Sand Castles for Fun

Nathan and I left all our responsibilities behind for a few days while we ran away to South Padre Island (on the southernmost tip of Texas, right next to Mexico) to celebrate our 10-year anniversary. 

(I know- our ten year anniversary was technically last year. We couldn't run away at that time though- Diego was still too little to be left behind. So technically this would be our 10.8 year anniversary. Don't bog me down in little details like that.)

One of my focuses on this trip was to see how many items I could cross off my bucket list. 

(Just in case you're wondering, we did a dozen items on my list. Yay!) 

Hidden among my bucket list was to build my first sand castle on the beach.

(Did you know I had never built a sand castle before?).

Check out our first try effort:

We worked on this baby for a looooong time. 

Are you impressed?

Do you notice anything wrong with the picture below?

Look closely.

Did you catch the impossible problem?

There's no way he could be stepping on those two towers. 

One tower is from the back wall and one tower is located on the front wall.

Not happening.

You're right. It's a trick. 

 Here is the true perspective on our sand castle:

Beensy.

That's what we get when our only building tools are a plastic dixie cup, a spoon, and our smuggled ice container from the hotel room. (No worries, the ice box was safely returned home and was not harmed in the making of our castle.)

The trick photography was really fun to arrange though.

I really loved living near the beach for a week. The ocean has its own captivating magic that entranced my heart and made it so hard to leave. 

We missed our children dearly (we were constantly saying, "Oh, the kids would love to see this!"), but I was secure and at peace knowing they were being watched over by my angelic mom-in-law. She's a much better mother than me, so I knew the kids would scarcely notice my absence for a few days. 

(Did I mention that she is in the middle of moving across the country, but she dropped everything and came to serve my family? Words are useless to describe her. She's unbelievable. Everyone who knows her adores her. If I can just become like her I would consider my life a success.)

I have so much to share about our trip and the thoughts I had. 

 My spirit was full of joy to spend all my waking moments with my best friend.

It was wonderfully rejuvenating.

Wildflowers in the country

This afternoon my children disappeared.

I looked all over the house and couldn't find a sign of them.

I checked outside, but the swings were empty and lifeless. 

The trampoline was abandoned and lonely. 

The cats and dog looked at me questioningly.

Dinner was ready and cooling on the table.

I called and called for our children. There was no answer.

Becoming impatient, I rang our loud dinner bell vigorously. 

Still there was no answer.

Where were they?

Fighting the urge to yell and feeling waves of anger tickle my soul, I searched on foot.

I began to trek around the property, peering in chicken coops and barns. 

Finally I found them, all singing joyfully and marching together through the back corners of our large pasture.

When they saw me, they all squealed in delight and ran towards me with their hands full of blossoms.

They had spent an hour collecting beautiful wildflowers and crafting a custom bouquet for me!

Our cooling dinner was forgotten and we exclaimed in delight over our beautiful blossoms. 

I felt like a queen being gifted with rare treasures. 

The flowers were so lovely and colorful.

I delighted in their fragrances and scooped my children up in my arms. 

We hugged and laughed together and gloried in the wild jewels of our earth.

I am so thankful we live in the country where flowers can be freely picked without messing up a landscaped flower bed or angering neighbors. 

I had been experiencing a stressful day earlier that afternoon.

This bouquet completely changed my outlook. 

How lucky am I to have such thoughtful kids!

We laughed and rolled in the tall pasture grass together. 

Our dog Bella eagerly joined in the fun, rolling luxuriously in the grass over and over again. 

 How thankful I am to be alive and able to find joy in Earth's bounty!

Life certainly is a treasure!

 I hope you have a chance to enjoy your Littles today!

Busy morning

It's around 9:30 am- what have you done this morning? My son has smeared fecal matter ALL OVER the bathroom, had a bath to clean the poo off his body, dumped out several containers in the pantry, smeared applesauce on the family room floor, and called 911 while playing with the phone. 

He did this all within the last hour. He's only 16 months old.

I think the Lord gives us toddlers so we can appreciate how MUCH can be done in a short amount of time.

Oh, did you know if someone calls 911 and hangs up then the cops will visit your home to check up on you? Yeah. Now I know. Thanks, kid.