The Nettles Family Blog

More pictures than anyone could possibly want to see

November 5, 2023

I do apologize. I think it always takes a while to process a trip but looking back on these pictures, I’m reminded what a wonderful trip it was and how BEAUTIFUL God made the world! I’m reminded of the wonderful people and customs and streets and towns scattered all over the planet that make us smile and bring such joy. What a gift to be able to explore such things :) so let me show you bits and pieces of our adventures!

Here we have Greg convincing the kids it would be way more fun to watch him play the games whilst waiting those three dreaded hours for the plane to arrive. And they seemed to agree :) it was e i g h t y e i g h t in San Francisco. Have you ever dressed in your bulkiest garb for Ireland weather and had to sit in a sun baked airport? It’s quite fun.

They say the Guinness in Ireland depends on the pub and all the locals have their favorites etc. Well, that first night, the Guinness tasted like nothing I’ve ever had before. It was like drinking a cloud! It was so delicious and has stuck forever in my memory as magical. My life is clearly changed. Thank you, Guinness family. And that particular pub.

Their breakfast buffets made me so happy with their full honey combs and pastries galore but especially their beans and tomatoes and mushrooms that kept you full all day so we hardly ever had to eat lunch :D I did look forward to such things.

These two. We had the best time with them! I couldn’t imagine better traveling partners!

Dublin was one of those cities I didn’t really care if we went to or not… but I’m so glad we did! The pictures just don’t capture it but it’s so charming and walkable and friendly and I really ended up loving it! I would absolutely go back if I could!

THE WINDOW BOXES. I came home and told Greg WE NEED WINDOW BOXES EACH PLACE! I just loved them so much! They were all over Ireland and England and they made me so happy!! Of course they get rain, but I could keep them alive I’m just sure of it!!!

Ha the Guinness Storehouse was like a mall. There were so many floors of beer education and so very much to see. I had just finished Angela’s Ashes and he’s always going on about how the men have to go to the pubs after work because we wouldn’t want the Guinness family to starve! Well, I get the impression they won’t be starving any time soon ;)

Abbie tried her first oyster! I tried my first oyster with Guinness! Luke fell in love with an air plant!

We finally made it to the top with the most lovely of views and EVERYONE WAS JOLLY!

And then Greg and his family were off to Jameson and the kids and I walked back home and got to see little bits of the city here and there which was simply my favorite!

First stop – St Patrick’s Cathedral complete with boy with broken legs!

Thank goodness they had a playground that miraculously healed said legs!

All the emotions were had!

And then that night we went out to the most unexpectedly delicious dinner! And ice creams with things in it! And all the pubs were packed for the rugby world cup AND IRELAND WAS PLAYING!!!

And the next day we were off to Trinity College which, in my head, is exactly what college should look like.

IS THIS TOO MUCH TO ASK!?! It was so pretty haha

I think I wanted to attend Hogwarts. But the library was empty for renovations I think? and other things didn’t work out but it was still fun to walk around in and pretend I was much smarter than I was. My favorite part was hearing the most beautiful choir waft out of the chapel! It was all just so lovely!

In the first pub we went to, Lory asked if their fish and chips were the best and the waiter answered honestly, no. If you want the best, you have to go to Bray. So off to Bray we went in search of the very best!

I really liked the little we got to see of this sweet town. Maybe it’s just the sea. I love the sea.

But he was right. It really was the best fish and chips of the trip! Complete with the best mushy peas :)

And then we were off to Kilkenny to an estate that literally made me feel like we were in some Jane Austin novel.

The views around that place were just spectacular! And it was so quiet and peaceful! I want to go back :)

Their morning faces are my favorite <3

I wasn’t expecting great food in Ireland but we had so many incredible meals! I was so pleasantly surprised! And the other thing that surprised me wereeee the fake flowers everywhere!!! Ha! They were everywhere! Both Ireland and England! I always saw these elaborate flower displays on Instagram, outside of shops and stuff and wondered how they kept them fresh and alive. Now I know! They are very pretty! We just don’t really see that here :D

My personal favorite <3 gimme all the dead flowers!!! I love them so much! But seriously, isn’t their form and structure just stunning?? I was in heaven. Greg sees things differently ;)

So. many. hours. in. car.

