Grateful for Freedom

In church the topic of discussion was gratitude. I know I have many things in my life to be grateful for, but what stuck with me the most was the effort we can make to turn a negative into a positive. So all day I found myself applying this. It was not hard to be grateful for my friend Karen who not only let me take Mason swimming in her pool after dinner, but also sent me home with these beautiful Stargazer Lilies.


I am grateful to have crying, whining children, because it also means I have children and the smiles and laughter, too!

I am grateful for this mindful 6 year old who will actually smile on command, but also LOVES to give a goofy face any time the chance presents itself!



I am grateful for the surprise lunch at Applebee's after church, where Mason wanted to climb over the booth and under the table, spill his lemonade, color for 10 seconds at a time, play with the blinds in the window and try to handle the dead fly he found, because I have an adoring, thoughtful husband who wanted to give his family a special treat.

I am grateful for floors to mop, dishes and laundry to do, and toys to pick up, because it means we have a home.

I am grateful to hear "Mamma" 100 times a day and for Mason to cling to me 20 of the 24 hours in a day, following me from room to room saying "hold, hold, hold" and 20 questions from Braden wondering where his toys are....because it means I am a Mom and I am loved unconditionally by these two!

Popsicle treat after nap

Poor Mason is cutting teeth which means he's cranky, with a slight fever and runny nose (right into the popsicle) without the help of Tylenol. At our last Dentist visit she said he has 16 of his 20 baby teeth and could feel two right under the surface.



Bunny! Amazingly, this bunny has survived our back yard! He has plenty to eat in the garden, but any time he makes an appearance the boys charge with all their might. Fortunately for him (and them) he usually makes it under the lattice on our deck every time! I'm not sure what they would think if they ever caught him!

As we approach our 10 year anniversary, I've learned many things about Blake, one being 4th of July is not his favorite holiday. I took Braden and Will to get a few "low key" fireworks. Combined with what the Arbuckle's had already purchased, this was our hard earned dollars that set fire to.

Braden had two "big" items, this plane and one heavy hitter that actually shot pretty high!

Our pyrotechnic specialist....Mark. They had us over for steak & shrimp, and kindly offered up their patio for the display. Of course the majority was smoke bombs and snake poop (as the boys call it).

Blake didn't have to be in charge of dinner or the fireworks, and I snuck in this shot of him actually relaxing! I was sooooooooo happy he could!