{unwrapped}

{a visit to the temple quarry}

 

With only a month left until school starts for our kiddies (and only 2 weeks until Seneca starts preschool), my friend Saunie and I decided that we really want to try and fill the remainder of the summer with a lot of fun activities for the kiddies. So, despite the fact that it was over 100 degrees yesterday, we thought it would be fun to take our kids up to my very favorite canyon spot for family photos and just in general...the Temple Quarry at the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon. It is beautiful. Absolutely breathtaking. Chas was golfing with Saunie's husband and our other neighbor Jed, so along with our kiddies, we also brought Jed's girls with us...making a fun little group for our fun day in the canyon.

 

Right when we got to the Temple Quarry, we found a nice shady spot for a picnic. However, I was SO completely bummed that the incredible RIVER that I had been raging to them about was now already DRIED UP...even though it was a RUSHING RIVER just a few weeks ago. Dang. Oh well...the kids loved being able to have a picnic in the mountains. While we were eating, we talked to the kids about why this particular spot was so special.

We had taken my kids up to this spot before, so Kaden was able to help me share with the other kids that this area was where the early Saints found the granite to build the Salt Lake Temple. Every huge boulder of granite was pulled by horses from the quarry to the temple site downtown and was chiseled BY HAND to build the temple. In-credible. Saunie mentioned to them what I have always felt at this spot....that there is just a special spirit there. You can tell there is something special about this place. It is so beautiful. A few months ago, in the midst of the Temple Celebration, there was a day where I felt particularly overwhelmed and immediately headed up to the Temple Quarry and spent a few hours sitting on a rock with my feet in the rushing riverbed....just to think. Spending time there is heavenly....and literally makes me feel such peace and so close to my Heavenly Father. What a great thing to be able to spend time there with our little ones and share with THEM the meaning behind this beautiful place.

 

After we shared a message about the Temple Quarry, Saunie asked each of us to share what our favorite of all of God's creations was. I told the kids that the mountains are by far one of my most favorite of all of God's creations. Kaden's favorite creation was family and Seneca said that her favorite was the temple. :-) Love that. And after we had enjoyed a yummy picnic and some seriously awesome Gospel discussion with our little ones, we took them down to the river bed and had them each choose out a piece of granite for them to take home with them to remind them about our visit to the Temple Quarry. I told them to hold the picture up to their faces so that I could zoom in for a picture and somehow they all understood that as "please hold it to your cheeks." LOL! Funny.

 

After our picnic and hike, etc. we took a few pics of the kids on the huge pile of granite rocks that has become a very popular backdrop used by many professional photographers here in Salt Lake. Our kiddies were so hot and tired from the hike and extreme heat, that we didn't mess around trying to get a really great photo, but I still liked the one I posted at the top of this entry with all of our kiddies on the rocks. However, I think this one BELOW is my favorite...and it was actually just one of my random "test shots" while I was testing the light. SO love how Kaden's friend Madi is using his HEAD to stable herself as she climbs on the rocks and he doesn't even really notice or acknowledge that she is leaning on him. LOL! So cute!

 

Because it was so hot and we weren't quite ready to head home yet, we actually decided to head over to my Mom & Dad's (who live close to Little Cottonwood canyon) and have the kiddies play there in the backyard.

 

They have a basketball court and playhouse with swings, etc. (The same playhouse we've had since I was little. Still remember sleeping in the playhouse with friends when I was young and even hanging out there and talking to friends when I was older as a single adult. Fun memories!!) and the kids had an absolute blast. Mom was prepared with popsicles and the kids were in heaven. Saunie and I chatted with Mom and ALSO enjoyed popsicles. It was so hot outside and it felt great to hang out in their shaded backyard and just relax while the kids played for a few hours. (The picture below is my all-time favorite of myself. LOL! Kidding. I was a hot mess.....no make-up and so completely sweaty and exhausted. LOL! Good times. Oh well...we had a great time!)

 

What a fun day! The kids had such a great time and the best part is, not only did we get out and were able to enjoy nature with our kiddies, but we were also able to share a wonderful spiritual message with them to enrich the experience on that level as well. Happy day!

 

Saunie, thanks so much for doing a play day with us...so much more fun with friends! And thanks to Mom for hosting us at her house for a few hours. I know it has been a great day when I hear two exhausted kiddies say, at the end of the day, "Mama, this was the BEST DAY EVER!!!!" *sigh* Yay!