And then we were off to Waterford!

Have you ever been to a crystal factory with three wiggly children? It doesn’t make you sweat at all.

What a fascinating tour though! Starry Starry Night was my personal favorite but I was just blown away by the craftsmanship and skill involved in each piece. And getting to see them work was so special!

And then off we went to see a whole lot more of this

I just never got tired of seeing it. Their landscapes were so pretty to me! I probably have one thousand blurry pictures of green and hills and cows. And a few ruins. It’s just magical!

But then we made it to our little schoolhouse where we spent the rest of our time!

It was the tiniest little town but drop in Susan was so sweet and even brought the loveliest scones! There was a cow! And a beebee cow! And there was the most beautiful estuary to gaze upon and such.

Luke’s teeth were fallin out all over the place. One fell out right before we left. One fell out in Ireland. Another in England. And another right when we got home. Now he is symmetrical.

I LOVED the castles way more than I thought I would. They are so spectacular in person. Even driving by, you don’t really get it but WALKING UP ughhh they are so beautiful! I’m normally so embarrassed about touristy things but every touristy thing we did was so much fun! ha! Greg signed us up for this dinner in a castle which I really didn’t know what to expect but there was singing and mead and delicious food and no utensils and it was just so much fun, I’m so glad we did it!

It’s just so fun to go in a real castle and see a real dungeon and go up the super tiny steps in the super narrow staircase and see the things we’ve been reading about – silly but it’s such a dream come true for me to get to do this sort of stuff with the kids :)

The next day was really fun for me – we ended up stumbling upon this little beach town (which, I don’t really think of Ireland as a surf spot, but it felt oddly comforting to see little surf shops all around :) ) and again had really good food in quaint little pubs and it was just all those things you want in an outing :)

And then it was off to see the Cliffs of Moher which I really wanted to call the cliffs of mohair cause that’s what my brain kept doing. My goodness. I kept hearing there are other cliffs… you don’t have to do it! but I’m, again, so glad we did. They be so pretty!!

I don’t know if this ^^ is ballet or karate, but it is the pose that kept happening.

The next day we were determined to finally get Abbie a jacket, poor girl, and headed off to the Ring of Kerry which is just, unfathomably beautiful. Like, you kinda get sick of seeing so much beauty. Yuck. I’m just kidding. It’s ridiculous. But ALSO the variety! There were so many different TYPES of beauty and landscapes… it was just such a treat for my misty mountain loving soul.

My sister had said she couldn’t find many (or any?) shamrocks in Ireland. This was the only resemblance I could find. Does it count?

And then everyone humored me by going to Limerick the next day… cause again, Angela’s Ashes ;) I LIKE SEEING THINGS IN PERSON OK!??

Also the birthplace of The Cranberries anddd The Irish Coffee… which was also the best I’ve ever had in mine life if I do say so myself.

Now THIS castle I loved! There was so much history that we have been learning about and again, just so fun to go into these real places and be there! I hope it sticks in the kids heads but if not, I’m really enjoying my second education ;)

Abbie looking right at home ;) can’t blame her.

The Ring of Kerry was a l o t of time in the car the day before so we promised the kids a playground date and ohhhhh there was so much good. Abbie was pouting cause no one wanted to play with her and two seconds later she was leading around a whole posse! They were all wondering why we were even there because no one visits Limerick on purpose, they said. She was the first person they had ever met that used American dollars and none of them had ever left the city except one had been to London to see Beyonce :D hehe they were so cute. And the park was packed and everyone had the most wonderful accent and it was just fun to be amongst locals. Oh! Another thing I was surprised with was how many people spoke Irish. I guess I thought it was sort of a dead language but it’s not.. all the signs were in Irish (big) with English (smaller) underneath.. Irish is very much alive! And it’s called Irish, not Gaelic, we found out. These are the things we learned ;)

So there’s an address in the book that was just around the corner from the park.. not sure if he actually lived there or not but Greg was nice enough to check it out with me :D And it was fun to see some of the churches mentioned and little places here and there… I think there’s actually a museum we could have gone to but, NEXT TIME when I drag my family back to Limerick ;) we went to yet another fish and chips place and looking at the menu, I had no idea what to order, so naturally, I tried to confidently order what the guys in front of me ordered and came out with a very large amount of food.

