Big Furlough Friday

I really hate that the playlist music is not playing on this space anymore.  I like music playing when I read my blog posts.  The music helps me feel the moment again, but the whole purpose of this blog was to publish it for the kids one day, and I'm pretty sure they haven't developed musical blog books.  It's a pity really.

On the bright side, someone is probably cheering that they do not have to turn the volume down.  Sigh.  Everybody needs a little Patty Griffin in their life, and I felt like it was my duty to let them know this.  Oh well.

Friday was a wonderful day last week.  I spent the day with the kids due to the furlough day in our county school system.  They didn't seem to mind that we didn't have huge plans.

We made the best of our time together I think and tried to make the day as big as we could.  Big = cleaning, going to buy dog food, and looking for some sort of filing system for all their school papers and such.  My poor kitchen table...I've lost it completely.  They have been in school such a short time, and I've already lost it...not that I really had it in the first place.

When Dad got home, well, it felt like a good, Mexican Friday night.  We kidnapped our neighbor and good friend, Bryson, and off we went.  We left with the kitchen table not much better than it was I'm afraid.

She was glowing when we returned from dinner, and the camera was calling my name.  Funny I say she was glowing, because she could have been covered in dirt and the camera still would have been calling my name.  It sounded good when I first thought it though.



Jonah was playing with Bryson in the back yard, and she was perched on a rock watching them.



Oh, this face.



She had bark on her hands.  I think it was bothering her for a minute.



Just until her Dad popped up and did something funny behind my back.



I have no idea what he did or said, but the result warmed my heart.



They played a little ball after dinner.  Hey Bryson!



This is a reason I love photography.  I may have never seen this face without the help of my camera.



Connection is such a satisfaction.



Oh yeah, and this is what the bloggers call, "Keeping it real."  She wants it all sometimes.



Eyes on the ball.



Wham!



She doesn't connect with the ball that way yet.



Not yet.



Those eyes are connecting though.  What is she thinking?

"Mom, will you please put the camera down and swing with me for goodness sakes?"

"OK!"



She had lots to do and no time for my foolishness.

So, I put it down.  And, I pick it up again.  And, I put it down.  And, I pick it up again.

So far, it's working!

It's all about Jesse

She had her first homework assignment this weekend.  She was super excited.



I'm sure if you have a child, you've completed the "All About Me" poster with him or her.  Jonah has done many of these.



She has always wanted one of her own, and well, she finally got the chance.



She wanted to do it herself.  "I need to do it myself!  But, I can't write much, so will you help me?"  She said something like that.  I let her write as much as she could, and her Dad and I helped guide her hand on the rest.



She has trouble with lower case n's, but she makes a mean 4 and a great upper J of course.



What makes you a star Jesse?  This one was hard, but we found a good answer I think.



Yep, that works.



Next was the question that has ever changing answers, "What do you want to be when you grow up Jesse?"   I was thinking she would say an artist (which is so, super cool), but she pulled this one out and oh, how suiting it was...a cupcake baker.

Jesse, you said I could work in your bakery one day.  Please don't forget!



I enjoyed this activity thoroughly today.  Yes, there were many distractions and millions of other things I needed to do, but seeing this smile...I tell you what, there's no better.



It's all about you Jesse.  I'm so proud of you, my little cupcake baker...my funny star.

We'll be there to guide your hand whenever you need us.  Just keep being brave enough to make the first stroke.  We love you kiddo...always and forever.

Sunday Morning

Hey guys.  It's nice that things in our lives have slowed down a bit...for just a little while I guess.  The extracurricular activities start up again next weekend.  I'm ready.  Really,  I am.

Jesse starts baseball soon.  Don't you dare reference T-ball, or she'll correct you.  Jesse doesn't play T-ball...she plays baseball...and that's that.



I think I went a little harsh on the editing of her picture.  I guess I had a tough baseball player on my mind? We shall see.



If you look close, you will see somewhat of a black left eye there above.  Jonah got a black eye throwing with his Dad recently.  He was such a trooper about it.  Although, he tried on face masks tonight at Dick's and thought that might be a good purchase idea.  Perhaps.



She seems to have had a wonderful first week of school.  According to her, she's super sweet and smart.  I'm still trying to figure out how to respond to that.



I wish you could hear the way he talks to Luke.  It's annoying and sweet at the same time.  Luke loves it.  He loves Luke, and I've decided that bringing Luke home is one of the best things we have ever done.