{a kind gesture & a heart lifted}

 

About 45 minutes ago, my doorbell rang. I wasn't expecting anyone and I didn't recognize the cute little girls' face that peeked through the window either. However, when I got to the door and looked out the window, there WAS a face I recognized. Dawn is a dear friend that I met through my blog and she has been one of my most loyal blog readers for a very long time. I think it might be safe to say that Dawn just might know me as well as the friends that I see on a regular basis, simply because she is so attentive to what I write here on my blog..and can often even sense what lies beneath what is written. I just love her!! She is always so thoughtful and always checks on me to make sure I am doing okay...especially the past little while. We have wanted to get together with her daughter Trichelle (who also reads my blog) and her kids for a while now, and my life just doesn't seem to slow down ever. So imagine the fun surprise to see Dawn, her daughter Trichelle and Trichelle's kiddies on my front door step this morning. They drove over an hour and a half just to bring me the sweetest card and a 12 pack of Diet Mountain Dew. Even thinking about that kind gesture brings tears to my eyes right now...to know that they drove all that way JUST to let me know they were thinking of me. Even in the midst of trials, I absolutely can't deny that my life is so blessed with wonderful friends who love and support me. Dawn & Trichelle....what you may have felt was a small thing, meant the world to me today. It was such a kind and thoughtful gesture!! I am blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for lifting my heart today! I love you both!!!

{new do, smiling eyes & besties}

As I am sure you have already seen in some of my pics, Mama has a brand new do, thanks to my fab friend Marisa. I have a Freelife Convention in September and didn't want to color my hair now and then have to do it again right before that, so I wanted to see if I could get away with holding off until then to color my hair. Fortunately, since my hair is growing in dark and since I didn't have any blond in this time around, it still looks pretty good. And the cool thing is, since we put the bright red over the blond last time and the red is fading now, some of the blond is coming through a looks kinda caramel-y...so it kinda LOOKS like I just got it colored. Happy day! Anyway...still, I did need to get it cut and needed something a little different. Was feelin' in a little bit of a hair funk. So, Marisa and I decided it would be fun to add a few layers...and I LOVE IT!!!!! So fun! And in addition to the cut, Marisa styled my new do for me for my "brief escape" with Katika using her hot rollers. It was then that I decided I couldn't live without those rollers and went right out and bought them the next day. YAY!

I have often been told that I have "smiling eyes." I love that. What I was told that means, is that even if you can't see that I am smiling, you can TELL that I am happy just by looking into my eyes. Well yay...what a nice compliment. The sad thing is that, apparently, you can also see when I am NOT happy (even if I AM smiling) just by looking into my eyes. I didn't really see that myself until I looked back at pictures of me from a while back and remembered that although I was happy on the outside,I wasn't truly happy on the inside. Interesting. The night of my brief escape with Kate, we decided to do a little photo shoot, individually and together. I am pretty sure Kate took about 100 of me. After about 20, Kate looked at me and said, "You're not going to like these. You don't look happy. You need to really try and think of something happy. You will always remember what you were thinking about when we took these pics." I was smiling though and even felt happy being there with her. But sure enough, I looked at the pics she had just taken and you could see it in my eyes. Dang. Guess I can smile no matter what, but the truth is in my eyes. So we tried over and over and managed to get a few (okay, really just one....the one below) that we both liked.

 

After getting a little frustrated that I couldn't get my eyes to cooperate with me, we decided to have Kate's cute roommate take a few shots of us together.Here is our cute photographer posing for me after taking our pics. LOL!!!! Thanks so much Nicole! You are AWESOME!

 

And go figure....from the very first shot taken WITH KATE....there were the SMILING EYES!! With Kate next to me, I was happy....all the way through. :-)

 

 

 

There is no denying that simply BEING with Kate makes me happy. We don't even have to be doing anything. Just standing next to her...and the eyes say it all!!! Kate...you are absolutely, without a doubt, my angel friend and my "BESTIE!" I love you so much. Thank you for always bringing out the best in me, believing in me, loving me unconditionally and for making me truly HAPPY!

 

And just for kicks, thought I would do another little flashback...Katika & Queen...THEN and NOW! (P.S. We are SO much cuter now. LOL!)

