Memorial Day

Wow...what a fun, water filled day.

I did put the kids to work this morning...bathrooms and rooms got cleaned as well as the playroom completely organized! Lovely.

Then we hit the neighborhood pool. Packed with friends. I was able to leave a sleeping Gavin home while Bret worked, it was great pool time for all of us.

Then after lunch we jumped in the car and drove an hour to someones farm from church for a ward activity. (yes, our boundaries are so big that people in our ward live an hour away from us) We combined the ward activity and had our primary activity as part of it. The kids had been working on service tickets during the week and today had a special visit from King Benjamin followed up by some fun water games. It turned out great and at the end of it all I was drenched from head to toe...the kids all bombarded me and I have to say I loved that they did. But man, my throat is sore tonight from all that loud talking and directing! I was really tickled with how both junior and senior primary got so into completing their service tickets. I just love it when an idea comes together and you can see the kids doing it and finding joy and excitement in it. I really LOVE primary and can't imagine a better place for me to be serving right now. I love, love, love these kids. There was a cute boy that brought me a flower today, so super sweet.

This farm was incredible, never seen anything like it. The view was breathtaking, they live on 200 acers with horses and chickens. Apparently there was even a Civil War skirmish that took place somewhere on their land. They were taking kids on fun tractor rides and and an incredible pool that the kids were having a blast in.

All this and not a picture to show for it! I really wish I could have captured King Benjamin (our Bishop) up on his tower that he constructed, the kids on the "mule" tractor ride, in the pool or even by the horses.

And now the kids are in bed and I'm disappointed they have to go back to school tomorrow! 9 more days....way to long. Bring on the summer!

Style All His Own

Sporty baseball hat backwards...

plus preppy plaid shorts...

plus cowboy boots two sizes too big...

equals quite the fashion statement...

Aye Aye Captain!

A Visit From Grandpa Crane

This week we were lucky enough to have a visit from family. Bret's dad had meetings in Baltimore and drove down to spend a day with us. Three days before his arrival they started making signs to cover the door and worked on special presents to give him. Sunday Zachary gave the prayer in primary and prayed that his grandpa would travel safely to his house. Think they were excited to see him...just a little! :)

He and Bret spent the day visiting Civil War sites but came back when the girls got home from school so they could have some quality time with Grandpa.

...they played basketball:

This hoop is a story in itself...our neighbors who are moving gave it to us for free. Bret has been dreaming of one for several years now. We've only had it a few days but already it has gotten hours and hours of use. Blessings from Heaven definitely come in all shapes and sizes!

...they listened to Abby play the piano:

...they played the Wii

...they jumped on the trampoline:

I just love the way Gavin is looking at him in this picture!

...they went to Zachary's t-ball game:

...and then to Dairy Queen for ice cream.

Thanks for the visit Grandpa! We LOVE you!

Clean Up Time With Sadie

Post Edit...I've had a few questions what this is. No, it is not just a black picture. Push the play button to watch the video. :)

Since having Sadie it seems that the need to sweep the kitchen floor after dinner isn't as great as it used to be. So we decided to take her clean up assistance to a whole new level... :)

Strawberry Picking

Yesterday we went strawberry picking! It was so much fun and we all left the field with red fingers!

Gavin was into it for a little while, but then he got distracted with picking up sticks.

This one got the award for Best Shape

Look at those strawberries! They are so incredibly sweet and delicious. Before leaving we picked ourselves up some strawberry cider donuts and went home to make strawberry milkshakes. Today I'm trying out a yummy strawberry muffin recipe and this weekend we'll hopefully make some homemade ice cream (if they don't get eaten by then!)

I LOVE Virginia. I mean really...strawberry picking in May, cherry picking opens up today actually, peaches in mid June and apples in October! It's the best.

Field Trip

Today I got to go on a field trip with McKenna...and man oh man, did I ever have a great day with her. I soaked up the one on one time. I was so excited to be going with her that I voluntarily road the bus jammed full of first graders for an hour there and back instead of driving my own car. My head was spinning by the time the ride was done, but we sure made those two hours on the bus fly by! We sang our hearts out to Taylor Swift songs, (no actual radio was involved but we didn't care if we sang the same verses over and over again) played rock/paper/scissors countless of times, and told funny stories from my childhood. And in the middle of it all I had this thought...I really need to enjoy the fact now that my kids think I'm a "cool" mom and they like having me around their friends because they are growing up so fast. I know these days will slip me by before I know it, and then I'll be anything but cool!

