incessant anonymity

Day Sixteen: Something New

2012-02-16T21:27:00.000-05:00

A few words, because I really really don't want to clean up the kitchen right now. Today it rained and it was cold and I was desperate to go back to bed. In the spirit of wanting to snuggle into a warm bed all on my own I purposed to spend the day enjoying the girls. While Frankie napped this morning we got every pillow we could find and snuggled on the big bed and read books. Then we played some other Ada and Margot manufactured games, watched the washer wash a load of dish towels, had a play visit from some good friends in their jams and rain gear. My mind told me that while Frankie was being such a good napper today I should at least get the bathrooms cleaned.. or dust.. or fold laundry. Didn't do it. Feel good about it. Here's the catch though... tomorrow morning I all the desires to clean up that I kept at bay will come flooding out and my day will be a scrambling sort of a day. These are the days that I wear myself out cleaning the house "at the last minute" because the temptation to have a clean house, and thus a worry free Saturday morning, are too overwhelming. Annoying right? I might even get cranky because inevitably it will be sunny outside.. and I will resist the urge to be out in that sun because my time is up.. it is Friday and certain things will need to be done so that I can not be a crazy lady the next day. I will kick myself for not having done all that cleaning on this rainy day.. but I didn't want to clean... I wanted to cuddle my littles. UGH. So my question to you is.. it's all fine and good to ignore the housework in favor of spending the day with your children.. but then how do you keep from being a jerk the next day because you have twice the work piled up? I am pretty sure I know the answer but I just wanted to see if any of you did.

Day Fifteen: Phone

2012-02-15T21:37:00.000-05:00

Someone who should be asleep.. is not asleep.

Happy Valentimes! (it never gets old)

2012-02-14T20:56:00.000-05:00

Thank you Great Granddaddy and Great Grandmother!!!

Day Fourteen: Heart

2012-02-14T20:54:00.000-05:00

Day Thirteen: Blue

2012-02-13T21:46:00.000-05:00

Baby Frankie's tiny water glass.

Day Twelve: Inside Your Closet

2012-02-12T21:06:00.000-05:00

Get it? I'm inside my closet.

Oh, that's right. I'm one of those pesky rule followers.

(Yikes.)

Day Eleven: Makes You Happy

2012-02-11T20:20:00.000-05:00

Kids asleep by 7:30 and dinner alone with my man...

Mercy

2012-02-10T21:46:00.000-05:00

I spend a lot of time these days thinking about how to be a better mother. It seems that every evening when I drag to bed I try to soothe myself to sleep with the promise that tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow will not be a total wash. I will be a better mom tomorrow. Then tomorrow comes and I start off with an optimism that I can only assume comes with extreme fatigue/insanity and inevitably during the day I have that moment.. that moment where I feel the sting of intense personal failure. A character flaw has reared it's ugly head, in an ugly way, and I have crushed one of my children.

