Confetti

Yesterday I took the girls on a bike ride in search of interesting leaves for an upcoming Pinterest project. The day was crisp and beautiful. Millions of little bright blue gnats swirled through the setting sunshine.

There is a frisbee golf course running through the park and inevitably we were in the way at every hole. I felt like a mother quail with her chattering chicks in tow. :) 

I love adventuring with my little women! Everything becomes new and magical in their eyes as we search for acorns, colorful mushrooms, exploding cattails, and the roundest leaf.

They notice the snap of the twigs under our feet and watch in wonder as the gold leaves fall like confetti around us. Their imaginations and stories never end and the world is filled with props just for them. 

I'm so thankful for the beauty that surrounds me. Lilie said it perfectly in this card that she made for me this summer. 

"I love the sunsets in Sandpoint. Sometimes it reminds me of peace and happiness. Sometimes I imagine sitting on top of those pink clouds and watching the sun go behind the trees."

Thirty-One and Counting

I don't know why or how it happened, but somehow I never connected that after 30, comes 31. It was a strange day about 6 months ago when I realized that little tidbit. Yikes!

For my birthday this year, all I wanted to do was be go for a drive and be outside with my family. Funny how that seems to be all I want to do every year.

It makes me happy to feel the fresh air and sunshine.

This birthday was a little rough. I was feeling massively homesick on my birthday - and for about a week afterward. And while I miss my family, it wasn't just them - it was feeling lonely for HOME, for rest. I don't know why I can't get past this. I'm so tired of this feeling. Our landlord decided to put the house back on the market and it's been throwing me for a loop. I've been able to really settle into this home and our lives here and I've felt very peaceful, but it seems that every six months something comes up. Having realtors bring people by the house upwards of 4 times a week is annoying and makes it impossible for me to forget that this life is temporary and I am not the one in charge of deciding how long it will last.  - Luckily, I'm not overly concerned about the house selling - but it's still making me kinda grouchy.

My birthday fell on a Monday and Nels happily took the day off from work and I let the girls stay home from school. Hooray! I woke to happy children singing and bringing me breakfast in bed. What a sweet way to start the morning!

Clara helped herself to my berries. :) I love her tiny tootsies in this photo. :)

Then we spent the rest of the morning enjoying a day off. That afternoon we packed into the van and headed south to Lake CDA to ride a different part of the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes bike trail. It was a beautiful spring day.

The only way to keep Clara from diving off the dock or performing the "wet noodle" act.

We loved watching the coots, herons, osprey, and other birds.

Lilie made up wonderfully detailed stories about this abandoned

"Pirate Ship" - she was just certain that there was treasure inside. :)

We rode up the river a couple of miles. It was slightly chilly as the sun was on it's way down, but it was so fun to listen to my girls and the stories that they make up together as they explore the world around them. Their enthusiasm always fills me with gratitude.

I'm so thankful for my life. It is truly beautiful. I'm so thankful for all those that I love and who love me. People who share their hearts with me. What a beautiful thing it is to weave our lives together. I truly feel that it is one of the greatest blessings of my life. There were so many people from both near and far who let me know that they were thinking of me on my birthday. Thank you!

And how blessed I am to share my life with six of the very best friends that the Lord could ever give me! There is no one of earth that I'd rather share my birthday with MORE than these . . .

I'm excited for what this next year holds.

Day 13: Thirteen Things --- And the Long Bridge

Oh, it was a gloriously successful and beautiful day!

The girls helped me clean all morning long. I promised each of them a dollar. :) They are amazing.

It was so sweet and unusual. They were in the best moods about it (mostly). :) Lilie loved helping. - which is not always the case. :) It was a lot of work to manage my little cleaning crew, but well worth it. I felt as though they could just "feel the love" as they served and worked. That kind feeling just carried me through the rest of the day.

When we finished, we ran some errands and then took a bike ride across the Long Bridge. The weather was perfect and the girls were delightful.

Gonna have to come back and play in this perfect little strip of sand next week.

Having my three oldest all on bikes and then having the bike trailer, I couldn't help but sing, "Doe, a deer, a female deer..." Ah. Good for my heart.

The only downer was that Clara (was tired and) thinks Violet is truly terrifying. She cried every time Vi would look at her sideways, let alone the fact that Violet just kept wanting to love on her and hold her hand. Clara was quite put out about it all. :)

Elsie is working hard on learning to ride a two-wheeler. She'll have it down in the next week for sure. She did such a great job at keeping up with everyone the entire time. She's the cutest little thing and I have to remind her the entire time to not tell every passing runner or bicyclist our life's story. :)

For Day 13 the photo challenge topic is "Yourself with 13 Things". Really hard for some reason. Well here you are, 13 sort-of visible appendages. :)

Conclusion

I've come to an important conclusion.

Riding my bike at 6 month pregnant, pulling a bike trailer with 65+ pounds of children, books, lunch, and gear - while also turning around every 20 feet to check on two little girls on their own bikes . . . .

. . . . for almost EIGHT MILES . . . .

. . . . is not nearly as exhausting as holding a crazy, squirmy, tired, 15 month-old at the library for an hour.