Juniper and more....

I finally got to pick some juniper berries. Now I am happier. They represent fertility and health. I needed some positivity in my life with the challenges we have been facing lately. Some of the other herbs growing in the yard are doing well also.

Eliot's tooth

And there goes another tooth. Now, that is a big "window" in her mouth. That is what Lyn says anyway.

Etta is 6 months old today!!!

Mama is sick with strep throat and possible mastitis but Etta is a happy yet petite half a year old. Wow, it feels like I just pushed her into this world almost in her caul. My sweet Etta....

Etta almost 6 months old

In two more days Etta will be 6 months old. That went real slow and then really fast!

I was looking back at pictures of Elaina at the same age. They are so different.  Not good or bad.... just an observation.

All you need is Hope

Etta helped me show off my order of Young Living EOs that I received free using my ER points.  Hope has to be my favorite. ..

I got you Etta

Ben wanted to hold tiny baby..... Etta is getting so big!!

Candle time

A little flame to bring balance tonight....

Picking wild strawberries with a spider on top

The little kids had a blast collecting wild strawberries in the yard today. I love that my kids are learning how to identify wild edibles.  Ben even found a spider that in his opinion was "sooooo cute".

Mother's Day

So bittersweet.....

I have birthed 9 children .I have been pregnant 12 times. Being a mother is the largest part of my identity.  My children  are the parts of me that will go on. I may never be remembered by my actions or what I do to support humanity but my children will go on and their children and so forth. 3 of my children or at least two more than likely wish they had another mother or no mother at all. Connor, Danny, and  Annika live with their father and the boys really have to be made to spend any time at my home. Annika went to live with her father last July so she is OK to spend the night in her old room sometimes.  Connor hasn't been over since Christmas season. He called this morning to say he didn't want to come for the day. I validated his feelings but told him this was a special day and he had to come see me and his grandmother.  I am so afraid my sensitive 13 year old Connor is drawing more and more into himself. I let him go when he was 5 years old. I suppose at least half of his challenges are my fault. I don't feel that his father meets all his needs but do we ever have all our needs met? But he is a child.....

Everything ended up going well. We all  went to church and everyone behaved themselves and enjoyed the last RE class of the year before the summer curriculum begins. Latter in the day we collected flowers for Granny and her mother in law for Mother's Day. I feel picking flowers grown in my own yard and those wildflowers collected in common areas mean more than store bought ones.

Happy Mother's Day!

Buck Creek Festival

Eliot, Evan, Annika, and Lyn had fun today....

Today....

I had an early shift at work today so I got home in time to do something outdoors with the kids. I almost called it all off though. I tried to take something out of the oven and burned my finger. I really need to leave all of the cooking up to my husband.  After I sulked for a while we headed to the playground at the waterfall.  After all the flooding they were replacing the mulch around the playground equipment that got all moved around.  The kids still had fun. Lyn brought her sketch book. Eliot found a dead fish that I was convinced was a fake until I cut it open at home. I thought it was a fishing lure. Short outing but worth getting out of the house.