Have you ever crushed a child? The feeling is unmistakable. Like yesterday, for instance, when I caught Ada doodling in my open address book with the pen that I left next to it. My response " Are you KIDDING ME ADA?!?!? DO YOU DRAW IN BOOKS?!? DO YOU?!??! NOOOOOO!!!!! THIS IS MOMMY'S SPECIAL ADDRESS BOOK AND NOW IT IS RUINED!!!!" .. at which point I snatched said book from her hands and crammed it back on the bookshelf. Then I turned and saw her face. Trying desperately to hold back the tears.. absolutely crushed. I crushed my child. I crushed my Ada. If I had taken two seconds to think I would have realized that she is only 3 and a half and that she saw a book that I had been writing in, open with the pen I had been using next to it and she just started doing what she had seen me doing. I would have also recognized that I didn't give a rat's ass whether there were stray pen marks in my address book as it is a tool and not an archival publication. I could tell you all the reasons that I lost my temper. I could tell you that it was 4:30 and they had been nagging me all day, I could tell you that I was bone tired and my back was hurting and .. but I won't. What I did was childish and it was entirely selfish. I reverted to the mind of a 10 year old whose sibling is messing with the arrangement of pillows on their bed (ah-hem John..). I was so far from being a mother in that moment I couldn't even see the street sign. I dropped to my knees and scooped her into my arms and I hugged her and asked her to forgive me for hurting her feelings.. for scaring her. I asked her to pray with me and I prayed for forgiveness. And then..... the guilt set in. In my mind when something like that happens during the day .. the rest of the day (no matter how great it may have been) doesn't matter any more. All I will remember is that moment of failure. I have always been my own worst enemy in that way. Always harder on myself than anyone else could be. Recently our pastor spoke about grace. I know what grace is, I don't just give it lip service.. I have experienced it over and over again. Grace is the reason my maiden name isn't on Facebook. Grace lets you start over, and it lets you do this freely. Our Redeemer has doled out more than my fair share of grace in this life. Still something Tyler said really struck me. He said that those of us who are always so hard on ourselves are putting a limit on God's grace. It's like we are saying that our sin is too great for him to cover, so we are going to wallow around in it and try to handle it ourselves. In reality, he said, our sin is like a single grain of sand to Jesus' ocean of grace. Why not toss that grain in, and walk away? That is what He desires us to do. Stop feeling like a failure, toss your failures into that ocean and walk away and start fresh.. right away. You don't have to work for grace, remember? Not with Him. So I am practicing walking away from my F-Squared moments and leaving the guilt behind as well. Not an easy task let me tell you. But it is getting easier, with practice.. and I get to practice.. a lot.

So then this morning the girls were happily playing upstairs for like, 45 minutes and I took that opportunity to have a quiet breakfast with Frankie and read my "Bible Study" (which is really just me reading through the book of Luke) out loud. I am on chapter 18 and when I read the parable of the Pharissee and the Tax Collector I was struck again by a realization. I am both of these characters. I am the Pharisee who desires control over her life and is proud of her accomplishments and looks down on others. Just being honest folks. It happens. I like to pretend I never look down on others but lets get real, it happens. I am also the Tax Collector. I am standing far off, beating myself up for my sins. I am a sinner. The Tax Collector says in verse 13 "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!". When I read this I immediately thought "God, be merciful to me, a mother!". I know I am a sinner, but in this season of my life what I need mercy for is my role as a mother. I need His mercy as I try to navigate my way through these difficult years that leave me exhausted and unable to remember what I enjoy when I am on my own.. other than a big glass of wine and a box of Krispy Kreme I mean. Be merciful to me, a mother. It is still echoing in my head more than 12 hours later. Be merciful to me, a mother. I ask for His mercy for my crazy short comings and I accept the grace that He offers to walk away from my mistakes being washing clean and able to move on. I am working on not letting one outburst spoil an entire day, working on not limiting that grace. It's a work in progress.

My OCD vs. My Three Year Olds

2012-02-10T20:48:00.000-05:00

"Make yours, like mine."

Raleigh St. Clair

If you have never seen The Royal Tenenbaums you won't get that reference. In reality I said mine was just an example and that they could make their flowers look however they wanted too. I had to sit on my hands and bite my lip to keep from offering "helpful" advice. They were beyond excited with the way they turned out and they glued every single piece on all by themselves while I cheered them on while battling my inner nature. I do not want to create perfectionists.. I know that is not really up to me but it is such a handicap to success and happiness in life that I am fighting myself at every turn to keep from pushing them in that direction. I think we are well on our way.

Day Ten: Self Portrait

2012-02-10T09:29:00.000-05:00

Day Nine: Front Door

2012-02-09T13:33:00.000-05:00

Day Eight: Sun

2012-02-08T22:23:00.000-05:00

Photo Credit: Rachel W.

..since I didn't see the sun today.

