Real Life

Real Life

I often find myself living in a fairy tale world. A world where life is perfect. My family will do things together and everyone will laugh and smile and have a wonderful day full of memories…

I mean, that IS what you see on Facebook and social media, RIGHT???

The idea of perfection often drags me down. The reality of this so called perfection is SO far from reality it really is scary!

I envision this perfect day in my mind and then steps in reality; yes, a 16, 13 and 10 year old version of REAL LIFE! They each have so wonderfully grown into independent creatures that the thought of each other looking at another, or even touching one another, often takes on a whole new dimension.

(They may or not have been the CRAZY children pushing/racing each other down the aisle at Publix at 10:00 at night. I did my motherly duty of quietly asking them to stop, but not REALLY enforcing it. Secretly, because I LOVED that they were laughing together and creating memories and moments THEY would always remember!)

I am learning through the chaos of these years, that the fairy tale world is what we make of it. As much as I would like to say my children adore one another and never fight, well, I try not to lie! The truth is, I live in reality. They have a love/hate relationship. Every moment is a moment to grow and learn to love each other more. Each opportunity and family outing is another fairy tale fail and a memory made.

The truth is, reality is REAL, it is raw and amazing. I look back on my childhood and I remember the moments and memories we made, not the “perfection”.  My hope is that my children will remember we were together. They will remember the moments, and a little of the crazy too! 

Memories Made to Last

I was SO beyond excited to spend a week alone with this sweet boy! We had breakfast and dinner dates. We went to a late night movie. We went to the lake. We had picnic lunches and SO MUCH MORE! 

The joys and advantage of having older children, are the impromptu shopping "dates" we get to go on. 

Fun times spent together just the two of us. I way too often take these precious moments for granted. I am loved, I am BLESSED to have this man in my life! 

A family day spent together. Perfection, well, it depends on who you ask! To me, YES! We spent the whole day together and lived to make memories! :) 

I sure do love this crew of mine!!!

Happy Halloween

 Happy Halloween

Fun Filled!

Family Day at the Georgia National Fair

OK, I just LOVE the fair! I love the noise, the smells, the rides, and everything about it! My daughter had to perform at the fair on Sunday, so it was a family day at the fair. We saw bears, sea lions, pigs, horses, and a circus the kids just loved!It was a perfect cool fall day. We ate funnel cake and all laughed as the wind blew the powdered sugar ALL over moms pink sweater and jeans; NICE!

My sweet girl dancing at the fair!

My boys....waiting by the circus line.

The bear show!

The sea lions...They are SO funny!

You really can find anything at the fair.

...and of course, a little face paint.

Mom and her sweet kids!

Daddy and his little "snow cone thief's"

Kayla on the dance float in the parade on Saturday!

Fall Break-Get Away

Fall Break means: Sleeping in, baking with my kids, windows open, going to the fair, and a day trip to the mountains.... We hiked, explored, and it even warmed up just enough for a VERY cold dip in the river....(For the kids that is).

Sprewell Bluff Park- Thomaston Georgia

I'm ready!

Ready to hike!

My little Adventure Man.

Climbing up the mountain.

Climbing up on a big rock they found.

Sliding down the rock!

My turn :)

Standing on a large flat rock in the river.

He found a frog in the water, and caught it!

Daddy helping little man climb back down the mountain...

Pretty girl.

You go first....It is REALLY cold....

Some of God's creation we found along the way.

Fun in the river.

Family Pictures

We needed some new Family Pictures, SO...my husband took them for us. He did a REALLY good job. I am so proud of him!

Simple Things

His adrenaline was racing, his face was red, and his hands were gripped tight around the handle bars. His little heart was pounding and sweat was pouring from his face. Determination was there and yet fear was taking over.  

I watched as the frustration sat in and tears began to swell up in his eyes. "I can't do it!"

Not only did my heart sink as I heard these words, but I was slightly perplexed.

You see, my sweet little boy had already learned to ride his bike and yet he would never ride it. I could never understand why he didn't like riding his bike. I knew he was missing out on so much fun. So, I decided that it was about time I "made" him practice a little more.

He complained the whole time we got his gear on and got him on the bike ready to go. As I sat and watched him starring at the big black pavement in front of him, it hit me; fear!

He was terrified of getting hurt, and at such a young age he was letting fear stop him from achieving a goal.  I knew we had to push forward.

We stood in the road,  for what seemed like forever, as he balanced the bike back and forth between his feet. He finally got the foot pedal just where he wanted it and he was off. I anticipated running slowly beside him, but he was a pro!

He made it to the end of the cul-da-sac where he made the turn and then stopped. My anxious heart got worried for a minute that my husband or  I were going to have to go running down the road, but after solid concentration he had started back up.

I can't tell you how proud I was to see him ridding towards me with the biggest smile on his face. He wanted to ride all day long.

Right after church on Sunday he was in the garage getting his bike ready. He was so excited to ride every second he could. I just sat and watched him. It was amazing to watch my 6 year old overcome his fear with some encouragement.

I had so many things I had wanted to get done Sunday afternoon, but as I sat watching him ride up and down the street, I realized that it is the little moments in life that make life worth living!