Round and round we go

I love this picture of Price with his gals.

We went to the park to fish.  Yeah, we really aren't fishermen.  We had a pole and a net.  No bait.  But we gave it a whirl anyways.  We went to church that day to the church Price grew up in.  They just changed locations from Dallas to McKinney.  It's called Brookhaven Church and Brother Glenn is so great.  So polished.  Every message sinks in to your soul.  If you live in the area, go visit!  You'll be glad you did.  I don't live in the area and I've wanted to go back ever since! 

The message that day was ask God for great things.  Impossible things.  So when we pulled up with no bait, we prayed we'd catch a fish.  Price saw a little school of minnows and reached in and snagged a net full!  We had bait!  We thought it was so Divine.  Unfortunately, we didn't ever catch a big fish.  But I don't feel like our great prayer wasn't answered.  We did catch a fish.  Lots of little tiny fish!

Anyway, we ended up on the playground part.  I can't ride on things that go around and around.  Even carousals make me sick.  So Price took one for the team while I pushed them "really fast".  And then even "faster" when that wasn't quite fast enough according to the girls!  Whenever I feel really happy inside, I like to take a picture.  So I don't forget that happy moment.  (How did people used to capture all their happy moments without the trusty iPhone?)  Watching Price with the girls go around and around.  It made me happy.

I've gone back and looked at this picture several times since I took it.  I just love it.  Even though I can't see any of the girls faces, I know they are smiling just like their daddy.  They are enjoying one another, enjoying the moment, enjoying getting dizzy.  They are all connected to one another and holding on to one another and holding on for dear life.   

I love it too because it reminds me of that sermon to pray great things. 

It reminds me of eating lunch with Price's family after church that day and just being together, enjoying one another, enjoying the moment.   

It reminds me that I am just like the girls, when life is spinning really fast and I have no choice but to sit and grab hold of something stronger than me.  I reach for Price.  To steady me.  To make sure I don't fly off the dang thing.  He reaches for me too.  To steady me.  To steady himself.  I'm sure Price would say I still fly right off the coo-coo nest sometimes.  And I'll admit.  I let some things get the best of me.  Little things on the grand scheme of life.  And Price is always there to reel me back in.

It's that connection that makes life's ride happy. 

Easter 2013

Easter we went to Aunt Shelly's to hunt eggs.  Us girls had just all gotten over strep, but poor Dad was still sick.  We left him home alone with 102 degree fever.  Aren't we sweet?  We would have stayed with him, but the girls were looking forward to going for weeks and there was just no way to deny them.  They had a blast and came home with so much loot, we are still eating Easter candy!  (Even Temple sniffed out the candy bowl and will bring me something to open every now and again.  And by that I mean, several times a day.) 

Presley ditched her Easter basket and grabbed a big bag.  Smart girl.  Greedy, but smart.

Teagan politely stopped for a picture.  Thanks, babe.

After picking up a couple eggs with candy in them, Temp decided to just sit down and enjoy some chocolate.  Poppa was on opening candy duty.  Temple shoveled it in.  When Poppa cut her off, she looked for Honey to open some next. 

Aunt Shelly said a nice prayer before we dug in and ate like kings. 

The following weekend we celebrated Easter with my family.  Mom made matzo ball soup, "tiblets and smalts", and all the fixings my grandma used to make.  I tried to google tiblets and smalts to check the spelling, but couldn't find it.  Basically it's a Jewish meal my grandma's mom used to make.  It's chopped onion, chicken liver, chicken fat, and a hard boiled egg.  Sounds delicious right?  You eat it on a buttered matzo cracker.  And I throw a dash of salt on it right before it goes into my mouth.  Just to round it out and have high cholesterol AND high blood pressure.  It's actually really good!  And you feel all ethnic and close to Jesus when you eat it!   You just wouldn't want to have a really close, intimate conversation with anyone afterwards. 

The kids played outside and Temple enjoyed the swinging like this.  She only fell on her head once. 

18 months-ish

Eighteen months is such a great age.  Temple is getting so big!  (Sometimes a little too big for her britches if I'm being honest!)  She is running, not walking.  But really it's not even running.  It's fast walking while bouncing a whole lot.  It's the cutest, unsteadiest gait with just the right amount of danger to it! Not sure why she's always in such a hurry!