I took these pictures this Sunday morning.  It was such a beautiful morning.  It seemed a little bit like Fall.  It was nice.  It was so great to have nothing to do.  We just woke up, watched the Smurfs, the kids ate pancakes on the porch, and played on the wet grass.  I have missed it so much.



The light was beautiful.



I really appreciate it.  So much so, that shoes are not required because what if we miss it?



I didn't even make Jonah get dressed.



You see those Jonah curls right there?  Gone, gone, gone.  I'm aching.  He's been asking.  I decided to take him to the Barber Shop.  He's so dang excited about it too.  I'm just trying to keep reminding myself of the smile he has when he looks in the mirror.  The curls were for me...not him.  It was time.

Ouch.

I had tears in my eyes.  I told him he was growing up and he said, "I'm here.  I'm right here.  You have a million pictures."

Oh, but is there ever enough and how do I make you understand, Jonah?  Anyway, so...I just said OK.  He's so excited to go to school tomorrow...curl-less.



I'm hanging in there.  His compassion and her smile helps.

Where does the time go?



Just so very thankful I have a partner in this life that misses the curls too and understands exactly what I'm feeling.

Have a great week guys.

Love,
Heather

First Days

I don't really know how to begin this one.  I'm behind with all this.  No one will really notice but me, but for some reason I feel the need to say so.

So, I'm going to ease back in and not say much.



On the Friday before the Monday she started Pre-K, I stared at her in bed before I left for work and cried.  Her legs stretched so far across the bed.  She looked so grown up to me.  I wanted to stop time so badly.

On her first day of Pre-K, my love and I walked her in...against the rules of her new school.  I really didn't give a damn.  I even took my big camera in.  I took a few pictures.  I mostly focused on her though.  I had to make sure she was OK.  She was.  She was just fine.  She didn't even cry.  She's happy.  She's still happy.  She's going to be just fine out there.  I'm so proud of her.



This clown is in third grade.  My favorite grade.  I learned how to multiply in third grade.  I loved everything about it.  It comes easy to him...the math part...at least so far it does.  He has a test on the map and all the continents tomorrow.  He also has to spell intermediate on his spelling test.  He seems to have it down.  He's sick of me asking him how to spell it.

He threw the ball with me tonight.  I love playing catch with him.  I think I could do it all day and never get tired.

He wants a crew cut.  I think I'm going to let him get one this weekend.  I can't believe I'm going to do it, but the more I think about it, the more I think he deserves to have his hair just like he wants it.

I hope they don't mind me sweeping it all up and putting it in a zip-loc.  I hope they have tissues.

A Rhyme

Once upon a time there was a girl named Heather.  When she was a little girl, people called her Feather.

She grew up, went to college and studied to be an Aerospace Engineer.  Good grief you blessed girl, who put that in your ear?

Who knows...she was good in math and wanted to go to Space, it seemed to her like a wonderful place.

She didn't quite make it there, but she doesn't mind.  She's happier on Earth these days...she's not blind.

She married her first love and how happy he made her, she really loves that he likes to cook her supper  (Oh my God, that's so cheesy).

She's been through it all...bla bla bla bla.  She's glad for the rough times, that's why they make sport bras (OMG).

She runs sometimes because it relieves stress.  She likes to watch her daughter twirl in her dress.

Her boy plays baseball, and he keeps her busy.  She's trying to figure out how to get them to the World Series in Mississippi.

She's proud of him, so she'll figure it out...but honestly, she'd rather take another route.

Perhaps back to New York or California?  Perhaps to Florida or Bora Bora?

Oh well, Mississippi it is.  We've got to play ball.  Good Lord be with them cause it's going to be a tough haul.

I'm quite delirious at the tasks at hand, but I'm glad to be dealt them than be buried in the sand.

I realize now why I'm not an English professor, I need to go put some clothes in my dresser.

Aren't you glad I don't have time for this?  You must be in a tremendous bliss.

I'm impressed you came here anyway, please don't let this post push you away.

I appreciate you very much, you are my family, and I promise I'm about to hush.

I guess I will end with a picture and a wish for a life a little bit simpler.

But, all in all I'm blessed and thankful for my life.  Although, wouldn't it be nice if it was more like Barney Fife's?

I'll be back after baseball when it all settles down, when I'm back to normal or at least less of a clown.

Moments

It's one thing to take pictures, and it's another to capture moments that take your breath away.  I try my hardest to capture moments, and I just get lucky sometimes.



