Mom Days - the Tradition Continues

Another round of super fun mom days! Each kid gets a day over the holidays that we plan together and try to make special and meaningful. Cadie and I did some manicures and girly things. Jack Ranger and I got Yummy Donuts on Lovers Lane, we played with the sweetest Shiba Inu at Petland, he got a new expensive pair of Nike's from NorthPark, and then he generously offered for us to go pick up Cadie from being a cooking camp helper and we did two Dreamscapes together (Lost Pearl and Blue). For Colton's day, we ventured all the way out to the Colony and had so much fun at Grandscapes. We did go-carts, electric dreambox, and the Jurassic World exhibit. Colton wanted JR to come along because the boys enjoy doing all that kinda stuff together.

I told Ranger that someday Mom Days would be reversed. Ranger was so excited about his Mom Day that he had made a list ahead of time and he set an alarm to wake up early and not miss a minute. It made me feel so special that he was excited to spend a day together. I told him that someday it would be reversed and I would be the one making a list and bursting with excitement to spend a day with my son. I know as each of them grow up that their time for me will decreased and I will be ever-so-grateful that we continue the tradition.

Merry Christmas

I took two entire weeks off work! Dec. 22 through Jan. 4 was all about Christmas, family, sleeping in, and making memories. It was a much needed break and I barely looked at anything work-related. 

We took a trip to the farm and it was so warm that the boys swam! We spent Christmas Day at DD and Big John's but it was a little off because both Colton and Cadie didn't feel well so Grant and I took shifts bringing kids home that needed to rest. We watched pretty much all the Harry Potter movies. The kids all got snuggies and spent a lot of time breaking them in. Ranger sold mistletoe and made almost $500. Cadie and I hosted a gift exchange mother/daughter book club and discuss "Girl Stolen". Grant and Big John showed up to church wearing almost identical outfits. Grant and I went to counseling two times, which is a big deal because 1:1 marriage counseling is a first for us.

The weather was so beautiful we spent lots of time outside and the boys climbed many, many trees. It was a beautiful, restful, and calm time. I am beyond grateful for these amazing people that I get to live my life with.

Happy 70th to Nina and 40th to Anna

Girls birthday celebration weekend in ATL! Yes! Sign me up. Nina rented us an adorable 4 bedroom airbnb in Peoplestown. The weekend was short but amazing. It was Cadie's first family girls trip, and I think she is a fan. Cadie and I arrived Friday evening and the whole crew picked us up in Nina's shiny, new, red minivan. We got settled in the airbnb and stayed up late snacking and chatting. 

Saturday morning was yogurt granola parfaits at the airbnb before doing a bit of exploring in Atlanta. We went to world of Coke and even though we didn't have much time, we had fun taking some pictures and getting advertised at. Saturday afternoon was a lovely tea party honoring Nina at Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea party. Yep, you read that correctly. We had our own room and little tiers of treats for each party guest. Some of Nina's friends from Athens even braved a horrible rainstorm and flat tire to celebrate Nina. We had a Nina trivia contest too! When I announced the contest, Nina was nervous that she wouldn't know the answers :)

• Global City Nina dreamed of visiting for years - Paris
• Surprising collection - Hummels
• Name of street Nina grew up on - Riggs
• Favorite color - periwinkle
• Favorite type of book - used to be romance
• Favorite sweet - cookies
• Enjoyed doing in the summer as a kid - riding bikes
• Name of arts and crafts business Nina had with a friend - Heart and Home (Gold star to Nina's friend from Athens who guessed "Fun & Frills" - love it!)
• Wanted to be when she grew up - Actress
• Favorite crime show - Murder She Wrote (Although Nina said it was Matlock)
• When Nina was younger, what did she do to her hair - iron it
• Art or Movies - Art
• Pizza or Hamburger - Pizza
• Stay up late or get up early - Stay up late
• Save or get rid of - Get rid of

The weekend was full of laughter including unicorn hats provided by CJ that looked less like unicorn horns and more like male anatomy. A rousing game of telestrations. Plenty of backseat drivers helping CJ navigate. And a decent amount sitting around semi-clothed and catching up on all the things.

Sunday we got loaded up and did an MLK walking tour. Our tour guide was fabulous. She did improv on the side and she made the crisp morning so enjoyable. I got chills at our final stop at the MKL center. So grateful for those who sacrificed so much to fight for the freedom Jesus paid for us all. We had a very elongated lunch with multiple stops to meet everyone's dietary restrictions. I took advantage of the time to do some stretching. Our final stop was a small Christmas market at an adorable old trolley barn.

These ladies are my people and it was a joy to spend time with them. They are funny, opinionated, smart, beautiful, interesting, and oh-so-very-special. Nina put the cherry on top to the weekend with custom notepads with special messages for each of us. I love you girls!

Sky Ranch Family Weekend

We only had about 3 hours at Sky Ranch family weekend with all 5 of us present. But, we still had fun! The boys really loved the free fall at Tree top towers and they did it about 10 times in a row. Cadie was glad I let her sleep in and skip breakfast both days. Colton was so proud to win "Most Creative" gingerbread house for his interpretation of the swing at Frontier Land that is his favorite. He shared that he thinks about 90% of the adults at camp pushed him on that swing at some point. He would just sit on the swing during the day waiting for someone to walk by and push him. 

Our host family, Carter and Julie Morris, were inspiring and gave us an awesome word about prayer. I felt inspired to make a special space for prayer at CRC Farm.

Due to his broken hand, Grant joined us on Saturday and was planning to stay the rest of the time. However, on Saturday afternoon Ranger went back to the room saying he was tired and not feeling well. Ranger was feeling really achy, tired, and headachy and he skipped dinner. After dinner he still felt bad so Grant and Ranger headed back to Dallas. I think Ranger just got tired and dehydrated. Grant said he fell asleep immediately in the car and after a good nights' sleep at home, Grant said Ranger woke up feeling fine and they went to church together. 

Meantime, back at the ranch, Cadie and Colton upheld the Walsh rocket making reputation with some great rocket builds. Cadie's won during the rocket launch on Sunday morning.

After seeing this adorable pic with my boys, I posted the following on facebook, "These boys melt my heart. Their enthusiasm is contagious, their love for legos and minecraft is beyond my understanding, their snuggles border on aggressive and are just the best, and they are beginning to understand the importance of chivalry and respect.

I read somewhere that having a boy is like getting slowly broken up with over many years. While that is a painful idea, it kinda resonates. These two have a piece of my heart and their smiles light up when they see me. My heart swells with gratitude to have the privilege of being their Mom. I can feel Ranger just the tiniest bit becoming his own man and I can imagine that someday when someone else holds his heart that I will look back on these days with longing.

Grant does a great job teaching our boys about "man things". Just yesterday Grant told Ranger he needed help with "man things" and they worked together to change out two faucets in our house. Ranger reported that it was actually pretty interesting.

Grant talks to the boys about the choice a man makes to be a wolf, a sheep, or a sheep dog. The wolf preys on the sheep, the sheep aren't that discerning and often are influenced by fear, and the sheep dog protects the sheep from the wolves. I pray for boys that grow up to be sheep dogs. That they become men that don't take advantage of others or live in fear or under the influence of others' beliefs and that they choose to stand up for what is right and serve others as a protector.

Feeling grateful for these moments and hugs and praying that Grant and I can raise two loving and strong sheep dogs."