Happy 4th of July!

The 4th of July was one of my favorite holidays growing up.  Especially in middle/high school and college years, when my uncle put on a fireworks show that attracted thousands of people from all over ND, MT, and Canada to my little hometown.  My family was right in the middle of the action.  We wired fireworks in the morning, hopped on a float or drove a tractor/old car in the parade in the afternoon, collected donations for the fireworks in the evening, spent time with family and friends, and finally sat back and enjoyed the best fireworks show for miles around.  It was AWESOME!  It was exhausting!  It was the BEST!  It's pretty hard to compete with the "good ol' days"! 

Although we didn't celebrate with earth-shaking, sky-bursting fireworks, or thousands of people for that matter, we still had a pretty fun day!  We tried to beat the heat the best we could on a day that the temperature hit nearly 100 degrees!

Here are some of the hi-lites:

Red, White, & Blue Waffles for Breakfast

Running through the sprinkler with Daddy!

and Mommy! 

Little Diva!

Taking a breather in my favorite place in our backyard!

Ready for the party!

Family Picture

Finding out what happens when you put a lit smoke bomb in water!
Fascinating!!!!

Who needs thousands when you have the opportunity to
celebrate with these beautiful faces?

Enjoying Fire Cracker (PopRock) Floats

Watching the fireworks safe in daddy's arms!

Lined up for the show!

We lit primarily kid-friendly, mostly legal, fireworks and enjoyed the fireworks the neighbors shot off illegally!  (Since you can't light them in city limits.)  Pinky's favorite were the snaps, which she would stomp on with her crocs and shout "Pop goes the weasel!"  (HA!!!!)  The "big girls" sat front and center for our little fireworks display and declared "this is the best day ever!"  It was a great way to end a sunny, friend- and fun-filled Independence Day!

Hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July! 

Farm Girl(s)

We spent a couple of days on the farm before and after our road trip farther west. 

Pinky loves the farm and so do I! 

She gets up asking to play with Millie, my parents dog. 

She chases the cats. 

Feeds the horses.

Checks the cows.

Begs for rides in the tractor. 

Digs in the dirt. 

Collects rocks. 

And soaks up all the attention she can get from Grandma and Grandpa! 

Paradise

My niece asked me a couple of weeks ago "What's paradise?"  My answer to her sweet and inocent question:  Paradise is another name for heaven.  Some people also call very beautiful places on earth paradise.  

I'm not sure if that is the answer her parents would have given her, but it's all I could come up with.  I don't think I was that far off.  I hope.

Her question came on the first of an almost 2-week road trip we (Pinky, my parents, my sister and her family and I) took through Montana, the pan handle of Idaho, and into central Washington.  For those of you who know me, you know that we visited some of my favorite places along the way. . . In fact, I've probably been known to call some of them paradise. 

Here's a look at some of my favorite moments from our trip:
 

Playing with cousins in Billings.

Almost to Coeur d'Alene!!!

Stretching our legs along the way.

Car d'Lane - My dad found a few he would have liked to take home!

Down town Cd'A

View of the Boardwalk from Tubs Hill.

Some of my favorite kids in the world! 

Plaid Day!

My Pinky Pie and my Flower Girl!  <3

Happy Father's Day, Grandpa!

Enjoying a quiet spot to skip rocks have some snacks!

Luau in Moses Lake WA

Pavillion Park, Liberty Lake, WA - One of my favorite spots when I lived in WA!
(Memories include concerts, movies, Easter Egg hunts, yoga, and picnics)

View of Montana from the back seat! 

Pinky's view of Montana from the back seat!  HA!

You can imagine we consumed and enjoyed lots of car snacks, complete with a road trip taste test.  Our car liked Red Vines better than Twizzlers and Tootsie pops better than Blow Pops.  We couldn't come to a consensus when comparing M&Ms, Doritos, Twinkies/Zingers, Slim Jims/Jerky or Oreos/Nutter Butters, but that couldn't have anything to do with the picky eaters in the car!  :) 


We had a great trip! We were mostly impressed and entertained by our 2-year-old traveling partner who was a real trooper along the way! The night owl that she is, had NO problem adjusting to Pacific time. She talked and sang and giggled and enjoyed seeing the cows, horses, trees, airplanes, lakes, and mountains along the way. I think we would all agree that we were most impressed by her rendition of the "Holy Pokey". 

But, the best of all was Pinky's face when she saw her daddy after being away almost 2 weeks.  She squeeled and laughed with delight.  She couldn't get out of the car and into his arms fast enough~

~Paradise~

It's all about the shirt!

This weekend was the Fargo Marathon; one of our favorite weekends of the entire year.  It’s a toss-up with Bison Homecoming! 

What do these weekends have in common?  Friends.  Family.  Sense of community.  Anticipation.  A reason to eat whatever we want all weekend long.    Cheering sections that can't be beat!  Both weekends start and end at the FargoDome!  Not to mention, both are a great excuse to get a new shirt!

What makes these two weekends different?  Homecoming we buy a ticket to sit in the stands and cheer.  Marathon weekend, we pay to play!  We tie up our shoes, pull back our hair, and head to the start line.  There's nothing like it!!

This year we signed up for the half marathon and “oopies” (as Pinky would say), we just never started training.  This is kind of an important part of marathon weekend.  Needless to say, I was feeling less than prepared as the marathon approached.   (Besides the fact that I had found pretty awesome running shirts for Beret and I.)

Fortunately, I am part of the marathon version of the 3 musketeers and we have an “all for one and all for one” mentality when it comes to race day.  We were hoping to run about 6 miles and see what happened after that. 