I can't tell you how much the above picture makes me smile.  We were in Destin.  We had just finished breakfast in the village, and I had given Jonah and Jesse coins to throw in the fountain.  We do this every single year.  What is it about a fountain that makes a child's face light up like this?  I wanted to be sure to tell them to make a wish this year.  I almost didn't ask what their wishes were, but I was too curious.

I asked Jonah what he wished for first and he said, "I wished that I could fly."

I almost cried.

I asked Jesse next and she said, "I wished I had a unicorn!"

I have never heard her mention unicorns.  I don't talk about unicorns.  Where did this come from?

But, I tell you, I couldn't get these wishes out of my head.  They were both such good wishes.  So magical.  I'll never forget them.



She would have picked every flower in Destin if I would let her.  She has a wonderful appreciation for them.



I love how young she looks in this photo.  She's still my baby right here.



Somewhere between breakfast and lunch, we stopped at a diner for milkshakes, because this is what you do on vacation.  I took a zillion pictures of this moment.  You could probably put them together and make a movie.



My Jonah pulled us back to the village on several occassions because there were adventurious things to do there, like the Euro Bungee and the Zip-line.  He did them both.  I took a zillion pictures of those moments too, but this shot of him waiting in line spoke to me.



Anticipation.  You know, sometimes, that's the best part.



She said she wanted to bungee this year.  I bought her a ticket.  She watched in amazement at the children before her.



And then she watched Jonah.  And then she decided she wasn't ready, which was fine with me.  That means she is still my baby for one more year.  The year she bungees means she's growing up, and I don't know if I was ready for that.



There's a thousand more pictures between there and here.  I have been aching for the time to look through them.  Life is crazier than ever though.  I barely have a minute of time to myself, and the last thing I'm going to do is complain about it.

I'm just going to keep on going and loving capturing the moments that take my breath away.  Lord knows I'm going to have a hard time going through them all, but oh well.

High on Summertime

Today I woke up and I realized for the...I don't know how manieth time....that this is the best time of my life.

If you are from the South and say y'all and ain't and how manieth, holler now would you?

Thanks.

And for the record, you can have a college degree and still talk like this.

It's totally ok.

I think?

Anyway, back to this...

Watching my children grow in front of my eyes and celebrate summer and life and family vacation is just the best thing on the planet.  I know it's a lot of work for us parents and all, but oh my goodness gracious...is it ever worth it.



We trecked down to Sandestin, Florida again during our off week from baseball.  It's our home away from home.  It's the place my love and I dream of retiring.  I can just see an older version of us... riding in our golf cart to Publix for groceries and walking our dog on the beach.  I want to see the children of our two visit us and watch them dip their sweet feet in the beautiful emerald waters for the first time.  I want to see their precious little hands gather the white sand to form something grand.  It's a good dream.



I'll look at my grandkids in this same way I'm sure.  I'll say, "Oh honey, your Mama and her brother ate all their snacks out of a Red Solo Cup."  Surely there will still be Red Solo Cups?  I mean, there is an entire song dedicated to the Red Solo Cup.  Right?




I'll say "Your Mama or Your Daddy loved coming here.  They would pause for me every year right here on this path for a quick picture before they ran to the ocean."



"They didn't seem to mind, even though the ride was so long and all they wanted to do was just run."



"I'll never forget how they looked and how it felt to be there.  It feels exactly the same now."

Anyway, that's how it goes in my dream.  I will be super blessed if it comes true.  But honestly, I feel like just this...just this is good enough for me.  The rest is a bonus.

The first afternoon, we literally ran to the beach at first.  The kids played for a while and then we went to dinner.  We went to Tommy Bahamas...oh Mama.  Hello coconut shrimp.  Anyway, it was fabulous...then we ran back to the beach for fireworks.





















I'll never forget this moment.  I could have stayed out there all night.  It was incredible.  There are times in life when you think to yourself, "this is good."  You know?  This was one of those moments.

We kept it going.  The next morning we were at the beach first.





Jonah, you were a total surfer boy this year.  You braved the waves and even dove through them.  When I saw you dive in one for the first time, I nearly lost my breath.  How could you possibly be old enough to do that?



And Jesse, honey, you braved the waves with our help too.  You still love to play in the sand more though.  You were all about the sand castle and digging the big hole.  I loved watching you.



Taking your picture is just an excuse to stare at you more.  Thanks for being so patient with me.

I only took 2500 or so...so many more I haven't even seen yet.

This is going to be fun :-).  I'll try my best to share more.

Oh good grief, I live for the beach and summertime...there's nothing better.