Life is FULL

Life has been FULL the last 4 days. So much to celebrate.  This beautiful life that I can't pause. This journey that I get to travel during this lifetime. The amazing people I get to share it with.  My heart is full.

We've had two swim meets.  I love this being a part of our summer.  I love watching how strong the girls have become through the last five years. Their strokes and techniques inspire me. {haven't got the photos off the good camera yet}

We've celebrated Mike, he's such an amazing dad!  The girls and I made him this giant Jenga game - Lowes, saws, power sanding - he's taught us a lot!
 

 We've celebrated our beautiful daughter turning 15.  She got a new sabre, rifle, and color guard bag. She loves being on guard! But boy oh boy, practice sure results in lots of bruises!

She got her first flowers from a boy.

We finally made it to the lake for the first time this summer! Thanks Mike for getting the boat fixed!! He described it as trying to get out of an escape room -- it was quite a puzzle to figure out and put back together! But I knew he could do it! Just took longer than we all hoped!

We bought a new car, as I like to say, with scrabble tiles (and a few shadow boxes thrown in!) --my etsy store has definitely gone way beyond anything I ever dreamed for it!  Also, we made sure our new car knew the way to Andy's.

Morgan passed her driving test and now has a permit to begin to learn how to drive. Her patient dad is in the front seat, and I'm practicing my breathing techniques from birth class in the back seat.  Especially when 3 deer cross in front of us! Luckily she was only going 25 mph.

Yes, all that, and more, in the past 4 days!

Integrity, a Detective, and my Momma Heart

In many ways this has been a very difficult week.  My heart has been aching and stretching.  Parenting is truly a journey of the heart. 

This week Morgan had to make a very difficult decision to report something to her coach.  She came home from practice overwhelmed by the circumstances.  A fellow teammate’s poor choices (and I feel they really are a great individual who made a stupid, stupid choice!) have resulted in the entire team needing to speak with a detective this week. This individual has a 10 day suspension and will not be competing at end of season championships today. Their presence and talent will truly be missed today.  And my heart breaks – what made them make such a foolish choice?!  I’m reminded how one choice has far reaching consequences to so many others – like the ongoing ripples from one pebble tossed in the pond. 

But let me speak from my momma heart about Morgan.

• She chose integrity. She chose to the right thing. Even though it was gut-wrenching hard. She’s a teen and she made the right choice.  Will she always? Probably not, she’s a human, not a saint.  But I am so very proud of her.
•  We’ve had powerful conversations. Like, “Mom, I know I can say “I forgive you” but how do you really forgive someone?! Like deep down in your heart? Because I want to forgive.”  So we talked about grace and how trust is different than forgiveness.  Maybe it’s time for her to read my memoir. For me, it was a 10 year journey, I hope I can help her figure it out sooner than I did!
•  We’ve had great conversations about how situations like this reveal the character of others.  We’ve discussed how different people on the team have handled it and about the value of friendships. I’ve loved the depth of our conversations this week.

And while I will enjoy watching the strength of her spin and catch consistently today, it is the strength of her character that I am treasuring most in my heart today.  Lord, Thank you for letting me be this girl’s momma! 

Love both my girls! Easter...

I like her growing up!

I often use hashtags like #yearsflyingby #growinguptoofast #timepleaseslowdown #nopausebutton -- I feel this. Every day. I love being a momma. I love these years. I don't want them to end.

And yet I do. Because I like watching my girls grow up. I like seeing them discover this world, to enjoy relationships, and be all who God created them to be.  If they never grew up, I wouldn't get the joy of experiencing all these bittersweet moments of motherhood. 

I just had to pause on this cloudy Saturday morning, while Mike and our girls are watching yet another episode of Star Trek Next Generation, and record one such incident.

Last year, and at the beginning of this year, Morgan use to dread, I mean absolutely dread, going to school on pep assembly days.  She had this paralyzing fear that she would be called to the front of the school and have to participate in the assembly in front of everyone.  (All of us true introverts just said amen!) But for her, it was intense. She would actually beg me to let her stay home from school on pep assembly days.  And I had to remind her how she had begged me in kindergarten to stay home from school on field day because of these same fears, and yet she came home saying it was her best day ever.  Then  I'd send her off with a prayer whispered upward.

Well yesterday, she performed with her color guard team at the pep assembly!! Yes.She.Did. And then, after school she tried out for the high school color guard team which means she will be performing in front of large audiences this coming year if she makes the team!