Day Seven: Button

2012-02-07T22:41:00.000-05:00

"Button the Rabbit"

This is the first toy that Margot has named all on her own that wasn't "rabbit" or "baby rabbit" or "blue baby" or something else of that nature. She marched in the kitchen yesterday and announced that this rabbit's name was "Button the Rabbit". I was so excited about the insane cuteness of the name that I probably went overboard laughing and going on and on about how much I loved her name to which she just kept repeating "This rabbit's name is ... Button the Rabbit!!!!" over and over and over. Gotta say it was worth every repetition.

Day Six: Dinner

2012-02-06T22:15:00.001-05:00

Two tonight. Up top, the girls seeing Stephen coming down the street to pick them up for Daddy-Daughter Date Night at Chick-fil-A. Down below, dinner. I am told there was a string quintet (yes, quin as in 5) and the real Sleeping Beauty was there as well. They were so excited and tired when I read them bedtime stories tonight that they fell asleep during the third book and I had to carry them to bed.. it has been years people.. years since I carried a sleeping twin to bed.

Day Five: 10 am

2012-02-05T22:07:00.000-05:00

Day Four: A Stranger

2012-02-04T21:53:00.000-05:00

Me with Maddie the day(day after?) she was born. Way before kids of my own. Kind of a cheat but a clever one, wouldn't you say?

Day Three: Hands

2012-02-03T21:54:00.000-05:00

Friday. Bourbon, rocks.

Frances

2012-02-02T22:43:00.000-05:00

Frances Pauline is eight months old now. Where did the time go....

At 8 months, she can sit on her own, zombie crawl, sit up from crawling, feed herself, and today she started waving and saying "Ba-ba" which we are all taking to mean "bye-bye". Frankie you are our beloved. Your sisters adore you, your father and I are head over heels in love with you... you are precious to us and we can not imagine life without you in our family.

You are absolutely the happiest baby I have ever known. All you do is smile. You play with your toys on your own and smile. You feed yourself puffs and crackers and smile. You see your sisters and beam. Sometimes when I am working in another room, I hear the sound of a baby belly dragging across the floor and I turn just in time to see you peak your head around the corner, see me, and smile. It is so easy to make you laugh. The only time you get fussy is when you are ready for a nap.. and then you only cry out a few times or make a sad face and we know it's time to let you rest. You are a thumb sucker. And it is A-Dorable. When you are getting sleepy you suck your left thumb and you hold my hair or my ear and put your head on my shoulder. You love your strawberry lovey and hold onto that and suck your thumb if it is around. You are just so darn cute! We think you might be a red head or at least an auburn head.. but we will have to wait and see on that one. I love you with all my heart. You are my gracious gift and I do not take that lightly. I am oh so thankful to be your mama.

Day Two: Words

2012-02-02T22:16:00.000-05:00

Truth

2012-02-02T10:39:00.000-05:00

This is truth. Can you see it well enough? No?

How about now? My favorite part is that it is 10:23 AM and the topless muffin beside the dead bananas and empty yogurt cup.

Truth. My girls all ready for the day.. beautiful.. wanting me to take a picture of the muffins we baked this morning. Me anonymous behind the camera in my jammies.

This is my truth this morning.

Day One: My View Today

2012-02-01T17:00:00.000-05:00

February Photo A Day

2012-02-01T07:49:00.001-05:00

A FB friend of mine is doing this.. so I thought I would give it a try here.

This is why..

2012-01-24T08:31:00.000-05:00

..I love Stephen's school. Just some guys, having a formal breakfast in some girl's parking space.

These boys were in Stephen's advisory his first year here in Raleigh. I can't begin to tell you how much I am going to miss hearing about their random antics. I so needed a smile/laugh this morning.. and there it sits! Thanks guys.

Boone.. belated.

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

We went to Boone last weekend.. to see our friends.. but also..

..to play in the snow.

Margot mostly ate it.

Thanks to the amazing snow suits from Nana.. she stayed toasty warm anyway.

