We are twenty months apart. His given name is John. He goes by BJ. I call him Johnny. Johnny and Katie. We did everything together. There were only three girls in a neighborhood full of boys, so right there on Las Palmas, I learned how to frame stand on a dirt bike...
Family
Mary Alice’s 1st Birthday celebration {or reasons open adoption is amazing}
Mary Alice turned one a few days after my grandmother passed away. In my pantry were the cutest little decorations and plates and napkins you ever did see. Mom had everything ready for me. But after that phone call, I just didn't feel like celebrating. I was okay,...
Goats and Motherhood
If you follow @thesimplefarm on Instagram, you know that it is the time of year for little goat babies. I spent some time with the adorable tiny things. They were so precious. And fast. Did you know they are crazy fast? I guarantee you that it is impossible not to...
Happy 16th Birthday Julia!
On March 14th, 1998 your father proposed. The engagement ring was so beautiful and classic and simple, which was exactly what I wanted. A few months later, one of the prongs that held the diamond broke. We found the diamond and asked our friend, Chuck Konderla, who...
A Midsummer Night’s Dream {Ville de Marie}
{Julia as the Lead Fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream} Our school. I can't even explain how amazing it is. We belong to a small, wonderful Catholic school named Ville de Marie Academy. This school. It is filled with children who love God and serve Him with their...
Picnics – just because
Very soon, it will be eleventy million degrees here. We are soaking up all of the picnic dinners we can. There is something amazing about eating outside. We sit around a little while longer. We talk and laugh a little louder. We dance to the country music daddy puts...
Playing at the backdoor
I'd forgotten how much you play outside when they are this little. They love the dirt and the rocks and the sand. They point at airplanes and imitate the doggies barking. They smell eat the flowers and remind you to slow down. You can't take your eyes off of them, so...
Happy Birthday Mary Alice!
Photo Credit: Dream Photography Studio (Thank you, Stacey. I will treasure this picture always! The ring you captured in the picture was the ring my grandmother, Mary Alice, gave me when I graduated high school.) Oh Mary Alice... where do I even start? You are a...
Maybe that’s why I’m here…
Yesterday morning, Brian received the text from my mama that my grandmother had passed away. It was time to take the big kids to school, but Julia wasn't feeling well. She had laryngitis, could barely speak, and was exhausted. Brian scooped up Mary Alice, asked Riley...
Grandma Thompson
African violets and the perfect shade of pink nail polish. A drawer full of juicy fruit gum when we came to visit. She would gush over how much she loved my daddy. What-a-burger on a normal day, Jason's Deli after church, and Red Lobster on fancy occasions. Drives out...