And then we were back to the Shannon that kills. One more thing about Angela’s Ashes and then I’ll shut up about it. The dad is always going on about the (river) Shannon that kills cause it’s always damp there and people are dying from all sorts of diseases because of it and such.. well, I was reading it one day and then it hit me. BABE, I said, where did you say we are staying on the west side of Ireland? And then I realized… the quaint little schoolhouse that was so affordable right on the water was ON THE SHANNON THAT KILLS ;) The Shannon estuary not the river so maybe it makes a difference but anyways, that was the joke. We ended up all getting sick (ha! after visiting the Shannon River!! JUST NOW PUTTING THIS TOGETHER!!!) and yes, I was maybe worried she would do her killing but we survived. And she did have some pretty sunrises :)

And then we roused our sick selves and headed off to Galway for our last day of Irish Exploration!

I really just wanted to see some live music while we were there so Greg was sweet enough to find a pub that had such and my trip was finally complete!

We really loved Ireland. My pictures don’t even begin to capture how stunning it was. If you are a lover of moody landscapes…. it’s just :’) so :’) lovely. And the rock walls everywhere. THEIR HIGHWAYS WERE SO STUNNING! My beauty loving heart was just so happy. And the people were so kind and we just had the best time driving and driving haha all about! I shall miss it very much!

But then we had to say goodbye to Lory and Jen :( and hopped over to England where someone threw an epic tantrum on the airplane, someone may have cried, and all of us were very much wanting to head home too! Ok maybe it was just me. I was so tired and so ready to be home but we kept calm and carried on, as the British do. Greg spoiled the kids rotten (ok and me :D ) and surprised them with all the fancy things. We are all utterly rotten, once more.

That bed was so comfy. Our bed before, the sheets weren’t quite big enough for the mattress and kept shifting all night so this was a real treat :D

Oh look pooplets.

I loved London. I feel like we barely got to see any of it but everything I saw I loved! We’ll just have to go back I suppose! For now here are the basics :)

Here’s another touristy thing I actually really ended up enjoying!! Whaddayaknow!! Greg really wanted to see Westminster Abbey and I’m so glad he did cause WOW ohmygoodness the architecture and and and art and statues and all the things!! And all the dead people! I didn’t know there were people buried under there. That was strange but here’s Sir Isaac Newton..

But my goodness the skills some people have.

We thought it would be fun to do a high tea with the kids and signed us all up… and then started to do research.. and then remembered the kids, ahem, none of us have any manners and then we started to sweat and dread and hate ourselves for being such foolish uncultured Americans! But then we went anyways and it was fine and they were very nice and my goodness that’s a lot of sandwiches and no one was doing the things we learned!! So maybe we didn’t go to a real one but we tried ;)

It’s hard to be proper when you are the pot of gold.

We didn’t get to spend much more time in London cause we found they don’t like cars. They don’t want you to drive cars. They do not provide parking lots. So we headed out to our people in the country.

Greg’s a huge Top Gear fan and we conveniently h a p p e n e d to be passing by so we stopped in for supplies and such. It was windy. And then it was off to the cutie Cotswolds!

I cannot fathom a place where everything is so idilic but I did pretend I was Beatrix Potter and all the ducks were my friends and it was quite nice. We got some good rain (finally!) and had the coziest little place to snuggle up and play games and try not to hit your head on the light!

And then we walked :)

There was a sandwich. From this shop. I’m still thinking about it. It was it was it was ughhhh it was the best sandwich. I really liked it. Apparently. It was ham and cheese and melty and crunchy and just SO GOOD. And this loaf of bread was good too. My heart breaks for gluten free people. WHAT KIND OF LIFE HAVE YOU KNOWN!?!?