Look Mama, I am eating snow.. more snow!

Love this picture. Wheeeeeeeee!!!!! Ada was too afraid to go down. Go Margot.

And then there was Daddy.. There he goes...

..here he comes.. that was fun.. wait..

..still going! Ahhhhh!!!!

Man down. Or.. up?

There. Now he is up.

I completely forgot to pack any of Ollie's winter gear. Poor little shivering pup.

..and after all that cold and snow.. how about some hot chocolate and a nice warm lunch.. and then a movie? Yes please.

PS: can you BELIEVE that we have SIX GIRLS between us?! Seems like only yesterday we were headed to Kentucky for your wedding J and M. Crazy town.

Last but certainly not least.. there is just-woke-up-from-a-nap Frankie and Mommy.

A great weekend with even greater friends.

Bingo.

2012-01-22T22:32:00.000-05:00

Can you find the Stephen?

2012-01-22T17:07:00.000-05:00

Naturalists

2012-01-09T08:20:00.003-05:00

Recently overheard:

Ada while holding a bowl between her legs: "Look! My chicken hatching an egg!"
(so glad this blog is private so I can record these sorts of statements without worry)

Me after hearing sucking noises coming from the living room: "Margot what are you doing?"

Margot (holding her baby horse to Ada's horse's undercarriage): "I drinking milk!"

Ada: "Get away baby! A princess riding on me! (chucks Ariel figurine over her shoulder) Ok! I ready now.. come get milk under my breast!"

Family

2012-01-07T15:45:00.002-05:00

These days our home is divided into families. Pictured here is our elephant family. This is one of our international families in residence, being composed of members from Africa, Paris, and Seattle.

The princess family has stolen the Little Tykes family van... Again.

"Take a picture of me and my bunny, please Mommy!"

I sort of love all the families in the house. The ladybug family, the bumble bee family, the rabbit family.. the ladybug family is probably our largest and most physically diverse family. It is comprised of a pillow pet, a star projector thingy, a puppet, two flashlights, a bath sponge, a rattle, a wheely bug (the daddy who rarely visits as he lives in the storage room outside), and two jump ropes with lady bug handles. The only dicey thing about having so many family units is that if one is in play, all members must be present.. and those of us (Frankie) who are attached to certain members of said families are not fond of having our rattles snatched away at a moments notice because mama rabbit is calling baby rabbit to dinner.

Wait

2012-01-03T22:15:00.001-05:00

Hello. My name is Sarah and this is me about 5 years ago(?) It was laundry day and this was all that was clean in my closet.. I had just showered and was supposed to be packing for a trip down south but was instead playing with my new digital camera. I remember being slightly embarrassed when I decided to keep this picture. I knew one day that I would look back at it and be a bit jealous of how fit I was then. I wanted to be able to look back and remember how fit I was. I hoped that I would always be that fit.. but I was pretty sure the day would come when I wouldn't be.. that day is today. Well really it was like 3 and 1/2 years ago when I got my first stretch mark on my boob when I was pregnant with the twins. I told myself I would work out and "get my body back" once I stopped nursing but when I was able to fit into my pre-preggo jeans without any working out I just decided that was good enough. So my abs were split and my tummy was a little soft... at least I could fit into my clothes... I would tone up soon. I was ok with being 10 lbs heavier than before I got pregnant.. I told myself I looked more like a real mom with a little more meat on my bones. Then I had Frankie.. another baby.. more meat on the other meat. I am meaty. Mighty meaty. Yesterday I took steps to become a bit less so. I have been a member at my gym for over a year. I have swum many a lap but never stepped foot in the actual gym part of the gym. I had a coupon for a free health evaluation thingy and I used it. I knew I was in "bad" shape and I was prepared for the worst. 28% body fat... needs to be more like 18%... Need to lose 26 lbs of fat and gain 7 lbs of lean muscle.. that means all in all I need to lose 19 lbs. I came in wanting to lose about 20 so this was no surprise. In order to come by this information I had to do a series of rigorous 1 minute tests.. like how long can you hold a wall sit etc. Today I am in agony. How the heck am I supposed to actually go through with the planned workouts if I can't even climb a set of stairs the next day?! Focus, Sarah. The reason for all this very personal information is so that I can keep myself accountable. I am going to do this. I know my DDs will never be those cute, perky (sorry Dad and Larry and any other men in my family that read this) little Bs they once were.. that's ok. I am going to get as close as I can to the me in that picture up there. In 6 months. That is the goal. I want to feel healthy again and I want to feel like me again. I have never done this before. Never worked out to lose weight. So here we go. Wish me luck, and please.. please don't be a hater.