This 'growing up' of hers makes my heart sing and dance in a hundred shades of happiness. 

I will also add, that a couple of weeks ago the youth had a march madness night - and even on the way to church she was like "I am NOT going to be on a team for games" -- and after she got home... "Guess what mom, our team WON and I actually participated in a relay in front of everyone - it was awesome!!" Growth. It's a beautiful thing.

Spring is here. She is blossoming. Life is beautiful. I love this season we are in.

And if I couldn't be proud enough already...

Bye, Bye 11...Hello Future

Today is Morgan's last day as an 11 year old! Three (short) years til she gets her driving permit. Yikes! Where or where are these precious year flying by to? 

Oh how often I wish there was a pause button for life, anyone with me?! 

Today, I had Morgan write a list of 11 things she'd still like to do in her lifetime. Here is her (precious) list...

1. Visit Hollywood
2. Go to Disney Land/World
3. Visit all the states
4. travel around the world
5. become a marine biologist
6. go to YellowStone (we still hope to take girls there in next few years!)
7. Finish Collage (aka college ;))
8. Get A PHONE!! (I like how this is the only one in caps)
9. Go on a cruise for a month -- or two
10. Live in Hawaii
11. Become a Mom

Oh sweet daughter of mine, who is sunshine and brightness, I hope your dreams one day become reality! (or that God replaces them with even sweeter ones!!) Love you, til the day after forever! 

She Noticed Beauty.

This week my daughter gave me a gift. She didn't know she'd given me a gift. In fact when she said the words I'm still not sure if she meant them as "you're kinda weird" or "what is with you?" or simply as an observation.  I don't think she really meant it as a compliment, but maybe.

But to me, it was the highest compliment I could have received.

Here were her words to me, "Mom, you think everything is beautiful!" (at this particular moment I was noticing how the wind was blowing the neighbors tree and it was dancing in several shades of green.)

Is that how she really sees me? She really notices that I do look for the good? That I do search for the beauty? Does she really notice my focus on beautiful things in this world, even while I know the reality of pain and sickness and evil in this world?

And you know those silly exercises you sometimes get that say "What would you like written on your tombstone?" or "What would you like people to say at your funeral?"  Well this is it.  She put it into words for me.

Three words will suffice. "She noticed beauty." I like that.

A choice, everyday, to focus on the goodness and beauty. God gives it to us. Are our eyes open to it? Jesus didn't give his life so we could focus on the cross. He gave it so we could focus on the resurrection...on restored relationship with him. With happily ever after.

Her words are a testament to the healing that has happened in my life. Because there was a time I wondered if I ever would heal from the evil that shattered my heart. It's such a gift that my daughter who lives with me everyday, who sees me at my worse and at my best, can testify that I do seek beauty. (sidenote, Maybe this is why I loved Katniss at the end of Mockinjay.)

These honest words from Morgan have made my heart keep smiling for the past 48 hours. Oh my sweet children, you are a gift in so many ways.

Also, Is there any wonder my favorite pinterest board is Glimpses of Heaven?

#glimpsesofheaven #bethegood #believethereisgood #happilyeverafter #onelife #nopausebutton #focusonthepositive #smile

11 Ways

Here are 11 ways we celebrated Morgan at her 11th birthday party...

1. Invited four of her giggliest friends over for a backyard sleepover.  They finally fell asleep in the tent around 5am! They were still smiling and giggly the morning after! 

2. Made glow in the dark lanterns. side note: These look awesome (and girls loved them!) but I'm not sure I'll do them again though, 'cuz they're messy and involve some broken glass when you break open the glow stick to dump into the container. My inspiration for these was found here at Lil Blue Boo.

3. Had a giant s'more birthday cake. Special thanks to the most amazing Darian! And those girls really ate all 5.5 of those GIANT Hershey bars! 

4. Opened gifts by the campfire with flashlights.  

5. Had a water balloon fight. 

6. Had her favorite for dinner - hotdogs over the campfire, along with monster tub of cheese balls and sour patch grapes.

7. Made s'more cones. 

8. Decorated flashlights. 

9. Had a flashlight treasure hunt. 

10. Played Hide n Go Seek in the dark til midnight. 

11. Had a birthday breakfast on the deck. 

So thankful for the joy Morgan has brought to my life these past 11 years! 