She's not really talking a whole lot.  I'm not worried about it, though because she gets her point across for sure.  If she doesn't have a word for it, she'll either point, scream, bully you phyisically, and any other means neccesary until she gets what she wants.  The other night I hadn't got her any "milky" (bottle of milk) and she was fine until I was almost asleep and then she started pushing me, pulling my shirt, and whining until I finally asked, "milky?"  Then she just pointed towards the kitchen.  So I had to get my tired self up and get her a bottle.  And then I cursed myself for starting a bottle at twelve months when it's recommended to stop the bottle.  But she's my BABY.

And if I'm not meeting her needs, she'll go to Teagan who I've heard her call Mama on more than one occasion, and she'll tend to her.  Teagan is so in tune with Temple and her needs.  And sweet and loving and patient.  I'm surprised Temple doesn't start with Teagan. The other day though Teagan was trying to eat, which is hard because Temple wants to share whatever you're having.  I wasn't really paying attention until Teagan said, "Can you please deal with this kid?"  Haha!  Yes, yes I can. 

She has another relationship with Presley. With Presley, it's playtime. Rough, loud, in-your-face, borderline mean playtime. Temple knows the difference between her two sisters and who's good for what. She just wants to be with them. Whether its watching TV or playing outside or in the playroom. She sees no age difference. She's just one of the gals. They let her for the most part. But they draw the line when she starts eating the crayons.

Kindergarten round up!

Guess who is so excited about going to kindergarten next school year? Miss Teagan! I hope her excitement lasts!! When we pulled up to go to the round up, she got a little nervous and had a slight moment. But she composed herself and Sister led the way and she did great. She knows about five kids who'll be in kinder next year too which is such a blessing!!

Presley is so funny. She has to "pack up" to go anywhere. She brings a bag full of stuff to do. It comes in handy sometimes and sometimes it's one more thing to keep up with.

Remember how Presley has a slight case of the hoarding gene? Well she's brought home several things from the trash at school, including an empty Kleenex box and the front page of a package of construction paper. What the heck?

inspired

I just finished a good book.  Alison let me borrow it.  It was written by the blogger of momastery.com Glennon Melton, called Carry On Warrior.  Anyway, it inspired me to get my lazy self back to blogging and just write. JUST WRITE!  Sounds easy, but....   I'm telling myself that I don't always have to have a picture to go with what I write of smiling kids, happy faces, exotic places.  It doesn't have to be eloquent.  I don't have to be funny.  I just have to write.  For myself.  For the girls to read one day.  For me to remember "those days" when life was so busy.  I don't want to forget and because I totally will.  I have!  I'm just going to write - about my day, the girls, my thoughts, parenting, whatever!

"I can do hard things."  That's one of her mantras from the book.  I really enjoyed it. 

I usually don't read.  I feel like I need to be "busier" than sitting and reading a book.  I started it while I got my nails done and was sitting anyway!  And then I didn't want to put it down.  It made me think - about myself as a mother, wife, Christian, etc.  Thinking is good.  I'm still thinking.... 

I think the older I get the more type A I become.  Not in the sense that I have to maintain a perfectly clean house.  (That's for DAMN sure!)  But in the sense that I need a goal to work towards.  I have a goal that I'm officially putting out there, that I've been working towards for a couple months.  I was scared to make it official at first, but now I'm not.  (I feel like that's also type A of me.)  Alison and I are running a half marathon.  It's my first (and probably last?) and her third.  We aren't trying to win the race, just be a part.  I'm enjoying the journey.  While running, my mind goes numb, and I don't have to think.  Except one foot in front of the other.  I like to think, but I also like to not think.  Makes perfect sense to me! 

It's also ME-time.  That part almost makes me want to sign up for a full marathon.  Except the 26.2 miles part.  That would suck. 

Siblings

Cousin pictures

These were fun!  We missed last year so, this year, we made it happen.  I discovered this cool gate in my sister's backyard.  I hadn't seen it before (she hasn't lived there that long) and it made for a great keep-the-kids-still-for-a-second, not to mention, super cute photog prop.  Had I seen it earlier, our family pictures would have been on a fence!
Now we just need to take some new pictures with the cousins on the other side of the family.  Before Christmas we tried, but one cousin got sick last minute and then life got crazy.  We just have to make it happen!!