{to my boys}

Today you turn five years old.

Five years of being your momma, as you've started to call me again. I secretly love it. OK, maybe not so secretly.

Five years of you needing me, and me slowly realizing how much I need you. I'm sorry it took me awhile to come around. I'm like that with all big changes in my life. 

And now that you are no longer babies, I'm hanging onto those last bits of holding and rocking, boo-boo kissing and cuddling. I wrote this for you...

***********************************

And So We Do

"Mommy, will you rock me?" he says in the room lit by two night lights and insulated by artificial ocean sounds. 

"You're too big to be rocked," was my immediate response.

A small whimper. The same request again...this time pleading.

I'm exhausted. Frustrated. Aching for a bit of time to call my own.

You just want to be rocked. 

To feel the strong yet gentle hold my arms offer. The slow rocking as your toes graze the carpet each time I bow to the right. 

My right arm cradles your long lean legs, the crook of my elbow a sling for your limp knees. You melt into me. 

"What song do you want?" I ask. This plays on repeat most nights...sometimes four or five times before your sleep comes. 

"I love you Benny," you whisper. This is my made-up lullaby. 

Back and forth our bodies sway in unison as I softly sing the words, "I love you Benny, oh yes I do." It is a short session, much unlike the ones when rocking was a part of our routine, in a proper chair, the repetitive sway making my eyes as heavy as yours...both of us drifting off to a quiet place together. 

I often admire your feet. Still untouched by the world. Smooth skin. No callouses or cracks. They remind me that your spirit is the same...so naive to the world I knew that causes my heart to race and ache. 

You just want to be rocked.

And so we do.

***************************

Happy birthday my beautiful boys...I'm so thankful to be your momma. 

{plak that giveaway}

I have an exciting giveaway for you today!

Plak That is offering one lovely reader a medium wood print of their choice. So fun, right?!

Haven't heard of Plak That? Here is a bit of info from their website:

With Plak That you can create awesome wood prints using your own photos in minutes! What is a Plak That?  Its similar to a printed canvas, except its printed on beautiful wood that shows the unique character of each piece! Our revolutionary process prints directly on the wood, creating beautiful wall art that will last a lifetime. 

The winner will get to choose from a custom wood print in either the 10.5 x 16.5" or 14 x 10.5" size. 

Here are a few examples of the prints they can create...

I love how the woodgrain shows through. So beautiful. 

Enter below for your chance to win...good luck friends!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

{sweet summer}

We roasted our first {normal sized} marshmallows of the summer yesterday and I forgot how much I love the taste, texture and smell of those toasted lumps of sugar. {see yesterday's post for the miniature version.}

The slightly burnt, sweet flavor.
The charred outer layer that dissolves on your tongue like cotton candy.
The melted, but still snow-white middle.

YUM.

I think the boys had more fun playing with their new swords skewers from their Gigi than eating the marshmallows, but it is all part of the experience, right? :)

Half of the marshmallows didn't even make it to the fire!

Ahh...tastes like summer!

What tastes, textures and smells remind you of the warmer months coming up?

Linking up with...

{a summer first}

"Look! The fire is making lightening bugs!"

He watched the embers jump from the flaming, smoking logs, dancing upward, only to disappear after a few moments in the night air.

Landon fashioned his own fire pit with two small sticks and a red plastic IKEA bowl perched on top to mimic the flames. I rescued a bag of stale mini-marshmallows from the pantry and skewered them with toothpicks, so the boys could have a pretend roast of their own.

We laughed as Dan toasted a few of them over our real fire and made an impromptu s'more with bits of a chocolate Easter lamb and the chewy, browned bits of sugar, sandwiched between two graham crackers.

Our first two campfires of the summer.

Sweet, silly memories.

{in memory}

My Granddaddy was a radio operator in WWII...these are a few excerpts from his war journal. 

"Maybe you have never seen the sunset on the sea. If you haven't I can truthfully say that you have missed one of nature's most awe-inspiring sights. It is something you can't put into so many words. The water was as smooth as glass and most of the men lolled about on the deck stripped to the waist to get the full benefit of the sun and salt spray. In the distance we could see a whale spouting a farewell to the dying sun as it dipped, it seemed, into the blue Atlantic.

It was the last day of May, and although the ocean never ceased to amaze me I was getting pretty tired of water. It was a very hot day and the many soldiers on the crowded transport made it seem even hotter. I still hadn't felt that little bit of nuisance they call sea sickness but some of the boys were hit hard and I lived in constant fear of catching it too. They say it is all in the the mind but some of those boys seemed to have it in their stomachs too, or maybe I couldn't tell; course I'm not a doctor.

D-day passed and our boat neared Liverpool. There was much excitement and general good feeling aboard when we came in sight of England's emerald shores. Thousands of squawking sea-gulls swarmed around the the ship from stern to bow picking up scraps thrown from the gulley port holes. If man could ever learn to fly like those birds he would have mastered a truly fine art. They would glide gracefully from a good height and skim deftly over the edge of the waves without touching the water except when a piece of bread or other morsel hit the water.

The beautiful and aged British-Isles - where history is written on every hand in the time mellowed ruins of its old castles or the tranquil beauty of a glassy canal with an occasional barge plying the still water. The cities had suffered and truthful evidence was everywhere. There were whole blocks without a house standing and as I traveled through the United Kingdom I found that every large city and most of the smaller towns and villages had had their quota of bombs on their factories and residential districts. The blitz had taken its toll in lives and property, but the Englishmen could still smile and look forward to a brighter future."

I love reading through his journals and poems...maybe I'll share a few more soon. :)

{DIY button flowers}

A few years ago, I bought the cutest button flowers at a local craft show. They looked fairly simple to make so I took a shot at it and came up with these...

These are super simple and you only need a few supplies...

I like to use three different sized buttons for mine, and make sure they have large enough holes for the floral wire to fit through.

Start by threading all three of the buttons onto the wire...

Next pull through quite a bit of the wire, bend it back toward the buttons, then thread it back through...

Twist the wire together tightly at the base of the buttons and wrap the loose end around until it is all wrapped together...

And that's it! I love how these turned out...

You can really have fun with this project...there are SO many different colors and types of buttons you can use. Hope this has inspired you to make a few of your own!

{april insta-life album}

April's insta-life album was so much fun for me. It came together so easily, and it didn't hurt to have some new supplies to play with...

Past albums: January // February // March

If you have any questions about the supplies I used, leave them in the comments!

{hello friday}

Hello Friday!

Hello to my crazy boys who will be 5 years old in less than a week...

Hello to finishing up another monthly insta-life album. Hello to a new treat that I'm looking forward to indulging in tonight. Hello to a new read from one of my favorite authors. Hello to stepping out on my own.

What are you saying hello to today?