To pee or not to pee.

I can't believe this is what my life looks like these days. My journey through parenthood has taken a strange detour into uncharted waters. Toilet waters, that is. In an effort to get my 3-year-old to pee in socially appropriate places I have resorted to drawing a pathetic looking Squidward (a character from Spongebob for those of you in the dark) on toilet paper. I then challenge Sam to pee on poor Squidy. We've had a successful two days of this...so successful that the other two males in my house are even on board with this game. Hey, whatever it takes to get the job done. Wish us luck!

Herb appeal.

I have a growing collection of herbs on my kitchen counter and a full-blown herb addiction to go with it. For some reason, everytime I'm in the greenhouse I feel the urge to bring another one home. Right now, I have lavender (pictured above), two basil plants, and something called lemon balm (smells just like lemon scented Mr. Clean, another of my secret loves). We also have four broccoli plants and four cucumber plants that are needing attention. Yes, I realize these are not in the herb family, but the boys picked these out. And when my kids ask for veggies, trust me, I'm all over it. Getting back to the herbs, I have no big plans for the lavendar or lemon balm. At the moment, I just like to scratch and sniff them. While I research what to do with these little gems, does anyone know how to pronounce the word 'herb'? Is the 'h' silent like I've always thought or is it pronounced Herb, with a strong 'h' sound, the way Martha Stewart says it? I hate to argue with the queen of all things domestic, but seriously? Herb. It makes me think of my high school physics teacher.

Baited and hooked.

He had us at 'mealy worms'. That's all Dad had to say to bait us the other day when the kids and I ran into him at the greenhouse. With a smirk on his face, he said, "I picked up some fresh mealy worms this afternoon...wanna go fishing?" It took me about 4 seconds to run through the following thoughts...'Not sure what I'm doing for dinner...Will has homework....there are no clean socks in my entire house....the dogs need to eat....' and I said, "Sure, we're in." It was the best decision I made all week. Here are highlights from our afternoon at the old fishin' hole.

Bait was discussed.

And fishing began...

We waited...

Techniques were covered...

The pros discussed where the biggest fish might be hiding.

And then, tug!

a bite!!

Grandparents scrambled to offer assistance...

And Papa coached Sam,

'Ok, now keep the tip up,

reel him in slow,

let him fight you a little,

tire him out!..."

And before we knew it, Sam had caught his first fish of the season.

In a rare show of unforced affection, Will hugged his little brother and told him, 'Good job, buddy!'

When the fish flopped back into the water, Sam experienced a moment of deep sadness.

Which was quickly replaced with fisherman's pride. Here he is asking two minutes later, 'Did you see that fish I caught??"

Then it was Will's turn in the spotlight.

Look at the way this water beast is fighting!

What a workout!

Will proudly holds his mammoth trout before throwing it back.

Several more fish were caught.

And we decided it must be a good spot.

Guess someone else thought so too.

Can't wait to go back!

photo collections.

I love collections of photos. Correction. I am {obsessed} with collections of photos. I can't get enough of them and I have to fight the urge to turn every random photo I have into some type of collection. Whether the group is based on one subject or several, color or black & white...I love groups of images so much that I actually catch myself grinning. They speak to me. And I just smile back. Here are a few recent groups that I'm reflecting on today.

{grinning}

{more grinning}

~

Have a good rest of your day!

Memories and memorial planning.

This morning Mom, Betsy & I met with Rev. Lisa Hickman in the church's little library to discuss Papa's upcoming memorial service. Lisa has the most amazing ability to weave scripture together with memories, poems, song lyrics, humor and insight. I can't think of a better person to trust with Papa's service. She's an absolute gem and I feel truly blessed that she has been part of this journey with us. If you're blog hopping, check hers out @ http://writingthemargins.blogspot.com/

Memories were shared.

Hymns and scripture were discussed...

And at the end of our time together, Lisa closed with the most beautiful prayer...you know the kind that makes you fight the ugly-cry face. Lisa, if you read this...thank you for your endless supply of energy, wisdom & humor. Papa thought the world of you and so do we.

Roots.

I don't know about you, but when I experience a crisis of some kind (a loss, tragedy, major change) all I want to do is go home. I want to be in a place where things make sense, where there is order and where most things are predictable and under some control. One place that makes me feel this way is the family greenhouse. I grew up across the street from it and I can't so much as drive by it now without being bombarded with decades of random greenhouse memories.

I don't know if it's the rows and rows of order that make me feel peaceful...

Or if it's simply all the blooming goodness...

and the memories that go with it...

Maybe it's the smell of potting soil...

and the way it feels to plant something...

Or maybe it's realizing that I am someone else's roots

that helps to put things in focus.

Whatever it is, sometimes it feels good to just go home.

Thank God for roots!

Good distractions.

Sometimes the best way to get through a rough patch is to simply get distracted. Luckily for me, the last two days have been packed full of little gifts to give my mind a break from thinking about Papa.

The kids and I discovered this nest of robin eggs on our porch yesterday. Watching Momma bird come and go has been such a little blessing. The kids keep asking to see the eggs and we've checked on them three or four times already. We have names picked out for all six babies (most are 'Bobby' or a variation of this). And I'm happy to report that Momma bird has been very tolerant of our intrusiveness...so far, at least.

Speaking of wonderful distractions, I saw these grape hyacinths while at my mom's house today. I love, love, love them. So do the bees apparently. One stayed still just long enough for me to get the following shot.

Family and friends have made for good distractions as well. Tonight we spent a little time with our neighbor Todd, who happened to be outside with a bucket of fresh fish that he and his buddy caught today. He had a table set up outside and let the boys watch as he cleaned a bunch. We love him because he's always up for silly. He had us all laughing in no time.

Finally, we burned some energy at the new house with our favorite cousin neighbors. When Elyse came running through the yard in bare feet, a striped dress, and her hair in little piggy buns, I was so glad I had my camera with me.

Thank goodness for distractions!