Chopped

enough to donate!

Faster than a St Bernard

Running with Sherman makes me feel fast!

Spring is finally here.

Sunshine - I could not have been more ready for this week. Cabin fever hit me harder than ever before so this Vitamin D is serving me well. Spring Break also means the Michigander wader out west as well. Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Thank you for coming!

Sixteen

This girl...driving, working, studying and swimming. I am so proud to be your mama. 

Happy Happy birthday sweet girl. 

Fourteen

The week before this boy turns 14 and this is what I know...He truly enjoys life. He loves music, building anything and listening to or reading books. He wishes he was taller (getting there!) and is happiest on the soccer field. He will spend his birthday in Arizona with his team playing in a tournament all weekend. (I will be lucky if I get a phone call - he is definitely our independent one.)

Love, love, love you - happiest of birthdays sweet boy!

Sequoia

This weekend our family said goodbye to our sweet Sequoia. We rescued her in between the two kids being born and has been with us for such a long time (15 years!) She lived a good, long life and was so loved. We miss her so much...

Failures

About a month ago, I went to a fantastic training for school that taught me to ask my students and own children about not only their success, but their failures too. In a sense...a failure means you went out of your comfort zone, learned something new or challenging. Always succeeding can mean not pushing yourself and the later effects of a failure can be devastating. With that being said, Cole and I had quite a weekend of success and failures and both made us stronger, and more resilient.
Our first fail came in the form of a cookie. Our first attempt was sore on the eyes and didn't taste much better. But we giggled, ate a few anyway, went back to the store and succeed the second time.

Yesterday, we took said cookies and headed for a morning ski just the 2 of us. (Jeff and Ryan were not free - but we did not want to miss a blue bird day.) 

The morning was a huge success  - The failure came in a 7 car accident (we were #3) on the way down the mountain, totaling our oldie but a goodie truck. The beast took most of the impact leaving Cole and I shaken and sore - but safe and unhurt. Everyone in the accident was then offered a cookie (the good batch) while we waited. Help was fast, no one badly injured and the kindness and patience everyone showed was amazing and heart warming.

Failures can be just as important as successes. So thankful.