Double Digits

This happy girl has discovered it is way more fun to sit up than lie down. And, she also discovered this chair rocks! She is busy, busy, busy. We love her so!

Bring on Summer!

Every year we try to support our local baseball team by attending one game. This was the perfect night. The weather was perfect. Watson was thrilled to have his friend Graham with us. Daisy was happy. I loved being outside listening to the "crack of the bat" and have peanuts and Cracker Jack. This is totally summer. We love it all!

Sweet and 16

Chandler made it to 16! Yay! We love this kid of ours. He is so thoughtful and kind. He loves being with his siblings and is the best biggest brother around. Although he loves to tease, he does it with a great big heart. He loves to ride his bike and although we didn't buy him his own car, we did get something else he would enjoy. He likes to be outside and is really good at taking cool pictures. He is good to the core and has a gift with being flexible to whatever life throws at him. He is definitely one of a kind.

We celebrated him with big balloons, lots of candy bars and a new downhill bike. Family came over Sunday to have Cinnamon Toast Crunch cupcakes and ice cream. Anyone who knows Chandler loves Chandler. He is just that kind of guy.

Blessed Mother's Day

Mother's Day was full of so many surprises this year. I spent the Saturday before by myself for a couple of hours getting a pedicure and shopping a bit. I came home to the biggest secret ever! Scott has been working with my dad to find the perfect piano for me. I love it and I'm so excited to start playing again. Watson and Daisy love it too. Maybe I'll get good enough again to accompany our hymn singing during family home evening. We shall see. 

These people of mine bring me the greatest joy (and sometimes the greatest frustration) I could ever imagine. I prayed for so many years to have a family to call my own. To mother day in and day out for eternity. Watson is so full of energy and really never runs out of ideas to share. He amazes me with his zest for life and I really have a hard time keeping up. Daisy is absolutely a light in my life. She is so happy and patient and lovey. Chandler made me Mom first and I couldn't be more grateful for that boy. I made some mistakes along the way but he loves me despite them. Mothering can be hard. I feel like I've lost parts of myself along the way. But, I feel like because of that I've found a better version of myself I would never have become if I hadn't been a mother.

Off Track Take3

This last "off track" session was two weeks long, the perfect amount of time. Watson and I spent some good time together and really had fun with just the right amount of activities. we kicked off the break with a trip to the Thanksgiving Point Natural History Museum. Our friend, Cache, always makes things more interesting.  I love that we live so close to so many fun places to visit.

Soccer season continues and Daisy loves being outside. She also loves to cheer Watson on as he dominates the field

I love the sweet connection between these two. They love each other so much!

We also visited the zoo. The weather was perfect. We got to see the baby giraffe and watch the seals do tricks. Of course we also ate treats and played around on everything bolted down.

We were lucky enough to make it to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. The flowers were absolutely breathtaking. I determined this year I would buy their bulbs once they went on sale. Watson loved being outside and exploring the gardens.

Grandma Nettie came with us to enjoy the day. We fed the Koi fish and Watson rolled down the hills. 

Tracy Aviary was also on our bucket list. We met our friends, Marlene and Aurora one afternoon and saw lots of great stuff. They have a pass so they showed us around and made sure we had a great time. I loved the blooming Iris. Daisy discovered Chinese Elm seeds. Watson kept up with Aurora running from bird to bird.

During this time Watson started baseball with his buddy. This is his first time playing and he's loving it. We started him with coach pitch and it seems he's a natural. He has been so excited about baseball for a little while now. In fact, he's been watching The Sandlot almost daily. He can't wait to get home to play baseball with his friends. When he gets to choose an activity for us together he likes to play catch. He has grasped on to this new passion with complete enthusiasm. I love to see it.

We ended our school break with a birthday celebration for our neighbor friend. Daisy got to see Princess Belle, and didn't cry at all. Watson had so much fun swimming and playing with all the kids at the pool. It was the perfect way to end our brief break. Let's hope we can make it through eight more weeks of school!