This house was so fun :) the kids and Greg were horrified the whole bathroom would get wet whilst showering, the bath was in the bedroom, one needed to duck to get into the bed, and the whole house needed a day to warm up and stay warm. It was all so lovely :) AND THE TOWNS!

THERE WAS CUTENESS EVERYWHERE!!! DO THEY EVEN REALIZE!?! And then it was one more fun meal and off we went to the next place amongst beautiful scenery each place you looked!

And Greg let me go to one garden which filled up my gardening cup. Mostly because I HEARD HIM ACKNOWLEDGE all gardens have weeds and look dead in October. Even lovely estate gardens with full staffs. And I felt seen and heard and all was well :)

Give me all the rosehips!!! And dead meadowy things!!! I bet you were just stunning in August :)

And allées!!!

AND THEN to possibly my most favorite place of all!!!! But only cause we got to see our friends!! AND ALSO THE PONIES!!!! off we went to the New Forest!

DO YOU SEE HOW MANY ARE SO VERY CLOSE TO THE ROAD!!!!! This is my heaven. I have made it I am in heaven.

THEY JUST ROAM AROUND. EVERYWHERE. HAPPILY. AND IT’S NOT JUST PONIES!!! There are donkeys and pigs and I’m sure other things!!! This was very hard for me to handle. It was all very good. But then we got to see our wonderful friends and that was even better!

And then I got the most delicious birthday breakfast and lovely birthday outing to see lovely cars MY FAVORITE ;) and lovely falcons!! and lovely gardens and estates!! and delicious cocktails and it was all so wonderful.

AND THEN the next day they took us to the most delicious Sunday roast I ever did have. It was inspirational! Seriously need to work on my skills cause I must have such things once more!!!

These people are really special. We miss them a lot <3

And then it was one more walk in the woods with the ponies :) :) and off to Windsor Castle!

The Red Coats came.

And then we breathed a big sigh, had one more delicious meat pie and headed home, thankful for the memories, and thankful for our beds :)

Till next time, Europe you were splendid!

Farewell Summer (and Spring)

October 4, 2023

by hillywoohoo

comment 1

the daily life

Time just seems to be f l y i n g by! My brain can’t seem to comprehend that it’s already fall and where on earth did the time go and what happened to summer and and and! I can hear Abbie’s little voice in my head saying, “mom can you just sit with me?” and my answer is almost always, “ya just a sec, I just need to ….” There’s always something isn’t there? Everything feels so busy right now and I’m forever trying to find a balance. Why is finding that balance such a hard thing? I guess that’s why we have the actual visual of a balance beam or a tightrope walker constantly subtly adjusting to make it right. I just happen to still be in the flailing stage ;) Perhaps that’s why I like taking the time to remember silly, little, rather mundane things. It all goes so quickly and the simple stuff happens to be my favorite stuff. So let’s remember, shall we?

I got to celebrate one of the most wonderful humans I’ve ever known. Forgot to take any pictures but hopefully he knows how much we all love him. He’s exceptional.

One day we were at the beach and the kids start talking to this guy who hands Luke a live shark and tells him to go throw it back in the water. I think it is forever emblazoned in his head as the most courageous act he’s ever done. I was equally terrified and oh so proud. And so glad he didn’t end up as bloody as the lil fellow.

Obviously we spontaneously woke up one morning and drove to get dis doggy

Abbie rode back the whole way home like this because poor Maisey girl was throwing up so much.. things I wasn’t exactly prepared for..

But she slept on my lap in between pukings and looked into mine eyes with all her puppy goodness and I didn’t mind so much having an arm covered in chunks for a couple of hours ;) hey, I had had the norovirus a couple weeks earlier so it was sort of a bonding moment. or something. I think.

We’ve sorta been in puppy heaven ever since <3

But really I saw this and thought it a more accurate description..

She be crazy. I love that she loves to be outside with me but she does like to rearrange any plants I might be planting. She has ideas. She thinks she’s a lap dog which was just so dear when she was tiny but now that she’s giant can be a bit much when she makes herself comfortable up there.