Choking Back the Tears

Yes, I've been choking back the tears all day. My daughter can simply not be old enough to be touring the Middle School today! And then at bedtime tonight do you know what she told me? She had the nerve to tell me that I can no longer sing "You are my Sunshine" to her because she is 'too old' for that! So, I admit, maybe she is, but after almost 11 years of singing that song to her, it makes me just a wee bit weepy to think that I will no longer get to sing that to her again. She is an amazing kid (both my girls are) and I'm glad I get a front row seat to watching her (them) grow up, but as I said on facebook earlier today, I don't want time to stop, I just wish it would slow down a bit! I'm glad she's excited about being able to join band in MS...and her biggest fear about middle school?! Go ahead guess! There are 4 different lunch lines - yikes! I just wish that was my biggest fear about her middle school years! At least Sarah told me I could still sing "You are My Sweetheart" to her! :)

Early Spring

I'm still in shock that we have completely skipped winter this past year! Two tiny snowfalls of about 1" each that only lasted 24 hours hardly feels like you can call it winter. Moving here from Michigan, the thing I've always appreciated about Missouri is that Spring seems to arrive a month or so earlier here (and Fall usually lasts a month or so longer)! Well this year, Spring has come even earlier! And I'm lovin' every sweet minute of it! I swear my giant oak trees did not start leafing until at least mid-April last year. So yesterday while eating lunch on my deck and relaxing in my hammock at the end of the day, I just kept staring at my oak leaves - at awe that they are already popping out all over my trees! Soon each of those tiny leaves will work together to create an oasis of shade for my backyard. This makes me smile.

So other than my oak leaves, here were some of the things I paused to notice this past week -

• The almost translucent bright green leaves illuminated by setting sun
• The vibrant bright colors transforming the dull landscape right now - deep purples, bright pinks, fresh whites, and the hundred shades of green!
• Fresh soil under my fingernails (don't worry, I washed it all out in the shower)
• A whiff of honeysuckle floating by in the breeze
• The warmth of the sun kissing my skin (also got my first sunburn of the season from doing yardwork)
• Even the sky has seemed a bit bluer these days - and the white puffy clouds have made laying there looking up oh, so picturesque! 

Yesterday included lots of yardwork, today after church might include a long hike - maybe explore some new trails? or perhaps a bike ride - I don't know - all I know is that when these perfect days roll around - the only place I want to be is outside! Nature definitely replenishes my soul! 

Oh, and a quick update on the girls. Morgan went to a sleepover Friday night - she slept Saturday from 1-3, then I had to wake her up to leave - she came home and slept from 5-9, woke up and ate dinner - then went back to bed by 9:15 and is still sleeping this morning (8:00)!! I think it was a successful sleepover with 2 of her good friends!! 

With Morgan gone and sleeping - we've had lots of one on one time with Sarah (and Sarah was home sick 2 days this past week - so even more time!) I've enjoyed this time very much - Sarah has been her happy, pleasant self (especially so without her sister to fight with!) - she's been so helpful and has wanted to spend her time working along side of us - She's made me lunch twice this past week (mac n cheese - all by herself! and a turkey sandwich) - both were delicious!  I love that bubbly, sweet child! 

Half Birthdays

I love pausing to remember half birthdays! The pausing helps me savor these precious years zooming on by! Today is Morgan's 10.5 birthday! I think it's cute how now when someone asks her age, she will no longer say, "I'm ten!" Rather she will say "I'm ten and a half!" That half is such a big deal. After all, you're so much bigger when you are ten and a half! 

I woke up this morning wondering, when is the 'half' no longer important? I certainly don't go around saying I'm 37 and a half! I don't know, but as long as it's important to them, I will celebrate every half year I can! And something tells me I may even be calling them up and wishing them a happy thirty and a half  birthday one day!

p.s. - And I'm LOVING our new GIANT wall scrabble game. Yesterday the words intersected to read, "Good Morning". Today they intersect with "Happy Half Birthday Fun"! And by the end of the day...the scrabble game is completed with all the letters used up!

First Day of School

My beautiful daughter, Morgan, begins 5th Grade today! And let me tell you how beautiful she is, the first thing she says when she wakes up this morning? "I'm going to make Sarah a special breakfast this morning when she wakes up!" You see, Sarah has had a fever the last two days, so Morgan knew her sister wasn't going to be able to go to school on the first day of school and she wanted her sister to have a special morning too! (See, I told you she was beautiful!)  Well the good news is that Sarah woke up bubbly and with no fever, so hopefully she can have her 'first day' of school tomorrow! :) Crossing my fingers! 

