The Winslows

You probably remember Marty and Amy from previous posts. They live in southern Missouri, Amy was 9-months pregnant, and they came all the way to Richmond to see us for less than 24 hours. **sniff** I love them.

This is Noah; he's basically awesome. He's the oldest of, soon to be, three girls. He has worn glasses since he was little bitty and after a miraculous surgery, the details of which I cannot disclose, he can see. I would love to tell you the story, but you'd have to ask Amy. She knows I can't remember stuff.

This is Anna. It took a long time for me to get a picture of her looking at the camera because even though she's not really shy, she was not interested in having a photo taken. She's just this adorable in real life.

And you have to meet Emma. Leila just ran in here in a frenzy and said, "MOM! Who's that cute giwl?? Who's that cute giwl? Hers so cuuuute!" She really is too. She talked to me on the calculator for a long time. We're bff.

Dale rarely holds kids that are not his own, so it surprises me every time. He makes me laugh.

I prayed for this friendship for a long, long time, and God does not disappoint. I can't tell you how thankful we are to have friends that are like-minded, having the same love for Jesus that we have. It makes me teary just thinking about them. We are anxiously awaiting the birth of their newest little one, so say a prayer for a safe and healthy delivery and baby. We love you guys!

The Suttons

I love country living. I used to sort of look down my nose at people who spent all their time sitting in the yard staring at nothing, drinking iced tea. Now it's the way I hope to spend the last half of my life; funny how people change. You may recognize Grandpa, Pawpaw, Dale and Marty.

There's no denying this little sweetness!!! She loves strawberries and she's mine.

This was taken before the sun moved and the trees were shading this half of the driveway. That's Aunt Marsha standing up and then Cousin Jamie is sitting on the end in the blue shirt. I just love this family. It's so fun to be a part of it.

Dana and Kennedy sat over there and talked for a long time. This is what she misses the most, no doubt, is being in the midst of the kids running all directions around her. Boo! Waaah! I miss it too!!!

These little gentlemen, I barely recognized. They belong to Cousin Lisa. Liam is on the left and Ronin is on the right. They were so funny! Liam is like a little ball of sunshine and Ronin is the typical firstborn, all business. So cute!

This is Aunt Angie with Jordan. I think he outweighed Deisha by at least 5 pounds, and he's 3-4 months younger. But boy is he snugly.

Kiera's picture is a little dark, but she belongs to Tracie, Marsha's daughter. She came across like a delicate little flower. I barely heard her speak until I ran into her telling someone to get out of the way. I guess when you're the youngest of four you better be able to hold your own!

Maybe it's just because she never got too far from me, but I ended up with a lot of pictures of Deisha. I threw our exersaucer away because Deisha never wanted to play in it. She wanted to run. But when she saw how much fun Jordan had in this, she had to try it out. It was hilarious to see her bouncing around in it. She seemed too big for it, but maybe I just threw it out before she was ready for it. These are the things that you would think I should know at the end of six kids, but whatever.

Oh yes, now here's Kiera again, and this time with Jade, Jordan's older sister. She is a hoot. This was so much fun for my kids to have all these cousins around them, all genders and ages.

Tracie is in the black t-shirt, she has the four kids my kids' age. Her mom is Marsha, next to her. Then Dana is sitting with Tre across from them and Kiera is in the background. I just love this family. Let me make a note here on one of the more critical elements of my trip home. Take a look at the table, do you see those giant Sonic cups? That's right. Sonic, baby! Every day from 2-4 Sonic sells all their drinks for half price. What's more is that there was a Sonic just down the street from Dana's house and my mom's house. It was so easy to just swing in there and get a Diet Vanilla Coke every day. I never drink that much soda, but have you ever had a drink from Sonic? How 'bout the ice, seriously? The ice alone is worth the stop! BOOOO! I MISS SONIC!

Anyway, more pictures tomorrow! xoxo

Third Stop: Mawmaw's House

We only lived in Missouri for a few years, but those years were so significant that I feel like I'm home when we're there. These are my adorable in-laws. I just love them. And I especially love when we are all here together in the kitchen, getting together a good ol' country spread.

And this is my awesome sister-in-law, April, whom I also adore. We had so much fun with her while Lonnie and Dana were working.

This is Grandma and Grandpa Welker. They came over for our homecoming party. You wouldn't believe the food at these gatherings. I don't think I've ever been around a group of people this big that could all cook! SWEEEET!

Here's Cousin Kaylee. She was just as happy as she could be to have some older girls to play with finally! They had so much fun with the Barbie collection in Mawmaw's basement. She has two brothers and a sister; I'll post pictures of everyone else at a later date.

This is Cousin Jenny and her little dude- Second Cousin Jordan. This is a giant, snuggly, marshmellowy, lovey dovey angel with huge blue eyes. He's precious! He also has a sweet sister, but I'll have to add more photos. I'm having trouble moving pictures around. Hopefully it will just repair itself for tomorrow's post. Happy Day to you!!!

