Blowing Springs

We met up with friends at Blowing Springs for playgroup, yesterday. This special place defines everything to love about Bella Vista. 

Corbin splashed and ran around with any pal who would chase him. One of my former preschool students from Bella Vista Ward was there, and he and Corbin rekindled their friendship via rock throwing. Gabe's mom, Stephanie, took them on a hike up to see the caves and Corbin was delighted for the privilege to go do something that the girls did not. Sometimes, the middle child in that boy screams out and he just needs a little something. It always screams out a bit louder in August. 

That spring water is COLD! Soren was not pleased when he fell in. I think it felt great. 

Reese spent her time chasing butterflies and caught a few. 

Quincy was sure that if she put her feet in the water, a crawfish would come out and pinch her toes. With time, she worked up some courage and got in. 

Contemplating life's mysteries. 

Oh that face. 

I helped the kids hold this butterfly in their hands and they giggled when it fluttered its wings and tickled their grip. Blowing Springs is the place where magical childhood happen. If fairies were real, I am sure they'd settle in the woods of Bella Vista as their whimsical home. 

Pickin' on the Square

This week, we pushed to squeeze in as many things left on our summer bucket list. Last night, we went to pickin' on the square. 

This is where I live! I live where people bring guitars and dulcimers and mandolins and harmonicas and basses and fiddles and gather around the town square to play and sing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and "This Little Light of Mine" with strangers. It's delightful. 

This woman was enchanting. I could have sat for an hour not only to listen, but to watch her little hammers dance along the strings of her dulcimer. She talked to the children and encouraged them to keep practicing piano and try other instruments, too. 

One thing that has been difficult for me is that I t seems like someone is always crying or angry at any given moment in the willardson house, lately. I'm getting a little burned out on tantrums and quarreling, and all of my best efforts to maintain a peaceful atmosphere are failing. I feel like Joy from the movie, Inside Out....frantically running around putting out fires or helping children work out anger, worries, pain, and frustrations and it's one meltdown after another all day until bedtime, when I have my own.  I know it's a season, that it's just normal life to not have sunshine and rainbows all the time, that it doesn't mean I am a bad mother if my children aren't having a happy day, and I know that life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful. 

That said, last night was a real treat for me to have everyone happy at the same time. It was a tender mercy for this mom to have a tear free, tantrum free, worry free evening and I reveled in it.  

Worldwide Indexing Event

Challenge complete! 

The Church hosted a Worldwide Indexing Event with a goal to get 100,000 indexers to submit a batch.  About a week ago, Kasey came over and taught me how, and I successfully completed my first batch and submitted it at 11:57pm last night. The event ended at midnight. Phew, just in time! I live on the edge. ;)

I learned:

Indexing is not difficult. 

Indexing is fun! I've only worked on French Birth and Death records, so far, but it's interesting to me to know there  were like 5 Jeans or Maries born in March of 1837. 

Cursive is a lost art.

Neat writing is more important than we think. 

Indexing is addicting! 

I still need more practice before I will be confident to teach someone how, but I'm making a personal goal to pay it forward and teach someone else how to index. 

For now, I'm thankful to know a new skill, and excited to do something valuable. I'm not a genealogy superstar and currently don't devote much of my time to doing my genealogy, but indexing is something I can easily work on so that someone else can do theirs. 

I think the challenge ended with about 78,000 new batches done. I feel good knowing one of them was mine. 

Cleanse and Fortify Relief Society Meeting

I currently serve in two Relief Society callings, at church. Relief Society Teacher and Relief Society Committee Coordinator. 

Tonight was our monthly Relief Society meeting. Ordinarily, my role is to just host planning meetings and help the committee, but this month, I have several new committee members, and with everyone's summer vacations overlapping, I took on program. Our theme was Cleanse and Fortify.

We had great speakers: Becky P gave a self reliance spotlight on building a 3 month food storage supply. Marium S did a presentation on setting up parental controls on mobile devices and building porn-proof homes, and Laura O spoke about cleansing and fortifying our spirit by removing negative habits and replacing them with uplifting thoughts and behaviors. We played a silly purse game to lighten everyone up during a waffle bar dinner and also had a car clean out activity planned but ran out of time.  I ended up doing set up last minute and pulled some decorations together last minute. I channeled my inner Lynn Lawrence and I think they turned out really cute. 

He Smokem' LEGO Pieces

Sloane is 7 Months Old

Posting this a little late. Sloane is 7 months old. I can't believe it. 

Our little love is sitting up, crawling, and starting to pull herself up to her feet! There's no stopping her. I lowered her crib this week, and we've started to keep the baby gates on the stairs closed again. She eats baby food once a day and, so far, only really likes pears and a carrots/sweet potato blend that I made. She tolerates prunes, apples, green beans, and squash, and despises bananas, laughing as she spits them out every. Time. 

Sewing Lessons

Reese and Quincy had a couple of seeing dates with Miss Eunice and made these adorable shorts! Their American Girl dolls have matching pairs. Nice work,  ladies!