These flowers are all wild in Island Park, Idaho!

In a word it’s simple; you do what you know and know what you do. Yet there’s something magical that happens when we see someone doing what they know and you just sense how right it is and how good they are at it. This is what I feel every time I spend a moment with my Uncle Bill.
Last week he went out of his way to hitch up his team and take us all on a wagon ride:

To him, this is just every day life. He loves working with his horses on his ranch, he loves widdling away his hours in his basement/studio making new creative works from wood, canvas and wax. But to me, this is magic.

I managed to capture a small glimpse of it when I did his website for him several years ago. The man is just amazing to me.

And then there’s the fact that he takes my daughter under his wing and teaches her in the most simple moments this way of life. Like how the horses know their names and they respond with verbal command and sound not slapping of the reigns to get them to start. She loved learning how to steer them. I felt a knot of emotion as I watched him coaching her doing something for her that I can’t. Because while I grew up around it, I didn’t live it like he has every day of his life. To him, this stuff is like breathing air and these horses are part of him.

In fact, the one on the left, Babe is not only 16 years old but she’s the mother to Bally (sp?) on the right.
Now you can say you’ve had a view from the top…er make that back? *giggle, giggle, snort*

I hope I’m tapping into the things in my life that I’m good at and that I know. I hope I’m sharing those things and making the world a better place for my having lived in it. There’s more to doing what you love and loving what you do and I think the key to that is somewhere in this piece of knowing it.

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Family Sharing Positive Impact Inspiration Memories

It’s nice to have family blogging now. My sister-in-law just posted a fun video clip of the kids doing sparklers. So I get to cheat and just post the link here:

Happy 4th of July

You’ll hear Blake in the background as well as some crazy sparkler happy kids.

Tuesday is one day I set aside to catch my kids being good. My friend, Kelly put the seed in my head with her weekly blogging series and even though I may miss writing something I find that every Tuesday I reflect on positive things my kids are doing. Today I have to share about my Cid. While far too often I get this type of sibling jabbing:

On this most recent trip to visit family I witnessed a whole new side to my daughter. She was so loving and caring with all of her cousins. She reveled being big enough to be a babysitter and it’s something she did really well!

So this Pass The Torch Tuesday goes out to her for being such a wonderful and responsible helper last week. I know I’m not the only one who noticed and appreciated her efforts. She truly is growing into a young lady right before my eyes.

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Family Sharing Positive Impact

Can you say tired of sitting? We just returned from our trip home to visit family in Idaho and let me tell you 16 hours in the car for a bonsai driving trip is a long time to be in the car. And you know you’ve driven that stretch too many times when you recognize tiny changes in the many one car towns you drive through. It was all worth it, especially for the kids who had an absolute blast with all their cousins. My daughter cried the night we had to leave and she’d been there for two weeks! Clearly there was no burnout for her.

The week was packed with fun and entertainment. We started with my husband’s 20 year class reunion, a jam packed memory event. We snuck in a night at the cabin in Island Park, took in a parade, played water games and even got to be there for the new arrival of my sister’s baby. The rest of the week was showered with trips to the movies, eating out and staying up way too late visiting. It makes me so very grateful for the wonderful families both my husband and I have. Family is truly where it’s at.

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Family Sharing Blogging Memories

How do you keep your sanity during summer vacation?

Wordless Wednesday HQ

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Family Wordless Wednesday

I’ve been blessed in my life with sisters. One older, two younger and one sister in law. This picture was taken last summer when we all got together for a weekend.

Sisters fill a need in a girl’s life. If you didn’t have one you likely adopted a close friend or associate in place of one. If you were lucky enough to have one, you had a need filled long before you knew the need existed. Women need women and the meaningful relationships that result in their lives. It’s why the bonds of mother/daughter and sisters are so powerful. These relationships aren’t just handy, they’re down right convenient because no matter how mad you make your sister, how terribly you fight they are still your family and there’s that unwritten rule that family has to love and accept you no matter what.

We’re all totally different, yet so much the same. I cherish every relationship for what it is and can’t imagine losing it. My older sister was my comrade as a little girl. We played together, laughed together, cried together. I was so sad when she got married before I’d hit the dating stage as I’d always dreamed of doubling together sometime. I got to make up for that years later on a double date with our spouses. *big grin* My younger sister and I got off to a rocky start. She was just enough younger that we didn’t have the comrade bond as youngsters but she looked up to me and tried so hard to do and be all the things she saw her teenage sister doing. Only now that I have my own daughter wanting/trying to be a teen do I fully comprehend this great pull. Now that we’re both moms we seem to have the most in common and what our relationship lacked as kids it has found ten fold as adults. My youngest sister shared a special bond with me because I was old enough to be more of primary care giver to her and I adored babies. Her baby is due during the same time we will be visiting next week and while we can’t put a finger on exactly what it is, there is just something really comforting to both of us that I’ll be there for it. Then there’s the sister in law that plays a solo role because we only have one brother. She’s like the back scratcher that reaches that itch you just can’t quite touch on your own. I love talking with her, sharing stories, views, opinions and experiences. Her wit and warmth radiate from her. And I have to include my mom in the sisterhood circle because she’s always been one of the closet to me. It sounds corny and cliche to call her my best friend but in so many ways she’s always been just that - always there for me when I needed her then and now.

The unfortunate element of the family bond is that because we tend to believe there’s a no matter what clause we often treat our family members the worst. I look back on my relationships with my sisters and I can see where I was better to my friends most of the time or even complete strangers than to my own siblings. That makes me sad now. The upside is that time is a great healer and the relationships I share with my sisters now is so sweet and so wonderful.

I’m sure I wasn’t always the best sister. In fact, I’m sure the same could be said even today, but I am truly grateful for the chance to have sisters and for all they’ve given me. So to the comrade, admirer, baby doll, back scratcher and confidant I send my heartfelt thanks for helping me learn how to be a sister and how to appreciate having one.

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Family Sharing Relationships

My summer time continues to be somewhat erratic and so today I’m just going to share a simple post with some recent photos of what’s been going on.

My sister in law sent me this picture this morning of my brother’s arm. He’s the one that lost the recent tumbling match with a boulder. This makes me glad of who I’m not.

Tay and mom conversing in his typical fashion of late.

Rescuing a baby bird - another Tay find.

Keeping cool at the pool and with water balloons.

Enjoying Arizona nights.

Cid coloring her T-Shirt. (Never too busy to strike a pose.)

Tay coloring his.

And last but not least more pool side fun with the bubble blower and new sun glasses.

I’ve been working on a post for a few days now that’s still not finished. I can’t seem to find 5 minutes to rub together to spend at my computer this summer. When I do find a few precious moments I can’t find the motivation to do what I wanted! At any rate, shorts and funnies are fast and easy and I have another great one today. My son is the culprit again.

A few days ago we were walking out of the movie theater. As we approach the car my son pipes up and says, “Son of a brick” which brought an onslaught of laughter from mom on the drive home. Great parenting hugh?

I remember when my daughter was his age and also very susceptible to words and influences. The one I remember her sharing was the day she asked us if “bull-uh-sh**” was a bad word. I couldn’t even answer.

I’m not sure why it’s so funny but there’s just something about your little ones sharing what they hear in cuss words that’s down right hilarious. Bricks and stones may break my bones (just ask my brother who recently lost a match with a boulder) but mispronounced swear words will slay me! Bwa-ha-ha.

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Family Funnies Sharing Motherhood