The Lure of Sunflowers....

On this particular day, there was something about this patch of sunflowers that made me drive to the next exit of the highway, turn around, drive back several miles and turn around again.  All I knew is that I had to take some photos of these sunflowers. They just spoke to me.

 

Sunflowers are so beautiful and the sight of so many just lifts my heart. Yet there's also something sad about them.  The sun is shining so brightly and yet they struggle to lift their faces completely.  This is what drew me to them today.  I love these pictures....

(Kudos to the NC Wildflower Program ~ this stretch of highway is overwhelming in its beauty!)

PS ~ I've loved many of my header photos over the years but I think this one just might take the cake for me.  It's going to take me a LONG time to replace it!

Just enjoying life.....

....to the fullest.

Busy, busy, busy.

Hope to be back soon!

Memories of Summer 2013

The summer of 2013.  I don't know where to begin. I will always think of it as a hard summer. The realization that we would lose Hubbell before summer's end overshadowed everything else.  I can't help it ~ that's just how I roll.  Because we'd paid for two surgeries for our furry guy earlier in the year, I decided to keep both girls at home for the bulk of the summer to save funds that we would've used to pay for summer camps.  Yeah.  Not easy.  There were days I was sure I'd lose my mind before summer ended.  But, as with most things in life, when I look back at photos afterward, I see all the amazingly beautiful moments.  Even today, after uploading all the summer photos from my phone, I see only fun, smiles, giggles, happiness and love.  I tried my very best to make summer memorable for my girls even though I was sad and lost inside.  After looking at these, I'm overwhelmed and sentimental.  I did good, I think.

For Sophie's first day of summer, Clara was still finishing up her last week of school.  I was so happy to have some time alone with my Goose.  I'd missed her during her first year of Kindergarten.  I dubbed that first week "Butterfly Week" (more to come on that) so, for her first day of summer, we went to Discovery Place.  One of the things we did there was watch two 3D films.  Soph looked so adorable in her 3D glasses! 

When Clara finished school, we celebrated the first full day of summer by having breakfast together at one of our favorite restaurants.

And I realized how good it would be for my two girls to get to spend some real time together again!

I did my best to keep them outside as much as possible, and away from the screens, and often this was accomplished by just throwing pebbles/rocks into the creek at one of our favorite parks.

Oh and there was ART.  Lots and lots of art.  Sometimes we even invited friends over to join us.  My favorite thing about Soph's age now is that I don't hesitate EVER to bring out the art supplies.

I was finally able to take Sophie to the SK8 Park which was so much fun.  A highlight for both of us, I think.  And it's one of my top ten blog post favorites.

Mom joined Sophie in the art projects most days. It was nice to tap into my own creative energy too!

  

We spent a lot of time with Soph's closest friend, Aiden.  They are so sweet together!

We went to story time here and there.

And, once, this guy made an appearance!!!!

Sometimes Aiden's little sister, Alyssa, joined us too.

When Daddy returned home after a week in Switzerland, we made a Welcome Home sign to give to him when we picked him up from the airport.

We had lunch at Mac's, Mommy's favorite lunch spot, a couple of times.

And there was more art.

We went through some paint.

Even though I tried to avoid it, sometimes this happened.....

We checked out a few parts of town that aren't frequent haunts of ours. And it was in one of those places that I took what is probably my favorite picture of the summer.

We made our own star-shaped crayons.

We gardened and ate tomatoes until they came out of our ears.

Sophie finished the reading program at Barnes & Noble and got to pick out a free book.

We lingered in places longer than normal.

And Mom may have had a few of these here and there when the going got rough.

I took the girls to Discovery Place KIDS for the first time.  A big, big hit.

Sophie stayed in the restaurant play area for over an hour......

....while Clara played in the pretend grocery store.

They had a blast while I wore a path in the carpet between both areas.

Clara also enjoyed the tractor there.

Sometimes, the big one fell asleep too.

Clara went for her two year doctor's appointment.  During the hour wait (!!!), Clara tried to entertain me with games of Peek-A-Boo.

I took Sophie and her friend, Addie, to the movies to see Smurfs 2.

And our friends, Ethan & Jacob, came to visit from Florida!!!

The highlight for me personally was our trip to Big Meadows. I still can't get over the nature and the beauty and the wildness of the place.

In my Big Meadows post, I mentioned we didn't see any bears.  Somehow I TOTALLY forgot about this one.  So cute.

Before I knew it, it was time for this.....

.....and school supply shopping.

Oh, these girls.  On the last day of summer, we hung out in the driveway for our last afternoon together. I was so happy I took this picture.  We had some hard moments but I wouldn't trade the three months of the Summer of 2013 for ANYTHING.  Not one moment.

Life was good.

Sophie's Seven Year Old Interview

As is our annual tradition, I interviewed Sophie last night.  While still fun, she was careful to choose her answers this time.  One of them made me teary....I'm sure you can figure out which one....

What's your favorite color? 
Green

What's your favorite food?
Spaghetti

Who are your favorite friends?  

Megan & Aiden & James

What's your favorite thing to play?
Boys chase the girls

What's your favorite animal?
Elephants, cats & dogs and dolphins

If you could hop on a plane and go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Switzerland

What's your favorite letter?
F, H , M & A
(for friends, Hubbell, Megan & Aiden)

What's your favorite number?
7 & 5

Do you like school? 

Not really.  (mean look from Mom) Okay, kind of.

What's your favorite book?
Fancy Nancy
 Any one in particular?  

Not really, I just like all of them.

What's your favorite word?
Friend  

What's your favorite song?
Firework by Katy Perry  

What's your favorite thing to do?
Swim with Daddy 

What makes you happy?
Seeing Megan & Aiden  (and James)

What would you like to be when you grow up?
 To paint nails

(Insert groan here from Audrey & Alain!!!!  Until this very second, she has always said a doctor, a farmer and a teacher.  Paint nails????  Really???)

When you close your eyes, what do you see?
Hubbell's face

What is your favorite pet?
A bunny and a puppy

What's your favorite treat?
Everything


Oh girlie, please stop growing so fast.  I'm trying so hard not to blink.

Previous interviews can be found here.

Now if you'll please excuse me....I'm going to find a way to inspire my daughter to be something other than a manicurist.  Wish me luck!

S-E-V-E-N

You are my sunshine, 

My only sunshine.

You make me happy

When skies are grey.

My dearest Sophie, 

You ARE my sunshine.

You're also my rainstorm, my white fluffy cloud, my morning dew, my night sky, my galloping pony, my big meadow, my shady forest, my rainbow, my spotted fawn, my wild flower, my quiet snow, my robin's egg, my dotted ladybug, my sweet breeze, my Monarch butterfly, my honeybee, my birdsong, and, of course, my Goose. 

I love you with all of my heart. 

Happy Birthday!