Celebrating #10

Double Digit Day

So after living her entire life in the single-digits, today, my beautiful daughter, will jump into the double digits for the rest of her life.  And while there is a chance she may reach 100 one day, chances are greater that this is the only time in her life she will ever add another digit to her years.

When Mike & I were dating or early married (funny how 20 years later, those early years of 'us' tend to blend together) we saw a movie about a kid celebrating a double digit birthday. It was quite sad, I believe he was dying, and so for his double digit birthday, he wanted to see the ocean, and he got to. I wish I could remember the name of the movie, or more details, but I can't.  But for whatever reason, after seeing that movie, we knew that we would do something BIG for our kids when they turned 10!!

So, we are letting them choose where to travel to on their 10th birthday (within limits).  Morgan's first choice was Italy, but that was simply not in the budget.  So after discussing lots of places we could go...she chose the Grand Canyon. It's a place none of us have ever been, so we are thrilled to be traveling there. She wants to watch the sunrise over the Grand Canyon on her 10th birthday (5:12am) and conclude her birthday riding horses into the sunset. (Ok, let me wipe away a tear that just slipped out.) So I'm writing this post prior to our trip and scheduling it to post on 5:12am on her birthday, because on her birthday, I'm planning to live in the moment and breathe in every gift that is given to me that day.

Morgan, you have brought joy and love and laughter to our lives. I find all the moments of watching you grow to be bittersweet - it's so sweet that you are growing and discovering your place in this world and who God made you to be - and yet the reality is, your growing means your days with us are numbered. There are a thousand moments I wish I could go back and redo, but I am human, and imperfect, and trying to figure this parent thing out just as much as you are trying to figure life out.  And yet I hope you never doubt my deep love for you, my intense joy of having you for a daughter, and my sincere desire to guide you the best I can into adulthood. I love you and I thank God every day for the gift of you! Happy 10th Birthday, Sunshine!! 

Luckiest Gals in the World

Conversation from 2 minutes ago:

Morgan: "Mom, you made a good choice!"
Me: "I did? About what?"
Morgan: "You picked daddy!"
Me: "Why yes I did!"

We are actually celebrating Father's Day today...well because some dads are too special to share a day with all other dads! ;) And because Father's Day falls on Morgan's 10th birthday this year...and all he really wants for Father's Day is a Blackberry concrete from Andy's...and you can't get those in Grand Canyon Village. :) So here's to celebrating the man who makes us all feel like the luckiest gals in the world!!

Extreme Fort Makeover

Sarah's Wall

Morgan's Wall

This spring the girls have been busy painting the inside of their playhouse.  They finally got *most* of the details added this week, although they still have a few ideas of things they'd like to add.  Their good friend Maddy helped them with the painting.

Maddy's Wall and curtains

So...I decided to make them some curtains and beanbags to help **transform** this fort into a place that feels special to them and they want to hang out in this summer to read, talk, laugh.  I was going to save it for summer, but with Mike gone one night these week, I began to work on it with the girls instead.

I found a flannel back vinyl tablecloth at walmart for less than $5.  We cut it to make the curtains. They are stapled to the wall. :)

turned couch into a 'bed'

Then we used the rest to make the beanbags.   We made two long bean bags, with which they can use as sit-upons, or put together to make a couch, or lay on as a bed. I thought it would take one hour to hot glue them together. Three days later, they are finally finished and we now have waterproof beanbags!

Plan A: Hot Glue them together. Got first one made and stuffed and then the seem split.  Note to self: hot glue does not stick to vinyl tablecloths.
Plan B: Sew them. Pulled out the sewing machine. Actually remembered how to thread it. But it's not working. Then I broke the last needle I had for it.
Plan C: Duct Tape. It appears our duct tape has gone missing. Mike didn't think it would hold either.
Plan D: Sew by hand. Seriously, I hate sewing, but I really wanted to make these. So, the girls and I sat down and spent a couple of hours sewing these. Sarah said that plan D was the best because it was the funnest!

I also found a couple of paper lanterns for only $1/each, which I hung up in their playhouse too!

sisterly love

Morgan, Madisyn, Sarah

As you can see from all their smiles, they are very happy.  It's only in the 50s here today and they are insisting they stay outside in the fort. :)

So Different, Love them Both

Okay, with Morgan, every day she brings home her papers neatly in a folder. Oh occasionally one might be in her bag, or elsewhere, but for the most part, she has always been responsible about putting her papers in her folder and bringing them home. I've never had to ask her about it or teach her to do it - she just does it. She also fills out her planner for school faithfully and always reminds me to sign it. She's super responsible!

