I Spy

My view at 6 am is this little cutie making shadow puppets on the ceiling. 

Willardsons Book of World Records

Reese has a fun idea to start a Guinness Book of Willy Records. 

A few feats to claim reigning champion: 

-Top Dragon Slayer in Dragonwood

-Who can go the longest without Ranch Dressing

-Longest bed making streak

-Highest Number of weeks in a row on time to church

-Most pages read in one week

-Least shoes left in the shoe basket 

-Longest Accident Free Potty Streak 

-Sock matching champion 

-Sunday Peacemaker of the week 

Stay Tuned, and May the odds be ever in your favor.

Mother’s Purse

Sadly, these pictures were taken just yesterday. I completely cleaned out my bag one. week. ago. Like a major clean out. 

I’m a pretty tidy person. I keep a very clean home, I make my bed religiously, and appreciate a well organized room or well utilized and well cared for space. But my purse?  Oh bother. It’s a catch all and straight up disaster.  Yesterday, I couldn’t find the checkbook. Aaron insisted it was in my purse and against better judgement reached into the abyss with wreckless abandon. His hand emerged covered in a mysterious dark goo that we still cannot identify. Melted chocolate? Pen ink? No one knows. 

I tend to give Aaron a pretty (extremely) hard time for his messiness.  My dirty little purse was the epitome of hypocrisy and Aaron was chuffed to rub my face in it. The contents were dumped in a grand pile of my shame onto the kitchen counter and we laughed our faces off at some of the contents that I gave somehow acquired in just seven days. This isn’t even all of it.

A comb and several little hair ties

One hair bow

Two stretchy rubber fidget noodles

Rubber bands for braces  (which was extra funny because I don’t even have braces anymore, so how they got in there is an added mystery.) 

Expired Old navy cash/coupons 

My wallet

An additional wallet that my friend Olivia gave me. 

A sensory brush

A bill of sale from Bentonville Glass for a shower door. 

NINETEEN pens, pencils, sharpies, or highlighters

My retainer case

Two folded pairs of socks

8 tampons

A bottle of essential oils labeled “balance” (this one had us rolling) 😂 

A lone, petrified sapphire grape...that was in such bad shape we thought maybe it was a rotten jalapeño (because THAT makes more sense than a fingerling grape?) 

A package of touch up markers for wood floors

A 25 ft tape measure

Almost $100 in loose cash 

A zillion receipts

A little debbies jack o lantern cookie

Lip gloss 

Chapstick

Information packet on my washer and dryer and another information packet from a different store on a dishwasher. 

A stack of name cards from the weekend temple trip

A Birthday candle 

Two bottles of Nail polish 

Keys

6 paint sample cards from Lowe’s

A CAST MOLD of my TEETH and a set of bleach trays 

3 tubes of bleach 

Assorted candy

6 Safety pins attached to a lego tree branch 🤷🏻‍♀️

A booklet on healthy eating thatbthebtwins were given at their biannual required foster care checkup health department 

Star Wars stickers

2 hot wheels fire trucks 

A plastic unicorn 

Cello rosin

A plastic sacrament cup

...And no checkbook. 😂

Come Follow Me

Happy Birthday to My 6 and 7!

It physically pains me that this is all I can share about two babies I love so much...who are not really babies anymore, but probably always will be to this mama. I hate boxing them out of family photos. It hurts how uncelebrated their existence is by this world. They ARE a gift to the world and they teach us so many things. They are so precious and so loved.  These special children occupy so much space in my heart that the rest of my feelings are often displaced and spilling out all over the place in a wreckless uncontainable mess on anyone and everything, just so I can preserve capacity for them and their needs.  I may not hold a whole lot together, but my love for them is solid, fierce, capable, unwavering, and safe. 

I live for these children. We all do. 

Happy birthday, twin bops! You are beloved. 

Out of the Woods 

Nickel Creek 

“I wish you out of the woods

And into a picture, with me
I wish you over the moon
Come out of the question, and be

I roller coaster for you
Time out of mind
Must be heavenly
It's all enchanted and wild
It's just like my heart said
It's gonna be

If this is gonna
Run, round, in my head
I might as well be dreaming
Run, round, in my head

Dream into a future with me.” 

Brace Yourselves for Good Days Ahead.

My braces came off today! 

It’s been just shy of 2 years. 

Poor Reese. September 16th will be her 4 year braces-versary in brackets and wires. Her stubborn molars are just not coming in. They’re just waiting on those adult teeth to grow in. The rest of her mouth looks great! 

My teeth have not been so coooerative. The initial problem was corrected in just 3-4 months the next 18 months were spent with varying sizes and configurations of rubber band torture to try to correct my bite. 

We made minimal progress and settled finally for leaving my mouth in cross bite. I’m totally ok with this. 

My mouth sure hurts in this clear retainer though. Ouch! 

This too will pass! 

I ate a sandwich today and it was just wonderful to not have braces full of lunch! 

You win for longest braces, Reese!  The finish line is soon, hold on! Home stretch! You can do it! 

Photo 

(upper left) Reese on 9/16/2015

(Upper right) Reese today 

(Lower left) me in  2017

Lower right) me, today 🎉

It’s been a long few years. It felt most excellent to have a good ending happening!! It’s just braces, but it’s s tender mercy and restores hope of more good days ahead and happy endings to all the things.