Yesterday we went to the beach with family friends.  We played in the sand and collected rocks and stuff.  The kids boogie boarded.  Life is rough.



Today it is raining and we're eating cupcakes and going to the library.  I can see why people are always nervous about summer vacation.

ummmm, WHAT?

In between the fighting and dancing we're going to make some lotion and see what crazy 'do's we can capture on film.  Here's what we've gotten so far:

this is what happens when I give them watercolors and walk away;)

And lookie here:



I am now officially the mother of a 7th grader. (on the right, with her BFF)

She is now much older and wiser...

I am so excited that the kiddos are out of school!  We are going to pack it all in this summer. 
Starting with the beach in the morning:) 

What are your favorite things to do during school vacation?

It's 10:30 the night before the last day of school.

I don't know how it's going to work - it's so crazy around here already!  But I'm ready for it.  The serious fun that is summer vacation is about to begin!

Wish me luck;)

the light ahead

the light ahead: original painting, acryilic on stretched canvas, 6 x 6, for sale here

Today was one of those days.  It had good and bad. 

this is what the after-school equation looked like:

  field day
  92 degree weather
  school is almost out
+exhaustion
___________________
big, big freak outs

When one goes down like that you know how it effects the whole.

After the dust had settled and bellies were full and babies were in bed, I decided it would be a good time to run an errand.  So I took my tired sticky body and put it in the car and as I pulled away the same thing happened that always happens:



She ran as fast as she could alongside of me as I slowly drove away.  I watched as the smile spread on her face.  The sun shone from behind lighting up her hair and as she got to the edge of the property I looked in my review mirror and she stopped and cupped her mouth and shouted, "I love you SO MUCH!"  Her hand thrown high in the "i love you" sign.

And after I shouted the appropriate response I promptly prayed that I would not forget.  Too many moments have left my brain and I don't want that one to flitter away into the void. When I'm old and grey and my life is falling away from me, one of the things I want to remember is my child, happy and full of love with the sunlight kissing her head and possiblity holding her hand.

This path we're on has good and bad every day.

I will search for the beauty.

I will remember the joy.

I will let the bad teach me its lessons and stand taller as I let it take its place in the void, activly seeking the good all around me. 

There is always a light ahead of us with the promise of joy and peace and I am drawn to it with love in my heart.
 

sacred

 Lately all the extra stuff is being stripped away layer by layer.  Not in an intentional way, but life is just flying by so fast and as I’m running to keep up I’ll have this moment of clarity.  Like an out of body experience.  Or like I can suddenly say “STOP” and look at everything in all its imperfection and see it for what it is:  beautiful, messy life.

The message I keep getting is: LOVE


It sounds so cliché: live in the moment, love is all that matters, yada yada yada…

But it’s not cliché when I feel frustrated one second and then I hear a tiny two year old voice singing perfectly on pitch and am overcome with how lucky I am. It’s not just the same old, same old when I am worried and anxious and make the decision to stop and pay attention. And then I suddenly SEE. And I feel so blessed and loved and watched over.

Life has good and bad.  Every relationship has ups and downs.  People have strengths and weaknesses.  Sometimes we are happy and excited and sometimes we struggle to get to the next minute.  But there is a purpose to it all and I am so glad that we have the opportunity to search deep down and figure it all out as individuals. 

I am reminded lately that my role of mother is so sacred.  I have the responsibility to give love to these amazing souls and make sure they are well taken care of.  I get so frustrated with myself when I mess it all up with being so human that I loose focus.  But they are so forgiving and I learn so much from being around them.  I love being a mother. 

a happy accident

We have violets and they grow out of control.  I treat them like weeds and just keep ripping them out of the gardens because they will take over everything.  I take multiple wheelbarrows full of them to the woods every year.  A couple of years ago I got lazy and dumped a wheelbarrow full onto the burn pile.  (Which Jake still gives me a hard time about.)  But now every spring, the grass blooms.



And for some reason even though they drive me crazy in my flower gardens, I love them in the lawn.

 

Life is funny.