The good news:  We ran just about the entire thing. 

The part that reinforces the need for training: The last 5 miles were incredibly slow and painful! By mile 10, pretty much the only thing that was getting me to the finish line was knowing they would have an abundant supply of nutterbutters and chocolate milk (which they did)! The little cups of cookie dough were the icing on the cake! Next year my shirt should say “will run for cookie dough!” 

My favorite running shirt!  (Philippians 4:13)

It all starts at the dome: bright and early before the race

Obviously going for a GOOD time and not a good TIME! 
We love to stop on Broadway!

Yes, he rocked the fargo half marathon!  And is already
talking about how many minutes he can cut off his time by training next year! 

Our favorite cheering section!  So sweet!

I wasn't kidding about the food! 

With our medals and our #1 girl!

Cheers to a job well done!

I think I need a new pair of shoes.  Pretty sure I need to see someone about my knees.  But I am pretty sure I'll keep my awesome running partners and the shirt for Fargo Marathon 2013!

Mother's Day

My Pinky-Pie

We make a good team! 

Our little Pinky. 

A mother (or mum/mom) is a woman who has raised a child. 

Today I celebrate all of the mothers who helped me become the person and mother I am today:

My mom

My grandmothers

My sister

My friends

My aunts

My mother-in-law                                       

Being a mother is awesome. 

                It’s hard. 

                                It’s rewarding. 

                                                It’s challenging. 

                                                                It’s unpredictable.

                                                                                It’s a blessing.

                                                                                                It’s true love.

We had a great day at our house.  Last night we went to bed listening to Pinky serenade us from her room.  We woke up to smiles and giggles as we got ready for church.  We enjoyed a bagel lunch with friends.  I spent the afternoon in my hammock with a book while Pinky napped.  We snacked in the park and then we played and played! We enjoyed a dinner of burgers and fries with Pinky’s auntie/Godmother and her “uncle to be”.  And now, we listen to her little voice singing in the room next door.  An hour after she first lay down, I just walked in to remind her it was quiet time.  Her response:  “Mommy, I’m talking to Golliath.”  (Any guesses what story we read tonite?) 

She cracks me up.

                She makes me smile.

                                She makes me glad, every day, that I am her mom.

                                             

How can I be anything but happy this Mother's Day?

"Ta Da"

Pinky's Thursday night activity this spring (and our weekly comic relief) is gymnastics.  There's approximately 20+ 2ish year olds in her class.  Each with a parent (or 2).  And 4 instructors.

This seems to be the perfect combination for TOTAL CHAOS!  She loves it! 

Each week the teachers set up little stations and parents try to get their child(ren) to wait in line to practice the exercises.  In order for this to happen, parents have to drag them off the trampoline, pull them out of the foam (fungus) pit, and chase them around the gym.  (No problem!)  After each exercise, a "ta da" is prompted, followed by lots of colorful stamps (rewards) up and down the arms and legs of the children.

Here's a glimpse into the world of Parent-Tot gymnastics with a 2 year old:

NO fear!  (She gets that from her daddy!)

Can I get one of these at home?

Fungus (I mean foam) pit. 

She can do it without help . . . . Really!

Check out that form!

Hop!

"Ta Da!"  (followed by some stamps!

The "Fun Aunt"

As a young adult, I was never quite certain if I would ever be a mom.  What I was quite certain of was that I would be an aunt one day . . . So when my friends would talk about the names of their future children, I talked about being the “fun aunt”.  Oh, the plans I had to spoil my siblings' children, and the children of my dearest friends! 

Little did I know, not every day of “aunt-hood” would be fun.  Some of the hardest days of my adult life have been part of being an aunt.  I knew that I would love being an auntie . . . but I never imagined the love I would have for these children who do not live in my home, but certainly live in my heart!  The thing about being an aunt that I didn’t quite know, but quickly learned, is that you are part of a story that isn’t your own.  Four nieces.  Three nephews.  I love them dearly.  I celebrate when they celebrate, but  I also cry when they cry.

I wouldn’t trade being an aunt for a gazillion dollars.  I love all of the fun things we get to do. Take trips to the lake and the farm.  Have sleepovers and campfires.  Skip the main course and go straight for dessert(s).  I buy their Girl Scout Cookies, their Boy Scout popcorn, their magazines, cookie dough, etc.  That’s my job! And I love it!

Most of the time . . .

Last week was one of those not-so-fun weeks. I was called upon to take a journey with one of my cherished loves.  Although I was certainly willing to go, I was completely overwhelmed with fear, anxiety, and sadness as I prepared to leave.

We feared this journey would be difficult in ways we couldn't even fathom.  We did all that we could humanly do to try to set things up so they would go as smoothly as possible . . . Most importantly, we called on our prayer warriors for help . . . And help they did!  The prayers for our journey were coming from all around the country all week long.  People even set their alarm clocks for 4 am the morning we left, to pray for us as we departed.   What makes this story mine is that I was part of something that can only be described miraculous, for I know that it was only by the grace of God that we got to our destination safely and without struggles.   The people we met along along the way, who helped us in ways we didn't even know we'd need, could only have been sent by our heavenly Father, answering our prayers. 

At the end of the day, I returned home from this journey alone.  That was the plan.  That was part of what made this journey so dreaded and difficult.  Yes, there were tears shed.  Yes, there was some grumbling.  Yes, there were some tense moments.  But for just a few hours, last Thursday morning, I got to be the fun aunt.  And for that, I couldn’t be more grateful!

To all of our prayer warriors out there, my cup runneth over.  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!