Mt Lake Powwow

reyna's opinion of the sirens on the emergency vehichles

my dad grew up in Mt. Lake I have been attending powwow since I was the age of my littlest ones
love sharing this tradition with him yet today

hamburgers, egg rolls and of course powwow pups

waiting for the parade to begin

lights

added a few new solar lights to our little backyard space...
the top two are from here
the star and sun lights are from the target clearance section

W is for Watonwan

Macy Coleman signing Rosie's book
Macy just graduated this spring and we attended her open house.
Last night, when we got home Rosie said to me "you know that girl that signed my book" "Macy?" I asked
"yes, we went to her graduation party" "yes we did" I answered she then leans in close and whispers to me "I didn't know she was famous" Ahhhh Macy with the photos you take it will be no surprise to me when you are indeed world famous but for now to one little 5 year old you have achieved that status in the best way possible.

Last night we attended a book reading at our local library. I was completely clueless as to what it was we were going to only following my sisters suggestion that we needed to attend if for no other reason than for the free book each child would receive. I am all for books and free is even better yet. Well what we listened to and then discovered was that this book was quite special, completely dedicated to the very county we live in. All the photos were taken with in the county, the photographers were all from the county the entire book was a project worked on by a group of very dedicated individuals from our community. The books is an abc in picture format of places and spaces in our county. I think I had as much fun as the kids trying to identify just where that photo came from. Several of the photographers were people we knew as mentioned above there was Macy, and our neighbor Jean. Susan who has taken amazing photos of my kids and even a teacher who spent 4 grade with one of my older kids. Love that connection, that the book I was holding was created by people I knew. Loved listening to the kids giggles as they recognized a place in the book. This is book is sure to become one of the favorites in our library.

looks

like I might need to get busy scrapping
that pile of photos just seems to be growing...
oh if only there were a few more hours in my day

windom riverfest

saturday we watched the first parade of the season...
joining my aunt and cousin to watch the Riverfest parade
The kids enjoyed the bands...kudo's to the middle school marching band from town they were stunning!
and the candy... kevin suggested the lawn mower would be just the motivator to mowing grass this summer
a family behind us had their pet pot-belly pig with them. Reyna kept peeking over her chair to watch the pig
she would then look at me and say "puppy?" "no, pig" I said. a bit later she asked "goldie?" (her word for puppy)
"no" I said "it's a pig" and a bit later she tried once more "kitty?" Laughing now I replied "pig" to which she gave me the look that she knew that something was messed up here but she wasn't quite sure if it was her mommy or the picture she was seeing
Kevin told the kids we should get a pig as a pet... I replied that someone would be looking for a new place to live if that happened.

beckie's shoes

the fact that you look up to your big sisters is in a word...awesome!
they are perfect roll models and if you grow up like them you too are going
to be an awesome person too!
you have awhile before you fill those shoes, and honestly this momma hopes you take your time
all too soon you will be all grown up.

a few spaces

in my home that are starting to come together
with all the home improvement going on in our home these past few months
the process has left walls bare and as photos slowly go back onto those walls
I have discovered that many walls remained empty and found I was not quite sure what to put in those
spaces if I wanted anything at all. At times I would have photos but the space just needed something else so with this and still remaining conscious of the less is more feeling that has become so much a part of my view these days I worked on piecing these spaces together balancing the want to display photos and words that matter to me with the new found love of the space...
here a couple of walls that are finished...

I walked thru the kitchen

and discovered these two jamming to their music and doing the dishes...
so grateful for their help...
I certainly have awesome kids

brushing her teeth

tooth brushing requires complete supervision these days...
ever since the little wonder discovered a water source closer to her level
(yes that would be the toilet)
all toothbrushes in the house have been replaced and are now residing at higher ground
she isn't necessarily impressed with brushing those teeth of hers, rather the water is the draw

Graduation Day

After 13 years of school today was the day that every student looks towards.
We gathered in the gym for commencement services.
What an amazing day to watch Brandon reach this important milestone
So proud of him and the amazing young man he has become.
Way to go Brandon!

Graduation...