Night Swinging

2012-01-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

Frances.. this is what it was like to swing you to sleep on the nights that you needed swinging. After visiting with your family for a bit and walking you around the sun room in the dark, humming that song that Darling sings in Lady and The Tramp, my last resort was to take you on a walk in the cool night air. We padded down the driveway in bare feet. You slammed your head into my collar bone, thumb plunged in your mouth, eyes heavy, fingers stroking my cheek.. your strawberry lovey. The glow of the block homes with their angular arrangements of Christmas lights demanded your attention and that little head of yours would pop up, eyes wide, mouth agape. Watch them you would until the next wave of exhaustion hit and then settle a bit more gently on my shoulder. My back would be tired now and we would make our way back home. The grass in the yard felt spongy under my feet. Luxurious to this tired mama. Surrounded by crickets' song, I settled myself on the swing, balancing you on my left thigh and holding you close to my chest. You watched the bright red lights across the street apprehensively. We pushed off from the tree trunk and sailed slowly through the air, golden lit and fresh. You looked up at me, blinking, alive, so warm and safe in my arm. I felt the strength in my legs as I stretched them out, keeping us upright. Humming.. that song never seemed to leave my mind on those nights. You fell asleep so peacefully that it sometimes took me awhile to realize my job was finished. I always wanted more time with you. Sailing through the air in the night with the singular goal of a sleeping baby. My sleeping baby. I will not soon forget.

Fearless Flyers

2012-01-02T21:09:00.002-05:00

Butterfly kites from Uncle David were such a hit.

How could they not be?

.. and then there was the swing.. Ada and the swing..

Flying as high as Stephen could possibly push her.. never tiring..

..the three year old baroness in the trees...

Cousins.. and summation

2012-01-01T22:19:00.001-05:00

..Aunt Laurie her boys (Uncle John included) came with Great Grandma since they are so close by now..

..some silly little girls wore the exact same outfit every day for 10 days.. I had two sets of each and I did laundry more than twice..

..big cousins..

..little cousins..

..fun cousins..

..sweet Great Grandma Elsie finally got to meet Frankie..

..in summation.. there were lots of tickles.. lots of giggles.. a few tears (from kids and we parents alike).. loads of sunshine.. very few headaches.. lots of food confusion over newly discovered food allergies..lots of early mornings and late nights..walks and Christmas lights..

..naps while watching Winnie-the-Pooh...

... and on the nights that Frankie couldn't get to sleep we swung together on the new rope swing that Stephen and Uncle Nathan put up... it was just as magical and relaxing as it sounds.

2012 here we come.

Christmas Morning

2012-01-01T22:04:00.000-05:00

..finally arrived..

..Grammy faithfully made her cinnamon rolls..

..no I didn't get Frankie's stocking made this year.. and I am ok with that.. next year..

..their very own PINK dollhouses..

..with their very own families in each one..

..beautiful pop-up Christmas card from Grandmother Shingler..

..Margot's beautiful card.. quickly stolen away by myself for it's own protection..

It was a beautiful Christmas morning.

