Betz Tree Fort

Fortified with branches of play and affection.

*Catching up on sharing wonderful times with Grandma and Grandpa and cousins Tucker and Tollie.

Superkid

The sun and water go a long way in helping to protect truth, justice and the American way, but he still needs his beauty rest.

Cool Dude

Whether he's sportin', cruisin' or chillin', Zane's a very cool dude.

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

*I stole the original picture from his mom and dad. ;-)

Preserving

And they're off . . .

 

Apparently we can describe the color of Zane's hair with the word hay. :)

Zane needed one more.

We ate so many strawberries while preparing them for syrup and jam and smoothies that our digestive systems were messed up for a few days.

Flower in Her Hair

Vanessa still likes to garden. She asks on impulse whether or not she can help cut and trim. She recently helped with the family peonies. She cut flowers for vases and deadheads for the waste bag. She narrates her every move.

"This will last a day or two. Let's put it in the water.
Let's cut this bad boy since he's done.
This one is a pretty girl. 
I got it. I got it.
Let me see.
Zane, let me show you how to cut flowers. Only I can do it, though.
Oh! This one can go in my hair!"
 

 

Fortunately Zane preferred to lounge. 

With a Wink and a Nod

Say no more . . .

Turning Loose and Hanging Tight

We were turned loose a couple of weeks ago. Instead of overscheduling ourselves, we're aiming to fill our summer with enriching activities. Sometimes that means impromptu skating and chin-ups. Other days it means something entirely different. Allowing each kid a turn to choose what we do, gives the other kid a chance to hang tight.

Glowing

Decades

I'm thinking in decades today.

20 years ago today, Adam and I had our first date. At the time, I could not have imagined where that date would take us.

40 years ago, at the end of May, Grandma and Grandpa were united in marriage. The duration speaks volumes to the depth of their relationship. What amazing examples they are.

10 years ago, on June 3, we moved into our Dexter Avenue house.

Often I don't feel I know where the time has gone. But then again, when I take the time, I do.

"Since time is the one immaterial object which we cannot influence -- neither speed up nor slow down, add to nor diminish -- it is an imponderably valuable gift."

~Maya Angelou

Congratulations

This school year flew by. In the beginning, Vanessa could not stand loud and high noises, so she covered her ears and usually fell to pieces when she heard them. Her nerves were so rattled some days, she would chew off her nails and suck on the sleeves of her shirts. She didn't like the sounds of the bells, the alarms, and whistles. She worried she would miss hearing the whistle announcing the end of recess. She worried she'd forget computer passwords and/ or type them in wrong. She worried she would forget her library book on library day. She feared giving the wrong answer even when there was no right answer. She worried others would be left out. Most of these things I could never have imagined being challenges for her.

But in the end, Vanessa has overcome a huge part of her sensitivity to loud noises. She never missed hearing the whistle and was always on time. She always typed the password correctly (except for when another student left the caps locked.) She focused on earning green faces and earned one every day she was in attendance. She was trusted to go to the library by herself, using her own library card, and she always returned books in a timely manner. She ran errands to the office. She took her time to color in the lines when told she had to. She encouraged every friend to participate and to try his or her hardest. She protected her friends from intimidation of bigger school kids. She earned Smart Cars for enthusiasm and responsibility, which were displayed in the school's hallways.

Congratulations, Vanessa! You shine so brightly!

Below are the lyrics to one of Vanessa's favorite songs. It makes me smile to think this may have been her theme song for the year. You can click on the title to hear the YouTube version. She also likes the song Gold a lot. It's linked at the end of this post. Vanessa is like her dad when it comes to ease with memorizing quotes and lyrics to songs. I love to hear HER sing and dance to these.

"Ready Or Not"
(feat. Lecrae)

I tried to cover my shine
I've tried staying in the lines
I I I don't wanna hide
No not tonight
You you you want me to take my light
Fit it in your box right
I want u to look me in the eye eye eye

Ready or not
Here here here I come
I'm about to show you where the light comes from
Oh, oh, oh ready or not here here I come
This is who I am
I wont hide it
I'm a take it all over the world
To the young to the old every boy and girl
Ready or not here I come
I'm a show the world where the love is

I'm not ever selling out love
A love out loud is what it's all about
Giving everything to see the lost get found
Yeah, it's going down
You, you, you want me to take my light
Fit it in your box right
I want u to look me in the eye eye eye

Ready or not here here I come
I'm about to show you where the light comes from
Ready or not here here here I come
This is who I am
I won't hide it
I'm a take it all over the world
To the young to the old every boy and girl
Ready or not here I come
I'm a show the world where the love is

[LECRAE]
I refuse to keep this buried deep inside of me
Yeah this little light of mine, it's time to let it shine a bit
'Cause there's no point in hiding it
It's everything I am
The source of all my hope
And it's the reason why I stand
And I pledge allegiance to be somebody real
There's no more holding it back
I'm showing them how I feel cuz love is more than a word
It's a noun, and a verb, and hiding it is absurd
Ya heard

Ready or not here here I come
I'm about to show you where the light comes from
Ready or not here here here I come
This is who I am
I won't hide it
I'm a take it all over the world
To the young to the old every boy and girl
Ready or not here I come
I'm a show the world where the love is

"Gold"

Family Vacation 2013 -- Day 7 (Mingo Falls, Oconaluftee Historic Village, & Fishing)

I'm thankful I made a list of things and crossed them off as we went. When I updated the list on Thursday, there were perfect suggestions left for how to spend our last day. We ventured over to Cherokee, NC to check out a supposed impressive waterfall that required less hiking than any of the others we did. So going was kind of a given.

Getting there was a bit of a drive up and down a chain of Smoky Mountains. But we accessed the falls via rural valley roads. Once arriving to the falls parking, we ventured up a set of stairs. At the top, we walked another 50 to 60 feet to a small wooden bridge. Indeed Mingo Falls was impressive. Daddy decided to head off the trail and bridge and to climb up close to the waterfalls. Yes, I prayed we would not be screaming for a rescue. You can see in one picture where Daddy took a picture of us on the wooden bridge as he climbed up. You can also see in that picture another dad on a fallen tree trying to capture a perfect shot. Both made it back safely. :)

On our way back to Gatlinburg, we stopped at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. We took the time to explore the Historic Village. It was a worthwhile experience.

Our fishing wasn't well planned. And by Friday afternoon we just wanted to keep our promise. No fish were caught, but great effort was made. Vanessa and Zane threw in the poles, which is all that matters. (Out of frustration, Zane sometimes threw in the whole pole.) It would have helped to have seen a fish. :)

When the kids were done, they were anxious to get back to the condo to go swimming. We decided on an easy dinner of mac-n-cheese and grapes. :) We raced to the pool to find that the summer vacation season had officially begun -- there were LOTS of people. Our very kind, pool/vacation friends, the Reeds, had left the morning before. Adam and I are digging the fact that we typically vacation just before or just after the summer season.

When we left the following morning, Vanessa was torn -- she wanted to stay but she was also ready to return to friends in Ohio. Zane could have stayed. Dad and Mom would have enjoyed a little more time, but we were thankful for the time we had. Before leaving the area, we filled up on gas at $3.19. I remember when working at a gas station from 16 to 18, the average per gallon was a $1.19. A lot has changed in 20 years!