Second Stop: Day Two

Meet the Conleys, this is Bert and Dallas is in the background making pizzas. I can't fully express how significant this family was to me growing up, so you can imagine how excited we were to know that they were hosting us for their famous Conley pizza at their house.

It felt really strange to see my kids playing with toys in the very same spot I used to park my Barbie car for the drive-in movie...

...and seeing them sprawl out on the sectional like it was their second home the way it was to me....

... was just pretty exciting for all of us, especially these twins in their brown(ish) dresses.

This is significant because this giant table still looks brand new even though we played ping ping on it, made forts under it, fought over which seat we'd get at meal time, and this is the same pizza the made our mouths water all those years ago. Still just as good as I remember it being.

It was just really cool to share this home with my own family. The kids even said, "Are they like family to us?" To which I tearily said, "Yes..."

Enter Jon Jenek, Sarah's new most favorite person, a title I did not easily relenquish!

Leila insisted on having this spot between Dale and Jon, which was so funny because she looked so tiny between them.

I think this paper/rock/scissors game was to determine who got the last little root beer. These two crack me up.

After dinner, I held off as long as I could, but finally kicked all the kids off the piano and took it over. The same piano we all used to play chopsticks and that old booma-chucka song on. Sarah took over when Deisha wouldn't cooperate. boo... I miss my piano...

Dinner was wonderful, the visit was delightful, and in the end I was thankful to be grown-up because my life is so rich and everything I hoped it would turn out to be. Thank You, God, for the small things. And thank you Conleys for a lovely evening!

Second Stop: Nanaland

This trip may not have happened if I hadn't been on the phone with this pretty lady who convinced me that we needed to come. I mean, basically she told me that every one's lives would amiss if they didn't have the opportunity to squeeze us and see our smiling faces in real life. In reality, it was a cooperative effort on the parts of all of our hosts, our generous parents and the net of love drawing us that made this trip possible so thank you to all of you!!!

I don't know if you've ever been to my mom's house; it's a very warm and welcoming place for people of all ages. I love going there. Quite a few years ago, my dad built this little replica of their house for the kids to play with. It's stocked with a full kitchen including a table and chairs. It's a lovely retreat from the blazing summer sun.

My mom and dad are DE BESSST!!! Sometimes I feel guilty talking to people about my childhood because it was so good. We're talking Ward and June had nothing on these two! No, that's ridiculous. No one lives like that in real life, but my parents were good to us. I am continually grateful for the head start they gave me for my life. They are more in love now than I've ever seen them and it spurns me on in the journey.

Nana always keeps a full supply of dress up clothes in her toy closet which Leila immediately ransacked. There's a tree house in background that goes up into a two story play place and extends out to provide swings in the shade.

Oh, here's a picture of my Sista.

Meet Keegan, my nephew. I fought tooth and nail to win this kid's affection every time we were together, but with little progress. Now that I'm a million miles away, I'm sure my attempts were in vain. But he's so dang cute I just couldn't help myself!!!

And Maren... oh dear. Just look at these two! We sat outside a lot while my brother and his wife were visiting, and I could have watched them play together the whole day. They were instantly best friends, except when they were wrestling over a toy. We're talking real deal wrestling. Hilarious!

Oh, have I mentioned my sister Sarah? She's the younger of the two of us. And she's delightful.

And here in the horse tank is Gavin, my brothers oldest son. I fell in love with him right away; he reminded me so much of Kennedy at that age. He's even-tempered, a helper, and a peacemaker. You can't not love this kid! He's such a good boy. One night I told him he could sleep in the big boys' room and he was thrilled. Then when I talked to his dad, he said no because they had to get up really early the next morning. I felt terrible but I knew I had to be the one to tell him. I tried to break the news delicately knowing it was going to break his little heart, but he just said, "OK." Not a tear, not a scowl, not a screaming tantrum, just acceptance. I was so proud of him! Such a sweetie!

My brother T.R. and his wife Mel are youth pastors in the inner city of Kansas City. I don't think I need to tell you how crazy you have to be to do that job and love it. They're nuts and a blast and I adore them.

Monkey boy talked about climbing this tree for weeks before we got there. He was pretty pumped when he finally had the chance to get his hooks in it. I wish I would've taken more pictures of the yard; it's so pretty. Flowers, tomato plants, a brick patio, twinkle lights around the perimeter... it's just lovely; a really nice place to sit while the kids play.

BOOOHOOOHOOO I miss you too much!

First Stop: Denver

OK, so actually our first stop was in Utah and I didn't take any pictures, but it was relatively uneventful. We stayed in a nice hotel with an outdoor pool. It was walking distance from a little plaza where we ate pizza and drank lemonade. Bedtime came early, and the next morning we ate make-your-own waffles from the breakfast buffet, and then hit the road at about 6:30am.