We went to a farm and fed some animals, learned about plants in a greenhouse, planted their own plants, and rode a very old-fashioned ferris-wheel. The major disappointment of the day was when McKenna's class was the only class not able to go down the sixty feet high slide that went underground because they ran out of time. That was not a happy bus ride home, let me tell you. I was surrounded by tears, drama and very sad girls. (This is when funny stories came in handy!)

Even without the slide it was one fantastic day! But how could it not be when I got to spend it with her...

Re-Evaluating

I love coming across things that make me:

STOP. THINK. EVALUATE. PONDER. CHANGE. IMPROVE.

This is one of those quotes. And now it's going right up on my fridge in big bold print. Or maybe I should put it above my kitchen sink to make sure I really remember.

"Being There is an emotional and spiritual shift, of succumbing to Being Where You Are When You Are, and Being There as much as possible. Its about crouching on the floor and getting delirious over the praying mantis your son just caught instead of perusing a fax or filling the dishwasher while he is yelling for your attention and you distractedly say over your shoulder: 'Oh, honey, isn’t that a pretty bug.' It’s about being attuned enough to notice when your kid’s eyes shine so you can make your eyes shine back.” Iris Krasnow

20 years from now I want my kids to say that I was excited about what they were excited about, even if that's an ant crawling across my kitchen floor, or a bird that happens to be sitting on our porch when I'm in the middle of making dinner. I want my kids to think that I was really there in the moment with them.

I want to be there. I want my eyes to shine back.

Recovery

We are 3 days in to the 10 day recovery for this little thing...

The kids are concerned, protective, and loving...

Other then Zachary trying to pull her stitches out (he came home from the camp out and didn't know what the blue thing was on her tummy,) the incision bleeding a little, trying to keep a puppy from running and jumping, and Sadie bumping into just about everything with her cone...she's doing pretty good!

Father/Son Campout=Girls Night!

The boys are off...well most of them that is. It's the annual Father/Son camp out and my son couldn't be more excited. They are armed with sleeping bags, treats, s'more fixings, and of course...ponchos! Last year they walked through our door at 3:00 in the morning because of storms. At 7:00 tonight it was already thundering...but as of now they are sticking it out.

What does this mean for those of us left behind...GIRLS NIGHT! Abby wanted to dress Gavin up in a dress...but we all knew that wouldn't go over so well. So we decided this was his last year with us and then we're kicking him out of girls night!:)

We started the evening with a few hours at the school fair...and now we're set for nails, a girlie movie, and popcorn! I have to just say that I LOVE my girls and any excuse I have to spend time some QT girl time with them.

Happy camping boys!

Mini-Date

The boys were off to play at a friends house today.

So I decided to pull my husband away from his paper for a little mini-date with me!

It was fabulous.

We grabed a muffin and walked around "The Corner" (a place right across from campus with shops and restaurants.) We read all the menu's posted on the outside, walked in book stores and print stores, and UVA apparel stores.

It was raining...more like misting. We walked and held hands. It was simple and great!

I can't believe that one year of this adventure is coming to a close. One year down. 1/4 of the way done. It has been hard in ways, and so fantastic in many others.

Bret has never been so stretched, and never risen to such a challenge. He's never been so busy, but never had so much quality time with the kids. That sounds impossible, but it's true. He used to leave the house by 6:00 every morning and was home around 6:45 at night...just enough time to eat as a family and help get the kids to bed. But now because he does most of his work from home he eats breakfast and lunch with the boys, says hello to the girls when they get home from school and asks them about their days, he physically puts Gavin down for his nap because Gavin HAS to go into the office to say goodnight to daddy. We can have a few hours of family time in the evenings and then he hits the books again when they are in bed.

There are moments when we both wish we were actually making some money right now...saving for retirement and our kids education and such...but that will come. We're where the Lord wants us. And honestly there is nothing we need that we do not have. Sure there are wants that still leave me wanting...but who doesn't feel that?

This is a great life! I mean really, on a whim I just got to spend 2 hours alone with my husband on a Thursday morning!

Abby

Abigail...my 12 year old...I mean 8 year old!

McKenna

These are a few of the raw images of McKenna. I'm lovin' her freckles!