TDS. Andrea made fans with old photos on them for use during the vow renewal outside. Andrea and I sent at least a million texts to each other, and somehow managed to get along and agree on the decisions that needed to be made for this huge event. More than any of it, I'm probably most proud that at the end of this Andrea and I were both still alive and on speaking terms, dare I say close friends.



We told my parents that we wanted to take them out to a nice dinner that evening, and that they were to meet us at our house. Luckily, the way the sun hits our windows, we could all see out, but they couldn't see us inside. We screamed "Happy Anniversary!" when they walked in, and they were truly surprised. Most of my dad's close family members were there, as well as several friends. Almost everyone drove from out of town, so it was especially touching to my parents.


After all of the greetings, we moved everyone outside, where Ryan led my parents in renewing their vows, while we all looked on. I said a prayer, and Andrea read a scripture. Garrett held my mom's new ring (very carefully, as instructed), and Scout held my mom's bouquet while my dad placed the ring on her finger. It was beautiful.







We moved inside for dinner, which was being delivered and set up at that moment - thanks, Mandola's! The kids hid under the table until they got food, and Scout got a couple of fingers in the cake. Oops!

We played the slideshow after most people had finished eating. I learned a few things from going through all of those old photos of my parents - 1, they did the 70's right; 2, my dad and his two brothers LOVE themselves; and 3, my dad needs to get down on his knees and thank the good Lord everyday that he married my mom (oh, and on that same note, my sister and I get our looks from our mom). There were lots of laughs during the slideshow, but a few tears, as well. Ryan chose some great songs to accompany the photos.




Here are some of the photos we used.

All of my dad's family wanted to share stories from the "old neighborhood". Most of my dad's family lived in the same neighborhood in Victoria, so they like to tell funny and sweet stories of growing up in each other's houses with each other's families. We got it all on video. After the stories, my parents cut the cake and then opened gifts.



The evening couldn't have gone better, and the feeling of having been able to pull it off is indescribable. I'm infinitely grateful to my sister Andrea, who worked tirelessly to make the evening one to be remembered. Ryan was incredibly supportive and dutifully fulfilled all of my requests of him, especially the day of the party. Garrett and Scout were angels during the party, gracious to our guests and performed their ring-bearing and bouquet-holding duties like pros. My aunts and uncles and my mom's friends were incredibly helpful in finding names and addresses for the guest list. But, above all, I am grateful to my parents, who have given my sister and me a priceless gift of a stable home and a strong example of how a loving marriage should look. I'm sure it wasn't always easy, but I never got the sense that they were staying together because of just a commitment to each other or to the Lord, but that they were truly happier together than apart. Happy 40th, Mom and Dad!