Pretty nails...

We went to Target today.

Ashlyn found some press on nails...

She asked if she could buy them.

I looked at the box...

It said "mom approved!"

What does that mean exactly?

How can they say I approve of my daughter wearing nails?

I ended up caving in.

I told her she could get them...

Except that she had to use her own money.

She could hardly wait til we got home.

First thing in the door she was removing her old fingernail polish.

Then sitting (almost patiently) at the kitchen table awaiting my help.

As I pressed each one on she would tap it on the table.

She was flaunting them... with much exaggeration...

Then she said, "I feel so grown up now!"

They are beautiful... with stars...

She just went outside to play...

Even though it's 95 degrees...

(because she's a tomboy, remember?)

I wonder how many nails she will be flaunting when she returns?

Dear, oh deer...

There isn't much of anything cuter than a baby fawn out in nature!

This little guy was found in the woods...

Left motherless... With a broken leg...

Pour little dear!

He was found by some friends of ours,

Who are taking care of him...

Feeding him, Housing him, Loving him.

He is so gentle and sweet.

He is used to humans and enjoys attention...

And love...

Guess who is hoping to find a fawn in the woods...

To keep as a pet...

Dear, oh deer...

How can you resist a sweet little guy like this?

Heart Ache

My heart is aching an ache that is almost unbearable.

I heard the news on Wednesday of last week...

The passing of an old friend.

Kelly and I never were the closest of friends...

We were in youth group together when we were kids.

I remember her contagious smile and her beautiful eyes.

She was always so caring and thoughtful of others.

Time passed, and we became friends on facebook.

We chatted from time to time, but unfortunately never really reconnected.

She had been dealing with some medical issues,

And ended up having a sudden heart attack.

Shocking... completely shocking!

That in itself is horrible,

Although she is now dancing before Jesus...

Which is so AWESOME for her!

What makes my heart break

Are the grief-stricken loved ones that she has left behind.

Not only her mother and father,

And large family of siblings...

But her wonderful husband...

And 4 beautiful children...

I don't know them. Never have met them,

But I love the way she spoke about them...

She loved them dearly,

And now they have a special place in my heart...

Although it will be like a 'blink of an eye',

Her family and friends will continue on in this life...

Without her.

Her husband will miss the love of his life...

Her children will miss their mother...

Please pray for the Father's loving arms to embrace them...

And wrap them with His love,

And give them peace that surpasses understanding.

Today was her memorial service...

And they were forced to say their last goodbyes...

Until they meet again...

(Photos from Kelly's facebook albums.)

The Playground...

There's nothing better than summertime at the playground...

Time to run...squeal...jump...sing...slide...wistle...climb...giggle...swing...

The perfect place to let go and have some fun!

Summertime...

It's summertime!

For some odd reason I thought I'd get a lot done now

that I don't have to run kids back and forth to school.

Like finish the kitchen remodeling project...

Or work on my shelf project...

Or clean the basement...

Or something... Anything!

But, no.

Not yet at least.

Because I'm busy with...

Tattle taling

Closing the back door

"Mom, can you...?"

Cleaning up messes

Fixing snacks

"Mom... she said..."

Doing laundry

Setting up the sprinkler

"Mom!...Mom!...Mom!..."

Going to the library

Crafts

"Mom, can I...?"

Baseball practice/games

Sibling rivalry

"Mom, he said..."

...and the list goes on...

But I wouldn't trade it for anything!

God has me here for a reason!

And these kids need me!

This is exactly where I want to be!

The beginning and the end...

Well, actually if it didn't sound so backwards I would have named this post...

The end and the beginning.

The end of another school year.

And the beginning of summer vacation.

It's bitter sweet.

But mostly sweet.

Lazy days ahead.

Swimming... Friends... Movies... Hanging out... Family vacation...

Three months of pure bliss.

Kids all day... Fighting... Messes... Chores... Inside/Outside/Inside/Outside...

Despite it all... I think it's gonna be a great summer!

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Oh how they've changed...

I love thinking about how much my kids have grown up over the last school year.

They have experienced new things... made new friends...

learned how to read... learned how to do multiplication...

learned how to succeed... and have become better people...

Who they were then... And who they are now...

And here are the wonderful teachers

that poured their love, patience and guidance

into my children through out the year...

Thank you Mrs. McKay and Mrs. Lynn!

We love you!

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Friday was the last day of school!

And the school Talent Show.

My kids weren't in it this year.

Yet I still got the privilege of sitting.... on the floor...

Amongst all of these kids... wonderful kids, I'm sure...

But it was hot... and stuffy... and by bottom was sore...

And it took two and a half hours!

Great kids... With lots of talent!

Needless to say... I was ready to leave when it was over!

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I had plans to take them out to lunch and then to do something fun...

the mall... the farmstead... a movie... whatever they wanted.

But before I could even say anything...

Gavin's stomach took over the situation and he made himself lunch...

All by himself... without even asking... which was fine with me...

But then there was no need to go out for lunch.

When I asked them what they wanted to do Ashlyn suggested taking a walk.

And Gavin agreed!

So that is what we did.

We have all summer to do the other things...

And this was free... and fun... and their own idea.

We took two neighbor friends.

We walked to "the bridge"... to explore...

And at first, it was pretty easy-going.

They were careful to not get their shoes wet.

Then they found what Gavin called "A pile of spaghettio worms".

YUCK!

Gabe got in for a little drink of water.

And the kids started to get a little braver...

Until it was full-on!

And there was no going back...

There was running!

And there was jumping!

And then there was swimming!

(Well... practically!)

And yes! I took these girls back to their mothers...

Looking like this...

Without apologies...

Because they had a BLAST!

And adventures like this one...

Are what summer-time is all about!