 

Kate..thanks for being my "Bestie"...THEN, NOW and ALWAYS!!!!!!! I SO LOVE YOU!!!!

{a new hat. giddyup.}

 

Last week, Chas and I went to see the new "Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince." Mmm..entertaining, but mildly disappointing. There was simply too much fluff and not enough STUFF. Still, well made and nice to get out. And considering this is like the 87th Harry Potter movie, I am really impressed that it's not a complete let down. They truly are pretty crazy awesome movies...at least from an "artistic special effects" point of view, if nothing else. Anyway...despite the fact that the movie was a titch disappointing, the HAT I found at Claire's Boutique right after the movie made up for it! LOL! Ran into Claire's quick just to get some glitter eye shadow (I know...kinda of jouvenile, but don't knock it until you try it...it's awesome and makes me feel happy inside. YAY!), saw this hat out of the corner of my eye and I swear for a brief second I heard it whispering "Pst...Heather...PLLLLLEASE take me home with you. I was MEANT to be yours!!!" Seriously now...what was I SUPPOSED to do? I couldn't leave it there all by itself, the last one of its kind. Sad. So I adopted it IMMEDIATELY...and I must say...I LA LA LA LOVE IT!

Funny thing. I posted the first pic in this blog entry as my profile picture on Facebook and a good friend of mine mentioned that it seemed there was a picture of me from YEARS ago wearing a cowboy hat. I searched through my stuff and found what I *think* is the only other pic I have of me EVER wearing a cowboy hat. So I thought it would be fun to do a little side-by-side...the pic of me from 1997 and then 12 years later. I zoomed in pretty close on this in photo shop and it was crazy to see how similar I am in some ways and yet how different in others. I feel like my eyes are brighter than they used to be, but my gosh..look how young and elastic my skin was 12 years ago. LOL! Funny thing is, I like my skin better now. I think my crows feet and smile wrinkles add personality....I mean it. Like I said already in a previous post, I am truly embracing getting older. 1997 Cowgirl loved to have fun and had very few worries (at least compared to 2009 Cowgirl)...no wonder her skin is all clear and elastic and stuff. LOL! 2009 Cowgirl is weathered and tough, stronger than she ever thought she could be or would be, has cried a lot and has seen a lot of tough times and yet has also laughed so much and so hard that her cheeks are now dimpled with smile lines and there is a sparkle in her eyes that reveals that although her life isn't easy, she has found a seriously pure and perfect happiness inside of herself and truly loves the woman she has become. Yes, I must say, 1997 Cowgirl was good times, but I'll take 2009 over 1997 any day! Giddyup.

 

Oooh..but I must say, even more than my new hat, I so love love love the messy little girl that simply couldn't wait until daddy was done taking pics to give me a SQUATCH!!! Mmm mmm mmm....my little Seneca is one of this cowgirl's greatest blessings!!!! (I especially love that she is wearing a "Come Up To The Mountain" wristband just like her Mama's!! So cute!) Life is a rough ride...especially lately...but what a great thing to sit back for a second and, in the midst of this rough minute, think of the things that bless my life and bring me happiness...no matter how simple or small they may be. Take it from this Cowgirl.....Life is full of SO MANY blessings....even during the most difficult times.

{the happiest place on earth}

 

It's no surprise that every time I take my kids over to Marisa's house to play, we end up staying ALL the ding dong day (threw that in just for Amy. LOL!). Look at the size of that blow up slide. When Kaden told me about it (before I had seen it obviously), he just kept saying how "huuuuuuuuuuuuuge" it was. :-) Since my kids haven't been to Disneyland yet, I think it's pretty safe to say that THEY consider MARISA'S HOUSE "The Happiest Place On Earth!"

 

Look at the smiles on those faces! You can't put a price on that. Wait...yes you can....$FREE.99!!! And that, combined with the fact that I get to spend all day with Marisa while the kiddies are playing, makes it pretty much "The Happiest Place On Earth" for me as well. LOL! YAY!