Amazing Grace

2012-01-01T21:53:00.000-05:00

..David brought with him his new friend Grace.. and she was..amazing. Seriously. LOVE her.

Uncle David

2012-01-01T21:49:00.000-05:00

.. then Uncle David arrived.. to help fish for leaves with sticks..

..and tell stories by the glow of the chiminea..

Winter Park

2012-01-01T21:44:00.000-05:00

..this is Winter Park.. in the winter..

..balmy breezes..

..wild girl hair..

..trees to climb.. jewelry to wear..

..smiles smiles smiles..

Sisters

2012-01-01T21:31:00.000-05:00

..sisters played puzzles and innumerable other games throughout the new house..

..always together..always in pink.. Ada in the very special princess dress than Grammy found in her box of childhood goodies..Frankie in her diaper as often as possible in the balmy weather..

..outside every afternoon..

..playing some mysterious sleeping game in which Margot was consistently in charge..

..blue eyes.. and teef :)

Cookie Bakers

2012-01-01T21:21:00.000-05:00

.. we baked cookies in our new home in Orlando..

..decorated with bright colors from tiny bowls with tiny spoons..

... in the sun filled room in our new home..

Home

2012-01-01T21:10:00.000-05:00

..home is whenever I'm with you. This year home moved from Tallahassee to Orlando. Home is Frankie in Grammy's new kitchen sink at Christmas time.

Mobility

2011-12-09T20:35:00.001-05:00

Leave Frankie alone in a room these days and you may not be able to find her when you get back.

She is quite proud of her ability to get into tight spaces. In this instance I actually couldn't find the child when I popped in from the kitchen to check on her. After looking around a few corners I called her name and she gurgled a response and popped her head out from under the chair where she was just chillin'. Life of the party this one. She makes my heart smile and smile and smile.

And while we are on the subject of smiling. I am doing a lot of that myself lately. I am sure you can tell from my recent blizzard of posts that something has changed. Well, I have been battling a rather severe period of depression mixed with a double dose of anxiety for about 2 months. Longer than that if I am truly honest but it takes me forever to realize I need some help. Forever. I have gotten the help I need. Drugs. Good drugs. Not lots of drugs but just the right amount for me it seems. The drugs I was on before didn't seem to be cutting it. I started this new prescription on Monday and it has been the best week in recent memory. I can think clearly. I can read and not having to go back and re-read and re-read and re-read before giving up in frustration. I feel good for the first time since .. well since I got pregnant with Frankie. Really really good. I feel like I am running my life again. I know that exercise and diet and all sorts of things can "cure" depression. I want to do those things, and I will. But right now, at this stage in my life, I am not willing to wait for me to get it together while I watch my family suffer. Watch my little girls grow colder towards me and distant. Yes, even three year olds can be distant. So, once more I have sacrificed my purist ideals and am on the Rx bandwagon. There is a part of me that feels like I should be embarrassed about being on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs. An obnoxious voice that says I am weak and can't handle everyday things, and that is why I have to take medication. But then I look at what I have done with my girls this week, I feel the wave of patient tenderness that comes over me when they are frustrated. I see them mirror my calm and peaceful manner and I know - this is the right thing to do. Medication is not magic. It doesn't mean that you suddenly become a perfect wife/mother/homemaker. For me it brings out my best qualities and helps to quiet the running voices in my head. The nagging "to do" lists that swirl so constantly in my brain that I am prevented from being able to accomplish a single thing. It helps me be a better me. I am not weak. It takes real strength to ask for help. It just feels so good, to feel good again.

Christmas Lights

2011-12-08T21:10:00.000-05:00

They are multicolored and pink. The girls chose them on a special trip to Target with Daddy, after seeing other homes with lights and asking for some for our house. Every night as I walk upstairs to go to bed, I can't help pausing on the steps, smiling at the soft pink glow coming through the transom.

