Little Lovies

Don't you just want to eat them up? These are the moments we mothers live for. Sweet, tender moments when all is right in the world. I almost didn't want to take the picture in fear it would break the spell.

With our busy life it can be hard to enjoy the quiet moments of life, and I am grateful for such sweet kids who help remind me what's most important. To slow down and enjoy each moment of our day. To look for beauty in the little things. To give a little love, and enjoy a little snuggle.

Love you Zach and Linds, thank you for helping me remember what life's all about!

Angels Among Us

My heart is very full of gratitude this week for the amazing people that bless my life! There are so many of you that come to mind, but one in particular that I will single out today. I had planned a sabotaged picture taking on Sunday of this particular friend on my door step doing what she does best: making people feel special. We had a tip earlier in the day that she may be stopping by to share with us Bill's most favorite treat, Oatmeal Cake, a treat she makes so amazingly tasty it makes your head swim. But alas, she was doing what she does best, again, and devoting her time and talents to others. So although she didn't have a chance to have her picture taken, treat in hand, the treats never the less found their way to our desirous bellies.

Emily Merkley has become a much cherished friend to our family. She and Chris are some of the most talented, thoughtful, and fun people we know. They have wound their way into our hearts and lives with countless acts of kindness and friendship. From helping frame our basement, to blog tutoring, recipe sharing, and, most notably, enduring 2 years of carpool with our crazy boys, they have done it all! We share a great love of cheese with Chis and Emily, and are forever in debt for the amazing meals they have shared with us.

So, Emily, I have taken the quote on your blog to heart. "Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone". Thank you for your friendship and your countless acts of kindness. Thank you for sharing your talents with those around you (especially your fabulous cooking!). Thank you for enduring 2 years of picking our boys up from school, and always showing them patience and kindness. Thank you for your great example of service and love. And thank you for blessing our lives with yours. You're the best there is!

BFF

We might have left New York, but New York keeps finding it's way back into our lives! We were thrilled last week to have our dear friends Eric, Jen and Addison Truscott drop in for a visit. Former Rochesterians themselves (they recently moved to southern Cal), we had a most wonderful evening together catching up and talking about the "good ole days". Jen and Eric have always held a very special place in our family's hearts. They, along with the Grimshaw's and Hancey's, became our surrogate family when we moved so far away from home. They are the very best kind of friends to have, close at heart no matter time or distance!

Cowboy Up!

Howdy Y'all! As many of you know, Zach LOVES to be a cowboy. And who could resist getting a pic of this fabulous ensemble? From his shorts (his wranglers were in the wash!) to the stripy socks and Merrel mocs (his cowboy boots are too small, yikes!), this is one stylin' dude!
YeeHaw Cowboy!

AAK!

Ok, maybe it's not the end of the world, but for every mother of an only daughter, a daughter with four big brothers, it's pretty darn close! To my utter horror Lindsey has decided that she wants to be a barber. Not a stylist, but a barber. While I was busily cutting the boys hair Monday night, she decided that she too wanted to be in on the fun. The most horrific part was the discovery of her previous days ponytail floating in the bath water on Tuesday morning. AAK! Can you say bawling mom in the bathroom? Zach kept trying to explain that "hair grows mom." But I was inconsolable. So, my beautiful little girl, whose hair was just starting to look cute and girly, has buzz-cut short hair from her left temple down to her ear. Sniff, sniff. Hair does grow back, right?

Boys Backpacking Trip Photos

Boys Backpacking Trip

Holy smokes! Not only a post, but a post with a slide show! Hold on to your seats folks, I'm hooked!

This hike was one of the highlights of our summer. The big boys (Bill, Bryson, Scott and Alec) and Papa (Bill's dad), had quite an adventure last month hiking the Ruby Crest Trail; a 42 mile hike in the Ruby Mountains near Elko, Nevada. Bill and Papa spent most of the summer planning and preparing for this monumental trek and they pulled it off with out a hitch! Typically a four day hike, they accomplished it in just three days, enduring a 20 mile day on their last day. The boys had an amazing experience, here's what they had to say about it:

Bryson: "It was hard and long. The ground was hard, the trial was hard, the food was hard. But it was so cool! I love pain!"

Scott: "It was hard but really cool. Powerbars stink, but Cliff bars rule! Blueberry is the best! Bryson cried."

Bryson: "I did not cry. I whimpered. I love pain."

Alec: "It was hard but really fun. When can we get some more beef jerky?"

Mom: "What was your favorite part?"

Boys: "Eating 5 pizzas when we got back to Pa's!"

Mom: "Would you do it again?"

Boys (with much enthusiasm): "OH YEAH!"

600 Years!

Can you say cheese? This sweet boy always has a way of making me smile. And the blue on his teeth? Not a lack of dental hygiene, but a delicious blue raspberry sucker. But this little blue-toothed cutie is posted here not for his sucker loving ability but for the wonderfully fun conversations he engages me in daily. Here's the one he enlightened me with just before I grabbed the camera:

Zach: "Mom, can we paint today?"

Mom (busily doing our morning clean up, picture broom in hand, cereal stuck to the bottom of my feet...) : "Painting is fun, maybe we can paint after morning clean up."

Zach: "But we haven't painted in 600 years!"

Mom: "Wow. That's amazing!"

Zach: "That's not amazing mom, that's SAD!"

Mom: (Laughing so hard my eyes are watering.)

Zach: "Crying won't work this time mom."

Mom: (Has it ever? More giggles.)

Thanks Zach!xoxoxoxoxo

First Day of School

Yes, it's that time of year again! Back to school, back to books, back to teachers dirty looks...wasn't that how that silly rhyme went? The boys headed back to school last month on August 20. The transition went smoothly, almost too smoothly, until Bill and I realized that we have been doing this for 9 years now! Old farts, eh? Well, with two kids in middle school and a soon-to-be teenager under our roof, we so feel like old farts!

Of course the kids look most forward to the first day of school because of our traditional back to school dinner out. A pretty hard bill to swallow these days now that Bryson and Scott refuse to order off the kiddie menu. What happened to chicken fingers and fries, and character cups with chocolate milk? Now its appetizers and 1/2 lb burgers, Dr Pepper, and "whats on the dessert menu?" Don't think so pal. Besides, who needs dessert when mom spent all afternoon making this nifty pencil cake? Of course it was a big hit, and a wonderful way to end our first day back to the ole ball and chain of school. The boys love their school and insisted on putting "TECS" in chocolate chips to make it complete. YUM! A perfect ending to a great day.