Sister-Cousin Spring Camp & Making Memories! #2023 #Family #Sister #Cousin #Blessings #Connections #SistersAndCousins #TartSpringBreak2023 #SpringBreak2023 #Friends #WateringFriendships #PurposefullyBuildingRelationships #FamilyAndFriends
March 27, 2023
Sister-Cousin Spring Camp
The week of Spring Break for our county was also the Spring Break week for one of my nieces!
While I had an adjusted work schedule because rec classes were taking the week off, Spring Break Camp at WGVG was in full swing and my also-on-break-college driver wanted to make her own “cousin camp” with fun trips, crazy baking escapades, and lots of memories made!
The girls spent time making crafts, dropping in to Spring Camp to do fun stuff, took at least one beach trip, at least two “mushroom park” trips (aka Trout Creek Park, where there is a mushroom you can swing from), chased the escapee bunny that they let loose quite a few times, used the big floor blocks to make several castles and rooms, baked all kinds of egg-free Anastasia-safe goodies (I got to taste some), Christina and Jaquline made unique suppers and lunches, Christina went to a Celtic Festival,
I love that Christina is making these amazing memories with her sisters, brother, and cousin! She doesn’t have many limits on where they can go – and just like we’ve always done, everywhere is usually “free” (aka just the cost of gas). Christina filled her few days of break with loads of “taxiing mom and gymnasts” back and forth (competitive team didn’t take off spring break). She also got to drop all the siblings and cousin at gym one day to spend a perfect day with her best friend – who was also home from college!
When I was watching Katy, Buddy, Becca, Charley, Stacy, Dorothy, and Mary doing special outings and making memories with my oldest girls, I dreamed of my older girls continuing with their siblings, cousins, and friends. There were memories like “Monster Truck Show outing,” shopping with aunts, Alligator Farm trips, “Special Day” outings, long walks to the ice cream shop, beach days, park days, camping nights, firepits and roasting marshmallow visits, and other just “visit” days.
Now I see my not-so-littles being purposeful in their connections to their friends, younger siblings, and cousins – continuing to water those friendships. It makes me so happy! (A few pictures included to enjoy)
Random faces at the Mushroom Park
Hair SweepingSpider-Swing gone oopsLaughing!
Swinging Antics
KimmyJaqJillyAnastasiaLucas & Thea
These were their “look like yourself portraits” that crack me up! Christina perfectly captures each of their respective personalities in these funny pics!
Beach Trip…
…and they are always at the top of something or trying something daredevilish….
Each one is now looking forward to summer and the next trip(s) they get to do… even if it’s just friends and cousins over at the house playing with critters outside, swinging, reading, having a mega Frogger challenge, or the fifteenth Among Us game with every mobile device in the house, or the next life, monopoly, clue, or catan board game and resulting laughter! And food… my family does revolve most everything around cooking, eating, and cleaning up food (who really doesn’t?).
Dress-Up Meet and Impromptu Visit – Sometimes we need to reconnect and slow down! #2023 #Family #Friends #Friend #Blessings #Blessing #FriendshipIsAwesome #ILoveImpromptuVisits #GymnasticsMeet #WesleyChapelTrip #CharityChallenge2023 #GodsHandIsInEverything #SpecialVisit #IHaveTheSweetestSisters #TheaShowsOff #SistersAndCousins
March 24, 2023
Dress Up Meet And Impromptu Visit
My kids are a little strange (don’t we all think that at one point or another?). Sometimes, even my 19-year-old likes to dress up. Today’s story has my competitive gymnasts dressing up for their final meet before states!
The final meet before states was the Charity Cup Challenge. One of the longest drives, but the girls got to dress up in cute tutus and thought that was fun. Kimberly’s team of teenagers even started dancing in them – that was cute! Louis took Jillian down for Friday. I didn’t get to see their antics, but I can imagine from the pictures…
WGVG Silver Team at the 2023 Charity Challenge in Wesley Chapel, FL
Jillian came home saying the “entire place” smelled like fish nets. I couldn’t stop laughing at that!
