nine years

We are celebrating nine years of marriage today.

How . is . that . possible ?

Looking back through our pictures, I really do feel like it wasn't so very long ago...and yet, a lifetime ago. We have done a lot of living since then, and somewhere along the way, we found our stride.  We've figured out our give-and-take, our ebb-and-flow, and we've settled into what marriage is for us. And I gotta say, I kind of love it.

We have faced more trials and heartache than my 23-year-old self ever could have imagined.  But we have also been blessed beyond measure, and life has been more full and more beautiful than I ever dreamed.  I don't know what lies ahead for us, but I do know who will be by my side for the ride.  

I love you, Robert Lee.  You have my whole heart for my whole life.

summer swimming

Does anything scream summer time more than being at the pool?  I have such wonderful memories of being at the pool when I was a kid.  We lived in the greatest subdivision growing up with a really big pool, and we would just hang out there all summer long with our friends.  I am determined to give our kiddos some wonderful pool-time memories as well!

We are off to a good start because Caleb has turned into a little fish!  He has been taking lessons this year at the Y, and asks to go there pretty much daily.  He has learned a lot and is so comfortable in the water now - he just jumps in now with no fear at all, which is a huge step since last year!

Makayla is still pretty nervous and hesitant.  You can tell she wants to just relax and have fun, but she also has to make sure that you are right there and that she can still reach you if she needs to.  She tells me "No, I don't need you!"  with one breath, and then "Mommy, I need help!" with the next!

It's funny how their personalities in the water are really what they are like in everything.  Caleb is my little daredevil - always jumping and flipping and running like he could never get hurt!  He totally gets this from his daddy!  And Makayla is always more cautious and careful about things, which she most definitely gets from me.  I can just imagine my two guys on the roller coaster one day while my girl and I watch from the ground and wave as they go by!

cookies and memories

Today the kids and I got in the kitchen and made some memories.  And cookies.  And we had a lot of fun.  

Our cookies came from a box, the kitchen was a complete mess, there are no Photoshopped-Pinterest-worthy photographs, and Martha Stewart would have been appalled at our finished product.  And the truth is that not so very long ago, that would have bothered me.  If you know me well, then you know that I can be somewhat of a perfectionist about things.....sometimes to a fault.  I can build things up in my mind and make all sorts of plans and give myself absurd expectations - and of course nothing ever goes "perfectly" and my vision comes crashing down around my silly little head.  Because the thing about life is that things rarely go according to plan.  Even the most wonderful and amazing moments usually have a hiccough in there somewhere.

After a few crafting-fails and cooking-session-bombs, I finally figured out that I was the problem.  I was wanting my kids to color in the lines, or pour the milk without spilling, or perfectly crack the egg when their precious little hands are still learning how to do those things.  And what they need is a mama who will help them learn with all the patience and love and grace that they deserve.  So I'm reminding myself every day to stop with the ridiculousness and to let life happen.  

Our messy, sloppy, beautiful, wonderful memories are worth it.

God continues to teach me lessons with patience and love and grace.

These children continue to teach me lessons as well. Being their mama is a blessing that I am daily humbled by.