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-08T20:59:00.000-05:00

When I was little, my Nanny was the best cook in my world. Everything tasted better at her house. Green beans, corn, sweet pickles, biscuits, cakes and cookies. Everything was made from scratch and canned in glass Ball jars on shelves in the pump house. Of course the baked good weren't canned but they sure were made from scratch. I fancied myself a connoisseur of Nanny's cookies, until once during the holiday season when she had one in her cookie jar that I had never tasted before. It was a fruit cake cookie. I had one then and never saw them again. I never stopped thinking about those cookies because I just couldn't imagine why she would have them around all the time. Anyway, Aunt Margie was kind enough to send me a sampling of Nanny's Christmas cookie recipes and today I made my first batch of Fruit Cake Cookies. Cutting all that candied fruit is a labor of love let me tell you. That stuff is very gooey. I have wanted to make Christmas Cookies as a family tradition ever since the big girls were born and every year I have failed to do so. This year I decided that I would make one kind and if I only made that one batch it would be a good start and I would be ok with that. Mission accomplished.

Can I just say that when I saw those abandoned kitchen chairs on the side of the road.. this is what I envisioned ? Giddy does not describe my mood from behind the camera.

It was a very good afternoon.

..at breakfast this morning..

2011-12-08T09:13:00.000-05:00

Lunch

2011-12-07T13:49:00.000-05:00

Homemade pumpkin leek soup with pumpernickel raisin walnut bread. This was the first plate and bowl I grabbed. This was not staged. When I looked down at what I was carrying to the table I had to stop and take a picture of just how beautiful my life can be in the most mundane moments.

The men of the house

2011-12-06T22:53:00.000-05:00

Nitee nite.

Yellow!!!!

2011-12-06T15:41:00.000-05:00

Here it is!!! Our fresh newly-covered-in-vinyl kitchen chair. Took about an hour to do with a staple gun and some scissors and I think it looks fantastic.

After a week of me having to set the timer on the microwave to settle fights over the red chair, it's nice to see yellow getting some love.

In other news, please check Jess's Blog to learn about the unexpected surgery that Adam is having today. Please pray for his little eyes.

Newness

2011-12-05T20:45:00.000-05:00

What do you think? I found these last week on the side of the road.. covered in rust, spider webs and mildew.. sitting in the rain. Since I have coveted a vintage kitchen chair like this for years I jumped out and threw them into the car, deciding to take them home for evaluation. Several hours of scrubbing with Brillo pads and warm soapy water and .. voila!

The red one is in near perfect condition but this yellow one needs a little TLC. Stay tuned for the after pictures.

How d'ya like m'new look?

Thanksgiving

2011-12-03T20:45:00.000-05:00

Better late than never. We had a fantastic Thanksgiving. My precious cousin and her family have moved back to NC (YAY!!!!) and we all got to spend Thanksgiving (or the day after actually but who is keeping track?) together for the first time since ... I am not really sure actually. A long time. Maddie was so sweet with the girls and they absolutely adored getting to play with her. Here they all are sitting on the porch of the playhouse that Christa and I spent countless hours playing in when we were kids.

Then Uncle Gavin donned his jeans and barn boots and we got to go ride the horses. Oh.My.Goodness. Can you believe that Christa and I also used to ride Strawberry around the neighborhood together? Craziness. Ada was having the time of her life.

Double trouble on Mandy.

Margot was not ready to get off.. ever.

After all that horsey fun we all drove over to my parents newly purchased property on the Mitchell River. Papa had worked so hard to clear the land so that we could enjoy a little campfire. He was ready with a hayride to the river when everyone arrived. I am pretty sure this was the best day of the girls entire lives thus far.

Sam is a natural born cowboy.

The girls got to try riding Uncle John's old toy tractor.

I have a picture somewhere of Uncle Gavin doing the same thing when we were kids.

So there you have it. Thanksgiving 2011 from Papa's iPhone ... since the camera that we brought had a dead battery. So fun.. the older they get the more fun it is. Can't wait until next year.