It's Fall Y'All

Love the season of Fall. I love the colors, the temperature (when it finally gets cooler), the smells, and the start of new schedules.

Here are a few shots of the things around our home (inside and out) that make me so happy that Fall is here:

Candy Corn and Pumpkin Spice M&Ms
These are not my favorite flavors, but love the colors

Enormous mums from Costco for $10!!!!

Pumpkins for the steps

Mums and pumpkins

A white pumpkin thrown into the mix

Wreath on the coat rack

Being a Mom

Mothering is a tough job. If you are a mom you already know this. It wasn't until I became a mom myself that I truly understood what it must have been like to be my mother. To spend her nights worrying about her daughters. To question the decisions she made on our behalf. To attempt to soften our hurts and defeats. I wonder how many evenings she spent thinking about us and hoping we were out in the world making good choices. I wonder if she shed tears and cried when we disappointed her. Did our hurtful words cause her to loose sleep? And when we did the right thing, did she feel an overwhelming sense of relief?

As I move through the world attempting to be a good mom, I just wish I knew if I was doing this whole gig the right way. It would be such a comfort to talk with my mother and ask her if I was making good decisions for my girls. Am I helping them see the world clearly? Am I properly equipping them with the knowledge they need to be a good friend and to avoid the people who aren't good friends? Are they venturing out in the world creating a happy life for themselves?

When they were very little I wanted my girls to ultimately end up well adjusted and happy. I still have the same goal for them, but as they have become preteens/teens I'm acutely aware that the road to happiness isn't quite as easy as I once thought it was. 

As I think of my mom, I know that she wanted this same outcome for my sisters and me. She wanted us to be happy. And, what better tribute to her and her success as a mom, then to live a happy life and to keep on trying to be a good mom to my own girls just as she was to us. 

Daisy Doodle

Sweet Daisy appeared to be posing for a photo on the stairs the other day.

So, I had to snap a picture. Shelly wanted a little picture of the two of them. Here they are together:

Gymnastics

Shelly decided she wanted to take gymnastics classes this year. Her last time at this gym was the year she was in Kindergarten and she took a tumbling and trampoline class. That class was made up of 6 kids and they were all boys except for Shelly. She hung in there with the boys, but I think she wanted to join a class of girls this time around.

Waiting her turn

She is loving her teacher Ms. Allyson and her classmates. And, she is learning some new gymnastics tricks. A fun way to spend a Monday afternoon. 

Ready to go

Attempting her cartwheel

A running gymnast!

Taylor Swift

The girls and I went with friends to see Taylor Swift last Thursday night. Let me just say I loved it!!! 

I had previously read this article about a mother's view on the Taylor Sift concert. I just have to say that my experience was completely different than this woman's.

Taylor Swift put on the BEST show. You got your money's worth and then some. She had such a good message for this audience of young girls. So impressed with her!!!

September 11th

Thinking and praying for those who lost their lives on September 11th. And thinking of those who lost a loved one. God Bless.

Summer is Done

Summer has come to a close. We had a nice summer and spent lots of time with one another. I loved seeing the girls hang out together and laugh and entertain themselves. We had some really fun highlights this summer that I hope we don't forget:

• The Darius Rucker concert
• Going to the beach with the girls
• Trip to Mississippi with John and our friends the Kings
• Lily and Shelly organizing closets, bedrooms, anything they can get their hands on
• Pottery painting
• Busch Gardens with Krissy and Aunt Linny
• Visits from our family
• Boating and tubing at Smith Mountain Lake
• Days at the pool with friends
• Our trip to Ikea and Charlotte
• Boone and the Linville Caverns
• Cherry picking
• Pretzel making
• Decorating the girls' bedrooms
• Root beer making
• Hair videos by Shelly
• Cultivating our little garden
• Scrapbooking our memories from the summer

Lots of memories and tons of fun. It was a happy summer and now we are ready for a Fall filled with cooler temps, pumpkin treats, football games, and a little more structure.