Take that, Pool.

So I mentioned our summer "bucket list" recently. Which is mostly just me trying to make sure I do lots of fun stuff with the hooligans this summer, in spite of Billy's busy schedule. (Need insurance, anyone? He's your man.) Not specifically on the list, but fun none the less, is trips to the pool. This was the only shot I got of us at the pool. And as you can see, half of us weren't even aware there was a camera.

Usually when we go to the pool, I don't do it alone. Me vs. 3 hooligans, plus a giant drowning hazard? I think not. But, I decided if we were ever going to go, I just needed to suck it up, and plan on having a really crappy tan this year. ;) Like as in, it'll be shaped like Jericho. Speaking of Jericho, that child has no fear of the water. I really don't know how to handle it since my other two were not like that. He sees himself as Michael Phelps, charging fearlessly into the deep, when in reality he is kind of like a small drunk person repeatedly face-planting in the water. (Trust me...I TRY to stop it. He literally pushes me away and screams because he wants to do it himself.) Despite drunkenness and an overdose of cheetos, I think it went fairly well. Take that, pool. We'll be back.

Chip on the Shoulder

I always watch my kids eating, and think about how funny (and gross) it would be if adults ate like kids do. Just cramming food in our mouths with our fists, rubbing food in our hair, never using silverware, and occasionally crawling under the table to eat what fell off our plates. (What, your kids don't do that?) Here is a good example of one such eating habit...wearing your food on your sleeve. Or more specifically, since he rarely eats in his clothes because he's so messy, having a chip on your shoulder.

Nothing Says Summer Like...

...Queen Anne's Lace. One of my favorite summer "flowers". I don't know if it's even really a flower. My husband always tells me my favorite flowers are actually weeds. Morning glories, honeysuckle...so I am suspicious that maybe Queen Anne's Lace falls into this category as well. ;)

Either way...I love seeing it along the sides of the road when I'm out on my runs. It's a long story, but it's a very personal reminder to me about how God sees the beautiful in my chaos. (If you've ever read The Shack...that probably makes more sense. Great book!) 

Sometimes up close it's hard to see the pattern, the beauty, of something that seems to everyone else to be a weed. God sees the big picture, the whole, the end and the beginning, and He sees a treasured flower that's unique and like no other.

As we officially head into this favorite season of mine, I feel continually reminded of my "treasured" status as these little bits of lace line the roads where I spend so much time. I'm reminded, and thankful, to be seen, and deemed worthy of this gentle reminding.

Summer Bucket List

I'm not really into bucket lists. There are lots of things to do, and placed I want to see, before any grand finale happens...but I think in my heart I know that what's to come is going to be mind-blowing compared to here, so if I miss a landmark or two, I'm not too concerned. But I do think it's fun to have goals and things you want to do, so I'm not judging the listers of buckets.

This summer I have kind of started a little "bucket list" of things to do with the hooligans, during this last summer of freedom. (We will officially be homeschooling in the Fall, not just playing around with preschool, and I think that means I have some growing up to do. Haha!) No more wandering around with no official commitments...well not every day at least. I want to homeschool with breathing room. If we decide to go on a field trip 4 days a week, so be it. As long as we get the basics down, I want the kiddos education to be something that is a serious hands-on experience. Being strapped to a desk for hours makes me cringe...I can only image how that would go over with hooligans.

That said, I think this recent outing is the exact type of thing I want to incorporate into school. We found a nearby state park that I'd never even heard of, complete with lots of animal and insect exhibits (Live and fake...thankfully the insects were fake. Give me a reptile any day.) and a couple of lakes full of turtles and fish. The kiddos had a near death experience with a large catfish (don't expect to see them on River Monsters anytime soon...) and learned a lot about different kinds of birds, snakes, turtles, and bugs.

There was also a playground, and we love to sample local playgrounds. The kiddos need to mark their territory on any and every playground we pass by, so it was fun to run out some crazies after studiously absorbing a science lesson. (By studious I mean Merrick didn't even break anything.) I enjoyed the time spent with them doing something different, and teaching them something at the same time. While all our summer activities aren't educational, (ok most of them aren't, and some of them include not getting out of my pajamas) it was comforting to know you can sneak learning into fun, and hooligans don't even know the difference. So maybe I can cross "homeschooling-failure paranoia" off my bucket list? Well...let's leave that one on there a little while longer. ;)

Tizzy Smash

Tizzy tantrums hake Hulk look pretty tame. Poor kiddo has been sick the last few days, however. That tends to tone down the tantrums just a bit. Here she is doing her impression of Hulk...who she definitely thinks is an amateur fit-thrower.

Casual Friday

Merrick loves to pick out his own clothes. I'm not sure how other moms handle their kids daily outfits, but I finally gave up the battle of trying to get him to wear things that match. (I guess it helps that he doesn't go to school...I'm not as worried about him scaring his teacher into believing he is homeless.)

He also loves to wear clip-on ties. No collar necessary, as you can tell. He will clip them on any old t-shirt. And we must never be without our belt. This is kind of the same as the ties, in that no belt loops are necessary. He will just loop it around his gym shorts. Classy. (The picture below is him in his t-shirt, belt and tie, trying to go all Mr. Miyagi on the fly on the carpet.)

