Indoor Camping

We've had a great family week-end, mainly because we didn't have to go anywhere! We made some yummy Strawberry Jam and spent the evening camping inside. Too fun!

Steven and Madeline made an AWESOME Lincoln Log House:



Madeline slept in the tent



Here she is showing off her newly polished nails and toes, along with her new play dress (hey, it is indoor camping) next to the tent:


Steven and Madeline were quite proud of their log house :-)



We made a lot of jam! It is so great to make it fresh and homemade, I'd recommend it to anyone because it's so easy!



Madeline helped make the Jam - she is a big girl!

Remember Every Day, but Especially Today

On my mind today....

Camping and Toads

We had an eventful week-end, full of stress (car buying), work (moving big dirt pile) sun and toads! The family camp was fun as always, and we had a great time having Mom & Dad over for dinner. I'm too tired to come up with funny captions, but nevertheless a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a few!

Beautiful

We were so happy to have a chance to visit my Mammaw on Sunday. It was wonderful to see her up and around - she had gotten dressed and looked so much better than she did the last time I saw her! She went outside and showed me all of her flowers and garden, and then made Madeline an egg to order. Loved it!!! These pictures are nothing short of beautiful to me....

Medals for a GREAT Team!

The soccer season ended for the year, and the Dragons were happy to receive their medals! They played very well in the tournament and had fun together. I may not have mentioned before that this team did not win a game this season. While I would have liked for Madeline to to have experienced a win, she had an opportunity to be on a team with friends, who learned together and grew together. There was no fighting, no jealousy, was no pouting or whining. No one complained about not winning. The girls enjoyed soccer and actually wanted to go to practice. It truly was a blessing to be on this team, and I would not have moved Madeline to another team if I had been asked. It was a great year!

New Car

Steven got a new car this week..... and let me tell you he is excited! He is pictured with it here, along with the red Camaro, which won't be with us much longer. It was fun to get some pictures of them together! We traded in the truck, too, so the Camaro will be his daily driver. It is amazing how much attention this thing gets, I had no idea! Anyway, the real joy of it is seeing him so happy! He's worked hard to get to a point in life where he can have this car, and I'm proud of him! Anyway, I thought you guys might like to see it :-)

Happy Mother's Day

I've been thinking today about how much impact our Mothers have upon us, both good and bad! The love we feel from our Mothers shapes the confidence we will have in ourselves for the rest of our lives. Our Moms make us feel worthy of the love we will one day feel from our spouses, and teaches us how to love our children. It is one of the most important things in the world! I am so lucky to have been shaped by some incredible Mothers! Most importantly my own, who's selfless love and help to this day helps me get through this life. What would I do without her? I am blessed by these beautiful strong women! Thank you one and all :-)

Wonder Who Madeline Looks Like?

I have been looking through pictures today to put together a Mother's Day post and ran across this picture of Steven at about Madeline's age. My goodness she looks like her Daddy!





(You have to love that 70's Tuxedo!)

A Day in this Mother's Life

We celebrated Mother's Day today by hanging out together - what a great a great day! We had a soccer game first, then we planted our mini garden, followed by some doggie parachuting, some bowling, then a movie. It was exactly what every Mother wants - a happy day with her family doing fun relaxing stuff (no laundry)!

This is the awesome home made candle Madeline gave me for Mother's Day. I have to say I'm loving the candle, and the new camera that took this great picture!



Madeline displaying her game winning bowling style (those gutter guards help just a little :-)





The doggie parachute was a success - the test doggie was not injured, and all tricks were performed in a safe humane manner :-)



I planted my little garden - two tomato plants, a green pepper bush and a cucumber :-)



Madeline ("The Keeper") stopping an attempt at a goal