Like a Museum.

Overheard at the Baker House in the last half-hour (I'm noticing a theme here):

Morgan: Sarah, can I borrow your flipflops for the trip, since mine broke?
Sarah: sure
Morgan: Thanks!
Sarah: If you can find them.

Sarah: Mom, I found an extra pair of goggles.
Me: Awesome, put them with the other pairs.
Sarah: Ummm, I don't know where the other pairs are. (sidenote: she just wore them last night at swim meet!)

This would be why I thought of her when I saw this saying:



so, we will keep working on organization...although some days it feels like a losing battle.  The problem: I am more committed to this process than she is! Anyone have any solutions?

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!!

Only in Missourah!

Well this June marks 15 years since we packed up our belongings and moved to Missouri...pronounced Missourah by most those who live down here. All we knew about Missouri at the time is that the capital city was Jefferson City (yeah for 4th grade state capital tests!) and that this state had an Arch.  But after six months of looking for a job after graduation and a 2 inch stack of rejection letters, we were more than thrilled when Mike was offered a job as a criminalist at the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab, so off we went! Always thinking we'd return to our beloved state of Michigan...

Well here we are 15 years later, still here, and other than missing family immensely, happy to call this home.  Tonight Sarah reminded me of a story from our first few weeks of living here.  I was on my way to my temp job (with Missouri State Parks) and they asked this question on the radio, "Name 7 body parts that have only 3 letters." One person called in and said "jaw" to which the next caller called in to respond (totally serious I might add), "jaw is not a correct answer, because jaw is spelled j-a-w-l, it has 4 letters." Which left me wondering where in world have I moved to...a bunch of rednecks or hillbillies or something must live here.

Well tonight, I noticed Sarah wrote down this word (on her list of 'boredom buster' ideas for the summer): "drawl" - and I couldn't help but laugh when I saw it.  Later when I saw her, I asked her how to spell straw, to which she said, "s-t-r-a-w-l" - and draw? "d-r-a-w-l".  Well since I refuse to let my daughter be a complete redneck, I had to explain to her that while people in Missouri say, "you want to drawl?" - and so that's how it sounds to write it, that they really should say, "do you want to draw? - see, no 'l' on the end.  So after mini lesson in proper English, we tested out "jaw" - Sarah, how do you think you spell jaw? She answered:  'j-a-w' - and how do you think people in Missouri spell it? 'j-a-w-l' she responded with her big grin.  :)  That's my girl! :) And dear sweet state of Missouri, and wonderful people whom we've met here - we love ya'll no matter how ya'll talk! ;)

Deeper Ponderings of My Mother's Day

Sunlight filtering down through the treetops. Hammock gently swaying beneath me. Wispy breeze playing with my hair. Water rushing over rocks, creating the most melodic sound. Morgan crawls into the hammock next to me. The top of her hair ever so gently coming to rest on the side of my cheek. And I inhale the joy of the moment. and I whisper, "I love you Morgan." and she whisper's back, "I love you too, mommy." And I smile. I can no longer sign 'mommy' to the notes I leave in her lunch box, she is 'too old' for that. But for some reason on this quiet afternoon, I am still her 'mommy' along this creek's edge. It's a moment I want to carry in my heart for always.

Bursting from within her is excitement to deep to contain. It is Mother's Day Weekend and something within Sarah wants to make it special for me. All weekend she keeps pausing to give me hugs, "I love you mommy!", "Happy Mother's Day weekend!"  She can't WAIT to give me their present. She keeps trying to give me clues every time she thinks of one. She is thrilled with the gift that Mike took her and Morgan to pick out for me. She knows I will "LOVE IT!" She tells me this many times. Then she wants to give me back rubs and back massages, so she keeps asking, "Can I give you another back itch?" I love how she words things sometimes - you can't help but smile. And every time I look at her, she smiles. Her big grin that comes from the depth of her soul and spills out and blesses all those around. And I hope nothing in life ever steals that smile away from her. 

On our second night camping, a young couple set up camp next to us. I looked at Mike and said "They remind me of us many years ago...how did we get from there to here?"  He said he thought the same thing and then added more that made me smile. But seeing this unknown couple made me thankful that Mike decided to venture into parenthood with me - and that our days camping are now filled with the memories that include two beautiful daughters. It makes me think of the song "Then" by Brad Paisley, that says, "we've come so far since that day, and I thought I loved you then..." and goes on to say "We'll look back someday, at this moment that we're in, And I'll look at you and say, And I thought I loved you then..."

I thought of my own mom this weekend a lot too.  Of her love of nature. Walking in the woods with her when I was a child. I have this memory of her one time poking a bunch of ferns in her straw hat to keep the bugs away.  I remember her stopping to take pictures of flowers and for the life of me I could NOT understand why she would want a picture of flowers or anything else in nature for that matter. But now I understand her. Here is just one of the many 'nature pictures' I took of my own this weekend. And there in the midst of nature, 600 miles too many away from my mom, I felt closer to her. And I felt my own lips curl up into a smile at that realization. 

Our girls...on our marriage

So, I asked the girls tonight, how do you know daddy & I love each other? Here are their responses.

Sarah:
- "Because you guys kiss all the time!"
- "look them in the eyes when talking"
- "by hugging"
- "go away for your anniversary and bring us to Darian's house"

Morgan:
- "you kiss"
- "you say it"
- "you hug"
- "you share money"

I enjoyed hearing their answers and really, we don't kiss that much! Seriously, we still love each other like crazy, and I hope that they always know that deep within their hearts!! Every investment into our relationship thru the years has been so worth it!!

Strange Conversation

Here at the Baker house, sometimes we have the strangest conversations. Here's last night's:

Mike: Can I pull out some of your hair?
Sarah: (with a look that he's slightly crazy) NO!
Mike: It's for Science!
Sarah: (with a look that he's still slightly crazy) Well, Okay.

So, Sarah,  Morgan and I proceeded to surrender a few strands of  hair (roots and all), as he carefully placed them each in their own Ziploc bag.  Apparently at the crime lab he's doing some training for a new employee and needs some samples. Ah, glad we could help fight crime! We jokingly told the girls they 'better be good' because we had standards for any evidence now! (I know most people, this time of year, are telling their kids they better be good 'cuz Santa is coming! Like I said, strange conversations!)