a boy and his scooter.

For at least six months, Everett has announced that he only wants one thing for his birthday: a scooter.  Everett's birthday isn't until September but we found the perfect cherry red scooter on Saturday morning.  

The next day, we were thrift shopping with the kids after church.  Everett fell in love with a well-worn, dirty scooter.  He showed us tricks in the store.  He scooted around as we shopped.  He may have asked us seventeen times if we could buy that scooter for him.  We looked at each other.  The scooter had a price tag of $6.99 and was no where as nice as the cherry red scoot hiding in the trunk of our van.

When it was time to go, we told him to return the scooter to where he got it.  He didn't complain.  He set his jaw and calmly returned the scooter to the toy section of the thrift store.  We could tell that he was holding back tears.  We are familiar with three year olds, this might be the part of the story where he threw a fit.  But on this day this boy obeyed. It melted this mama's heart.

He took his daddy's hand and walked out of the store without complaint.  And the Dada?  Well, he had a little surprise in the trunk of the van for our boy.  

Over and over, Everett said, "I wanted that scooter and you already had this one for me?"

Just like another Father I know.  One who longs to bless us.  It was one of those rare, perfect moments where we got to feel that Father's heart for us and for our children.  All on a Sunday at the Goodwill.

on running like a mother...again.

This is my friend Leslie. She is a runner.  We signed up for a 10K a while ago and I kind of intentionally put it out of my head that I would actually be running those 6 miles. But then we did it and it was mostly fun and only a little bit awful. For me, the rest of the weekend was spent trying to figure out when I'd get to get another run in. And it hit me that however slow I may be, I am a runner. Again.

recipe for crazy sauce.

It only took me nine days to realize that my boy was struggling. I knew that he was acting out. Being wild. Being naughty. But this morning I woke up and understood why. After a year of mornings where he was the oldest child, big sister came home for the summer. What's a second born child to do but start acting like a crazy man?

I can't believe how hard it felt to manage my own 3 children all day.  After the Dada takes Claire to school, Everett and I usually settle in for a game of "quiet vrumming" (his invention) or boom races (another of his ideas).  Then we clean up from breakfast and prepare for dinner.  Today, I gave Claire a job so my big boy could help make meatballs.  He chopped and stirred and made tiny meatballs for his baby sister.  And life was sweet again.

graduating girlie.

Can't wait to recreate this picture in 12 years.  It's going to go so fast.

once. there was this girl who...

First day of school. Kindergarten:

And, last day of school: (more hair, less teeth, bigger backpack, still awesome)

Tonight she graduated kindergarten. I only cried a little. She sang a solo into a microphone. She rocked that thing. And for a girl who wouldn't talk to anyone at the beginning of the year, singing in front of a gym full of strangers was a major accomplishment.

Tomorrow I'll share graduation pictures.  Tiny caps and gowns.  I almost died of cuteness.