 

Kaden and Seneca are the same ages as Marisa's Kyler and Reagan and they are SUCH good little friends. Seneca and Reagan are so sweet together and Kaden has so much fun with Kyler. And I am SURE this picture of Kaden and Kyler eating lunch together in the pink Barbie Jeep is going to come in prrretty handy someday. LOL! Funny stuff. Such a happy thing for a Mama to see her babies with good friends like these two little ones. But I can't forget Marisa's two other cuties...her oldest, Cambry (did I spell that right, Regina?) and her youngest, Stratton (who we usually just call Strattdaddy). Such cute kiddies. And Cambry has a special place in my heart for something she said to Marisa last week. I can't remember exactly how Marisa said that this came up, but Marisa ended up saying something along the lines of "I hope you know that I am one of the few fun moms out there," to which Cambry said, "What about Heather? She's a fun mom!!" LOL! You got it!!! Love ya forever Cambry! And as for Stratton, my gosh, I could just love and smooch and squish that little guy all the live long day. LOVE HIM!

 

Every time I tell my kids that we are going over to Marisa's house, they are so completely, out-of-their-minds excited. And to be honest, I am too. It's so nice to have a change of scenery and lately, to be around Marisa, a good friend who is always there for me and who creates a seriously happy atmosphere for my kids and also for me, while I have been having a rough minute and haven't been quite myself, one who is usually also that type, to create a happy atmosphere wherever she goes.

 

So the White clan need not drive clear to Cali and pay a gazillion bucks for a happy time. We just hop in our car and drive approximately 3.5 minutes to a place that WE consider "The Happiest Place On Earth!!!" And all it costs is $FREE.99....and possibly a 44 oz. Diet Coke or Junior Mints. LOL! THANKS MARISA, for your friendship and for making your home a happy place for us! YAY!! Hit it with your flute!

{woohoo!}

Last week, almost all of the Dahlquist girls were free at the very last minute and all at the same time to get together for a SURPRISE lunch at Johanna's Kitchen to celebrate my little sister Kristin passing her ASL Interpreting Certification Exam. WOOHOO Kristin!! (Love the balloon Mom found!) Crazy that, although it was thrown together last minute, that almost all of us were able to make it! YAY! How often does THAT happen?! (We missed you Kimzim!)

 

Obviously, this was just a few days before Kristin had little Spencer (since I just blogged about Spencer being born and Kristin is still pregnant in these pics....just in case ya didn't catch that. LOL!). I'm lucky to get things blogged at all lately...can't worry so much about the order they are in. Ha ha! Anyway..this was the first time since little Olivia was born that I was able to snuggle her for a minute. She is absolutely beautiful. Love this picture of her sleeping...look how precious her little hands are....and this picture of me with my newest little niece. And btw...I notice, especially in this pic of me, that I am getting wrinkly. LOL! And ya know what? I am diggin' it. I think the smile wrinkles add character....I am choosing to embrace my "getting-old-ness." Anyway....love this picture...such a sweet little baby gir!!

 

It was so nice to see everyone and such a happy thing that most of us were free that morning. YAY! Happy times and a HUGE congrats to Kristin for passing her Certification Exam. WOOHOO!

{a beautiful spot}

 

After church today, I thought it would be nice to take the kiddies up Butterfield Canyon for a picnic. On the way up, Kaden said, "WOW! We've never BEEN on a picnic up in the mountains!" And it was then I realized how sad that truly was...and that things were about to change...starting today. We need to do more fun things together...and today was a great start.

 

A few years ago, a friend of mine showed me a great spot up Butterfield for family pictures. It is absolutely GORGEOUS in the fall and truly beautiful any time of year. So since I knew right where that spot was, we headed up there for our little picnic. We had such a great conversation all the way up the canyon....about deer and trees and why trees that grow on a slant don't simply topple over...which led to a discussion about roots planted deep into the soil...which then led to a Gospel discussion about planting OUR roots deep so that Satan can't have any power over us...just as the wind can't blow over a tree whose roots are planted deep in the soil. It was awesome.

As soon as we drove up to the spot, Kaden said, "Oh Mama! It is so beautiful here. Just the three of us and the mountains and all of the friendly animals to join us for our picnic. This is the best day ever!" And all through lunch, both Kaden and Seneca kept saying how beautiful it was. And in between mouthfuls of grapes, Kaden laid his head on my shoulder and said, "Mama, you really did choose a beautiful spot." *sigh* I love my Kaden. To which Seneca then commented oh-so-passionately, looking at a pile of bones from a pig that a group had obviously roasted and eaten, "Mama! I think Jesus needs to HOP IN HIS CAR and COME AND FIX THAT PIG!" ROFL...oh my gosh, I just about lost it. Ha ha! And when she just couldn't help but keep talking, Kaden would say, "Shhh Seni, just stop talking and listen to the sound of the river." Precious. I so love BOTH of my babies so much.

