Miss you Maya

Our furbaby...who often considered herself one of our human babies...would have been 10 today.  
It's been nearly a year now, but rarely a day goes by that we don't hear from one of the kids, or say ourselves, "I miss Maya." She was a good one...

*July of 2011, just weeks after D joined our family and became one of her favorite humans. I can just hear her thought process, "My siblings and their friends are in the pool, why not?"

it evaporated

It's happened again...

I so clearly remember the joy we felt on this particular morning...the last day of the 2012-2013 school year.  Kylie was completing first grade and "the twins" finished their kindergarten year.

6/10/13

I marveled at how grown up they looked and was thrilled to have all my kiddos back under the roof for a few months.

Summer was here, ripe for the picking!

It was spectacular.

But now...as it does every year...summer has evaporated before my eyes, just as we were in full swing of enjoying it.  Looking back through pictures taken and seeing our summer bucket list almost completely checked off shows that summer was here.  And now, just like that, first and second grade have arrived to take place of the lazy pool days.

8/26/13

Today begins a new year, full of possibilities yet to be uncovered.  There is excitement and, if truth be told, a little anxiety floating around.  Thankfully each of the kids got a teacher that perfectly matched what we asked for in a teacher for that particular child.  It looks like we're in for a good 169 days.

(not the standard 180...there's one last thing on the bucket list that we couldn't squeeze in this summer)

the school posse flanked by the little siblings

 And on this, the first day of school, I'm reminded of the age old saying, “If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was.” Chinese Proverb 
[I looked all over the net and found many variations and many folks to attribute it to...]  

So long summer...rest well friend.  We look forward to the day we meet again!

For now, we'll make the most of a new school year and look forward to the prize promised at the end ...summer vacation 2014!  

We'll enjoy it, we always do...but it too will fly.

And this time next year between Shannon and I, there will be two third graders, two second graders, and TWO kindergardeners!

sawdust and bunk beds

It all began with us realizing the girls' room was going to be quite crowded with three beds on the floor. Bunk beds seemed to be the answer, but not "just any bunk beds" would do.  From there we searched google on ideas for built-ins and then my personal engineer spent hours designing on Google SketchUp.  Finally the plans were complete and it was time to get started!

One night in late January, the lumber fairy made a deposit in our playroom.

On February 1, Kylie and Darcy spent their last night in the girls bedroom in a factory made bed.

On the morning of February 2, Ian and our friend Jeremy started "operation bunk-beds" in the girls room...or shall I say Ian and Jeremy began under the leadership of their foreman?

honestly, he the cutest little assistant carpenter ever?  Within a few minutes of the first cut, my big boy was decked out with all his tools and his hard hat to come and be his daddy's right hand man.

They worked...

and they worked...

and they worked some more.

But the project would not be finished that day...

The next day Jeremy was needed by his family, so Ian kept plugging along.  Along the way he gained some new little assistants in the process.  And you know how added hands *may* slow things down...just a smidge or two.

After the start Jeremy and Ian got the first day, it all likely have been done in a just a few days' work if Ian were working solo.  However, in character with what I admire about him, instead he embraced having four little assistants.  And now my kids now how to use a power drill, measure, use a framing square, staple with a pneumatic nailer and sand rough surfaces with the best of them.

After working weekends and many late nights in the month of February, the project came to a temporary halt while I went to China.  Both my mom and Ian's mom were coming to be with the kids during the day so Ian could work and the girls needed to vacate the guest room for Grandma M.  Thankfully the beds were in a temporarily usable state at that point.

love the feature of the grown up sized spot at the top of the stairs, perfect for reading bedtime stories!

The beds were functional, but not quite finished yet.  Finally, when the kids and I took a road trip over spring break at the beginning of April, Ian took the time to prime and paint the structure...this time without the help of little hands.  Gloss paint, hardwood floors and elementary kids don't make for a good combo ~ or at least we're pretty sure they wouldn't anyway.

And finally, the finished product.

It certainly took a lot longer than either of us anticipated to wrap up, but I wouldn't trade speed for the memories my children will have of creating bunk beds with their dad.

Wordless Wednesday {a taste of blackberries}

8/8/13

Wordless Wednesday {got silks?}

6/27/13

The 4th

Just a few pictures...

...of some of my favorite people (and me)...

...taken by my amazing husband on the 4th of July...

...at one of my favorite places on Earth.