But my girls are as different as night and day sometimes.  They remind me that while I may 'parent' them similar, with the same goals, they still have very unique personalities. I can not parent them exactly, because they are different kids, and require different strategies in dealing with different issues.  For example, Here's Sarah.  Monday - no papers. Tuesday - no papers. Wed. - no papers. Thurs - no papers. Friday - an entire weeks worth of papers crammed into her folder, with the overflow crammed into the bottom of her bag (only because her teacher required them to clean out their desks). A wad. A mess.  I've tried talking with her. I've tried bribing her - bring her papers home, she can have a piece of candy. This week she had an important note about needing to bring something to school (actually it's from over a week ago) - she told me about it - but not knowing the details, I wasn't going to buy random stuff and send it in. All week I've asked her for the note. Told her she can't bring stuff to school unless she's responsible to bring me the note.  I finally found the note on Friday crammed in her folder. Umm yeah, we were suppose to send in the item last Monday. So I sent her teacher an email about it, explaining all this and that I was trying to instill some responsibility into her.  So he sent me back the following email, and it made me laugh out loud!! It said:

I understand about her desk. Every day after math I always tell her that one day she's not going to be able to cram anything else in there and she just grins real big and shrugs her shoulders. I just have been waiting like you to see what happens. I know that I shouldn't laugh, but it makes me chuckle to see her do that.

All I have to say is that thankfully, we still have ten more years (til she's 18) to keep working on responsibility! She'll get it, I hope. But something tells me she may always have a messy desk when she grows up. I wonder if she'll surprise me! :) And by the way, if I had to choose, I'd take her big grin over a neat folder any day! :) 

Butterfly Kisses and Well Loved Ducks

We got home late from church tonight and I wanted to rush getting the girls to bed.  But both of them stopped me in hurry and made me pause and appreciate the moment.

I went to tell Morgan goodnight and there snuggled up next to her were her "Crackers" and Cracker's Friend, "Pretzel". Crackers was her beloved childhood duck. He's had 3 beaks and has needed several stitches thru the years. She usually doesn't sleep with them anymore, at almost 10, she's well past that stage of needing them to sleep.  But tonight, there they were - all 3 of them on her pillow.  I just had to kiss them all goodnight.  And I said to her, "one day all three of you are going to move out and I'm sure gonna miss you all!" We then added 3 more books of the bible to her wall...as we are trying to memorize them all in order for a zone 4/5 challenge from Church and said good night prayers.

Then I went to Sarah's room, had a brief chit-chat moment, followed by her bedtime prayers.  She then reached up and gave me 'butterfly kisses' and then I opened my eyes and looked at her and she had one of her giant Sarah smiles on her face.  Goodness, these years are sweet! I know they won't last forever, so I have to pause and enjoy them now. 

I also secretly hope that one day, they will share butterfly kisses with their kiddos, who will in return, turn around and give them back to me!!

Everyday Update

As darkness gave way to twilight and a dozen birds sang to me through an open window this morning - I breathed in deeply this beautiful thing called, "Spring". I whispered prayers to the God of the universe, thankful He cares enough to listen to the smallness of my heart.  I then decided to 'pen' Mike's Gram an email this morning, as she was on my mind. (And might I add, that when I'm in my 90s, I sure hope I am still computer savvy enough to get emails!)  I gave her an update on our everyday-ness. I thought I would put it on my blog too, 'a snapshot' of our life at this moment.

Mike: Has a big inspection at work this week - they have it every 5 years. He says its not a big deal. but it is. Does he ever think anything is a big deal? He is so laid back, I love that about him. This week he was teaching Morgan all about how the inside of how a car works. I wonder where he learned that?!

Morgan: Doing awesome in school. Loves art class this year. and reading. and math. Just started learning to play recorder in music class. She has one more week of volleyball. They haven't had a winning season on the court, but she has had a winning season in her soul - learning something new, gaining confidence, learning about teamwork. She is excited about her 10th birthday this summer and our trip to the Grand Canyon to celebrate it.

Sarah: She just won her first Spring soccer game last night. It was a joy to see her growth since last fall - from being less passive on the field, to being more active in the game. She, too, is doing well in school. She seems to enjoy all the special things they learn at school. Last night at the dinner table she was telling us all about how mountains and valleys are made. She was fascinated by owls last month.