She loves to join us at school

She seems to concur with Bentley that the window should be a door and uses it as such frequently

She loves to make a mess of toys and carpets, trash, dolls

She is often the worst dog!

But oftentimes the best

She’s so very obnoxious but we love her to bits. She brings me so much joy and isn’t that what life is all about? The things that are messy or inconvenient or rob you of some self-serving desire tend to also be the ones that enrich your life the most? Get the dog! They are the best :):) We love that Maisey doggy

Greg and the kids threw me the most dreamy mothers day complete with all my favorite things! I felt so very spoiled

I even got stones!!! ..that I have yet to place because, life.

We got to go on some cutie little school outtings

AND EVEN FINISHED SCHOOL

And then came the boardwalk summer. Oi did we get out moneys worth out of those passes… if I never have to ride another ride again…

Just kidding, I love the rides. It’s the people. But I just said inconveniences enrich the life. I guess I love all aspects of the Boardwalk. Especially the most busiest of days.

Sometime we just go into the ocean with all our clothes on

And then proceed to run through public areas in our skivvies.

Well not all of us.

There were game nights

And REAL concerts with daughters!

She loved it.

There was explosive chamomile to harvest!

And days where Greg went into work and I thought THIS IS MY OPPORTUNITY TO PAINT THE CABINETS!!! Turns out it takes a long time. They still aren’t done..

And we tried this guy red. Luke was very upset that I didn’t like it as much as he did.

And now it’s a clashy brown! But I think I like it? Sometimes? Solidly in my beige stage. Clearly.

And then I didn’t finish the kitchen so I thought it was an excellent time to begin the laundry room

The big kids went to camp!

Little man and I got to hang out with cousins :) er, cousin.

There was a trip to Indiana and Michigan in there!

I really love all these people. I’m so blessed to get to be part of such a great family

There was lots of karate

And making the best of not having sisters

There were fourth of July celebrations!

Greg decided to do his tiki summer on the coldest summer in history ;) but mmmm

Abbie and I made cheese, then a cheesecake, then felt so very domestic, then tried it, then threw it away.

I was so happy I took AAAA picture of my garden this year cause I didn’t feel like I was able to spend any time in it :[ but different seasons give different flowers.. do you see what I did there all metaphor-like

Because I like to remember the flowers when all I can see are gophers and weeds :)

There were lots of chiropractor days from last years gardening ;)

We started school again!

And crafting days!

And more fieldtrip days!

And beautiful moons and mermaids on logs

And fair days — the. piggies. my life is forever changed

And Abbie starting to sneak in and steal my clothes days!!

And lovely nights around tiny tables

Noah just loved roller skating with Uncle Ray’s daughter <3

There were even painting days with my momma!

And celebratory dinners!

And guitar playing days

And baking days

And tooth losing days

And so very much school

This year has definitely been a challenge in the school department but one that I am so enjoying. Still working on not flailing quite so much in the balancing act and trying to find our rhythm but God is so good in how He gently leads and guides and gets us out of our ruts. He is a Good Shepherd and I am so very thankful to walk beside Him through all the hills and valleys. And that’s all my little brain can muster up right now! I hope you are having the most wonderful beginning of your fall. I feel like I can finally acknowledge it now and I’m just so excited!!! Till next time, summer! You’ve been grand!

Happy birthday, buddy!

August 1, 2023

by hillywoohoo

comments 2

Luke Blane

Birthdays are not my thing. I don’t even like celebrating my own… I’ll usually try to plan a trip or some sort of event to evade the whole situation – ahem, I’m looking at you, Europe ;) but this year, it finally dawned on me that I’m the biggest birthday grouch, and for that I apologize. Life is so worth celebrating, so my dear children, I’m so sorry for all my complaining, come birthday season. I just had to get that off my chest in the hopes I’ll do better with the birthdays to come! This kid asked for a Zelda party, of which I knew nothing… I was never allowed to play video games growing up but I can build you a wicked fort and entertain myself with practically nothing so, we all have our skills. Greg said there were keys to unlock different quests. I took this quite literally and ordered actual keys… to unlock different quests. Turns out, it was figurative but HEY it gave them something to look for and all went swimmingly. Also, literally. They had to swim for them..