Kimberly, Jillian, Thea, and I drove down in the wee hours of Sunday morning for Kimberly’s meet. Most of the time they slept and I listened to “My List to Joy” (a youtube mix I created ages ago).
We passed a sign that said “50 miles to this city” (where a sister lives now) early in the morning and I wondered if texting this early was a good idea. Nahhh… I’ll wait until normal nightowls have had coffee.
At the meet, Jillian found Ellie (another Silver Team member whose sister is also Platinum) and Thea got into the gym-sister encourager mode. Girls weren’t even doing anything but dressing up and Thea was like, “Marie’s got this!” and “Go Ellie!” (this made Jillian and a random team mom or grandma from another group laugh) Thea didn’t see how funny it was being a sideline cheerleader while the Platinum Team was wiggling around in their tutus.
WGVG Platinum TeamOur CharityWGVG Platinum TeamThe three travelersJust Kimmy and the mascot
We watched the girls do their amazing thing! Honestly, as my youngsters move up in skill and level, the competitions get more and more interesting to watch. Thea keeps going, “wow! I want to do that!” I had to grab this wanna-be-future-gymnast from hurting her neck as she was showing off on the awards floor trying to push up in her bridge again – she sang as she did: cartwheel, cartwheel, handstand, bridge! (but bridge arms were not straight!) It’s the mom clash between, I let my kids do stuff and I am not watching you break your neck, toddler! I pulled a protesting Thea into my lap with, “careful, your arms have to be straight first.” My just-4-going-on-teenager-attitude goes, “I know mom, I know,” with crossed arms. I heard quite a few chuckles from other random experienced moms on the benches behind me! Thea is definitely part of the entertainment wherever she goes.
On the ride home, we stopped to visit Aunt Becca and Anastasia!
I love visits when we can. It’s so easy to think things like: it would be bothering her, she’s not expecting a visit, maybe she’s not in, maybe they have plans… etc. Every one of those and many more popped into my head trying to prevent me from considering the visit – and we were literally passing by!
NO! Don’t think that way!
Text, call, or just drop by! It’s the human connection part of us that loves that!
(Yes, I did use my car’s voice-text to have almost an hour texting conversation with her letting my sister know we were coming – which was funny because my Platinum in the back seat was so engrossed in her texting with friends and totally ignoring my Silver in the front and our conversation that as we stopped she went, “wait, this isn’t a gas station, why are we stopping?”) And this is why in the wee hours when my moody teen snapped, “I don’t want you to come” to Jillian, I responded with, “well I do; she’ll talk with me instead of disappear into her phone.” I always try to stop and see family if we travel close to their home (close to me is like within an hour – more if we’re traveling far).
We chatted, Jillian ended up staying over with Anastasia (next day started Spring Break and Anastasia was coming to stay with us anyway), Kimberly, Becca, and I played a nice game of Upwords, we snacked on stuff (my sister being a chef, even her “thrown together” snacks taste amazing), and enjoyed each other’s company. I got to see the grand tour of the lovely oasis my sweet sister and niece call home. The girls played basketball – of course, as they are our children, it got competitive very quickly!
I love just being together! I love car trips because usually, the people trapped within play word games (i.e. I’m going on a trip, Famous People First-and-Last, Alphabet or Numbers game) or talk to each other. I love visits where we just “hang out” – nothing planned, nothing crazy, just board games or talking over food or watching the kids play. Becca said it was a “God-timed visit.” I love it when God lines everything up to fill our spirits with reminders of His provision. I needed the dollop of Becca time too – God knew it. We needed each other’s encouragement and smiles. The cool part was that I didn’t realize I was missing her so badly until we got to connect for those few hours, but God knew.
Sadly, a bad thunderstorm cell was coming our way and Louis warned us to “please not get stuck in that driving” so we said goodbye and Kimberly, Thea, and I headed home less one passenger. At least now, Kimberly was in a very chatty mode and we were able to talk about all kinds of stuff all the way home!