 

 

After we ate, Kaden looked around and said, "Mama...this place is so beautiful, but a lot of people left a lot of garbage around here and that's not right. That's littering. It makes it not so beautiful. Maybe we can go for a hike and pick up all of the trash." *sigh* again. Kaden...he has always been this way and I just love him to pieces. Fortunately, I found a garbage sack in the back of the van and we started to pick up all of the trash. Believe it or not, we were able to fill an entire garbage sack just in the little area we were in. Sad. But, in the process of picking up garbage, there were many other opportunitiese for lessons as we picked up cartons of cigarettes, beer cans, etc. And when we were done picking up garbage, we took a little rest and relaxed and enjoyed how beautiful this little spot was. Well actually KADEN and I relaxed while Seneca jumped and splashed in the little stream. LOL!

 

After relaxing for a little bit, Kaden asked if we could go on another hike. I told him that there was really only the one path that we had already taken. He said, "It's okay Mama. We can walk on that one again. I would love to see the same beautiful things all over again." :-) So that's what we did. And this time, we left the bag of garbage by our chairs and while we were walking, I taught them a round that my mom and dad taught me when I was little...and before we had reached the end of the path, they had it memorized and wanted to sing it over and over...

"I love the mountains, I love the rocks and rills,
I love the flowers, I love the daffodils.
I like to be with you when the lights are low..
Singin' a boom deyadda, boom deyadda, boom deyadda boom..
Singin' a boom deyadda, boom deyadda, boom deyadda boom.."

 

Before we got back to our beautiful spot, we sat down and Kaden said a prayer to thank Heavenly Father for these beautiful mountains and that we could help to make them beautiful by picking up trash and hoped that it made Heavenly Father happy that we had done that for "His earth." It was the sweetest prayer. As we got back to our spot (singing all the way), I told them that we should probably clean up and go home so that someone else could use our beautiful spot. And sure enough, as soon as we got to the van, a family arrived ready to have a family BBQ in "our beautiful spot." And Kaden immediately said, "MAMA...and we just cleaned up the beautiful spot for them. That DOES make me feel good inside." And on the way home, we talked about all of the other fun things that we can do together. This is how it should be. We had a wonderful afternoon. Time together, time discussing nature and the Gospel, time singing and praying and enjoying each other, making the world more beautiful, laughing and talking and then simply being quiet so that we could hear the sound of the river. :-) Up the canyon is one place where I always feel happy and at peace, can feel my heart beat and also feel close to my Savior. And lately, I have really needed that. And to be there with my little ones made it feel as close to Heaven as I can be. What a wonderful and heavenly way to spend the day with my babies....together in such "a beautiful spot."

{trench friends}

A good friend of mine used the term "trench friends" once and I have never forgotten that. I love it. For years, I didn't have girlfriends. And now, I have been blessed to be surrounded by what I am convinved is the greatest group of women in the world. And not only are they fun and uplifting to be around, but they truly are "trench friends" - the type of friends that aren't there just when things are good, but who are there right alongside you in the trenches, the most difficult times in your life. My mom has a quote that describes these types of friends perfectly...and I love it. It says...

"A true friend is the one who is already there doing it when everyone else is saying "Is there anything I can do?"

And my life is BLESSED with true friends..and these two women, Paige (Paiger) and Jodi (Jod/Sister Mist) are two such friends. Jodi and I have known each other for years and I truly believe we have a unique connection to each other, even if we don't see each other as often as we would like. Time between visits and distance will never come between us. Paiger moved into our ward a few years ago and I guess you could say that we are "new friends." And I love her. She is one of those people you see and immediately think, "I want to be friends with her." Jodi moved away from our neighborhood last month (to our dismay), and we were all thrilled to hear this week that they just bought another house less than 5 minutes away. After Bunco last week, Paige, Jodi and I drove to see their new house and ended up talking for 3 hours. I can't even adequately express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for sending women like these to me - women who are loyal friends, honest, non-judgmental, uplifting, understanding, close to the Savior and who love me unconditionally. Paige & Jodi....I am overwhelmed with emotion when I think of how much your friendship means to me. I love you so much....so much. Thank you for being my friend, both in happy times....and in the trenches.

