Update From the Road

Remember that quick little mention of a trip to Colorado? Well, we're here. I'm thinking of doing a picture only post when we get home, a post in which I let the pictures do the talkin'. As you have probably surmised from this blog of mine, I have very little problem being generous with words. But if I sit back, post some pictures, and see what they have to say it could be fun, right? And do you think something could really be amiss with me - was I the only one who noticed the absolutely lifelike attribute I credited to pictures? Pictures having something to say?

That'd be the day!

See you again soon amigos!

The Finer Things of Life

I believe that as a mother, I join the ranks of many a mother before me when I say that I don't think I could be any more busy as of late. Between school obligations that include end of the year activities, a very sick kiddo (that would be Ashlyn), Brody's 5th birthday party, hostessing, preparing for an upcoming trip to Colorado, planning the specifics for a month in California, housekeeping, wifehood, and bill paying - I'm pooped! Sometimes I look at my life and wish for a VERY long, VERY alone vacation. But then in a moment of clarity I see just how fleeting time is, how deeply rewarding motherhood really is, and the appreciation of my kids, and I know that it's all worth the cost. Time alone? I'll have plenty of that come 20 years. For now, I'm in the trenches. Busy as can been but filled with all that TRULY brings satisfaction. Join me, moms, in celebrating the fact that our profession is highly honored in the eyes of God.

Upside Down and Inside Out
Brothers in Arms
Friday Night Fun
Big Clothes to Fill
Brody's 5th Birthday Cake
Bird's Eye View of the Cake

And to close, a few quotes that I find most fitting of my life at the moment:

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."~Washington Irving



"By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class."-- Anne Morrow Lindbergh



Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love. ~Mildred B. Vermont



"Children are the sum of what mothers contribute to their lives."-- Unknown



A little girl, asked where her home was, replied, "where mother is." ~Keith L. Brooks

And so you see from the above quotes, as I'm sure you have from living life as a mom, that motherhood is made up of a number of bittersweet juxtapositions. Rewarding, yes, but exhausting! Thankless, yes, but thanks-inducing! Trivial seeming, at times, but ultimately of great value! Worth it? Without a doubt!

Spring Fun Montana Style

Close your eyes, relax, and let me set the stage for you...

It's a not-so balmy-5o degree May day, and the sun peeks from the clouds on occasion. The breeze is slightly nippy, blowing from the West, and without a jacket you find your arms endowed with those pesky goosebumps that indicate quite a chill.

But us Montanans, we're tough. Real tough. Or maybe I shouldn't say we, but they. They being my children. My wonderfully brave, adventurous, itching-for-summer children. When opportunity presents itself, they jump at it. Fifty degrees equates to water fun right? Oh, I agree, that's exactly what I thought as I parked myself on the patio with my zoom lens.

This, by the way, is a day in Montana at the water slide:

Bathing Beauties (note the brown grass)
Splash Landing (aka: mud, mud and more mud)
Incoming (mud, again)

"Cool" defined

Have I said anything about mud yet?

And as a side note, yes we do feed Brody. Don't ya'll go calling CPS on me!