Go visit! Find or make a break in your schedule to pay a visit to someone you have been missing. There is so much work and schedule and life that sometimes we miss the part of our soul that whispers slow down and sometimes that close connection is just what we need to help us reset. It gives us a recharge to jump back into the craziness of life and makes a happy memory we cherish – and it can be so simple as a quick lunch, a brief hello, or even a phone call when visiting isn’t practical.
The Miracle of Friends – aka down to one car on a meet weekend with college and work too!! #2023 #Family #Friends #Friend #Blessings #Blessing #TheBlessingOfFriends #TheMiracleOfFriends #OpenHearts #FriendshipIsAwesome #GymnasticsMeet #SavannahTrip #Kupets2023 #GodsHandIsInEverything
March 21, 2023
The Miracle of Friends
It was Wednesday, March 1st. I was on the floor stretching with my little preschoolers and talking about what color butterflies they were pretending to be today.
My phone, however, received this from my oldest daughter who was on her way to work from college:
Car trouble rn
I am going to be late to work. I actually don’t know if I’ll get to work.
Followed thirty minutes later (I still hadn’t come off the floor so hadn’t seen these) by:
Daddy has me.
I’m not gonna make it to work
Letting Thea know
Thirty minutes later (I still hadn’t seen anything):
ACTUALLY
Nvm
I will be there right on time.
I only saw her arrive at her normal time (4pm) as I was working. I didn’t even know something was up until about 7pm when I finally looked at my phone!
Our Buick decided to shut all electrical systems down on the interstate! We had a meet in Savannah that weekend! Louis and Christina took it to the closest dealership because this poor car was new when Louis got it but has spent a greater percentage of time getting fixed than any used one we’ve had! (Nice that it is still under warranty!)
Thursday arrives: at noon, the dealership still hasn’t even looked at the Buick! Christina has to go to college on Friday. Louis had requested the day off work Friday to take Jillian to her meet in Savannah. All the potential rides for Jillian weren’t able to do this one. (So many meets would have been missed without all of the amazing friends who have driven one gymnast or the other over my three years!) We looked into renting a car for the day – so far out of budget. Christina looked into staying over with a friend so she wouldn’t need a car for college but no one could get her back to work in time and she just doesn’t drop school or work. I was going to ask Jillian’s coach how to go about scratching (missing the meet, we’ve never done that), when Louis called (I was sitting at a school waiting for kiddos to get in the bus). He had contacted the dealership at 2:30 & they said they would look at the Buick on Monday. He had told his boss he didn’t need the day off because he didn’t have a way to get Jillian to Savannah – his boss loaned him a van!
Jillian didn’t even know. She didn’t know how close she came to missing her first meet. (She did hear the story through when she’s like, “wait where’d we get this van?” on Friday in the wee hours.) She and Lucas went down with Dad and had a great time!
His Best Buddy is here!Sharing the Nintendo SwitchThree Best Buddies!Photos by Louis Tart & Mikaela ReppertSilver Team at the Kupets Meet 2023
Sometimes we get busy and forget about the amazing miracle of friends. God gives us friends. People who honestly care about us and whom we care about. The miracle of friends is that they are always there. Sometimes we miss out on a blessing and being a blessing because we forget to ask. How do we know someone needs anything unless they ask us? How can friends know we need anything unless we ask? I love how children don’t have these “I shouldn’t bother them” issues because they ask friends everything! From, “your sandwich looks good, can I have half?” to “help me fix my ribbon, please!” to “I’m sad, can we sing?” and everything else in between.
A scene from an old movie makes me smile: a girl says “oh I forgot to buy a ladder!” and turns to go back inside the general store. Owner of said general store laughs, picks up his ladder leaning against the wall and says, “country folks don’t buy ladders, they borrow them.” He is trying to impress on this family that people around care about them and want to help in any way possible.
I love that God gave us the miracle of friends. Sometimes we don’t see them for a long time (ages, it always seems) and sometimes a pop-in visit is needed and God arranges that.
I’m so thankful for the friends and family around us. Our people bless us so much! I pray we can return blessings when they need them!
(Note: This post was written December 11, 2021 while I was in whomever-banned-my-computer-operating-system-from-the-internet limbo.)
I am thankful for grace today.
