magic golden trumpets

I was so mad.
I suggested she go smell the pretty Lilies. So she did, and plucked one right off the stem.
I probably said something ugly in my ugly mom voice about leaving flowers to be enjoyed or at least remembering to ask for help in cutting them right.

But she just smiled at me and said, "but Mama it can be my magic golden trumpet!"

Oh, well in that case.

There will always be flowers, but there will not always be a six year old Kenna, just as she is right now, all eyes and laughter and imagination. They grow like weeds, or rather, like beautiful magic golden trumpet lilies. I need to shush the ugly mom in me and remember that -every single day.

remember

weekending

it started with waffles

and big smiles

(he cooked by the way, and then the kids cleaned up!)

then we visited the best little shop in town for some garden supplies...

and a little playing around (although they were sad all the baby chicks had sold)

how cute are these girls?!

while they played, i bought flowers

but didn't need any more veggies because so far this year my garden is stinkin' awesome

and then we worked, and worked, and worked...ok, well, shawn worked and I sort of followed him around huffing and puffing and complaining about my poor aching back and almost dug up a sprinkler line before giving up and just enjoying the breeze...

and the lilies and the roses and the cute helpers

and then I took another picture of the belly.

today, we went out for breakfast and then enjoyed a wonderful sunday morning sermon and lunch outside with our church family before coming home to rest and garden some more. 

and this weekend isn't even over yet!

berry pickin' pictures

We hadn't picked our own strawberries in a long time -like since Kate was a babe on my back!- so it was fun to get out to a farm with friends recently and cut the kids loose with baskets to fill. They all took off in different directions with buddies and came back hot and sweaty with plenty of good red berries. 24 pounds of good red berries! Our freezer is fully stocked with jam now (but I left just enough room for the blueberries that should be ripe any day now...)

this growing season

Besides the obvious (baby boy is big and strong!)

there are some really great things popping out for the summer in our garden...

like tomatoes and zucchini...

cucumbers and peppers...

basil, parsley, thyme, cilantro, oregano (the herbs are my favorite!)

Even the avocado we sprouted in a window last year is looking healthy on the porch

(fresh avocados would be awesome but I believe it will only ever be ornamental?)

I should probably go knock on some wood because I have to say it...

my sad old veggie garden is finally growing!

aviation in black and white

...been working on a little project with Shawn that has me taking aviation photos as well as digging through the archives for old forgotten shots. these are a few of my favorites but there's more over here...

mother's day on the beach

Spent a beautiful afternoon at the beach yesterday in a sand chair dug just for me by my boys. The water was calm and clear and the kids were happy. I was annoyed at first that I forgot my camera and all I could do was sit and watch, empty-handed. But I sat and watched. I chatted with Shawn. I braved the chilly water with my arms full of Kate. "Thank you, Mama, for taking me in the big waves!" she kept saying with that great big smile of hers as the Gulf so gently rolled over our knees. We shared key lime pie and a sunset before driving home. Refreshed. It was perfect.
Thank you, my loves, for making me a Mama and for reminding me just how blessed I am.

and I get to be their mom

"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!" 
Ephesians 2:20 (The Message)

slowing down

(photo snapped in Texas by YiaYia)

Trying really hard these days to do more of this and less of everything else. We're snuggling on the couch more, we're reading books at the lunch table more, we're outdoors enjoying the blessing of a cool spring more. We're slowing down and doing less, but that has a way of amounting to so much more.