dinner for 4 please?

My birdie pie and I stopped in D.C. on our way to Chicago and although it was an absolute NIGHTMARE (or "nightmarer" as kid4 likes to call it) to haul our bags around it was worth the look on her face when she saw the capital building.

As she walked out of the train station there is stood right in front of us and although she thought it was the white house at first, she was in awe. She dropped her bags and screamed in excitement. She was totally overcome with excitement. Kid4 knew more facts about Washington D.C. than I could ever have imagined… she begged to at least try to visit the Obama's. She just wanted to at least "give them a call" and just "ask if they might want to have dinner". You know because I always call Michelle when I go to Washington :/

Lovely exhaustion is the best way to describe this day with Kid4 in Washington D.C.

My little birdie pie and I took a little vacation together to Chicago. Our adventures were amazing!

Kid4's amtrack buddy! Nothing like finding a friend!

Kid4 and I hopped a train in Atlanta with visions of skyscrapers, museums and american girl dolls dancing in our heads… we settled in for a long night on the train and she SLEPT. In fact she slept so hard that she kicked the people in front of us several times…. I felt bad and apologized profusely… (I just pretended like I didn't snore- maybe they thought she snored AND kicked).

I kid you not, it took me an hour at least to build our little nest, set out or blankets, get our bags situated, get all comfortable… once I did we hardly moved! She played her games, colored, drew, we talked and best of all she met a friend and they played for hours!

The train is amazing, it's a beautiful way to see the country, the bathroom wasn't too bad, I am totally pretending that she didn't go once barefooted…. there are just some things that you have to try and forget :( We met no crazies, we brought all our own food and snacks and had plenty of space to stretch out.

Travel by train, it's a lovely way to take a breath, see the U.S and enjoy your traveling buddy…. (you might want to consider a sleeper car though, we didn't because I wanted to shop in Chicago).

I love my girl

Girls are so lovely...

sister dates

These girls are so sweet together!

They go on little dates.

They have spend the nights.

They have manicure/pedicure days.

They go out to movies and bowling.

They go out to dinner and picnics.

These girls are lovely lovely sister friends.

I love sisters!

daddy daughter love

4 eyes X 3

All of us girls

got new glasses.

We may have a little too much in common… LOL

(kid4's are actually dark purple)

AWESOME ADVENTURES

A VERY GRAND adventure!

Kid4 and I are looking forward to a grand adventure!

WE ARE SO EXCITED!

I can't wait to share our great adventure with you.

I can't wait to tell you all about the fun.

I can't wait to show you all the pictures.

I can't wait to tell you all about the fun people we hung out with!

Don't worry I won't leave out a thing!

:)

she...

She makes me smile.

She makes me cry.

She makes me feel real.

She makes me laugh.

She makes me gasp.

She makes me want more of life.

She makes me want a nap.

She makes me never want to miss a moment.

She makes me love sweaty summer hugs.

She makes me want to giggle again.

She makes me want to stop time…

and rewind it

just to watch her grow

again and again…

I love you My little girl.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!

"Friendship is one mind in two bodies." ~Mencius

If I spent all of the next year writing all that you are to me, there would still be words left unsaid. There isn't anyone else I would want to share the memories of this life with, anyone else I could trust to hold them.

I wanted to get you something spectacular ... something as amazing as you ... so I found this:

*

but ... turns out the Museum of Modern Art won't sell it!!

the nerve!

I was really in a pickle. (ha!)

This has been a year … of dreams found and lost, wings spread and the occasional fall, whirlwind trips and crazy songs. And that's not even the children! *w*

And this next year … full of changes and surprises and laughter and tears … this year is gonna be GREAT!

(I know because I’ve already put a bird on it)

I love you!

~batgirl

*the starry night, Van Gogh

Happy birthday Fairy cousin

Dear fairy cousin,

For what feels like my whole life I have loved you. I can distinctly remember the moment we met. I ran to their door with such excitement and you shyly opened it. I can still see your brown thick bob and your red checks. From that moment on we were best friends.

I loved the minutes we spent together dressing up as fairies, running outside for hours, playing games, having sleep overs. Remember when my brother built us that huge wooden fort in my back yard? Remember the hours we use to spend with Lane? (seriously- he was always nicest to us and I wanted to marry him!) Remember my creepy basement? Remember the time you were home with Lane and you thought you were home alone and you called me and I told you to pack all your favorite things and hide outside…. I was so smart!! ;)

Not a day ever went by that I didn't think of you. When years went by and I thought we lost you, I seriously cried for years and years. The lessons you taught me then, and the lessons you are still teaching me you just can't imagine. I have always always loved you so deeply. I don't say this often but I am sure that you were a gift to me from God, I am sure of it. I have always needed you. I needed you back then and so many days I need you now.

Thank you for being my fairy, my angel, my cousin and my friend.

I love you more than you will ever know.

Happy Birthday sweet girl, I hope it's all you have ever dreamed of!

Happy Birthday to you my buh-buh

Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday to you.

I wish you the BEST in life.

I wish you second, third, and thousandth chances.

I wish you peace.

I wish you happiness.

I wish you quietness in your soul.

I wish you love in your heart.

I wish you true love.

I hope you know how I love you.

You were my first boy, my first real love.