Louis was at a standstill in interstate traffic yesterday waiting to turn off on our exit and glanced up in his rearview mirror to see a white car racing toward him without slowing down. He twisted the wheel to avoid hitting the cars in front of him and accelerated to lessen the impact – and our car is still crushed so bad the back doesn’t exist anymore. All of the doors were so damaged he had to climb out the window and even his driver’s seat is broken. No airbags deployed though, our $5,000 worth of rebuilt engine we did four months ago is still in great condition. Car starts, engine runs, no fluid leaks, but without a working rear axle, that sweet engine is meaningless.
I’m just happy Louis looked up and turned the wheel. Without it, he would have been crushed between the stopped cars in front of him and the vehicle that hadn’t noticed everyone else was stopped.
Thank you, Jesus, for his being alert.
I am beyond-words thankful that my husband is still alive.
I picked him up at the gas station while he was on the phone with the insurance. She said after listening to his description of the crash, “I’m so glad you are here and able to talk to me now.” He said he thought he was going to die but refused to just sit there and watch the car kill him without trying to do something.
Sometimes life flashes before your eyes. It was December 10, 2021 – my Daddy died on that day three years ago. Three years ago in the middle of work my mom called and I left to meet her at the hospital, but my Daddy was already gone. Without his being alert, December 10th could have been also the day I lost Louis. That thought was bizarre.
Logically, since he had called and said he was okay, would be busy calling 911 for the lady behind him, and would later need me to pick him up, I told my boss he was in an accident and I’d need to leave to pick him up. Christina was almost at the gym. Plan was she could cover for me.
I tend to look at things logically. Cars and things can be replaced but people cannot. I could be mad about it, but that doesn’t do any good. Instead, I’ll choose to look at the positive. We’re here. Louis is still doing life with us. We have a temporary fix to our down to two cars with five people working issue. And Monday we move…
Thank you, Jesus, for deciding December 10, 2021 wasn’t Louis’ time to go home.
A friend was showing us her flower
arrangements: she said, “expectation versus reality.” To me, both arrangements
looked amazing – her husband had given her a few bunches of flowers which she artistically
set in two gorgeous table arrangements.
She thought one was excellent and the other so-so.
Instantly my heart dipped backward
in time. In the time it took to blink,
my brain chattered.
Expectation: University of Missouri
Rolla’s aerospace engineering degree PHD
Reality: a two-year college plus a
scam university for a BA in Business Administration with Healthcare Management
that I’ve actually never used.
Expectation: 14-y-o dreams of my perfect 1996 jeep wrangler softtop with big black rollbars, a bike rack, removable doors, and my Lady (German Shepherd) hanging out in the passenger’s seat.
Reality: any paid off vehicle with
enough capacity for everyone’s booties and our doggos works.
Expectation: an old fixer-upper,
huge farmhouse style two or three story house sitting on at least 5 acres with
established trees and room for animals and farming that my children could grow
up in for their whole lives.
Reality: several homes we’ve bumped
in and out of through all of Christina’s 16 years, each seems to be smaller and
in worse condition than the last. This last one sent me to the hospital and
messes with everyone’s breathing. I can’t
wait to leave.
This all flashes in my mind before
my eyelids shut in the blink – isn’t that how fast the enemy attacks us?
I complement her beautiful
arrangements, which are bright and absolutely lovely, I can’t see how she sees
one as “not very good,” but then I’m not a flower arranger just a woman with a
true appreciation of all growing things (maybe
I’m secretly a hobbit).
Before I step back into the office
though, the mental assault continues…
(Someone
mentioned that this year was tough for them and I couldn’t possibly understand)
This year? I lost my father, my Daddy, the professor who
was always ready to delve into deep philosophical discussions and my Mary, my
baby sister I was always supposed to protect.
It’s this year I find myself crying over clouds, sunrises, songs, scenes
in movies, even lines in sermons.
BUT!
I stop it there. I am a daughter of the King of Kings, I have
been bought by my Savior’s blood, loved from when He knit me together in my
mother’s womb, I have the power to renew my mind through God’s word!
