Weddings make great family reunions

Friday Night Picnic

 

lots of people to meet and greet,

cousins to play with and

gourmet s'mores buffet

 And all the perfect little touches

 

Saturday Morning Ceremony

 

perfectly beautiful couple

love of family and friends

and my three little men

 

And a random rattlesnake

 

Saturday Evening Reception

 

elegant candy buffet

pinterest perfect dining

and dancing the night away

 

And little white chocolate balls

(careful Grandma, you have to unwrap them first ;)

 

Killer Bees

Isn't that a great team name? 

It's very intimidating when you're 6 and you're about to whack a baseball right off the tee into who knows where. 

And Cody was a very ferocious Killer Bee...

 

 As you can clearly tell . . .

 

But give him a Creamie bar, and he's as sweet as can be.

 

Parent side note:  Why didn't anyone tell me that T-ball was a waste of time??  I thought it would be good for Cody to learn how to play baseball, but they really didn't teach him much besides - hit the ball and run around.  In order to not hurt anyone's feelings, no one is ever "out" and it doesn't really matter if you actually run to home plate or just run back to the dugout.  In order to be fair, there were three kids in the middle playing "pitcher" and there was no point in getting the ball, because they had no idea what to do with it when they did.  And obviously I don't know that much about baseball, or I wouldn't have paid someone to teach my kid how to play.  AND PS: I am NOT a fan of treats at the end of the game!  Is it just me?  For my 6 yr old, all he wants is for the game to be over so he can get a twinkie or popsicle or candy bar and sometimes a juice box to go with it.  Maybe my child is just too deprived of these things.  What happened to water and maybe orange slices at half time.  Anyway, at least he got a cool hat and shirt that he likes.  And I think he mostly had fun, so don't let this deter you from signing your child up.  Just look at his smile - maybe that's worth it, right?

Freedom from Fear

It's one of the four freedoms expressed by President Roosevelt and while there have been numerous writings on it - whole books in fact, I have never really thought about it.  But for some reason that's what I was thinking as Russ and I went hiking on our little anniversary trip this weekend. 

Freedom from Fear.  This is it.

(See those caves up there, that's where we went)

 

I don't know what it was, but I was thinking how nice it was that we could just go out in nature and find a trail and feel perfectly safe hiking through the wilderness, passing people as we went and just being able to enjoy the beauty of it all.  That sounds simple, but this is not so in many of the countries I have been in.  And maybe it's because I was wearing my HELP International shirt (which someone actually stopped me to ask about, by the way), but I kept thinking about some of the horrible incidents that have happen on beautiful paths just like this one in places that aren't as safe as the US and how the last time I hiked like this is El Salvador, we had to hire an armed guard to go with us. How blessed we are and we take it for granted! 

 

The view, the clean air, getting exercise, being together - it was all wonderful.  What a great thing to be able enjoy this God's creations and to feel so blessed to live in this beautiful, safe country.

It was such a great way to spend time together!  Oh, and I love this man.  Happy 13th, babe!

Yep, that's cow poop

The "before" picture: 

 

The "after" picture:

How I did it:  took out boxes, re-mixed dirt w/ more compost, pulled weeds til my finger nails bled, re-layed weed fabric (double layer!), used power tools (!) to fix boxes and make them sturdy again, put boxes back, filled in dirt, hauled rocks and more rocks (I am never doing that again, btw), and THEN planted our starts that we bought at the nursery (no, I don't do my own any more - don't judge).  And I would say I did it ALL by myself, but I did have some slave labor help:

 Just don't tell their moms when I "babysit", it's actually a day full of hard labor.  And yes, Cody, that is manure - code word for poop.

And of course, I did let my boys help with the exciting part.

 

 Can't wait to see how it turns out!

Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro . . . We made it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 4th Birthday, Colton!  We love all the fun, curiosity, and happiness that you bring into our family.  You ARE the "Life of the Party". 

Love you, Little Man.

Home-made Parachute

Cody decided he would put a plastic grocery bag on his back and see if it would work as a parachute.  He started by trying to jump off an electrical box while we were out for a walk.  When we got home, he decided he needed another bag or two and to try it on the tramp instead.

He was almost flying now . . .

For sure if he just added one more bag . . . and one more. . . and just one more . . . 

Then he realized it was actually better as a cushioned landing.  

I watched him out the window for awhile, smiling at how much fun he was having with this new experiment.  This is what pure joy looks like.  I just love this kid!