memorial day + summer fun

The weather FINALLY warmed up, so we've been busy with water slides, swimming pools, cook outs, and lots of family time.  We love summertime :)

ballet recital

Such a special day for our little lady....

A hidden gem

Sean and I snuck away to Florence, AL to celebrate our anniversary.  I had no idea how amazingly quaint and rich in history Florence is.  We stayed at the Marriot Shoals hotel & spa and had dinner at the 360 Grille.  The restaurant spins 360 degrees and lets you look over the river and the beautiful city lights while you dine, and they just happen to serve the best food we've ever eaten in Alabama.  We walked the streets of downtown, did some antique shopping, had icrecream at an oldfashioned dairy bar, and ended the trip with a couples massage at their amazing spa.  It was so nice to get away and spend a little time with my love. 

Pack Meeting

Drew was awarded his webelos badge at this month's pack meeting.  We are so proud of him and his hard work!  He's most proud of his hockey and video game belt loops, and I am in love with my webelos mother's pin.  Here are some pictures

Diamonds are a girls best friend

 Maddi got her ears pierced a few weeks ago (upon her persistent request), and it was finally time for her to change out her earings.  While we were out of town this weekend, we did a little shopping.  While we were looking around, Sean told me he wanted to buy Maddi her first pair of real diamond studs.  My heart nearly exploded.  His is such an incredible father.  To me, it meant so much more than a pair of earings.  It is a father who is engaged in his daughter's life.  A father who gets excited about things that his daughter loves; a father who finds happiness in his childrens' happiness and enjoys spending his extra money on little suprises for them.  I am so happy for her that she gets to have such an honest, pure, and loving relationship with her dad.... and I'm extra lucky to be married to him. :)

Socially Awkward

It has come to my attention (mostly through my loving husband)  that I can be rather socially awkward.  I've always felt uncomfortable in social situations.  I get sweaty and red when too many people look at me, but I just summed it up to an awkward childhood where too much social interaction could lead to even more awkward questions and devastating revelations.  But I thought I alone suffered the burden of my awkwardness and that I hid it well from others.  That was until I went to my hubby's office and found out that he'd given them a preemptive explanation of my weirdness.  In his defense, he only wanted me to be comfortable, and nothing makes me more anxious than a room full of people expecting me to be a social butterfly like my other half.  In business, I have a hard time blurring the lines into friendliness.  I feel like I have a job to do and I get it done and end up forgetting to be... well, nice I guess.  I always just considered myself efficient.  But then I started thinking....  around my closest loved ones, I don't have a problem opening up, but I don't trust many people with my thoughts and feelings.  Then I thought some more....  I remember a few years ago in college, I had to teach myself to ask the obligatory "and how are you" when someone asked me how I'd been doing.  The thought to say anything besides fine and then walk away had never crossed my mind until I took a class on public speaking with a little public etiquette thrown in.  I'm not shy per say; the thought to ask someone about themselves (unless I love and trust them) or to divulge any information about myself just simply doesn't even cross my mind. So now I'm thinking I may have a touch of the asperger... or I'm just way more messed up in the trust category than I ever imagined.  The moral of this story:  I have a husband that loves me enough to pad a situation that he knows is going to be uncomfortable for me, I have a husband that knows me well enough to know when I'm going to be uncomfortable before it even happens, and I have a husband that loves me just the way I am, and that is the only thing I could ever hope for.

Mothers Day

Mother's Days tend to be rather sullen around our house.  Sean's mother was taken from us far too soon, and my mother was the perfect example of exactly what NOT to do, so although I cherish the gift of motherhood I've been given, there's always that little sting that Sean and I are missing out on this gift that everyone else is celebrating.  When I think of the relationship and the love that I have for my children, I'm saddened that I never knew this love as a child and devastated that my husband knew it and then had it taken from him.  But this mother's day I've decided there will be no more sulking.  I vow to live longer and do better than the mothers we were given and to take the day to enjoy my calling and the blessed responsibility I have to raise a future little mama.  So let the mothers day festivities begin.... starting with the breakfast I can here my little loves making in the kitchen for me :)

A smelly girl

Maddi:  "Mom, I want fruit for breakfast."
Me: "ok.... which fruit? We have bananas, cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, grapes..."
Maddi: "GRAPES! No, wait. Well, yes.  Well...."
Me: mildly intrigued by her argument with herself  "Maddi, do you want grapes or not?"
Maddi: "I love their taste, but not their smell.  They smell like pennies, but they taste sooooo gooooood"

This girl smells EVERYTHING.  She smells the boxes when Grandma & Grandpa send packages because she says they smell like Grandma's house, she smells everything before she eats it, she sniffs people and toys, soaps and shoes, and the other day I even caught her smelling the phone charger before she handed it to me.  She is so weird, but it's moments like these that I feel so blessed to be her mother.  It is such a gift to spend every moment with her...  to teach her, to cheer her on, and to giggle at her oddities.  It's little moments like these that I love being a mother.

Homeschool Sucesses

We've worked really hard in school this year.  Drew has conquered fractions and found a few novels that he actually enjoys reading (gasp!), and Maddi has been reading and spelling small words since we started her schooling in January, but this week she read a whole book all by herself.  Here is a link to the video I posted on facebook.
Maddi's first book
Homeschool has been a huge success this year.  There was minimal stress and whining, we learned everything I had planned and even added a few extra activities, and we really enjoyed the time we got to spend together.  It only took us a few years to work the kinks out, and now even at the end of the year, I can say I'm looking forward to another year of learning and exploring with my kids. :)

A forever love.

Today Sean and I are celebrating 11 years of marriage.  He is my friend, my lover, and my confidant.  He provides safety, encouragement, and strength while teaching me how to laugh and live in the moment.  I loved Sean before I even met him.  I yearned for his comfort and peace before I knew him.  I prayed for him before I even knew his name, so when I finally met him, I felt like I'd already lived a thousand lives with him.  Together we've created the family I always dreamed of.... where laughter heals, kisses are cherished, and there's never enough time together.  Because of him, I've learned to love myself, and with that peace, my love for him has become deeper than I ever imagined it could. Our journey together has been bumpy, adventurous, joyful, and even a little scary at times, but I know anything and everything is possible with my friend at my side.

The best week ever

We have had an amazing week.The weather has been icky, but grandma and grandpa came to visit, so I didn't mind lots of cozy time inside together. We watched movies, had a few cook outs, and celebrated a special birthday. As usual I get wrapped up in the moment and forget to get out the camera, so all I have is a borrowed picture of the birthday boy, but we had tons of fun even though there isn't any photographic evidence. :) I feel so blessed to have married into such an amazing, loving family. I cherish grandpa's kind words, his concern for each of us, and chatting about our favorite books and the latest things we've seen on antique roadshow. I love grocery shopping with grandma, listening to her wisdom in marriage, her stories of growing up on the farm, and having a friend to help with dish duty. I love these moments; I love that I have an example in marriage to look toward, and I feel so blessed to know their love in return. And as always, when they leave, I'll start counting the days til I get to see them again.

Strawberries at Brown Farms

Hockey