**Let me tell you one of the benefits of home schooling. My children get all the sleep their little bodies need. During the school year, we start our work when they are up and ready. Sometimes it's early, sometimes it's late. They are growing and changing, and I am fanatical about sleep. I fight for it when they're babies, and I encourage it as much as possible when they're bigger. It's something I've read a lot about, which is why I believe one of the major contributors to the dysfunction in our society is sleep deprivation. My kids sleep. On the flip side of that, when I need the kids up early, they get up without a lot of drama- usually.

Second night on the road we stopped in Colorado to visit Jack, this daaahhling alpaca. Surprising, Jack isn't a show animal, he's a companion and he was Dale's favorite. Such a cutie with his buck teeth!

This is Aunt Erin, my sweet sister-in-law who happens to be carrying their first baby! In the background you can see Jack and I can't be sure, but I think next to him is Pilgrim, a beautiful and nearly perfect show animal.

This is my brother David next to Erin showing some of the other Alpacas that they've bred and raised on their Alpaca farm in the mountains. This is one of my favorite places in the world. My brother's life is the epitome hard work and the abundant return of that. I love it. And they are so laid back, I just love being with them. I always look forward to the next time when we are making our way down the steep windy driveway.

Here's my crew after an 11-hour stretch of driving. We were all pretty fried, but aren't they so precious? I adore them!!! We stayed one night, barely twenty-four hours with them, but it was wonderful.

boob tube

I never wanted to have a TV. I proudly announced to my husband-to-be that I didn't want one in our house, instead I wanted a nice stereo system that occupied the place of a television and filled the house with music instead of mind-numbing chatter. He was on-board and for the first few months of our new life together, we didn't have one. We never bought one, never received one as a hand-me-down, never looked for one, the TV was a non-issue.

Thirteen years later, I am happy to announce that we have not fallen into the flat-screen, high-def era; instead of buying a new fandangled giant flat screen that hangs on the wall and connects to surround sound, we paid off our debts with our tax return last year. It was magical.

I have to admit that I have fallen into the TV-Nanny shenanigan and done everything I swore I would never do in starting my children's days off with Dora and closing the day out with Spongebob. BOO on me! But on our trip, my sweet husband and I have come full circle and decided to abandon our new friends on the tube in exchange for-- well, conversation, I guess. This morning we played music and sat on the couch. I loved it. It's the life I've always wanted. I'm praying that it lasts.

At this moment I am uploading pictures some of which I will post tomorrow, so get... get... get... get ready!

"I like living here"

While I was unpacking and sorting and cleaning and making meals, the kids were running the neighborhood with their friends. The doorbell rang seemingly continuously from about 10AM to 7:30PM. When Dale got home came home for lunch, I was chatting in the kitchen with my neighbor and he said, "Did you know there's a little boy watching TV in here?" I had completely forgotten that Hunter was in the house and Tre went outside to play. It got pretty crazy, but the busyness and activity was just what we needed to distract us from all that we left behind.

It's 70 degrees here, which feels strangely like the fall after being in a 110 degree heat index for a week. There are mountains and beautiful wild flowers everywhere. Our neighborhood has embraced us as their own. We have a reason for being here.

Last night I went out to pull the truck into the driveway. When I got out Jasmine was standing in the yard and said, "I like living here." I had to laugh to myself because I was feeling the same way and said, "Yeah... I guess we had to get away from here to realize how good it is."

I still want to move closer, I don't think I'll ever be truly content being three days from home, but God has blessed us and I can't deny those blessings. My life is goood... RRREALLY GOOOD! And I am grateful.

On the Rebound

We arrived home yesterday at 3:30 and when we walked in the door, everything looked white, sterile even. Dale had the place sparkling clean, and the cabinets were bare, and the shelves were empty and the shower showed little sign of inhabitants. It was strange. The kids talked about how small it felt. The water tasted good. Max was leery of us at first; and honestly, I think he's a little bummed that we moved back in. At 4:00 the doorbell rang and on the other side of the door stood a bearded stranger with a full head of hair that vaguely reminded me of my husband. Leila and Deisha stared and backed away from him. Everything has changed. I don't even remember what channel Spongebob is on.

My house is a disaster area from the front step of the porch to the sliding glass doors to the backyard. I'm living out of a suitcase and this morning, it occurred to me that I could actually put my hairspray in the bathroom closet. I've gotten so accustomed to gathering all of my things every time I leave a bathroom that it seemed like a new concept.

In spite of everything, it feels like home because Dale is here and we are together. There is a sense of wholeness that comes from just sitting next to him on the couch. I adore him and need him in every part of my life. It feels good to have that again.

I'm excited to post some of the thousands of pictures that from our trip but today I'm still in recovery and have a long list of things to do before Dale gets home tonight. It was so wonderful to see all of you and I pray that it won't be long before we are a more permanent fixture in your regular lives.