And recently, as if the collarless ties and loop-less belts aren't enough of a fashion statement, he's taken to purposefully wearing mismatched socks. In the next picture he is not only wearing mismatched socks, but one of them is Jericho's sock that fit him a little better than you'd think, since Jericho is Bigfoot. I almost lost it with that one, but then decided it gave me a good excuse to stop worrying about socks that come through the dryer without a match. He obviously doesn't care if they match...so I can find better things to do than hunt for lost socks...like wonder if he is colorblind. ;)

Undeserved Eight

I'm sitting here trying to figure out how I got old enough to have 3 kids, and have an 8 year wedding anniversary. What in this world? I am not one of those girls who is all finicky about getting older. I may be a little scared of the big 5-0, but 30 wasn't a big deal. It does seem weird though, when you look in the mirror and see someone older (and hopefully wiser!) than what you see in your heart...ya know? I still think of myself as a kid, and almost keep expecting someone to tell me I'm not mature enough for this life I'm living.

I've been blessed with a husband who couldn't care less about aging. I'm pretty sure I could look like the wicked witch with another 50 pounds to carry around and he wouldn't notice. He's a keeper. Another reason he is a keeper? He loves me even though I frequently act like the wicked witch. (Yesterday was a tough day for various reasons that I will passively aggressively leave off this post, *snort* and I definitely had a few tantrums that he lovingly smoothed out.) AND he gives me an anniversary present to replace the beloved anniversary present just like it (given to me several anniversaries ago) that I accidentally killed. *He also apparently loves me in spite of my black thumb, and lack of cooking skills.*

So all this rambling just to say, I'm blessed and covered in grace, (from my husband and the God who gave him to me) and it's totally undeserved. Which in a way is the best, because then I know I don't have to be or do anything to keep it. I hope that as we age together, and as our marriage ages, we do so with grace. I am thankful for these undeserved gifts -plants, husbands who get it, mind-blowing grace- and want to spend every day between the next 80 anniversaries remembering the wonder in all I've been given. Happy 8th anniversary, Ace! I love you!

Unconventional

This past weekend we had the chance to go to our local Homeschool Convention. Even though I was homeschool all throughout school, I'd never been to it. It was a really great event, with tons (ok, too much for my overwhelmed brain) of great information and resources. Lots of people sharing their combined wisdom gleaned from years of schooling thousands of children. (Hey, homeschoolers love big families, what can I say?)

We have been interested in homeschooling for awhile, and this last year we did preschool at home with Merrick. It was pretty laid back, since I think he and I both needed to ease into it. It went pretty well. We had our rough spots, but for the most part he seemed to really enjoy it. He would often ask "when are we going to do school?"

It was encouraging to see so many people, getting homeschooling done so many different ways. I'm glad there's so much freedom in teaching at home; looking forward to lots of hands-on learning and field trips full of real-life learning. It gave me a little more confidence that maybe, just maybe, I won't ruin my kids when I try to teach them at home. ;)

Rained Out

So today was our much anticipated Tough Mudder. I was ridiculously excited. Then something called Andrea happened. She is a big jerk. They cancelled the event for today, and we are still hopefully trying not to get our hopes up that they will let us run it tomorrow. So bummed. But on a positive note, we have an unexpected day to sit around with the hooligans after a very busy week. But if anyone knows me, you know I'm itching to get this pent up "was going to run a 10 mile muddy obstacle course" energy out. Keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow!

The hooligans might not be an obstacle course, but they're pretty entertaining and dirty. Close enough. ;) Hope everyone else is enjoying the weekend!

Birthday Party

I'm a big fan of birthdays. I love my birthday, I love presents, I love cake, I love celebrating my kids birthdays, etc. I don't really care that I'm getting older...I just love birthdays. My birthday was this past Monday, and it was satisfactorily celebrated with a trip away for a few days.

First off Billy and the kids woke me up with Starbucks and CFA in bed, and a gift and card from my hooligans. They opened both the card and the present themselves, and it was just perfect. They told me they wanted to get me a card with a noise-making toilet on it, but Billy wouldn't let them. ;) I love being a mom. It's hilarious.

After that I went for a birthday run, which probably isn't fun to a lot of people, but an hour of running is bliss to me. Then we loaded up in the car (after dropping the hooligans) and headed to Ocean City MD for a few days.

We had a blast there. Took a 32 mile bike ride (one of my crazy ideas) to see the wild ponies at Assateague State Park, ate lots of ridiculously good food, slept late, ran on the beach, sat in the hot tub, bought the kids goofy presents, etc. It was an awesome birthday present. I am sad to be heading home, but can't wait to kiss my babies.

Speaking of babies, they just Face-timed us on the road and some of Merrick's first words to me were: "Mom, don't freak out..." Haha! (He was telling me a story about finding a black widow. Yikes! He knows me well.) Then we discussed tadpoles and negotiated their wishes to miss nap time today. Just the usual. ;)

Had a great trip, but excited to get back to where I love to be the most, with three of the best gifts I've ever been given. Birthdays are the best.

Burning Love

So my sisters and I had the chance to shoot another wedding this last weekend. It was at a beautiful home out in the country, under the (very) warm sunshine. I joked about how we have had such chilly weather so far this year, but this couple gets a scorcher for their outdoor wedding. The bride somehow managed to look fantastic and not sweat a drop however!

The setting was truly gorgeous, with sweet heartfelt decorations and beautiful colors. The family was welcoming and fun, and it was adorable to watch the bride be given away by two (protective...haha!) brothers and her parents. You could tell this was a family who had already blended their two families into one.

As always, it's such a privilege to shoot a couple's wedding. We loved being a part of it, and loved watching this special event take place! We wish them the best!