There is nothing cuter than watching 6 year olds run. Seriously, they are just little balls of energy darting down the track. There are three categories of runners at this age.

1. The totally serious, who are out there to win, determination all over their faces.
2. The somewhat serious, who have great potential but are just having fun.
3. The totally non-serious, who are just plain happy and really not so focused on the finish line.

Gillian is currently in the second category, she definitely has it in her to be a good runner.  I figure she is just barely understanding what Landsharks is all about. (tee hee).   All I can say is “keep an eye on her, runners.”

I love that Gilli  has a smile on her face as she runs, like she is just enjoying the wind in her hair and floating on pure adrenaline.

I am very proud of you, Gillian girl.

Some weeks are so packed full of memories and go by so fast that it is important to take a look back and recount the blessings before they are lost.

Sunday: Great sermon from Paul Tripp, capping off a great conference.

Monday: Gillian finally has a loose tooth. We start our new reading streak. Day one of one hundred.

Tuesday: Chivalry revisited. Hayden’s Den Leader in Cub Scouts scheduled a night for these young men to sharpen their “how to treat a girl” skills. With the help of several little sisters, the boys were able to help the young girls into a car, hold a door open for them, set a table and serve the lovely young girls a dessert.  This mommy was very much pleased.

Wednesday: Gillian gets glasses. She is so stinkin’ cute, I could just gobble her up.

Thursday: Family visit from our VA Russell branch, the kids adored their second cousin Stockton. I enjoy a night out with girlfriends.

Friday: Snow day, yes Spring-time in Colorado.   Mom and dad come by for a visit.

Opening the door for Gillian

What we are currently reading to the kids.

There is nothing better in parenting than the little nuggets of wisdom, laughter or joy that your children can bring you.

I had three such nuggets today that I had to capture so I can remember for ever and ever.

Hayden has always and forever been an early riser.  This kid is so awesome that typically he is showered, dressed, snacks packed and ready for school before I get out of bed. Well this morning Kip had to go in and wake our sweet boy up at 6:30. Shaken and not quite sure what this is all about Hayden wakes up and says “Are we going to first and second hour today?”

LOL Poor kid thought it was Sunday. Gotta love it!

Second nugget was from Gillian. Today was her first day of Landsharks (running club). She was so excited to join and be part of a school sport, secretly I think she is just social and wanted to be with her friends but, hey! Anyway, tonight Kip asked her if she enjoyed Landsharks and her response was “Yeah, it was fun……not really sure what it is all about but I had fun”

tee hee….kids are so stinkin’ cute. I just had to laugh. Here my poor child is excited to join something she wasn’t quite sure she was joining. If I think long and hard enough about that, it is actually a little scary.

The third and last nugget of joy for me today was when Hayden and Kip came home from their “guys night out”. I asked Hayden if they had fun at the Apple Store and his reply was,  “Mom, when we walked in the store, I just felt dizzy, it was like a dream…I was in heaven!” If you know my child, you know he is a techie already and to say he loves the Apple Store is an understatement.

Kids say the best things to cheer you up, don’t they? I am blessed.

I just love watching our children grow into the young people that they becoming. My son, who as a little boy used to get much joy from merely observing others around him has grown into a young boy who loves to be part of the action.

Kip and I have always said, “Hayden does things in his own time” and continues to hold true.

At a recent Pack Meeting, Hayden was asked to be part of the Color Guard and he accepted, unfortunately I missed this wonderful event but I understand from Kip that it was very special.

I cannot say enough about how God has blessed us with our group of boys and leadership.  I love the vision that the parents and leaders have for these boys.  I pray that God will grow these bonds with these boys and that they will grow into young men together and hold each other accountable.

I am proud to say that these awesome, young boys have met all of the requirements for their Wolf  badge, they along with their dedicated Dads worked very hard this year.  They will begin their quest for their Bear Badge in the Fall.    Congrats to you Hayden, we are so proud of you my son.

This week we took Gillian for her first full eye exam with our favorite Optometrist, Dr. Bergamo.  Gillian has been getting several headaches so we decided to start with getting her eyes checked. Although her eyes are NOT ‘bad’ there are some issues that glasses can maybe help with. She has a small astigmatism, which apparently runs on my side of the family, and a minor issue with her eyes converging when she is looking at something up close.

So my precious baby girl gets her wish, she gets her glasses.

I just hope that she will quickly learn to care for them, responsibly.  That’s not too much to ask now, is it?

“Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and “springtime” refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth.” ~ Wikipedia

Today the sun is shining, yet the temperature is still only 47 degrees.  I am very happy that currently the wind is not blowing and causing so much trouble.  You’d think as a native, I would be used to our windy Spring season. Truth be told, I detest the wind so much that I must suppress the memory year after year.

I would not say that Spring is a favorite season of mine as far as the weather goes. But, I do love being witness to God’s glorious transformation. I love watching the trees bud and turn green again and watching our lawn morph from adead, dry, brown mess into a lush green carpet blanketing the earth. Mostly I love hearing the new life emerge from the birds in our trees and the lovely flowers blossom all around us.

How could anyone doubt the existence of our awesome Creator?