Glen Rose awesomeness!

We headed to Glen Rose this weekend.  We were supposed to go Mother's Day weekend, but Holt was out of town. This worked out perfectly.

Beautiful people, weather and family time!!

This was our house kitty, Caleesee

T had his own little play yard right outside of our box car - our weekend accommodations rocked!!

The main house had animals to pet and feed...

and awesome walking trails

We headed into town and had dinner in Hollywood

Took a pit stop for a funny photo

and headed back home.

This was Holt's spot to hang and watch the stars at night

Here was the inside of our boxcar...

awesome!

Each day we went to the barn for breakfast...

on the way - more animals!

after breakfast T and Holt tried to lasso a bull

 then we headed to the big rocks to hike and play

Saturday T was CRANKY so we drove 5 minutes to Fossil Rim.  We did it again Sunday too.

Yellow shirt = Sunday = very happy kid

he's got his "noculars" to look at the animals

Last time we were here, the giraffes at out of my hand.  No go this time, bummed for T.

This guy was hysterical.  He looks mean, he wasn't- he was just trying to open reaaaaal wide and let us drop the food in

I mean REAL WIDE!!!

Now this little snotty pants tried to steal my bag of food and pretty much thought about taking a finger off.  It's official, they freak me out.  Big Bird  --> you skuuuuur me.

Does this cage make my butt look big?

more hiking... more smiling

out of order... oops - more Fossil Rim

and a few lessons in slingshots

Got it!

Saturday we went to the dinosaur museum... 

my quote on this was

There's tall... and then... there's T-A-L-L

So thankful for time away to just rest, relax and recharge.  I needed it, we needed it.  Being in nature and around some really fabulous people has a way of recharging your batteries!!!  Thank you Lord!

Grace Academy 2014 Field Days

I truly hate missing stuff.  Hate that I can't be at every event... every THING... every "fun" thing....

Thankful to my friends for making me FEEL like I was there.  :)

Me N- T

Man... I love this kid!

Mother's Day

Sometimes as a mom, you feel like no one really SEES what you give.  It's thankless, it's hard but it's worth EVERY ounce.  It's days like last Friday... when Mrs. Hull sends home Mother's Day cards that I realize SHE gets it, she knows a mom's heart and she KNOWS what mom's need.

I needed these:

Tristan explained each one to me and showed me his tiny fingerprints.  I get very emotional with this stuff - because I'm no dummy.  Most of my friends have older kids and they keep telling me the horror stories of how fast it all goes.  I get that.  I feel like I've missed so much of Tristan's life but then, if I'm honest, I've been blessed to make so much of it.  Like I was there when he first crawled and walked ... not everyone gets that.  I've been at every school event - because my boss KNOWS what this means to me.  I coach soccer and t-ball... and these parents put up with me... because I NEED this.  I need to feel like I'm having victory as a mom.

And he loves me....

So for Mother's Day, I decided the best way to make ME happy was to make him happy.  Daddy thankfully didn't argue.. he just played along

Literally.  54 rounds of golf were played....

Go Karts were ridden...

and he even drove himself

Thumbs up - nice job T-Man!!

And Daddy wanted BBQ for lunch... so that we did!

SO everyone keeps asking me what I got for Mother's Day and I can HONESTLY say

the best gift on the planet....

TIME.

Tristan Holt Barber - you are the greatest thing Daddy and I have ever done together and apart from each other.  Thank you for being the other love of my life.  I love you!!

PS - and I have the best Mom on the planet... sad I couldn't be with her but thankful, SO thankful that she's my best friend.

PSS - pretty rock-star Mother-in-law too - Love you Ruth Ann!!!!

Our baby blue...

The other day Tristan came in yelling "MOMMY - A BIRDIE IS ON THE GROUND AND IT CAN'T FLY!!!!

Sure enough, a baby blue jay was on the ground.  It was going to through it's normal fledgling but it was on the ground (again normal) but not with two Ridgebacks!!

I put on gloves... and walked towards him.  He AND his mama skwaaaaaalked at me.  Poor scared baby.

I pet him head and chest and then put him back in the nest.

I checked on him after church and he had perched himself on another limb and he was crying.  

I hadn't seen his mama in a while... so I gave him some water... he guzzled it.  Then I started reading up on what to feed him if she didn't come back.

A few hours later... I checked on him and he was on a very low branch, near my face and he was trying to nuzzle me.  I couldn't resist...

he was happy.  Of course, T wanted to hold him too.  

He was a little, well, less relaxed about it.

I checked on him before and after work on Monday... 

FINALLY, the mama showed up at the tree and she was just looking at me like

"I've got this".. I smiled and quickly backed away.

Check on him again this morning and he's gone.  Very blessed... because I just KNOW he made it!!

Love you little birdie!!!!  Thanks for making me feel like Snow White!

T and Co represented at the YMCA kick-off parade

My little guy is getting a cold.. but toughed it out to go march in the parade at the YMCA

5 going on 15 

*SIGH*

Best buds (blinded by the sun - sorry boys!!)

This reminded me of me n Poolsie

She was 12, I was 16... and when we couldn't be "us" we were each other

Batter up Co!!

(and yes, he, T and Rett killed it!!!!)

So proud of my boys... onto coaching another sport.  God help me!  :)