I'll love you forever.

time gone by

A good and very old friend of mine sent me this picture earlier this week and when I received it I just sat there is awe. I can't believe I was this young once… in fact, I am not even going to tell you how YOUNG I was! Can you even believe how little tiny and sweet Kid1 looked? I never imagined myself this old, I never imagined myself with grown children and here I am looking in the mirror wondering…

if those miracle wrinkle creams work….

and here I sit wondering where the years with my babies have gone…

when did I grow older…

where did 20 years go…

will the next 20 go this fast too…

why can't I remember every detail…

will teenagers REALLY BE the death of me…

HOW is it possible that little TINY boy is graduating THIS year…

AM I going to be able to let him go…

HOW DID HE GROW SO FAST?

WHERE DID THESE YEARS GO?

my goodness time can be so unforgiving….

Happy birthday Dr. Seuss

As you know last week was Dr. Seuss's birthday and so many elementary schools celebrate this wonderful day with reading and fun. Kid4 does not enjoy dressing up as much as some kids so we usually come to a compromise. We pick comfort and something not embarrassing. I asked her to pick a character and she picked Daisy Head Mayzie. She would quite possibly lose her mind with a bouncing head band so we talked about the best way to compromise and decided to make a barrette with a daisy and she picked her red dress. She felt beautiful, and Dr. Seuss day was a success! Happy reading friends!

a day in middle Georgia with Mr. Stanley

Bat Girl and I spent a lovely morning showing Mr. Flat Stanley around our town. We took him to a lovely breakfast, turns out he loves ham and eggs! We enjoyed the morning showing him the cotton fields of middle georgia, the breathtaking pecan orchards. We stopped by a peach orchard and showed him how peaches are processed in the summer and let him play at the park for a minute. He was really impressed with the fair grounds and at the end of the day he was snuggled back into his envelope and sent onto New Mexico for his next adventure. Good luck flat Stanley we had a lovely day!

for my daughters...

swinging through life...

Once upon a time in a land far far away (Oklahoma) life was simple.

It seems like a lifetime ago that my brother, sister and I use to swing on that fence like we didn't have a care in the world. It seems like an eternity ago that we took turns pushing each other back and forth and now life choices, luck and circumstances have led us down different paths. Some of us hurting, some of us thriving and some us barely holding on by a thread but still swinging. It's hard to watch our siblings suffer through life drowning while we're unsure of what to do to help them. A lifeline is not always possible. It's heartbreaking to watch anyone fall over and over again but it's heart crushing when it's your brother.

Thank God for brothers and sisters, thank God for memories and thank God for free will.

happy birthday Dusty

Dear Dusty,

Dear little round faced boy, how can it be that you are 14? Today I thought about you all day and felt sad because you were always the "little one" we always referred to you and kid3 as "the little boys" and often we still do but today when I looked across the table at you, at your bright blue eyes and your wide smile and watched you laugh and talk I saw this great big boy and cried inside to myself because I don't want you to be 14, I want you to be 4.

When you were 4 life seemed easier, your face was a circle and matched your glasses, we travelled all over and you talked to me all night while the other kids slept, you called me AshWee and I loved it. When you were 4 you wore little button down shirts, jeans and cowboy boots, you and Kid3 played dress up for hours and hours on end and I just knew life couldn't get any better for you two. When you were 4 your hair was almost white it was so blonde and my Grammie adored you in fact everyone did. We couldn't go anywhere without someone saying how adorable you were and they were right- you were perfectly perfect.

My Dusty I love you so much, you are simply amazing. I love you more and more every year. I always knew you were brilliant, I always knew that your mind was superior and every year you show us just how remarkable you are. Keep being you, keep shining and know that forever and ever you will always be my Dusty, I will always love you. To me you'll always be one of "the little boys".

I love you brilliant boy, happy birthday.

dear stunning teenage bundle of joy...

An afternoon with my beautiful giggly teenage girl is heaven on earth. To be reminded why I fell in love with her in the first place is the best feeling in the world.

Dear little girl, my first PINK bundle of joy, I have never been able to put into words just quite how you changed us as a family but you gave us the spark we needed. You put a spring in our step and brought us excitement. You made Kid1 a brother and the first time I uttered the words "this is MY daughter" I cried… I practically drown you pink because I could not get enough of having a girl, you were a little bundle of screaming pink joy.

Sometimes throughout your life I forget that your still a little girl at heart, still messy, still growing, still learning and I get frustrated and expect so much from you but today as I listened to you giggle and chatter on and on about boys and math teachers and crushes and converse I fell in love with you all over again. You reminded me to slow down and enjoy the moments with you… you reminded me that you are my little giggly silly girl who I once wrapped tight in a soft pink blanket and nursed for hours on end. You reminded me how I use to gaze at you for hours while I cuddled you in my arms. Today your giggle reminded me of when you were a little girl and I enjoyed every second of this day with you.

Your giggles, your crushes, your beauty takes my breath away. I adore you my stunning daughter, I am so blessed to be your mother and I thank GOD for you every single day. Please keep reminding me who you are, please keep reminding me that you are my little baby girl, the one who I have always adored and be patient as I am learning to be the parent of a very wonderful teenage girl!

I love you to the moon and back angel pie!

love, your momma