We may not have seen any fireworks this year on July 4th, but the sand and pounding surf provided ample excitement!

summer swimming legends

I'll preface this by saying that I don't see myself cheering on any of my swimmers in an Olympic venue.  But I am so proud of them and even more, so happy for them as they've seen what hard work can do this summer.

(pictured in the order they consented to letting me snap pictures with their ribbons)

My big boy.  Can I just say how proud I am of him?  And obviously how proud he is of himself?

Last summer he could move pretty well through the water.  This summer he's smokin'!

He's been swimming first heat in freestyle for three meets now and first heat in breaststroke in two meets.  Most exciting part is that he's been placing and scoring points for our team!  Since these picture were taken he's collected a few more first and second place ribbons.

It's pretty exciting stuff!

And speaking of exciting...this little guy has had us on our feet at the edge of the pool!

At the beginning of the season, he needed his mentor to have hands on him at all times in the deeper end of the lanes.

And then suddenly, one day it clicked.  That purple ribbon in the front represents the first meet he swam 15 meters of backstroke unassisted in a meet.  And not only did he swim it alone, he WON the heat.

AND that fifth place ribbon on the right?  Well, in order to get a place ribbon, you have to swim first heat...as in the scoring heat.  And my little guy has swam in two first heats now in freestyle...against his six year old brother.  Not bad for a four year old born with a severe heart defect.

We are grateful to New Day Foster Home every day for the gift they gave our son in early intervention with heart surgery.  What a difference it made in his life!

Our little DQ has been all smiles in the pool as well.

At the first meet she was selected to swim first heat in backstroke.  That night fear struck and she panicked just before getting into the water.  Later she cried as she told me, "Backstroke is just so hard for me Mommy and if I'm in first heat I can't have a mentor."

Not wanting to create stress in her summer life, I talked with the coaches and asked them not to put her in first heats again until she is comfortable.

And then the day came when she swam backstroke in a later heat and was the heat winner.  Safe to say our little girl has her swimming mojo back.

She hasn't gotten back to first heats just yet, but her speed is increasing and she's excited of how easy backstroke is for her now.

And then there's "Cautious Kylie."

The one who pretty much burst into tears at the first practice with the thought of swimming the 25 meters without a mentor.  The one who cried when she started learning butterfly.  The one who grumbled before each practice about how they had to swim 8 lengths of free and then a 100 IM as warmup.

Then the ribbons started rolling in.  Some for her as an individual and some as part of relay teams.
She's not swimming first heat in any of the strokes yet, but she has shaved off significant time from time trials...like over 12 seconds off fly alone!

And just this week both coaches stopped Ian and I to tell us how she's got a really beautiful and strong freestyle stroke.

There are still some grumbles about practice...but it's mostly because her age group starts before the other kiddos and she's my sleep in queen.

I probably won't be watching my crew at any Olympic or even collegiate venue...but I sure do enjoy cheering them on as my summer swimmer legends!

Happy 4th!

Wordless Wednesday {the M6 firefly rescue crew}

habitat for their 'injured' friend

garden abundance

So after *ahem* sneaking shredded zucchini into everything I could think of, today I enlisted the kiddos in using yet even more of it. 

This time delicious spiced muffins. Verdict is out...we have a new breakfast favorite and we *may* finally get on top of the abundance our garden is providing

sweet treat

We toured a battleship.  We had a campfire with s'mores and slept in a tent.  We got to pet sharks at the NC aquarium.  It was an amazing 36 hours.

And yet on the way home I had one last little surprise up my sleeve.

a surprise in the form of sticky goodness in a white paper bag

It could be summed up as "the last hurrah of the camping trip."

Or maybe just "we *heart* Britts!"

6/09/13

Both apply!

**Thanks Beth for introducing me the hidden gem of Carolina Beach!**

alligators and Megalogons and sharks...oh my!

Sunday afternoon when we left the campground, we didn't head directly home.  Instead, we decided to take advantage of our NC Zoo membership and visit the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.

Why exactly?...

Because the kids wanted to squeeze in one more photo opportunity?

Because albino alligators named Luna are cool?

Because when you're four, just any 'ole alligator is cool?

Because there is the "most ginormous fish tank ever"?

Because you can pretend to get eaten by a Megalodon?

Because DQ wanted to pet a shark?

Yes.

To all of the above.

Well, maybe not to the wanting one more photo opportunity.
But they smiled for me anyway.