 

It has been a long time since Jod & I had pics taken together, so needless to say, we did a quick photo shoot at Bunco last week. And yes, since I couldn't pick my fave, I am posting 3 of my faves. I love Jodi. She is so gorgeous and such a strength to me. And a little side note, along with the blessing of dear friends, it is a smaller but not insignificant blessing to have a new outfit you feel pretty in. :-) I am happy to announce that I am now down from a size 26 jeans to a size 16 (which I just bought last week and are already baggy) and wearing a size Large in women's shirts, where I was in Men's XXL for the longest time. (Stay tuned....I promise more info about my weight loss and extreme makeover from the inside out is TO COME!!) But still, above and behind these other physical things (which are still important, because they are an outer reflection of an inner acceptance and happiness with who I am).....my friendship with these ladies is a precious blessing to me. 

 

Before Jod moved, we had a Going Away Party for her here in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend, since it was the same night as one of my Temple Celebration rehearsals. So, since I couldn't be there, I sent a proxy....LOL...

 

Years ago, Jod and I started calling each other Sister Dew and Sister Mist (long story, but based on the fact that her fave pop is Sierra Mist..and mine is Mtn. Dew). I have kinda reverted back to just calling her Jod, but she still calls me Sister Dew or just Dew...and I love it. So before my rehearsal the night of her Going Away Party, I dropped off this little "Sister Mist & Sister Dew" basket....to be there in my place. :-)

 

Some friends are close to you while they are close in proximity to where you live..and then as they leave, you lose track of them and eventually just lose touch. It's just the way life goes. I have a feeling that will never happen to me and Jod. We don't have to see each other every day or even once a week to be there for each other and to love each other. I know that even though she no longer lives in the house right behind me, we will NEVER be far away from each other. And as for Paige, I've decided she is pretty much stuck with me too. LOL! I LOVE YOU BOTH!!!! Thank you for being two great blessings in my life.

{blessings}

What many people don't know about me is that I walked through life for a long time with a cloud over my heart. But many didn't know (and possibly still didn't know until now) because I have been blessed with an ability to smile through even the roughest times and find the blessings in every trial. And thank heaven for that. I will always be so grateful to my Heavenly Father for that gift. The past year, I was able to come out from under the cloud and find happiness inside of me and peace with who I am. But lately, it seems that the cloud is back and I feel so dark and empty inside again...and I can't seem to smile through it this time. I don't like this feeling...and I've decided that I will not allow myself to fall back into the pattern that became the "norm" for me for so many years. So today, after feeling especially low, I feel like I gave myself a figurative slap in the face and told myself to LOOK AROUND and be the Heather that I am happy to be...one who can find something happy and positive....ANYWHERE!!!! and under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!! And even though I am finding it a little harder right now, I didn't have to look very far at all.

 

No matter how dark it ever gets...no matter how impossible a situation...or how long and tiresome the day may seem, I need only look at my two little ones and realize how truly blessed I am. Look at them....these are my kids, how they look RIGHT NOW, at this very moment today. And to be honest, this is how they look probably 80% of the time. LOL! They are hot and sweaty from fun in the sun with lunch still left on their faces, hair every which way....truly a hot mess....and two of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

Have you ever tried to teach your kids something by example...and then they start doing it constantly on their own? Such a proud Mama moment to see them doing something that you taught them. That is how my kids are with saying how much they love me and Chas and each other. I feel it is so important to tell and show those you love how much you love them ALL THE TIME...NEVER WASTE AN OPPORTUNITY. Never have them wonder for a single solitary moment, whether or not you love them. And my kids have caught on to that and all I hear all day is "I love you Mama. You are the best Mama ever. I love you so much. Let's go snuggle...., etc." My heart is full when I hear them express their love to me and to each other.

A few weeks ago, we were on our way home from my Mom & Dad's and for the ENTIRE ride home, it was a love fest. This is how it went:

SENECA: I love you Mama!
MAMA: I love you MORE Baby!
KADEN: I love you too Mama!
MAMA: I love you SO MUCH Bud!
SENECA: I love you Daddy!
DADDY: I love you too Baby!
SENECA: I love you Kaden. You're da best brudder ever.
KADEN: I love you too Seni!
SENECA: I love you SO MUCH Mama...

