The holidays are now over. *SIGH*  Sadness and relief all rolled up into one big sigh.  Now that the holidays are done, we have resumed our day-to-day life, and I finally feel like I can function normally and not on "panic mode."

Life is good.

My little girl has started gymnastics this month and is loving it.  I sat in a couple of times, and watching those little girls learn to do their tricks is absolutely ADORABLE!

Sometimes I wonder if I put her in more for her or for me. . .  Either way, we're both happy.

Mr. T is busy doing basketball now.  Whatever sport he is currently playing is his absolute favorite.  It's so fun to watch him get excited and play.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of this season . . . yet.

So, instead I am putting in a picture of my little BoBo.

Just because we can never get enough of him.

And so it begins . . .

The task of saving him from himself.

FIRST CAMPING TRIP

Here they are being sent off.

(If you look closely, you can see T behind his dad, trying to be in the picture)

And Bobo wanting a part of the send off too.

In the past, this has been a father/son activity, and my little girl has been wanting to go camping for a LONG time, so this was GREAT!!!  Everyone came home happy.

Not Exactly a Green Thumb

Last spring I planted a garden.  However, I planted it very late in the season, and unfortunately the plants never got bigger than what you see below.  So, this fall I thought I'd try again.  They came up pretty good, and I was excited.  Then we had the never ending summer, and about half of them withered and died in the heat.  I replanted those and kept watering and hoping the others would make it through.

The heat spell broke, and all seemed well . . . until this afternoon.  We got a rainstorm, then the wind started picking up, then the hail came.  When all was said and done, not much was left of my little garden.

Actually, we got off pretty lucky.  I lost most of my plants in my garden, and the mesquite in my backyard is bowed over, but many got it worse.

On the way to pick kids up from school, there were a ton of trees, even big ones, that were uprooted, and had branches broken off.  I had to wait a few minutes for a bulldozer (At least that's what I think it was.  I haven't been watching Bob the Builder lately.) to clear some big limbs from a fallen tree off of the road.  Some of my neighbors have broken windows from the hail, fallen and shattered roof tiles, leaky roofs.  

So, I feel pretty lucky all in all.  But, I still hope I can get some produce from my garden this season!

FLAG FOOTBALL

What a hard worker, and sure fun to watch!

. . . and just a little bit more soccer

We've had some long, hot Saturdays, but it is so fun to watch these guys!

MOTHERHOOD

fatigue

endless exhaustion

whining, screaming, fighting

diapers, spit-up, drool, mysterious messes

nighttime sickness, worry, medicine, doctors

making dinner, scrubbing, fingerprints, potty training

kissing boo boos, wiping tears, mending hearts and feelings

first smiles, first giggles, first steps, first day of school

hugs, slobbery kisses, snugging with a story

tickle monsters, laughter,  games, fun

magic, belief, trust, wonder

forever relationships

eternal love

joy

SOCCER . . .

Ready or not, here she comes!

Now if we can get her to focus on the game instead of hugging her friend . . . {unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries during that part}