Recap of Vaca in the NW

Click below to see the pics of: 

Hires Family Reunion

We've been back for a week and I finally feel like life is coming back into order. For the first time since Disneyland (before Mattie was born) we took a family vacation. The great thing about this trip was that for four days we were able to spend time with T's extended family AND we got alone time with just the 5 of us on the Oregon coast. Before the reunion, I had met many of his aunts/uncles and cousins in the last 8 years but it was fun to have everyone together. We stayed on a lake in Covington, WA over the 4th of July and just relaxed (and played!!)

Tracy and Kiki learning the art of archery

The entire Hires clan (minus a couple of cousins)

Tracy took the girls out on a paddle boat

Mataya Jane & Mathea Jane (2nd cousins who have bonded over their names)

Daily Face Painting

The sweetest time of the reunion was to hear updates from each person there on Saturday night. I am truly blessed to be a part of such a godly family so focussed on serving God. Thanks to all who made the weekend such an amazing time - let's not put 6 more years in between our next reunion. (And yes, next time I will volunteer to help plan!! : > )

Happy Birthday, Monkey!

It's a good thing I love her...

For months Ellie has been talking of nothing else but how she is oh so grown up and ready to get her ears pierced. I got mine done when I was younger than her and didn't have a problem while T needed some convincing. She was ecstatic to know that her big gift would be to go to Lollilocks (a kids' salon), get her ears pierced, get a sticker and a certificate of accomplishment. I made the appointment and she talked non-stop about it for all vacation. Even this morning she woke up at 5:30am and wanted me to count down the hours until her appt at 1pm. 

We arrived, sat in the chair, took some pictures, they made the dots, she saw the ear guns (they do both ears at the same time) and fear struck her in a way I've only seen a few times before. 

I made sure she realized that I was okay if she went through with it or not. I reminded her that she had thought of little else in the past few weeks and that it would hurt for only a moment. She would relax for only a moment and then tense up in fear, throw her shoulders to her ears and shake her head violently. We decided to leave after 20 minutes and go home to watch girls getting their ears pierced on YouTube. She promised me if we went back, she would be brave and so we went back.

This is our second attempt. There were buckets of tears and pleading for more time to think about it. She's talking to her Papa on the phone. Who knows what they talked about but it didn't help - she was still petrified. I gave up at 45 minutes AFTER seeing a 3 1/2 yr old get her ears pierced. I told her I would wait in the car for her to come out (since she told me through her tears she wasn't leaving until she got her ears pierced; she just needed more time to think about it!!) One of the gals who was doing the piercing whispered in Ellie's ear something about taking deep breathes (I was told later) and Ellie ran to me at the door, told me she was ready to get it done and ran back to the chair. She sat on my lap, clenched her eyes as tight as she could and waited. It took 2 seconds, she opened her red, tear stained eyes and says, "That wasn't bad at all". WHAT?? I'm ready for a second vacation and she's flying high with pretty new pink studs in her little ears. 

Happy 6th Birthday, Big Girl! I'd do it all again with you. You are a shining light and I am so pleased God decided to let me be your mom.

Mystery Revealed

For all of my Facebook friends who have been very curious about the "article" I've been writing, here's the deal...

I have a friend who's the meat and potatoes behind a magazine published and distributed on the East Coast (Go to Dovetales.com to see more). He's Editor, Photographer, Designer, Writer, what did I leave out? He's been getting busier these days as the popularity of the mag is increasing and the quality of writers has been hit or miss. I was challenged to take my writing to another level and now here I am with a 1200 word baby on vintage Halloween decorations and the history of Halloween. Oooo Ahhh. It's so not a subject I cared about before and even now I can't believe I turned out a decent write on it, but let me tell you - it was fun, challenging, and nerve-racking as the deadline came and went and then a little stressful to wait to hear from the "big guy" whether I had a trash liner or a decent article on my hands. He gave it a 'very nice' which means "give yourself a pat on the back, lady"!

Who knew? I didn't get any $$ for this one, but there may be a future in more writing that actually pays some pennies. We'll see. It's a little like giving birth - a lot of complaining and moaning while it was in the process but once it was here, it's beautiful and I could do it again. I may even let you read it if you ask nice. It won't be out until the fall and maybe by then, this news will have been replaced with something far more interesting. And there you have it...

I Surrender All (even Fashion Sense)

I remember when my cousin had her first baby shortly after I had Ellie while I was pregnant with Kiki. I was worried about how I was going to handle keeping 2 babies alive and thriving without losing my mind and she was concerned about perfect parenting.  Her mom told me that she couldn't stand for her daughter to have a dirty face - that it was somehow a reflection of bad parenting... I just chuckled to myself at the thought of what a rude awakening she was in for when that little bundle would first spit out mashed peas on her last clean outfit while at a restaurant or throw up all over her at the mall. 

I learned pretty early that my controlling tendencies would be tested time and again and that there would be daily surrenders of wills as I picked my battles. My 2 older girls started 

dressing themselves at a very young age. They usually needed help with buttons and tights but with little princesses that always wanted to wear dresses, there wasn't too much embarrassment or a fear that there was a poor reflection on my mothering due to their clothing choices. 

I just chuckle daily as my 2 year old comes down the stairs, ready to start her day - NEVER in a dress voluntarily, never with matching top & pants but ALWAYS with a smile on her face as she's empowered to make her own choices! So here's to daily surrender - I delight in knowing that my kids feel loved and secure in themselves!