This went on LITERALLY for 15 minutes straight. In the middle, I said, "You are both so great. Isn't a great thing to tell each other how much we love each other? I hope you will always do that. Always tell the ones you love just how much you love them...ALL THE TIME!" Then, the love fest continued for another minute. And then there was a pause. I thought it was over...and then I heard:

SENECA: *sigh* Mama?
MAMA: Yeah Baby?
SENECA: I love you Mama.
MAMA: I love you MORE Baby.
SENECA: Mama? When we get home, let's hug!

LOL! SO sweet. I so love my babies. And Seneca is a riot lately. She is such a little spitfire. She can be an angel one minute and a naughty little thing the very next. She has this thing with saying naughty words and I am constantly getting on her to NOT say them. She and the bottle of Tabasco have become very close lately. And the funny thing is, how she responds when I tell her not to say a certain naughty word. If I say, "Seneca, we don't say "stupid." Then she will then proceed to tell me all of the OTHER naughty words we aren't supposed to say. LOL! It's so hard to keep a straight face. The other day, Kaden said (and I love this, because he has always talked this way...very wise beyond his years), "Mama, you are the best Mama ever. There is simply no one that could ever take your place!" To which Seneca added, "And you're not poo poos eeder (either)!" LOL! And there ya have it. LOL! So funny. Both of my kids' different personalities, reflected in one single statement. Ha ha!

And so, in the midst of a heavy heart lately, I am lifted each time I look at my kids and hear them tell me OFTEN how much they love me. With every word and every hug and every snuggle, my heart is lifted. No matter the circumstances and no matter what trial I am facing, they are always there for me and love me....no matter what. They are two of my greatest blessings! Kaden and Seneca...Mama loves you SO MUCH!!!!

{a brief escape}

It's been a rough minute lately...and Kate and I both decided that we needed a brief escape from our lives for a minute last weekend. And thank heaven for Kate.....and 2 grueling and SERIOUSLY FABULOUS hours of hardcore, intense LASER TAG!!! It was just what the doctor ordered. Only rule was that NEITHER of us were allowed to talk about our lives....AT ALL...for just one night. We met up with a bunch of Kate's friends and what a serious crazy fun group! We had a blast!!! We ended up playing 3 long games and each time, we played with just whatever other kids were there to play. Our first game, I was in the TOP 10 out of about 20 of us! HAPPY DAY! As the games went on, I get steadily worse and the games became even MORE fun. LOL!!!!!! Such a crazy fun rush to be all dressed in black and being all STEALTH and stuff. By the end of 3 games (just over 2 hours), we were DRENCHED and couldn't stop smiling!!! SO MUCH SERIOUS FUN!!!!!! So so so seriously love this picture that Kate took of us on her phone BEFORE Laser Tag. And below is another BEFORE Laser Tag shot from inside of Laser Quest. Good times!! (Thanks Reg for letting me borrow your black shirt!!) and then OBVIOUSLY a POST-Laser Tag Shot below that....hair flat, completely exhausted and sweaty and lookin' HAPPY!

 

 

Such a blast....SUCH a blast. After we dominated at Laser Quest, we all headed over to Belgian Waffle House for a few hours and chatted over a late night breakfast.

 

 

We left Belgian Waffle House pretty late, but Kate and I decided that we needed to go dancing for a minute...so that's what we did. And it was literally a few minutes, because we got there right before they closed. But what a seriously awesome few minutes!!! LOL! I SO LOVE US!!!!!!!

And oddly enough, with all of the pics that Kate took that night, I think this NEXT picture is by FAR one of my faves from the night.

Katika is hilarious. She just takes random pictures, not even really at what she is taking pictures OF..just snap snap snaps away...whether they are in focus or not. And the results are a bunch of really fun "MTV-esque" pics. Love this one of me and it totally illustrates the CRAZY fun time we had! LOVE IT!!! Then we crashed at Kate's house and I slept in until 11 AM!!! I can't even REMEMBER the last time I did that. Must have definitely needed the sleep. I SO SO SO LOVE you Kate! Thanks so much for a much needed and incredible "brief escape!" You are my angel! And major thanks to Chas for letting me get away for an evening....I really appreciate it babe.