Someone had the brilliant idea of hiding just one key in a large body of sand and having a bunch of kids dash around atop it, in search of such things..

I really can’t believe she found it!

Someone also had the idea of hiding one small key in a pool of balloons! Never did find that one… I’m sorry, pool management if it gets stuck in your lawnmower..

SOMEHOW another key magically appeared! These keys were l i t e r a l l y quite the hit ;)

The cutest woman with the CUTEST baby bump <3

“Everyone will know it’s homemade…” she said.

“Why do you say that, Abbie?”

The eye rolls are out of control these days… whyyyy do I feel the need to make sad things? I have a hunch it has something to do with how I show love but I’m sorry if you are a recipient at some point in your life. He’s supposedddd to be an ice chuchu but we had some technical difficulties such as but not limited to, many balloons popping and causing misshappen chuchus.. paper mache not wanting to stick to said balloons, soggy messes and slimy hands, and a little girl constantly questioning how it could be that “Natalie had a perfect unicorn, why does ours look like this??” Sometimes I get ideas. I pictured this being a delightful scene of bonding between Noah and I while the big kids were at camp. Forgot he doesn’t like to get his hands dirty. He won’t even eat cinnamon rolls! For reals! Turns out, they aren’t even to this particular chuchu in the game yet so ALL FOR NOTHING!!! C’est la vie

In other news, I made a specific stop to the BALLOON STORE and if you know me and my hatred of stops, this is a big deal. But festiveness was calling and five lovely balloons were beckoning! By the time Luke arrived, this was the only one left. But whyyy. Heat? I want to know the science. The others exploded and this one looked, well, like this.

Turns out, despite my easy, order-a-pizza-and-go-bowling party falling through at the last minute, I really loved making ugly piñatas and planning games that apparently had nothing to do with the actual game, all for this boy. Maybe I COULD be a party person after all! Maybe it’s just cause he’s pretty easy to celebrate. Luke Blane, I am SO glad you are part of our crazy family. We sure love your confidence and humor and sweet spirit. You’re a pretty great kid. Happiest birthday, little man! We love you!

Meet Maisey

April 26, 2023

by hillywoohoo

comment 1

Maisey Mae

Meet Maisey – the healing pup we didn’t know we needed. We had planned on getting another dog in the fall, after our hearts had healed a bit and our summer trips were over, but had heard breeders had long wait lists that you needed to get on asap. So, in my search for breeders, I stumbled upon one that had a fresh litter born April 1… Bentley’s parting day… which just seemed the sweetest way to make the saddest day happy again! My parents had mentioned they didn’t mind watching a puppy this summer and allofasudden I found myself emailing them and asking if they had any left because it just seemed so perfect! Until I got home that night and realized those sweet puppies were only 2 weeks old and needed to be with their momma for another 6 weeks and we’d be leaving my parents with a puppy that had only been with us for 2 weeks by the time we could go get her. Anyways, I guess with puppies now on the mind, I somehow stumbled upon this sweet family with 12 week old puppies and then found myself asking if I could come get one, well, that day… What? I don’t know. What? WHO KNOWS what goes on in my head. Mom keeps saying she was sent from God and I’m starting to believe her cause I think I blanked out a little bit there! Ugh that Bentley dog left the most giant hole. We hated coming home to an empty house… everything seemed deafeningly quiet… all the things that drove me crazy about him now felt like huge holes of hurt that I now missed so much – he wasn’t there anymore to obnoxiously lick all the dishes when I put them in the dishwasher… when the door blew open, as it does so often, I didn’t have to run around asking if anyone has seen the dog or if he’s run away again… I no longer had to step over a giant animal when getting out of bed… I no longer had to brace visitors for the tremendous amount of loving coming their way as he scampered around the corner to meet them. Everything made me miss him. And yet, as I was driving the long drive to pick up this sweet girl, wondering what the heck I was doing, I could feel my sad little heart filling right on up with joy all over again. It’s been such fun seeing the kids get to experience a puppy for the first time. I was so happy bringing her home and yet while the kids played, I still found myself wandering over to Belly dog’s little brick and having a good cry :) cause he was a really good dog and it still hurts sometimes. It’s been a perplexing week of emotions :) Yet, I was just sitting out in the sun and this little girl wanders over and lays down by my feet and I thought how each day my heart feels a little more at peace. She’s starting to fit right into our little family. She’s so mellow and sweet and certainly has her puppy moments but she’s brought us so much joy and laughter and healing and I am thankful. So dear little Maisey Mae, we sure weren’t expecting you but welcome to our crazy family. We sure love you <3

