blessed beyond measure

"It doesn't get easier. Just different." I don't know who first said this to me, but I can remember the sound of her voice and the feeling of my heart deflating. Whoever she was, is ahead of me in this grueling marathon and would know. Some things do get easier. Remembering the newborn sleep deprivation, the dark abyss of giving up on naptime, the 24/7 watchful eye, the exhausting endless playtime with a side of guilt over wishing for a moment to myself, and oh the bodily fluids. (Not mine.) In general, these super-hard parts of being a Mama don't plague me quite so much anymore. But as one challenge vanishes, a new one always arises. A more grown-up-kid, less-decidedly black-and-white one. And the thing is, no one asks. It would be the real-life game of Would you Rather : a) constantly patrol Youtube for inappropriate content or b) have someone at the door listening every time you go number two. But you don't even get a vote. Which really doesn...

It was our year for sunny Florida, and one of the best vacations we've ever had. Though it didn't start out that way. My cold the week before got much, much worse during the two-stage ten-hour drive. First stop after we arrived was urgent care, where I finally got the Amoxicillin my body so desperately needed. Motivation enough to plow through the mucus and torso-wrenching coughing spells and have fun on purpose. We chilled in the condo with cards and Legos and screens, went to church, bowled a rather competitive game, ate some yummy meals, shopped at the outlets, walked around Old Town St. Augustine, and wished the storms away. Our big destination was the Kennedy Space Center, which was excitement from start to finish. We saw lots of rockets, the launch pads, the Saturn V complete with capsule and LEM, and the Atlantis shuttle. Which has actually touched outer space, y'all. I wish I could have touched it . Plus we saw a cool Imax movie and so many artifac...

Our family divided for the holiday week, Trey and Brandon staying home to get into who knows what, and Mama and Aden off to church camp. It was the hottest week of the year so far, and the fact that we were almost on top of a rather high mountain might have only made a degree or two of difference. Indeed, camp week is brought to you by the word sweat . I was one of five counselors over twenty kids. Overall, twenty great kids. We had your typical close quarters, smelly and hoarder-style messy rooms, skirmishes and hurt feelings, lost socks and shoes and everything else, snack raids to the kitchen, post-midnight whispers. It was exhausting and a solid reminder that you only really get to know someone when you live with them. But we had fun. This was Aden's first year, and though he got a bit worn down toward the end, he had a blast and can't wait to come back next year. He did the Wet & Wild and Archery tracks. Wet & Wild lived up to its name and was a welco...