Seriously...



Seriously.   I am thankful for the rain for all those yummy gardens and pretty flowers and even the very-hard-to-grow-grass.   But as usual, there is a down-side.    My. children. have. been. locked. in. a. house. for. far. too. many. consecutive. days!   And we are talking about children {and their mama} that spend very much time out of doors.  Do you know what that will do to a mama?   Even those sweet little mamas full of grace and patience.   {Which doesn't describe me.  I could use more of them both at all times}.   We are seriously ready to run down the street screaming.   I was even desparate enough to take a trip to Wal-Mart.   That is desparate people.

We have pulled out every toy that exists in this house.   More than once.   Heck, more than I can count.   We have played hide & seek cowboy style.   That means hiding around corners, behind doors, under beds, on top of counters, under tables and then shooting our "seekers" with our 5 guns strapped on our every limb and some in our socks, up our pants legs and even down in our underwear.   We are packing.  Trust me. 

We've done just a tad bit of irritating one another.   Just a little.

We have painted.   And colored.   And painted some more.   And colored some more.   And painted again.  Do I need to keep going?  

I've found a few seconds to browse through some pretty pictures and find all kinds of reasons to redecorate, repaint, redo, rearrange.   Yeah, it's kind-of a problem I have.

{via}

Love everything about this room.  I need windows.   Lots and lots of windows.

I want one of these from Dear Lillie!!!

The growth chart that is.....actually, pretty much everything in this picture would suit me just fine.

{via}

Love the headboard and pillow and how fresh this bedroom feels.

{via Mary Ruffle}

And I think this looks heavenly.

Now that I have actually finished with this post the sun is finally shining and we are happy about it.  



Even after too many days cramped up in a house together with a super grouchy mama, my sweet babies are still willing to give me love. 



I am way blessed.   Rain or shine.

Moments like these

It's moments like these:::

John Luke graduated from Mother's Day Out.   I'm just a little sad about this.

 

{Miss Priss sang too}

{Granny "Who" on Mother's Day.  Thank you for the dinner Granny Who and Papa Wayland.}

I walked outside one day and saw a little boy zooming around the yard on his bike. {With no training wheels}.   I stood there cheering for him as he rode around like a champ and then started boo-hoo-ing like a nit-wit.   We've been trying to talk him into taking those training wheels off for a long time but for some reason he has been so attached to them.   I guess I was attached to the fact that maybe they made him be a 'little boy'.    Apparently I'm having a hard time with him getting so big and out growing so many phases of life.  Time is racing by at lightening speed and I can't seem to stay up.

After I gained my composure and explained that I was crying like a baby because I was proud of him and not sad,  {yet I was sad in a crazy sort of way} I remembered the camera and took a gozillion pictures.   You'll see.

I'm so bad about looking at what other children are doing and wondering why mine aren't doing those same things yet.   The other day as I watched John Luke on his bike it hit me.   Why do I rush life away?   It happens fast enough.  

Then Sister Bear thought maybe she would try it.



But quickly decided that pushing was still more her thang.

High-fives for Brother Bear.

We took a short trip to Fish River to visit with some old craaaazy, but funny friends!  {Beccer, I need some of your pictures.  You know the ones that I stole your camera and took.}

{Can you tell he's saying enough already you crazy.   I just can't help myself.   I want to squeeze em' and then stick them both in a time capsule}.

We snuck over to raid our cousin's awesome garden and look at their super cute yard.  Thanks Sonny and Peggy!

My big ole' boy has become a fisherman.   The other day he said "Mama, I looooove fishing."   So fishing is what we do.  Just about every afternoon, when it sorta cools down, we head off to the pond.   It's been fun.

{Mr. Hotty}

{love this ;}

John and I were talking the other night after a very busy weekend of running here and there, about how much we do.   We seem to be coming and going constantly.   I have struggled with excepting busyness.   I once read that busyness was the greatest thief of our time.   I agree.   Totally.   We do get so busy so quickly and we get caught up in the things around us.   But, lately my thoughts have been in another direction.    I can be too busy, but I can also be too....blah.   I'm not sure of the word for it.   I guess what I'm saying is I can just 'sit around' {not literally ofcourse}, and watch life pass me by.   It takes effort to make memories and maybe staying busy doing things as a family is the best kind of busy.   I have seriously realized in the last few months {with John Luke turning 5}, that time is going by so quickly.   It's like I have blinked my eyes and literally he went from laying in my arms as a newborn to being 5 years old!   I just can't believe it.   I still stand firm on the opinion that the world as a whole is too busy.   Too busy doing and going and spending and completely losing sight of what really matters.   I just hope that our children will grow up knowing that we loved each other.  

That we took the time to show it and enjoy life.  

I also read not too long ago of a man that woke up every morning, looked at himself in the mirror, and asked, "If today was my last day on earth, who would I spend it with and what would we spend it doing?"



I know that death is not the most popular subject.   But it is a reality.  And not only have I been thinking about my own life, but as horrible as it is, I've thought about the fragility of my children's lives and my John's life.   We are never promised tomorrow.   Or even the next breath for that matter.   And I want so badly to make the most of the moments God so graciously gives me. 



At the end of our lives, it's really not about the two dates that are written on our headstone.   But it comes down to what's in that one little dash. 

And so...it's moments like these that make me wonder, what's in my dash?

Hope you fill your dash with precious moments that one day will become precious memories.

Happy weekend my friends~