We picked Waco as our Texas location for our wedding anniversary trip. 15 years together deserved something special. My wonderful in-laws gifted us the hotel suite AND took care of our kids for us for the four days we were together. What a gift my mother and father-in-law are! So why did we choose Waco? Chip and Joanna Gaines would be why. We didn’t go to Waco just to see their Magnolia Marketplace. In fact, that really wasn’t even it at all. But, they did have a huge reason in why we went to Waco. See, we love their show,…

I didn’t plan on it, but after a long day working, a dip in the pool just sounded good to me. So, my kids and I – and my sweet Mother-in-Law, headed to the big resort like pool here in our neighborhood. The water temperature was just perfect. I really love an evening swim. It’s my favorite. So we swam, we splashed, we enjoyed the time together. We missed daddy being there, and Papa too. Over all, it was a really sweet time together and I’m so happy my mother-in-law was able to join us.  

The boys love to fish. Especially Zane and Nick. So, since we bought them new poles for vacation, and they aren’t a tangled mess yet, we drove to a neighborhood pond and fished this morning. It was very windy and we had the wrong lures/bait – but we still had fun. It wasn’t until the end when we put bread on our hooks that we started getting nibbles and Zane ended up catching the one and only fish of the day. I’m so happy it was him, since he didn’t catch any on the boat earlier in the week.

We had an awesome time in Pottsboro, Texas with the kids and my in-laws. Adam and I were only there two days, as we had doctors appointments, but those two days were great for refreshing us, and taking our minds off cancer. It’s just what we needed, to spend quality with with the kids, each other, and Adam’s parents. It was only an hour drive away, too, which was nice. Out in the country, surrounded by Lake Texoma – it was just so nice. The first day we were lazy and just hung around the amazing resort. We swam, cooked…

After nearly a full week of being sick with the flu, I am finally coming out of the fog. Though N. and I are still sick, we’re much, much better – almost well. Mostly just the head cold symptoms of the flu are left. It’s been a rough week, but thankfully the flu has a short shelf life. We decided to get out and get some fresh air, nature’s medicine, tonight. It was warm, with a touch of a cool breeze. Perfect evening to spend time moving our bones, and breathing in fresh air.

He laid his blanket over top of me, and said, poor momma. I caught the flu on Mother’s Day that he had last week. It was so bad yesterday that all I could do was moan, cry, and hold on for the ride. When he got home from school, he laid in bed with me, held onto me, and kept saying, poor momma. This boy is a gem among men. (Throwback to baby N)

It was freezing cold! What more can I say? I took the leap and got in, while daddy sat in the chair and watched. Y’all shivered but insisted you weren’t cold. We left an hour into the swim. It was just too darn cold. But you’d never know by looking at you guys. You had so much fun!

Guys, I just love walking with you at night. Any time, really, but in the evening, at dusk, is extra special.

Oh my sweet bugga boo! I just love you so much. You stayed home from school Tuesday, opting out of a field trip to stay home. You have another one coming up, so it’s all good. We took a walk around the block, stopping to watch ants go in and out of their home. You talked to me about everything and anything. We snuggled and played games. We talked and shared stories. It was a precious time with you. You mean so much to be bugga boo! I’ll always, always love you!

You came home and quickly told me you didn’t feel well. But then you ran upstairs to play video games, so I didn’t think much of it. At dinner, you again told me you didn’t feel well. I checked your temperature, and sure enough, you had a fever. In the morning, we took you to the CVS minute clinic. We were 30 minutes too early. The place wasn’t open yet. So we walked next door to McDonald’s for breakfast. You ordered a Sprite and laid on me. Your fever was 102 prior to giving you Tylenol, which brought it down…

Z, you had a fishing field trip at the pool pond Friday. You wanted me to go. I’ll confess, I was very tired from the long night before of taking care of your older brother. He was sick with the flu, or something. I also had to work. But you looked at me, and smiled big when I asked if you wanted me to come. And so, I went. I walked through a sea of smiling faces, and baited fishing poles, to find you looking for me, too. I handed you your jacket, you thanked me and promptly put it…

Today N, you went to see the Army band with your grandparents. While you were gone, Z and D, we went for an “adventure walk”. It didn’t start out smoothly, as we had to walk back twice to get sunglasses for you, D, and for you to use the restroom, Z. But we finally did get a good walk in. It was hot and D your tummy hurt on the way home, but we still had a nice time together. N, you were gone all day and into the evening. When you got home, you headed up stairs to play…

I took y’all out in the neighborhood for pictures. My plan, to make prints for the whole family. I won’t lie, I bribed you into smiling big and being nice in the photo’s. It worked. I love how the pictures turned out!  

You boys are so silly and I just love our walks home from school together. I’ll miss these when you’re grown up and no longer can walk to school. I hope you look back on your childhood and think fondly on these years of walking to school together.

Our neighborhood is a wonderland. From several ponds and ducks and turtles and fish – to lots of grassy areas and parks and friendly people walking their dogs and playing with their kids. There’s so many places to walk and enjoy the outdoors. The neighborhood is just big enough to enjoy without being too big or too small. The kids and I enjoyed an hour long walk throughout the neighborhood just being dusk. It was a wonderful time and all the kids were very happy about the time we spent together.