green grass ... a hose ... and a whole lot of dirt.

enough said.

thank you.

 My mornings in the car have been quiet.

My afternoons too.

I listen to music during the comute from our home to my school ... and back home again.

The boys are with you.

You're doing the last minute socks and boots and sweatshirts.

You're grabbing the back-packs.

You're picking them up from school & daycare.

You're showing them what {work} is when they're home.

You're giving them jobs & chores and ... most importantly ... responsibility.

You're modeling.

You're leading.

And as you do all of this and sometimes think that I don't see ... I do.

I see it & I admire it.

I treasure it.

I am blessed by it.

I listen to this song by Sanctus Real at least once a day & pray that the words echo through your heart like they do mine.

I pray that you know how much I love you.

I pray that you know how thankful I am that we're a {team}.

I pray that God continue to works His {magic} through our life.

.................................

I know you don't read the blog much due to the fact that we have no internet at home Ian, but this journal of our extraordinary life ... well, Ian it's happening, it's alive, it's real, it's ours ... not because of me ... but because of {us} and the promises that God has made and will continue to keep.

The promises to get us through all the {this and that} that we face every.single. day.

Thank you for being willing to grow.

Thank you for being willing to give.

Thank you for being that person that makes me look better than I really am.

I hope and pray I never have to {do} this life we live without you.

home.

I looked around our home on Sunday afternoon.

I saw ...

lots of dust.

puzzles.

games.

tractors.

and more tractors.

workbooks.

color books.

pencils.

dirt.

boots.

jeans.

fruit flies.

a note from Papa George.

laundry to be folded.

candy corn.

corn bread.

school work.

teacher manuals.

the Capital Press.

bills.

books.

journals.

flashcards.

recipe books.

dried pears.

and so much more.

........................................

and out of all the sights I saw that day, these were my a few of my favorites:

I think the best moments of our days in life are those when we see past the dust, through the frustration, over the fears, around the {mess} ... and above ourselves.

Time doesn't stand still.

Laundry piles around you.

Jobs require much.

People require more.

And so, on those days when you feel like the time is gone & your patience is wearing thin ... look around your {home} and count your blessings.

Maybe your {home} will see you as blessing as well!

Light up the sky.

one of my favorite songs right now ...

one of my favorite gifts from God right now ...

one of the most amazing things we're blessed with each and every day ...

{the sky}

a few hours up Birch Creek.

I chose to not post pictures of the portable chute I broke while following my husband up to the top of nowhere.

I chose not to write the {not-so-nice} words I said to my husband when he didn't acknowledge my effort at gathering a few pairs.

but ...

I am choosing to have a better attitude than I did on Saturday.

I am choosing to show love instead of frustration as often as I can.

I am choosing to take Pastor Dave's message to heart & be {unconditional} with my love.

...........................

Sometimes - actually, most of the time - it's easier to be {grouchy}with those we {love} most.

Frustrating, but so true. 

And if I can't {love} those that mean the most to me the most, then I'm probably not loving anyone else either.

Or at least not loving them the way they deserved to be loved.

Living and loving unconditionally.

Just a few more {character} goals added to my list of how I want to live ... and who I want to be.

Quack. Quack. Quack.

and before you realize what's happened in your effort to be {heard}

 ... your mouth becomes permanently shaped like that of a duck!

Right now ...

He's 3.

He loves yogurt and ice cream.

He copies everything his brother does ... but hasn't been to the E.R. nearly as much.

He loves to cuddle.

He loves to be read to ~ especially {Goldbug}.

He is stubborn with a capital {S}.

He loves to talk on the phone.

He avoids my camera at all costs.

He has a {serious} look to him ... just like his daddy.

He loves popsicles.

He's Mack.

And the world is a better place with him in it!

.........................

P.S.

thanks for the great response to my {3} questions earlier this week!!

my answers:

1. yes, I try to make my bed as soon as possible every single day ... doesn't always happen, but I get an A for effort.
2. I love orange, green, purple ... bright colors ... and I hope and pray they look good on me because I wear them a LOT.
3. I'm struggling with how I make others know and feel and believe I think the world of them right now.  Life is at a whirlwind speed & sometimes life without Internet at home just plain {stinks}.  It takes a constant effort and there are definitely times I'm {better} at it than others ... but the key in my heart and mind is to be {sincere}.  If I am who I say I am ... then those around me know without a doubt that they mean everything to me.

Happy Thursday ... let your eyes sparkle ... you're meant to shine!!

His promises are true.

He's 5 ... getting closer to 6.

His kindergarten year has been so GREAT.

He gets {green} every day. Well, so far.

He has new friends.

He has old friends.

He loves his teacher.

He likes to take his lunch from home because they line up first.

He is reading.

His {writing} is still a struggle. I blame it on being a {lefty}.

He wakes up ready for adventure.

He works hard at home.

He mows our front yard by himself.

He loves cattle trucks.

He loves his family.

God's promises are true.

We're continuing to learn how to be {parents}.

We're continuing to make mistakes.

It's harder than we ever dreamed it would be.

But His promises are true.

The only way to find life ... is to live it ... and lay your own life down.

And on those days when I want life to be about {me} and all the things {I'm} going through... I MUST remember that as I dance through this life as a wife and a mom ...

His promises are true.

And the pictures of Mason ... well ... they're proof.

hmmm...

I just got out of a meeting about comprehension.

Yes.

Comprehension.

You know ... like ...

• do I understand what I'm reading? 
• am I re-reading when things get confusing?
• do I think aloud?
• can I predict what might happen next?
• am I making connections?
• can I tell others about what I'm reading and get them to understand too?

hmmm ...

Life is a lot about {comprehension} isn't it.

And sometimes ... I get totally caught up in the {living} but don't slow down enough to {understand}.

Sure I make connections, I re-read,  and I tell and re-tell others about this and that {and everything else under the sun} ... but do I really understand??

I try to, but sometimes I just draw a blank.

So ... today ... you get three questions and no pictures.

No pictures - because I left my external hard drive at home.

And 3 questions because well ... that's all I got.

1. do you make your bed before leaving your house every day?
2. what color looks best on you?
3. how do you let others in your world know that they mean the world to you?

{bulleted} randomness.

•  Mason loves sorting sticks ... and he loves {posing} with sorting sticks. 
•  Most of Mason's jeans have holes in the knees.
•  The jeans that don't have holes are never in pictures.  Go figure.

• Mack likes to wash the dirt and the walkway to our house with the car wash brush.
• Most of our vehicles look like they've never been washed.

• Mason is often caught with a fencing belt filled with very little fencing supplies.
• A hair brush and a squirt bottle seem to do the most work for him.

• Mimzy taught Mason to sew.  Bless her heart!
• Now he wants to sew every night.

• Cheetos and subway for dinner.  What more could one ask for?!

• One would ask for {blue juice} to go with it.

Life this week ...

busy, tiring, long ... and yet short at the same time ... how can that be?!

but more importantly ...

life this week ...

LIVED.

so much ... but not enough ...

I have so much to write.

I have so much to tell.

I have so many great stories.

I have so many blessings.

But ... I haven't had much time for anything but school, the Pendleton Round Up, chores, eating and sleeping.

So ... this is what you get:

me. (captured by Mason)

enjoying a nice cool drink at the annual "slack" party last night and trying to stay awake.

Let 'er Buck!!

a {funny} for Friday.

Did you know {huge} ... can be spelled Hugh?! 

Me neither.

But now ... I have a whole new appreciation for the name Hugh.