FOUR

Zach is four!
We tried to make the day special by starting with his favorite breakfast.Daddy came home and took Zach to a park for lunch.

We went out to dinner and then Zach got to use his birthday gift card to find the toy of his dreams (a Ninja turtle action figure and a Baby Animal Encyclopedia)

The party continues on Saturday with a family treasure hunt ending with cake and gifts.

In the morning I told Zach the story about the day he was born. I listed all the people that were there to meet him and how he was the very first grandbaby for all of his grandparents. I told him I had tears in my eyes when I first saw him because I was so happy to be holding my little boy. He loved listening. When I was tucking him in last night he told me,

"Mom, I had tears in my eyes too, when I was born."

"Oh, you did? Why?"

"Because I was so, so happy that you were my mommy."

And right then and there, my heart melted.

Lake Livingston

Lake Livingston is an hour north. Not a long drive. But we stopped at two gas stations per "potty request" by Zach. The second we arrived at the campsite, he jumped from the car and ran to a tree. Not so much because he "had to go", I think it had more to do with the novelty of peeing on a tree!They called these their "relaxin' chairs"But we put them to work. Lily swept the tent site. Zach stacked firewood.

My {pregnant} shadow

Lake Livingston was beautiful. Camping is not generally at the top of the "must do" list for a girl going into her third trimester. Really though, it was all lots of fun until nightfall. There is absolutely nothing bony about the current state of my body, but let me tell you... sleeping on your side, on the ground, with extra weight, will make even 'cushioned' hips sore!

Also, we were the only campers in the entire state park. Yeah. It was pretty sweet, we camped on a Thursday night. And I was thankful no one could hear my kids at bedtime, because they were yelling and wrestling and having a good 'ole time in the tent. The seclusion was nice at first, but I didn't really think about my frequent nighttime bathroom breaks (I swear, for me, add one for each trimester!). Since we had the whole state park to ourselves, we opted for a lakefront campsite...which was amazing...which also meant that the bathrooms were a short hike through the woods. And even though I tease my husband MERCILESSLY for watching shows about Sasquatch and the Loch Ness monster...running into such a thing at 2am in deserted state park woods suddenly seemed very likely. The kids were slightly obsessed with the sporks, thought they were the greatest invention EVER. They said the name 'spork' over and over, and were sorely disappointed when we disposed of them.

Until next time!

28 years

(throwing a football...this was the 3rd day we hung out...we had already kissed)

Dear Babe,

Happy Birthday today. You're 28. And I am missing you because you're away on business. I bet you will laugh at the quality of the picture. Truth be told, you've shown me a hundred times how to scan a photo. But those details bore me, I never really listen...and let's be honest, I'm a little helpless in the technology department without you. So I took a photo, of a photo. yeah.

This morning I woke up thinking about kissing.
(it's your birthday, I thought you'd like that)

And I just want to thank you for kissing me the very first time we hung out. We were 16. I knew you were going to try...even though we'd only just met. I thought you really really liked me. I didn't know you were a player. It was still amazing.

Remember how I once asked you to tell me about all the girls you'd kissed (although, lets be honest here...it was a lot more than kissing). I had to beg actually. You didn't want to. It took a few days. Finally, you caved to my pressure. And once we got to girl # 30, I didn't want to hear any more. Then you asked me how many boys I'd kissed. I was SUPER embarrassed to admit it after your lengthy list...."ummm, well...just you". After your initial pride, you were kind of embarrassed too.

I also want to thank you for sticking around after I sat you down and gave you a 'For the Strength of Youth' pamphlet. You know, the one that uses words like "petting", and "groping", and "sexual purity". And then I told you that I wouldn't be doing much more than kissing you. When you left that night, you didn't plan on calling me again. I'm glad you did.

I like that our lives changed together. You got baptised, I went to college, you went on a mission...we both matured, a lot. I like that we have documentation of the immaturity though. We have a ridiculous amount of kissing pictures. Kissing at 16, 17, 18, 19 (skip a few years for the mish) 21, 22 and on it goes.

A couple nights ago, we were just laying around in bed, I was staring at the ceiling deep in thought, and you asked me if I would marry you all over again. I took it as one of those rhetorical questions and I answered simply, "of course I would". And then I asked you the same question, and I turned to look at you. Your head was propped up on your hand and you had tears in your eyes... you answered me with a kiss.

I wish I knew what thoughts brought the tears, but maybe you were thinking about your upcoming birthday, and the passing of time, and it was just a big mash of all the beautiful memories of life together. I like that we can celebrate all of it with a kiss.

We need to take another kissing picture. It's been a while...I hope we never get too mature for that.

See you tonight,
Tara

Attention: Childhood in Progress

I'll blame it on pregnancy...

Admittedly, it was with heavy heart that I recognized the photos on my camera were in no way a representation of our Christmas vacation. As in...there are absolutely no photographs of the 5 family Christmas parties we attended, or the wonderful and beautiful people there...or that I missed opportunities to document the massive and wonderful array of food, the magic of Christmas morning, the traditional shotgun shoot off at the beginning of the new year, and all the shopping and excursions we reveled in.
***
But as I sat staring at the anemic photo file "Dec '08", a small epiphany occurred in which I realized that my 6 little pictures were indeed a very accurate portrayal of at least one aspect of the holiday...me. A little scattered, a little distracted, but able to recognize the inherent beauty of small and simple moments that make my life meaningful.

bubbles in the BIG tub
rolling hills and gorgeous sunsets, space to breathe...Missouri in my heart

We're a competitive bunch, and I like it that way.

The ability to be yourself...sweats and 25" shoes at the bowling alley.

Crazy weather. When we arrived the thermometer said 0 degrees. We had ice, snow, a warm up with thunderstorms and yes...even a tornado...then back to more cold/ice/snow all within the first 6 days I was home. It makes me happy.
And finally, Quick Trip. Deserving of an entire post of it's own. Oh how I miss your sparkling and spacious bathrooms, the plethora of pumps so that you never wait, your amazing beverage assortment, the best gas station hot chocolate in the country, friendly and QUICK service. I believe I can say with a fair amount of confidence there is not another station brand to match your superiority.