I remind my mind: ever heard of
Joseph, Moses, David, Paul? They didn’t
get exactly what they wanted in life – their expectation didn’t match their
reality, but God gave them better!
I combat those “expectation” teases
with:
Reality: I came to Saint Augustine
because I missed UMR’s 80% scholarship by 10 SAT points! God directed me to my
amazing life!
Reality: who cares what vehicle you
drive as long as it gets from point A to point B?
Reality: we have always had a roof
over our heads.
Reality: I am thankful! I love my life – all the crazy, wild facets
of it! I am super thankful that I
followed God’s nudges in pivotal points in my life that led me to this
wonderful time I am now at. I pray that
He continually places me where I can touch others, reach more people for Him,
impress on my children’s hearts, and be used of Him as He wills. I have totally surrendered to Jesus. I trust God’s will in my life.
You know why? He knows me way better than I know myself. I can’t imagine life without Louis – in two years, I will have spent half of my life knowing Louis. He is my best friend, confidante, cheerleader, and life partner. I love being connected to my “soul mate!” I can’t imagine life without any of my children, nieces, nephews, or gym girls! I am so thankful that God sees me fit to witness to them, encourage them, and build into them.
I’m human. My own voice is the worst danger to my
mind. But I have the power to renew my
mind by reminding myself of the good things God has given us and of the
promises in His Word – He will never leave us.
All things work together for good.
Thank you Jesus for leading my life journey and please keep my eyes
always on You despite what my mind tries to say.
Cousin visits to our “mini-farm” aka place to get messy, play with animals, discover eggs hidden outside, and enjoy togetherness!
January 18, 2019
Cousin Visits!
My sister, brother, and their three little ones (Sister-Cousin and Brother-Cousins!) have moved back from Kansas!
They came out to our mini-farm (muddy spot with a pond, outside tank with tadpoles, indoor goldfish, foraging chickens, playful Guinea Pigs, cute fluffy bunny, and jumpy adult dogs who think they are 4 months old) over the weekend and the kids were totally excited!
This time, we had very few photographers snapping pictures because they were too busy playing with their cousins!
Lucas was so excited to share his green car (motorized car his Grandma Joanne bought him for his 2nd birthday) but the battery ran out too quickly – so he shared his Christmas bicycle and his train tracks. For him, those items are his dearest things in the world; train tracks, cars, his bicycle, and his green car.
“Baby JJ” – who isn’t a baby anymore! – and Lucas played train tracks for a bit. JJ liked the bicycle too. Outside JJ and Mandy wanted to see all the fluffy animals.
Anastasia helped show off Minuit, Kimberly’s little black Dwarf Holland Lop Bunny.
Little Minuit loves to eat carrot bits!
Mandy found Jaquline’s “hidden spot” in her bunkbed! (With big paper on the “wall.”)
Taylor and TobyMac did their popcorn jumps after the girls loaded them with Spanish Needles greens (chickens, bunnies, and Guinea Pigs love them before they turn to seed aka the needle part).
Above is the wildflower called Spanish Needle, a favorite food of many small animals.
Jillian showed off her Uncle Buddy knowledge by telling them that people can eat the wildflowers and leaves too. (Yes, but they are bitter unless cooked, and I hoped her younger cousins were distracted by the cuteness of the piggies and missed the “you can eat this weed” tidbit.)
We love cousin visits! It is always fun with family shares their time with each other.
Memories with train tracks: little brothers, giggling elves, children 🙂
December 11, 2018
Train Tracks
One Christmas, about 10 years ago, Christina, Rebeccah, and baby Kimberly received a train track set with two little trains. It was a tight year; Mommy had found it at a resale shop for $7 with its own storage tub! This was the “big present” that year. Mommy and Daddy almost woke the little sleepers up giggling and playing with it as we set it up around the Christmas tree. Daddy put the crayons (Mommy saved those from penny sales at the start of school time) and coloring books in sets around it. Three tins with special cookies and treats we’d made were wrapped up and set around the track too. Other presents gathered around the tree, hiding in the circle of track.
