Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you lovely mothers!  I hope your hearts are robust with love and happiness today.  Raising little ones is definitely not easy, but incredibly rewarding. Cheers to all of you who daily put in the endless energy to raise fine little people!  Motherhood is definitely the most amazing but uniquely common gift many of us receive.

Down the river to camp we go

On our way to a weekend family retreat, we drove through the river. The only way to our camp was through the river. My kids were delighted as the hung their bodies out the side of the car window to catch a glimpse of Daddy driving the car down the riverbed. 

It was quite an adventure to arrive at camp through the river. Thankfully the water is only about 4 inches deep and the riverbed is a layer of solid limestone.

I love these little adventures that cement bits of memories in our minds. 

Chocolate

We stopped by this wonderful little French bakery in the piano teacher's neighborhood while her sisters were taking their lessons.  It had been a long week and I thought a little treat was in order (more for myself than for this little one).  I picked out a dainty chocolate cup of thick, dense mousse.  When I sat down at the table with my little side-kick, she eyed the pretty chocolate cup of goodness.  I offered her a bite and she didn't stop until the delectable treat was almost gone.  She was intent and focused on getting large forkfuls of the chocolate into her mouth without spilling.  When she had almost finished the treat, she shoved the plate aross the table and exclaimed, "Here Momma, I don't like chocolate."  I was flabbergasted and stunned at her admission.  When I pushed the plate back and said, "Yes, you do like chocolate," she looked at me and said, "No, Momma.  I don't like chocolate."  

What a funny little thing to say after eating most of my dessert.  

As I finished the last few bites of the mutilated dessert on the plate, she sat still with a mouth smeared in chocolate and smiled.  I was struck with such laughter at her funny little personality.

fishing

They found the perfect spot on the limestone ledge, unpacked the tackle boxes and prepared the poles.  The water was perfectly still and provided the perfect view of the fish they were trying to catch.  Both of the big girls were quite excited at the promise of catching something.  The little one just sat and watched them, not quite aware of just what they were doing.

She squealed with fright when her pole tugged.  As she reeled her line in, the view of a fish on the hook made her smile from ear-to-ear.  

Daddy handled the fish and let us all view this beautiful creature up close before he removed the hook, kissed the fish (for good luck) and threw it back.  

Wild flowers

This year's flowers came and went in a flash! They were robust and beautiful but only seemed to last a week or so. Thankfully I snapped one photo of my three with my phone to document this year.  We made it through traffic with just enough time to stop by an old road with clusters of beautiful color amongst the old oak trees. It was a glorious sight.

time for strawberries

It is that glorious time again, time for strawberries!  Their deep red jumps out of the large clumps of thick green green leaves and delicate white flowers.

Two cousins crouch down to find the perfect berries to fill their cardboard baskets.

They search for hours, undistracted by anything but the promise of more sweet berries to fill their mouths and baskets.

Her little fingers are red-stained from all the eating that occurred while picking.

Sweet memories made anongst the strawberry fields fill my mind with such gladness!

basking in the roses

Today was cloudy and cooler.  The skies were full of rain heavy clouds looming near.  This type of morning always seems to make the roses flourish.  They stand tall on their stems, pleased with the rain and a break from the scorching sun.  They smell sweeter on a dreary morning too.  Perhaps that sweet scent is sweeter because it offers a glimpse of something so beautiful on an otherwise dull day.  She helped make her own bouquet out of our clippings this morning.  

The blooms on her her flowers were robust and delicate, unfolding happily in their vase.  She was delighted to carry her pink bouquet around the yard spilling the water all over herself as she navigated the uneven earth.  These are the springtime mornings I will long for come July.  

I love the way these beautiful blooms become the artwork we cherish in our homes at this time of year.  Each bouquet takes on it's own shape, color, texture and scent, attracting us with all our senses.