motherly confession

I have to confess one of my weaknesses... I have a really hard time doing what my kids want me to do and just that. I always put them off, distract them into an independent activity, or I multi-task or do the abbreviated version - always feeling like I should be doing something "productive". Ugh I hate it when I do that. I know productive days are a must, but I'm always happier when I just commit to having a fun day with my kids. We needed one of those days today. Mmmm - now for the good stuff.

when Bel woke up from her nap she wanted to play outside, so we did.
she stomped the last two boxes of snaps from our "fireworks" stash.

then she wanted to pick berries.
when we moved in the bushes that line our yard were full of these perfect, tiny round berries. she has spent hours in them harvesting red, orange and green berries, making colorful piles of the living things in our yard - leaves, acorns, sticks, and of course, berries.
it may be a little early in the season, but I think tonight was the last summer berry harvest

at one point during our outdoor escapades - i turned around and there she was comfortably, laying in the grass...

B - come here. lay next to me mommy. (patting the grass at her side)
who could resist such a sweet invitation - so there we lay side by side
B - what do you see mommy?
then we discussed the view
it was lovely - the view and the conversation

lastly, some sidewalk chalk to end off the evening

jack was around too - sucking his toes and laughing at mom and sis - who he thinks are hilarious.

it was a good day

this week has been just swell...


Jack had his first bowl of rice cereal and he is a fan.
we went to a new park and Bel totally rocked it.
i started a new sewing project today.
tonight we did an outdoor art project - sidewalk paint. oooodalollee it was fun!

there is something so energizing and satisfying about creating something - even if it's just a few colorful splatters on the driveway. just looking at all these colors gets me excited.
(it doesn't look like it here - but bel was excited about it too)

can you tell which is the flower and which is the "scary monster with a big bum"?

just so none of you are under the false impression that my angel child contentedly sat and painted for hours, please note that she quickly learned the joy of mixing colors and dumped all five colors into one and within 15 minutes had lost our rainbow variety in favor of one lovely shade of "lavender pavement"

gosh we had fun

i wonder what next week will bring

(now that all of you think that i'm clever - i'll let you in on a secret... i'm just a copycat. one of my friends is what i call a "fun mom" - she has a lovely blog where she posts super fantastic ideas of what to do with your kids along with fabulous photography and thoughts. so if you need a little inspiration, motivation or entertainment you should check her out and become a follower)

geese are friendly

making some new friends here in ohio

the bitter and the sweet

every time a chapter of my life comes to a close I am never ready for it to be over - never ready to say goodbye, to deal with change, to leave familiarity and venture into the unknown, never ready to move on. it's been said that "'the only constant is change" and that seems to be true.

as I've anticipated our move for the last month or so I've been feeling super nostalgic, feeling and knowing that I am doing everything for the last time, saying farewell to the people, places and things that we've loved so much these past two years. Kirksville has truly won a special place in my heart, and as I sit here writing this on the couch 700 miles away, I can't help but get a little choked up seeing our home in my mind's eye and missing so badly our soggy lawn, free swimming pool, the clean organized HyVee, our charming neighbors and dear friends just blocks away in every direction. I can't stand knowing that I'll never ride my bike to the lake again or attend an SAA activity or belong to the Kirksville 2nd ward.

but I'm lucky that in this life scenario the bitter and the sweet come together, and in the few short days that we've been Ohio we have found more than enough sweetness to call it home.

I know it will be a while before we are really settled and honestly I don't mind one bit. I already have a long list of valuable lessons learned, our little family has grown closer together and I look forward to all the adventures we'll continue to have.

a true friend

It's been quite some time now that Bel and I have been best friends. We do everything together - we work and play, tease and laugh, sing and dance, make and eat treats, toot in front of each other and laugh, we have our tiffs and our moments, we have endless conversation and just when I thought we couldn't be any closer she did something that got her upgraded to true friend.

The other day we were playing at the pool and I was smiling right in her face and she laughed right back at me, grabbed my face and started sticking her fingers in my teeth. "mommy" she said laughing, "salt. you have salt in you teeth" (She mixes up salt and pepper) I had a black piece of pepper in my teeth from lunch. I've always said a true friend will tell you when you have junk in your teeth. Well now I can count on Bel for that too.

the jack update

these days my sweet jack...

-loves to stand. if you hold both his hands he will immediately pull himself up to his feet and grin the biggest grin.
-enjoys sucking/chewing on his fingers (or mine or Bel's, any fingers will do)
-is the chillest dude in town, he just enjoys the ride whatever we are doing : walks, trips to the store, watching us play at the pool, sitting around the house, you name it he's game
-likes his warm baths - mmmm
-"he's a cute boy" - Bel's words and I would have to agree

These are our friends the Price family
They are some of the most genuine and wonderful people we know. Greg is a fellow student out here in Missouri and a few days ago he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We are praying for them and hoping for all the best. We hope you will pray for them too - if you want to find out more and ease the burden of this truly awesome family visit here.