That sturdy mix of train track and car track has been heavily played with for many years. It was Lucas and Isaac’s favorite thing to do – “play train tracks” from as soon as they could run every car that would possibly fit down the track.
The tracks fit together like puzzles. Jaquline likes to build the track. Lucas likes both building and “vrooming” trains and cars on it.
They built this one together and took pictures of it!
Lucas has become a little puzzle-fitter when it comes to making the tracks fit lately. The latest update for him has been adding mega-blocks and duplos under the tracks to raise them up over the “water” floor. Once Jaquline showed him this possibility, he’s been trying it by himself!
This little run below was all Lucas.
We heard the Christmas song that goes “…little toy trains and little toy tracks…” and Lucas shouted, “Mommy! A song about my train tracks!”
We donate at least one bag of toys every year as Christmas gets closer, (this year Lucas chose three of his “best cars” to give away to another little boy, and Rebeccah “found” a Lego set in their Legos which she printed the instructions for and gave away) but these tracks stay.
I remember making train tracks with my brothers, and am glad to make “train track” memories with my little ones too.
My little unborn angel is rolling around and kicking, punching, or whatever inside me with such force Lucas and Jillian keep giggling at my stomach bouncing!
What an honor it is to be able to carry a new life!
From the first flutter-kicks I felt of Christina’s 15 years ago, I have been awed by the honor of being pregnant.
So, maybe my body isn’t always so happy about it, but that’s fixed. With Christina it was routine, wake up, eat, attempt a prenatal vitamin, upchuck said prenatal, get to work, run to the bathroom, there goes breakfast, and snack on some grapes or tuna salad very slowly throughout the day praying for no puking.
When I was pregnant with Becky I was under a midwife’s care and learned a ton about how nutrition affects pregnancy – then I managed to only upchuck every prenatal vitamin, mix, or powder I tried. So I stopped trying new supplements and simply focused on very healthy foods.
Just as Kimberly started along, my sister introduced me to Shakeology (a meal replacement nutrition drink) and the nausea with every successive pregnancy was gone! Great nutrition and my body tolerated it! I was over that hurdle.
Today, as our baby entertains older siblings, I’m answering standard questions: “How big is my baby?” (Lucas says this baby is HIS baby) “What color will baby’s hair be?” “When will my baby come out?” “How can baby be so strong already?” (This as Jillian’s hand was kicked off my belly.)
Their curiosity about new life reminds me of how fascinated I am by the whole process. I have general answers to give: “about this big,” (thanks to our scientific knowledge) “only God knows,” “when Baby is ready,” and “because Baby is strong like his big sisters and brother.” (I don’t like to say “it” when referring to the Baby, so if I have to use a pronoun, it’s going to be a masculine one – most of the time I can manage to just use “Baby” instead. The kids pick the one they want to use.)
My favorite question comes from Jaquline today (and I know she’s a veteran of two water births and about ready for a deeper explanation, but for now she’s still just eight): “How did Baby get inside you?”
“God took a bit of Daddy and put it in Mommy and mixed it together and He started Baby growing.” (Very simple, but literally truth. God set up everything and if He doesn’t choose to give the spark of life, the other stuff doesn’t matter. That has been my standard answer to that question for 14 years.)
This makes Jillian giggle while Lucas lays his head, ear down, on my tummy and says, “I love you, Baby! Thank you God for my baby!”
I wish I could pause that moment for a while.
Seconds later, they have raced back about daily things: Jillian is outside helping with morning chores, Lucas is vrooming a vehicle (I think it’s a wooden car) up the side of the couch, Jaquline is doing her schoolwork at the big table where Kimberly and Christina already have work laid out (although they popped up to take a break and feed livestock and pets) and Becky is lumbering about as she slowly wakes up. Life.
Today is full of impending activity: midwife appointment, college classes for Becky, college field trip for Becky (Louis will drive everyone to the park and make a fun day out of it; perks of big sister in a marine biology class), work (coaching) for me, work for Louis, normal stuff.