To our Bentley Bear

April 2, 2023

by hillywoohoo

comments 3

that dog Bentley

To my Bentley Bear 7.24.13 – 4.1.23

It’s hard to put into words what this guy meant to us. He really gave all he had without receiving a whole lot in return. You might say he over generoused on the loving bit, often surprising people with how happy he was to see them. He endured many a toddler pull or tug, jump or climb. He was their makeshift seat. He was my morning buddy. We called him Butler Bentley cause he was always at the window watching you pull away, and there to greet you when you returned. He had the best, biggest bark. He loved when everyone was together and even more when everyone was together outside. He loved the sun. He loved the beach. He loved to run. He was a majestic runner. He was a goof. He used to prance around on the driveway, flinging his wubba up into the air and pouncing on it. We called it his buffalo dance. He loved to be in the middle of a hug. His excitement got him called the worst dog many a time, but as John Grogan says, there’s no such thing as a bad dog, just a bad owner. Despite all his neglect and the crazy that surrounded him, if you waited around long enough, you knew he was the best dog. He might carry your shoe around and leave it in the middle of the yard but he would never chew it. He was just one of those guys that was there. Always there. Offering his quiet presence in love. And I sure miss it. I hope he’s running to his heart’s content, leash-less and with no more pain. We sure loved you, Belly. Thank you for being the best dog to this crazy, distracted family <3 We miss you terribly

Mom wanted a video so here ya go ;) ps – first shot, just sleeping… he was notorious for stubbornly lying in or in front of doors :)

All of last year in a mere one million photos ;)

January 29, 2023

by hillywoohoo

comments 2

family days / the daily life

Well, now that we are solidly into 2023, let’s remember the entirety (HA) of last year, shall we? Cause apparently I didn’t document any of it. I was trying to remember what we did… we didn’t really travel anywhere special or do anything of significance… just lots of ordinary days, spinning on by! I still like to remember such things :) Maybe one of my favorite things I did last year was taking the time to try to document my garden. I worked SO hard on it… I love gardening. Literally could do it all the time but UGH there were definite moments of just… one… more… hole….. such. hard. dirt. Must. go. on. Don’t. want. to. Sooooo many plants. So much digging. So many gophers undoing it all. So much discouragement. Lots of tears. Lots of tired. Lots of sunburns and sweat and all the things. So to go out in the morning with a cup of coffee and watch the sun make its way through the yard, or go out in the evening after a long day of school and mental exhaustion… even when everything looked a mess or I wanted to cry seeing one more delphinium get sucked into the ground, I found there was always something pretty to find and appreciate, like a hug to my soul from the Creator of all the lovely things. There were so many birds and bees and all things magical and I came to just cherish the slowing down process that is so needed in this crazy, busy world. So here are a few snippets from this year that I treasure, because it’s winter and I cut everything back hard, and naturally believe I’ve killed it all, and the weeds are in full force and I’m back to being discouraged and exhausted and and and ;) BUT! lest we not forget, seasons are not forever and SPRING IS COMING!!! And we can just try again next year ;)

Got back into bread making, thanks to Aunt Sarah coming to the rescue, once again! I shall try my very hardest not to kill yet another batch of starter :D

Noah went on his first roller coaster ;)

There were little hikes with cousins

And playdates with the sweetest of friends

We finished our first year of two in school!

