The Camping Trip That Wasn't

We made big plans for camping over Memorial Day weekend.  It was sweltering hot that weekend.  100 degrees at 5 PM, to be exact.  Our camp site was one hour north, and we figured it must be a few degrees cooler in the shade of the woods.  

It was not.  

I also figured that carsick-prone Emma would make it to the campsite without emptying the contents of her stomach all over herself, myself, and the car.  

She did not.  

We also figured that the insane swarms of gnats that immediately enveloped us when we got out of the car would dissipate once we got a fire going.  

They did not.  

So, after a solid 20 minutes of misery, including Noah wailing "Why is this camping so horrible??  When can we leave??" while trying to cover his eyes, ears and nose all at the same time, we made a family decision to give up and get out of there!  

I had time to take one perfectly summer picture.

And then we drove back to Jester Park- it's closer to home and a bit more maintained than the church camp we left behind.  The jury was still out about whether or not we would actually spend the night while we started up another fire and continued the festivities. 

 Like flower picking!

 And burning stick drawings!

 And the season's first s'mores! (It was still really hot out.) 

Even in the heat, campfires are the best for snuggling up and slowing down.

 Just being outside together was enough to cheer everyone up again, and eventually we decided that we were not going to camp out.  We headed home around 10 PM, dirty and smelly and more than happy to clean up before falling into our soft, clean beds in our air conditioned house.  That might be the saddest attempt at camping we've had yet.  But it might also be the most memorable time as well!

 The next morning, after a good night's sleep, the kids and I headed to the beach!  

 We spent hours floating, swimming, 

 and even paddleboarding.

 The kids all wanted to give it a try!

And they did great!

 When we weren't in the water (which didn't seem quite as murky and brown as it looks in the pictures), we were digging up the sand

 and snacking in the shade.  

 And while the rest of us earned some pretty sweet sunburns, Jason stayed at home, working hard in the basement to finish up his last big project before the painters arrived the next morning.  All in all, it was a Memorial Day weekend to remember!

Mothers Day

I've found that an entire day of celebrating Mom or Dad or birthday can be pretty difficult to keep up, but boy did my sweet family make me feel like a queen on Mother's Day morning with breakfast in bed, complete with notes, treats, 

and my first "best mom ever" mug!

Plus new flowers for the deck

and the house.

 And a new bar necklace that I've been wearing just about every day since.  Jason took the kids shopping the day before Mother's Day and I found myself alone in the house for a few glorious hours.  That doesn't happen very often.

Of course, Mother's Day is also my annual performance review by my tiny employers.  Most of what they said was exceptionally kind, and for better or worse, all of it was true (except the part where Emma said I'm 20 years old).

She is not very good at not yelling... ha!  They all know how much I 'love' yelling...

From my sweet Leah-

 Emma has been really into publishing her own books lately.  She surprised me with two books for Mother's Day!

Why I wrote this book is you are special. 

 You are the one to go to the beach with me.

Mommy and Noah, in our favorite colors.

Eventually we all got dressed up to head to church.  Note that Leah and I are both barefoot and are nearly head-to-head.  She has predicted that she'll be taller than me by the time Emma turns 8.  I know I was taller than my mom right around the same age that Leah is.

 Oh, how I love these sweet babies that have made me a mom!  They are my best friends and companions, and I love watching them learn and grow in love and kindness.

 And the day was made further special by the conversation with my mom, Jason's with his mom, and the opportunity we had to host the missionaries in our home while they called home to their moms.  It was a day full of love all around.

*****

"The key to happiness is low expectations."

Years ago Jason and I decided that Mothers and Fathers Day should be celebrated on par with what the kids could offer.  That has generally meant few presents, lots of hugs and kisses and hand written notes.  That will change over the years (for better and for worse, I'm sure) but this day was just as sweet as I could have asked for.

Tulip Time

 It's amazing how one-time events become traditions that must be honored every year- like Tulip Time!  We could not wait for the chance to celebrate the long-anticipated arrival of spring with a trip to Pella.

And this year, everything seemed to go perfectly.  

We didn't have to wait more than five minutes to climb aboard a horse-drawn carriage.

"Mama!  The baby horse is following us!"

And there were plenty of chances to sit and watch the interesting happenings, like tractor balancing and Dutch maidens dancing, and of course the beds of beautiful tulips everywhere.

There was food for everyone everywhere we went, which definitely helped with the happiness, and even the line in the bakery seemed to go quickly... kind of.  The hats definitely helped.

While we were pouring over the delicious choices, the lady that was helping us praised us for making this a family tradition.  "Your kids will always remember this!"  

 I know I'll always remember Adam, Emma, and Noah rolling uncontrollably down this hill with their hands tucked inside their shirts.  Why did I never think of that as a kid?? 

One more picture by the windmill- 

 And then it was finally time to settle into the parade.  Same spot, same treats, same family full of snuggles and love.  No rain this year, but everyone got cookies and glow sticks and even one-million dollar bills.  It was such a fun day, and we're glad to welcome spring with this tradition!

Happiness Is...

... being their mother.

Piano Recital

Adam and Emma joined me in our spring piano recital last week, and they did a fantastic job!

 

Only one of my students was not able to participate in the recital.  And the rest of the kids did such a great job.  They performed at the Sunny View adult care facility, and I honestly believe that deaf grandparents are the most loving and attentive audience that nervous little pianists could ask for!  They each introduced themselves and the pieces they were performing.

 And in about 14 minutes, it was over.  And all of their weeks and hours of hard work and practice were worth it!

I sent each child off with a bag of eighth note sugar cookies, and I'm sure they all rested nice and easy that night.

Sometimes it's easy to feel like I'm the invisible woman, or not doing enough big and important things to change the world.  But I love sitting down with children every week to help them learn the language of music, and sweet notes like this remind me that I am someone big and important after all.