....the show me state......

.....why, hello blog.....it sure has been a while.....

.....I've been taking some much needed time off to savor and enjoy the small and significant moments with my extended family.....

.....nothing fills up my empty tank more than being with the ones I long for......

......busy and hectic can be draining.....and our last several weeks have been blurry......so the best way to replenish is to take your husband and your babies and hop on a plane to a place that screams home......

......this was a last minute, special occasion decision to pack up spontaneously (somewhat) and stay at my brother's beautiful new home, allow the cousins to play in the presence of their Bambi and spend two days with my aunt and uncle.....

.....they are two of the most God loving people I have ever known.....they have intertwined their marriage with God' love and grace.....their spirits are drenched with the ability to faithfully love one another, show mercy and compassion for others, accept each day as a gift, and they truly find contentment whether they live in plenty or in want......I am encouraged and uplifted simply by being in their presence and our next reunion can not arrive soon enough......

......and although the whole family enjoys time together, we ladies always congregate anywhere and everywhere......and we don't miss a second of catching up on anything......

.....and the youngest ladies of the family are learning at an early age that there is nothing like good conversations with the ones you love.....

.....and sometimes words don't need to be spoken to share what is in our hearts.....actually, not talking can sometimes have more of an impact..... 

.....but the unspoken moments were few and far between......

.....five little cousins all under the ripe age of four and a half have a lot to say.......there were many opinions, several requests, exciting new ideas, and our babes provided quite the entertainment for all of us......

.....summer has also brought some hearty appetites.....

....and for those who know me well know that the show me state is my birthplace.....although I consider myself a Floridian at heart, I can not miss an opportunity to pay tribute to the state that welcomed me into this beautiful world.....so my sister in law, Erica, found two sitters who accepted the challenge of five children under the age of five and we took an opportunity to show the show me state that we can still rock it out as the couples we were before we became parents......

....and, that outside of our children; we are still fun and interesting people.....sometimes we need that reminder when we are in the trenches of raising babies......

....I also jump at the chance for a date night with my love......my husband, who, as each day passes; takes a little bit more of my heart captive.....

.....and then add my brother and his wife in the mix and I am smitten.....happy, chatty, giddy and having the time of my life......and sorry Cardinals, but I had no idea what was happening during the game......I was too busy catching up and cherishing my company.....but congrats, because apparently you won......

....and in my old life when I used to run an office of people who worked hard, yet played hard; I always reminded them that if you hoot with the owls, then you best be ready to chirp with the birds.....and we did just that after our adult night out.....groggy eyed and fueled on coffee, yet bushy tailed and ready for a new adventure.....

.....we may have lagged behind for a short time, but eventually, we caught up......

......and in my experience, the end of a journey always has a pot of gold.....it may take a while to find it, but it's there......you just need to look for it......or in our case, walk for it.....

.....I couldn't help but pop in an abandoned hanger that hosts a flea market on the weekends.....I found so many treasured left overs just browsing on a weekday that I was tempted to camp out and wait for the next weekend sale because I have a feeling there are some steals to be had in that part of the midwest...... 

.....I eventually found my way back to the family.....we played, hid in the shade every so often to take reprieve from the blazing sun and kicked back and enjoyed.....we really embraced the time together and it was so nice to inhale the sweet smell of summer......

.....with a sprinkle of family.....

.....and because today is officially the first day of summer.....

.....Happy Summer to you.....

....find your red, white and blue.....

.....enjoy the ones you love......

.....and take a lazy siesta......

......get your hands dirty and savor every minute of it.....

.....we certainly are.....

....time and tide.....

....I detest busy....

.....now, obviously we all have phases in our life when the schedule is packed.....activities demand time from us, trips build up, end of the year activities arise, Christmas takes over the month of December, etc......so it doesn't bother me when I hear it out of my own mouth every so often.....but I get irritated when I become one of those people whose answer is, I'm busy. Crazy busy.......especially when that has been my answer to how are you? for too long.....

...cringe....

.....I have been running at a lightning speed pace for weeks now and although that pace keeps it lively, there hasn't been any slow time to balance it all.....no ebb and flow......and as much as I don't know about horoscopes, I do know that my libra sign has something to do with two balancing scales and I am lopsided......very, very lopsided.....

.....my pace has resembled something like this.....

.....and children remind me that if life is in a frenzied place, then I better carry on with glee.....or as my sweet Grammy would say, be of good cheer.....

....so I try to let the small things go and in the midst of barely catching my breath, I still find moments to focus on the joy in our lives since God continues to bless us abundantly.....

....we recently had a packed apartment of nine people, which took the record for the biggest slumber party in our 7 years in this humble nest....

.....it was full of so many laughs and jokes, despite the fact it was hot and crowded and no one slept very well....cranky can still be turned into fun and it was a miracle that we did not have any requests for apartment showings that week.....it was nice to push pause on most of the routine of a normal week and spend time at our favorite local hang outs with family.....

.....our amazing weather lately has been the perfect compliment to outdoor activities.....the Mayfair festival happened to fall over the weekend my brother and his wife were here to visit.....it is the closet thing to duplicating the suburban style of opening your back door and letting the kids run wild......except, we open our building door and our backyard is a street filled with live music, bouncy houses, craft tables, face painting and creative vendors who have just the fancy thing that catches the eye of my little girl who loves to wear something that sparkles.....

.....and it was so nice to pop in and out of the apartment for bathroom breaks, diaper changes, drink refills, etc.....it was so convenient to leave empty handed and not worry about carrying any gear in the stroller.....hands down, we voted it to be the easiest day of the week and to top it off, our babes were bone tired by sundown......

.....and we needed an easy day....because although nothing is every really easy, we had our fair share of events that were extremely chaotic, not timed very well or required a complete change of direction and a pit stop for ice cream so we could regroup.....

.....and this blog is also a good indicator of when the barometer is pushed a bit too far in one direction because there becomes a backlog of snapshots......when I start to feel unbalanced, it's due to some big, happy lovin' life events .....along with an apartment that is for sale, three kids all in different phases of activities and interests, sick babies, new babies arriving with Mommas who need some help, visitors who want to stay for an hour or a week and a husband who spends an additional 25 hours on top of his work load studying for an annual test that he takes every June.....it's all been joyful and festive; but there are two weeks left of nursery school and a CFA test in 12 days and I am craving some down time with my family.....sprint, jog.....advance, retreat......adventure, routine....

....ebb and flow, baby....

....I thrive on it....

     ....How long ago was Easter?.... 

...and I love the 14th century proverb that sums it up so well....

.....time and tide wait for no man....

...or any Momma, for that matter.....

.....life moves on....

....so busy or bored, we better enjoy and savor this one beautiful life we've been given.....

....seize your here and now....

.....sweet dreams....