Happy Anniversary

Happy 18th Anniversary to my best friend and the man I love to do life with!! I can't imagine what life would be like without you!

Two boys and a Quilt Shop

Yesterday was one of those days that reality had a delayed reaction in my heart and mind.  My boys are growing up and way too fast!  How do I know this?  Because I got to peacefully shop uninterrupted 20 minutes in a quilt shop today!  Yes!  You read that right!  Uninterrupted!  Peacefully!! For 20 whole glorious minutes!  And yes...the boys were there!!!  To top it off, the woman working in the quilt shop complimented their behavior!  WHAT????  Seriously, its all just too much. Reflecting back on the moment, I realize I didn't even thank her!  I just said 'Really?' And stared at her with a look of disbelief.  Let's take a moment and reflect on this.

Now that the moment has passed, so much has run through my mind about this experience.  Let me first begin by saying that I regret not looking at that store clerk and saying thank you.  I should be proud of my boys; not surprised!  Everyone at school and church always says how well behaved the boys are both separately and together.  Mom fail moment.  Mom-up!  Show some pride, not surprise!

Secondly, they were being good.  Like, really good.  As I perused the smallish shop, I listened in to their sweet conversation. Okay, I admit, they had my phone but they were sharing and taking turns so nicely!  They were even encouraging each other and helping one another try to destroy the Star Wars enemy! They sat at a table that I presume is used for classes given at the shop and did not move the entire time. They even showed some interest in some of the fabric I showed with them. 

Lastly, it seems that these days the boys are very interested in everything but what I want to do.  If I'm honest, this is a double edged sword. On one hand this means their growing up, becoming more independent and discovering their own likes and dislikes.  On the other hand, this means their growing up, needing less of me in the way I'm used too and have sadly taken for granted.  Oh, I know they will still need me, but it's not the same.  And dog-gon-it, I've spent their early years being so stinkin stressed out and worried.  Why?  Well, I don't know why but it's sad.  Really sad.  Because now that they're growing up I realize how much I want to relive those days. You can never go back.  That's why I'm trying so hard to make this blog work for me. I was so stressed when the boys were younger that all my memories run together and get lost. So here's to typing my memories and two boys and a quilt shop!

Ahh... The Dog Days of Summer

Ahh... The Dog Days of Summer!  The first week is complete and here we are staring down week 2.  I wouldn't say the first week was stellar but I also wouldn't say it was a failure either.  For the last several years my church has held its Vacation Bible School the first week of summer. I'm not exactly sure why this is their choice but I think having everyone in town to help volunteer is a large part of the timing. I'm not gonna lie...I didn't work VBS for the second year in a row. Last year the guilt was strange; this year it felt pretty good dropping the boys off and leaving. (Except for the fact that each day there was somewhere I had to be and something I had to do, it was nice!) The boys enjoyed learning about Game Changers and I enjoyed going to finish up things at school and Dr Appointments.

Despite VBS each morning, the afternoons were long.  Two years ago the boys and I started to make Summer Bucket lists. The first year it was awesome and last summer it tanked.  So this summer I have set out to have the best summer yet!  We made homemade lollipops! Yum

We also made special Rice Krispie treats that aren't really Rice Krispie treats at all but rather Fruit Loops and colored marshmallows. We also made a fun dessert from two simple ingredients: a white cake mix and a can of soda pop!  Although we only had a yellow cake mix on hand, the cake turned out kind of meh. We used a yellow cake mix and orange soda.  (Side note: I had neither of these ingredients on hand and 'borrowed' them from Grandma's kitchen!). We also had Grandpa over for dinner because Grandma had book club.  Lucky Grandpa got to taste test the two ingredient cake!  Ha!  Overall, by my standards the week was so-so but by the boys standards it was no fun at all!  They don't seem to understand that the it item of the week was supposed to be VBS!  Oh well! At least they heard the Word of God and got to feast on sugary treats!

By the time the weekend arrived, everyone was thankful for Dad to be home for a couple of days! On Saturday, we joined Mimi, Buck and Luke for the movie Angry Birds and some lunch at CPK.  While the movie didn't make my Top 10 list (or 20 for that matter) we did have a great time.

Sunday morning was a blur. We had Camp Wow meeting and church.  Then it was off to Jump Street for some jump fun!  After running a few quick errands it was finally time to head home.  You know how summer nights go!  It was another late night and finally our heads hit the pillows!

Here's to week 2!