Ethan's 17th birthday, beaches and some weepiness

can't believe this guy is 17. 

Salted caramel pie....mmm mmm delish

funny guy

This is a show that never gets old, skanky, commercial-y, questionable, political. It's all GOD, all the time.

I DID get in the water. it was flippin' cold.

a thingy in the water. 

This was the Tuesday before we left. The waves were extreme and there was a gaggle of surfy guys out there all day long. It was rather difficult to get a pic of them. This is also the day that I let my littlest kids get sunburned.

These may be the last pix that I took with my camera, on our 2013 trip south. I did finally get all of the pix off of my phone and hope to get more on here but you can also find them on FB.

Hoping to have some of those up soon...

It's really really cold here. I mean like 32 degrees cold. Surely it'll break soon....

Molly started gymnastics last week and absolutely loves it. Her teacher, Miss Tamara, is an adorable little Mary Lou Retton-looking chicklet and I think this will be so good for Miss Moo.

We also got a new car yesterday. We'd sold the Rendezvous and thought we'd be able to finagle transpo with David's white work van for a time, to kinda save money but it proved to be a bit more difficult than we thought. So, he got a really good deal on a fuel efficient Mitsubishi Outlander sport. It's Laguna Blue. I'm really glad he chose a vehicle with some pizzazz. We're drawn to grey vehicles, clothing, paint, paper, whatever so this is a nice change. Levi is OVER the moon with the new car. It's small, cute, peppy and safe for our kids or David to plug around the city in.

In other news, well, today would've been Jack's 20 month birthday, if he'd stayed. I visited his spot at Forest Lawn. it was so cold out there....

Sometimes, outta the blue, it wops me upside the head that my son isn't with us. That we have a spot, other than at our home, where we go to sit, visit, remember someone that belongs in our home. For whatever reason, he is not here. well, there's the obvious one...knot in the cord...but you know what I mean...he was perfectly healthy. he was perfectly whole, beautiful. There are people that kill their babies every day or themselves or other people...just shakin' my head. I don't know what my point is except that I'd give my left arm to have him here. I'd never ask him to come back here though. I will forever look at the pictures of that sweet boy and remember exactly how I felt when it was taken. it comes back FRESH, like a slap in the face and a wad in my throat...my baby died on his birthday. I just know God is using this for good...and so I keep my face up, cry when I see new babies in person, or on TV or wherever....and just thank Him for Jack.

That is all I can do. Praise Him for the ways in which He works and for loving me so much to walk with me on this road.

Ok, I'm gonna go cry now...

all is well.
all else pales in comparison to living, learning, loving the Lord.

everything.