A Little Journey Back

If I ever thought I was behind on this blog before, now is an all time record.  We have celebrated Lincoln's birthday, built a chicken coop and have now ripped out our lower level of the house.  I am going to start back...way back!

We didn't have snow all winter, but as soon as January hit, we had plenty!

There were also the occasional nice days.  Avery had a birthday party with little girls from school.  Afterwards they played outside (in their Elsa dresses of course).

Below is our chicken coop in progress.  It has been put on hold due to the weather and our house.  I can't wait to get back from spring break and get our new pets.  They will be a perfect addition to our garden.

The kids had a Valentine's Day party at school.  I love that I get to be a part of their school life.

After the party we jumped in the car to celebrate my birthday and my nieces birthday!

We did gifts in the car!

My sister-in-law called in advance to make sure I was okay with having my nieces' birthday on my birthday weekend and that it didn't collide with Lincolns' birthday.  Of course not!  What better way to kick off the weekend then to have a Paw Patrol pancake breakfast.  The kids enjoyed their time and spent time with their second cousins.

I'm glad they get to attend these events!

That night the girls came over with Miss Kristina and the adults enjoyed a group night out for Valentine's Day.  Mommy got to go shopping and got a pedi.

Then it was all snuggles awaiting another snow storm!

These days are going way too fast!  It's hard to keep up. I'll try my best because I have so much more to share!

His Way

I've taken a while to write this post and now I finally figured out how I feel. My last living grandparent passed away. My grandpa Ralph. My kids Papa 2. My mom's dad. As I drove home tonight after an emotional few days, I finally let myself feel sad and tears were finally really ready to flow. He's all I've ever known as a grandparent and he may have not always been the most involved grandpa, he had to do it alone. My grandma passed away very early-she was only 55! Grandpa was left alone to be the grandparent for 12 grand children! That's a huge responsibility!

He did his best and was present when it mattered! Sure he forgot to send birthday cards, but he was there the day I got married and gave the prayer before dinner. My memories are full and that's what matters. He got to see and hold 19 great grandchildren! My other grandparents didn't get that!

He flew his plan almost to the end.

He loved people and was always happy to talk...always told stories!

The above picture was from a trip to California. Abra and I were obsessed with Rodeo Dr.  and grandpa couldn't understand this! There was too much in the world to see!

The past two days were spent sharing stories, looking at pictures, and watching the video below:

Papa 2 video

As my kids waved goodbye to Papa 2 and asked a lot of questions, my sadness grew. I just assumed grandpa would be with us. He was for 33 years! I'm going to miss seeing him. I get to share his remarkable life with my kids and hopefully they will pass them down. He had the coolest stories about WWII, stories I wished I'd captured. Remember to take those pictures and listen to those stories because life has to end. It might be the right time and it might be sudden. It was his time and he did it his way!

Grandpa, I hope you found grandma, your sister and your parents! Rest in peace!

Summer May be Over

I can't believe we are starting a new season.  It's amazing how much life has changed; Avery turned 5, Mack turned 4 and Lincoln is potty trained.  Summer may be over, but we will have all those great memories and it hasn't stopped us from being outside.

The nights have been beautiful-the below pictures are from an evening where the view couldn't be more perfect.  Especially the people!

We have enjoyed bonfires on the weekends.

Lincoln is always half dressed in my pictures.

Then we had time with our cousins for a BBQ and bonfire.  The Watson kids are a crew!  They love each other and it's fun to have them around.

Avery and Ireland were ready for the camera.

Each season change makes me reflect on how fast things are moving.   Life is easier with the three of them and it makes me appreciate the time we have together!

I Just Can't Wait To See GOD

We were blessed enough to watch the baptism of our good friend's baby-Celine and Mike's little Charlotte.  As we got out of the car at church Mack loudly said, "I just can't wait to meet GOD!" I tried then to explain that this is a place to worship GOD and we can see him in our thoughts, but as soon as we entered the chapel he asked where he was.  Wow, what a hard concept to explain to a 4 year old.  It made me sad we haven't been taking them to church.

When Mack was first sick, we couldn't go because he couldn't be around others.  Now we are trying to figure out where we want to go, but this experience made me realize we have to go!  Mark and I grew up going to Sunday school and they should have that same experience.  Thank you Celine and Mike for inviting us to be a part of your family's special day.  It is a beautiful ceremony seeing your child be baptized and now we need to do a better part as parents to provide them with an education about GOD.

We had many more questions as the service was going on.  They wanted to know if GOD wrote the Hymns.  It was a long time for them to sit, but the congregation loved seeing children attend and were happy to have some extra noise!  

The church was a tiny little church at the Lake, we had to step outside for air and were able to get some cute pictures of the three of them.

Double family photo.

I love the title of this post.  Mack your mind and questions are so refreshing.

Congratulations baby Charlotte!

Father's Day

Mark was wanting a weekend at home for Father's Day and we were all settled on that. Then he came home and said he had to work at the lake on Friday, so why not stay all weekend. I'm glad he made that decision. My husband is always working! If he's not at work he is working at home: running around with the kids, mowing our 5 acres, fixing EVERYTHING that seems to be broken lately, and then was wanting to work on fixing things over the weekend!

I took the kids down on Friday. It wasn't until nap time that we got on the boat, so did they nap? Goodness no!!!!

Mack has been wanting to go to the beach-probably because we are trying to plan a family vacation to the beach this winter. It's not easy to find a beach in the middle of Missouri and the lake is all rock on the shores. Luckily we found this place that had a beach! They absolutely loved it and we stayed there for the afternoon.

My kids have turned into lake kids this summer and seem so comfortable on the boat.

Then Mark join us as did my brother's family. We had a yummy dinner and relaxed-just what Mark needed! The guys left early on Saturday for a morning of golf. This is something else Mark never does! It was healthy for him to get away and enjoy himself. That he did!!

Then the afternoon was spent on the dock swimming and fishing:)

And Mack cought two fish!!!! His first fish!

We slowly headed home and made dinner to visit with Papa H. He is getting up to visit us and the kids love it. They have missed him!

Happy Father's Day to everyone. We were glad to relax and celebrate the important men in our lives!