I’m swiping a few minutes just sitting here relishing this rumble in my tummy and thanking God for allowed me to hold His little child. Baby seems to realize the audience is gone and slowly curls up to rest. Baby is always most active with Lucas comes and explains something (why cars roll, what the sky looks like, how the big rooster is scary to snakes, how an orange tastes, how excited he is for “Baby to finally come out so I can see you”).
I love you, Baby Tart! Thank you, God, for my baby! (All of them!)
Today we had impromptu tennis. Christina and Becky rode their bikes to the park, Louis, the younger children, and I drove. It was a lovely day and since the “cooler than 90 degree” weather has them all excited, we have been outside most of the day.
Lucas was shouting songs in the backseat; periodically announcing “Stasia loves this one” or “Stasia said her Mommy has this!” or “this is one I like!” (Since Anastasia is not there to announce such things, Lucas must in her absence!)
We claim an open tennis court (okay, two, but that’s just because not all eight members of our team are great with their aim yet). Lucas has his own special racket and claims every ball that hits the net – the inaccuracies of learning kept Lucas entertained for over an hour!
At home, we’re now enjoying outside. Christina is texting the UCC team, Kimberly is running her scooter (kid powered), Jaquline is on her bike, and Jillian has a chicken – no, it’s a guinea pig. Lucas is driving his “Green car” (a 2nd birthday gift from Grandma Joanne that has seen daily use except for one six-week stint while we waited for the replacement charger).
“Look, Mom, the pig-pig is driving!” Lucas has Custard contentedly chewing on grasses in his lap! (Custard is one of the 4-week-old Guinea Pigs.)
A few moments later…
“Look, Mom! The chicken is driving!” And Jillian is sitting next to Lucas with a different chicken (this one is the biggest of the young cockerels we have for sale) sitting on her lap.
A few moments later…
“Look out below!” followed by giggles. Lucas is driving the car under a rain of pinecones Jillian tossed in the air. He catches one in the empty passenger seat, laughs, picks it up, and throws in into the little tykes car (human-powered) as he passes it.
A second later…
“Mom! A train!” And Lucas is pushing his car, in reverse, with the little tykes car centered behind it, rolling along like it is the engine of a two-unit train.
Then he tries to join Kimberly and Jaquline’s soccer game while driving the car! “Kim! My car wants to play!”
He jumped out of the car when Jillian and Kimberly started with the foam football… “I love football!”
We should have such energy and exuberance toward everything in life! Lucas looks at everything as an adventure, challenge, or treat; as a gift. Life is a gift. Thank you, Jesus, for this amazing life and all the fun moments we experience in it!
We’ve been to Daytona Beach’s park a few times. We like to park at the top of the parking garage (level 6, but today, that one was closed so we had to settle for level 5) and go down the echoing steps to the huge colorful crossover walkway to the shops and restaurants! This walkway is a covered bridge over the six lanes of traffic. It always has a strong ocean breeze whistling through the glass panels. Lucas loves the pretty pictures of fish, turtles, dolphins, and other sea life on the floor. He likes seeing the cars go under him!
Lucas and Jaquline rode all the dolphins!
But Lucas wouldn’t do the turtle – just the girls in age order.
Our Mother’s Day picture was taken at the stone fountain on the far end of the Daytona plaza. Louis took a burst shot of us (new camera function, I think) and we managed one nice picture!
We like to wander up and down the plaza where Lucas stopped three times, mesmerized by the drones. A golf cart came down the beach collecting beach umbrellas and Lucas squealed, “a tiny truck in the sand!” This made one of the teenage boys driving it turn his face red. Jillian calls out, “why is your face all burnt now?”
A helicopter completed the aerial show. Kimberly spotted it and showed Lucas and Jillian. “Can it land, Mommy?” Lucas asks. Since the Family Fun Fest and the landing of the Police helicopter, Lucas thinks all helicopters are going to land next to him!
We went back over the walkway and down the elevator to the ground floor. (These elevators are amazing, they have a window!) After playing on the stone critters, taking some pictures, walking around the city for about three miles, climbing the stairs again, going over the walkway again, and down then up in the elevator, we made it to our van.
The sun was setting on a beautiful day of family adventure!