My nephew Brandon graduated from High School this weekend.
Saturday was the open house celebrating his graduation. A weekend spent preparing and enjoying the company
of friends and family who came to celebrate this milestone in his life.
What an amazing kid, so proud of what he has accomplished.
Can't wait to see what next he does....

chairs

I mentioned our "find" a few days ago in a post
With the calendar moving closer to the completion of our new table it was time to
start thinking about chairs for that table. Sadly most of the chairs to our old table are no longer stable, thus the reason for our search for a new table. Without seeing the table it was difficult to picture just what type of chair to buy
having had mis-matched chairs around our table for years, since the original set only came with 6 chairs
I was leaning towards a mixture of chairs and styles rather than a complete set of all the same style
So I have been looking at thrift stores, antique stores and craft shows
in no particular hurry, just knowing when I saw it I would know.
This past weekend I went to a craft show in Waseca and stumbled across several chairs that for one reason or another just
struck me as the one...even Kevin, Yahaira and Reyna got in on the search as we checked each chair over testing it's strength and
wondering if it would fit in our home...
following are the 4 chairs "found" on Sunday along with the other chairs that will complete our "set"


an original chair to our current dining room table
for 22 years it has held a space in our dining room, over time it's partners in the set have succumbed to the
wear and tear that is children and life, only two remain this one and one with a booster seat attached
I like keeping one to go with the new, a little bit of old but filled with countless stories and imprints of our life

this chair you may remember from this post
and now it will continue to be a part of our day to day life
in a completely wonderful way

it seemed fitting on memorial day weekend to buy a chair with a patriotic theme
it has generated many conversations amongst my little ones since it has moved into our home

this chair jumped at kevin from a darker corner in one of the out buildings at the craft show...
as soon as he spotted it he said "we use to have chairs like that in our home in Lewisville"
"well dig it out" I said "let's take a look" It was solid and in amazing shape
even tho white wouldn't have been my first choice I knew instantly that this one would be coming home with us if for no other reason than it brought up memories for kevin
I think that has been my goal all along in searching for chairs...finding a "new" chair to us and yet finding something that
not only was solid, and durable but also had character and a story to tell
I love that we have mixed all those old chairs together to complete a set for this new table
I love that each brings forth a memory or adds a story to our story
and I discovered that saying "they don't make them like they used to" is so very, very true
every chair we looked at was solid, and unless they had been hid away in a room, and never used, which of course wasn't the case
they have aged beautifully, the craftsmanship and quality are unlike any you find today in the furniture stores.
the simple fact that they are here today, still being used tells the greatest story of all.

a booster seat for that smallest one in our family
it seems that we never truly retire the booster seat always there is one at the table

a chair that was my grandma's When she died we purchased her table and chairs. It was a smaller table with two chairs perfect for our newly married world. The table soon became to small, replaced by a larger table but the chairs continued to be used year after year.
Love when I sit in that chair I instantly think of my grandma.

another find at the craft show, I simply loved the detail in the woodworking and wondered at the stories it could tell

and finally this chair just spoke strong, solid
and for that reason alone it made it into our purchases that day.
As the chairs found their way around our table I noticed that each child gravitated towards a certain chair time and time again
just as each of the kids is unique and different they too have unique and different reasons for the chair they chose

today...

Today you woke before the sun, with the energy to conquer the world
Today you ate not one but two bowls of cheerios "I hungry" you said
Today you mowed lawn as your dad mowed, watching intently at what he did and mimicking it perfectly
Today you ate lunch while sitting on the floor, beside the table Why? I guess it tasted better that way

Today you opted out of a nap instead wanting to be outside in the warm sunshine of the day
"I not nap" you said "I go outside"
(two complete sentences your teacher would be so proud)
Today after battling you for an hour I conceded that outside is where you should be
Today you ran, climbed, explored, splashed, and breathed

Today you tested your body and brain...searching and figuring until you understood
Today you played in the sandbox moving sand from one spot to another, digging holes and building mountains all while squishing your toes in the sand
Today you ran around the house countless times discovering all the spots and nooks that is your home, your space
Today you ate strawberries and drank milk

Today you stood at the top of the tower, so tiny in that spot looking much like those early explorers may have looked, who climbed to the top of Mt Everest confident, strong, and proud
Today you splashed in the tub soaking away layer upon layer of dirt and sand until your toes were wrinkled and your nose was cold
Today you read books while curled up in the chair, turning the pages and pausing to look at the pictures and then telling your version of the story.
Tonight as I held you close and hugged you before laying you down for the night I whispered "I love you" and sleepily you whispered "too"
Today you made me laugh
Today you challenged me
Today you made me proud
Today you changed my world