Me: Substitute teaching when I can. This week has been slow, but I've been enjoying being outside, soaking in spring and letting the quietness replenish my soul. My latest writing project is called "1000 gifts" and I'm trying to pause and write 1000 things I'm thankful for in 2011. In nine weeks, I'm up to 363 of them. For me, it's about developing a heart of gratitude for all the little things in life.

A Daughter Grows

Tonight I am celebrating the growth I see in Morgan. Academic growth, specifically.

Three years ago, I was worried. You see, she has a summer birthday and when we sent her to school, we knew she was young, but we also saw her as smart and capable. Kindergarten was fine. Then came first grade. Oh my. The tears. The struggles. I questioned if we had done the right thing. Perhaps we should have waited another year to send her to school.  I even blogged about some of her math struggles.  You can read about it here or here.   Tonight, she came home and out of the 23 in her class she was the 4th one to pass her multiplication timed tests!!!  She is so proud. And so am I.  She's most excited that tomorrow she just gets to 'sit there' while others continue to take their tests.

And then there's reading. I have read to her since the moment she opened her eyes in this world. Then she would spend hours just picking up books and reading them the way toddlers, preschoolers and young readers do.  Then she had to 'learn to read' and that was when she began hating to read! She wanted nothing to do with reading. She stopped loving to read and my heart was breaking. How can my daughter NOT love reading?!?! It was a gift I tried so hard to instill in her.  But no, reading our 'required minutes' for school became a struggle. Major struggle. 1st grade. 2nd grade. 3rd grade. and now she's in 4th grade. I've seen small growth through the years, but tonight when I yelled into them, 'you girls need to get into bed and start reading', I almost got tears in my eyes when she yelled back, "I LOVE READING!!!"  I guess sometimes the gifts we give our children just take awhile to bloom. I think I will need to remember that many times over the coming years.

And then there's standardized testing.  For the first time this last month, her scores actually reflect what her teachers have known her capable of and see often in the classroom.  She still has test anxiety. But she is overcoming.

I am so thankful for the beautiful teachers - Ms. Thye, Mrs. Estes, Mrs. Casella and Mrs. Long who have invested in her, encouraged her, believed in her and helped her get to this point. For all those seeds they planted and tools they gave her, my heart is filled with gratitude.

And as long as I'm writing about Morgan. This weekend is going to be another 'letting go' time for me. She is going, by herself, with her girl scout troop to St. Louis. She's never travelled that far without us, or been away for that long, by herself. I know she's ready and so excited about it.  But, it doesn't make it any easier for my heart.

Morgan's First 5K...You Go Girl!

Today Morgan ran her very first 5K and I ran my second 5K. The morning dawned cold and crisp, as we met up with other racers at 6:30 this morning to get checked in. 

These past 10 weeks, Morgan participated in a program called Girls on the Run. Today was the accumulation of 10 weeks of working hard and having fun.  I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the Girls on the Run program and I'm so thankful Morgan got to participate. As you can see from these pictures, she is a tad bit excited about her run this morning, ok maybe her excitement is bursting out of her! It certainly brought joy to my heart too! It was fun to be able to participate in this with her.
 





Morgan and Madisyn - Running buddies in training and friends forever.

 

Darian, who is very special to us and who really is more like an aunt than anything, came to cheer Morgan on in her first race. That's love...coming to watch her at 6:30 in the morning when the temp is hoovering around the 30s! She also brought donuts too!! Yum!!

Here we are crossing the finish line. Morgan actually sprinted to the finish line 13 seconds ahead of me. Something abour her dad promising her $5 if she beat me to the finish line. And me, from behind, with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye, watching my daughter cross that finish line. So proud of her!!  p.s. She finished in 37 minutes at 16 seconds.

"Your feet will take your soul where it wants to go."

(quote on the back of my race shirt)

Morgan's Forever Friend "E"

Morgan's very first friend was Ethan. Back then she would watch for him to arrive at our house and as soon as she'd see him, she'd yell "E, E, E!!!" The first time Ethan came over she was only 7 months old. Ethan was 1 year old. They have since moved to Chicago, Texas and now Oregon. We've moved from Columbia to Jeff City to Republic. Morgan and Ethan still hold a special bond of friendship for each other. Even though it's been two years since they last saw each other, they had a fun afternoon reconnecting as friends today. Morgan said he's her second best friend (only after her sister!) and that's saying a lot!! Here they are, age 1 to age 9.