There was much to celebrate because in reality, more days than I care to admit, looked like this :/

Last year was a hard year of growth in all of us. I saw yet again, my utter depravity and desperate need for a Savior. There were many moments of asking my kids’ forgiveness cause EWW all this gross stuff keeps bubbling up! I saw vicious spiritual attacks on my kids where I had to just stop everything and pray over them because what the heck is going on. I saw God work so powerfully in their little lives. I saw my daughter come to a greater understanding of what Christ did for her. She broke down crying one day because she would never be good enough to get to heaven. What a JOY it was to share the BEST NEWS!!! That NO ONE is good enough. That ALL have sinned and fallen short (Rom 3:23). That while we were still ENEMIES(!) Christ died for us (Rom 5:10). To save us! To make a way for us! The only way! That if we confess with our mouths that He is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved!! (Rom 10:9) What a hope we have in Jesus! Yes, homeschooling can be hard. It’s become very clear to me I am not patient. At all. I have lots of projects that are on my mind and distracting me most days. I am a huge work in progress and full of flaws but boy am I thankful for His extreme patience with me. These conversations I get to have with them, the verses we’ve been learning that are now embedded in MY heart, the battle I get to fight on behalf of my kids… it’s been the biggest blessing. It’s been a really good, really healing year for each of us and I am thankful.

I’ve been feeling really convicted about screen time so catching them actually using their imaginations every now and then just makes my heart sing. Fishing, they are.

There were lots of pool days!

And fun, fancy shopping days!

And stumbling upon the sweetest little man, humming softly to himself, in his own little world, while his train chugs steadily around him :)

There were miracle days where little RC planes got blown away to never never land, and we prayed we would find it, and it just so happens the one other man at the park, went home at the same time and saw it on his neighbors roof and was able to get it back for one very-excited-trying-hardest-to-be-brave-and-not-cry-boy! That one still amazes me in the happiest way :)

There were painting days

And celebratory days of favorite peoples

There were ballet recitals!

And the celebrating of the best of dads!

There were freezing cold beach days!

And super hot backyard water balloon fight days!

The kids loved it when I made them start school mid summer ;)

There were berries to be eaten!

And backyard camping trips with cousins!

We found if you want to put Noah to sleep, paint his face :D

It’s just the best when the husbands make the foods :D

There was the one trip we went on down to San Diego where we stayed in hotels with the COOLEST bedsheets. Or so the kids said ;)

Well, actually that was our Santa Barbara pit stop. I just love it there. How can you not!? You could hear our family making our way down the lovely tree lined sidewalks from miles away but I didn’t care. It was warm and magical and glorious and I feltttt like people loved our loud, twirling presence ;)

THEN we got to San Diego and went to the Safari Park which filled my whole heart up for good. It’s still ever so full.

Yes, there was at least one child lying on the ground wailing about not being able to go on. Yes, this was his face immediately following the picking up of said humans. Yes he knows exactly what he is doing.

This place was such a dream! Maybe it was my expectations – I thought all the animals would be so far away and tiny, but they were all SO close and SO happy and that lion SO looked like it wanted to eat me. It locked eyes and I questioned the thickness of the glass. And then we got to stay in little tents and eat s’mores and wake up to the trumpeting of the happiest baby elephants!! Oh it was all so good and I’m so glad we went!

We got to be just a tiny little net away from a happy little cheetah and promptly got a shuttle escort from the park so as to not be a further liability. (Someone kept falling down and bleeding all over the place ;) ) Our kids inherited our grace and walking skills..

We were then off to our next hotel where the kids quickly adjusted to their new lives of relaxation, waiters and pool side dining. WHAT ARE WE DOING!?

We made a day trip out to one of Greg’s favorite youtube mens to eat tacos that resembled barf. But they were actually very good. Thanks, Sam.

I just love exploring with this little family of mine. Next was Luke’s birthday! I also love when I get to benefit from other people’s birthdays with yummy breakfasts and pretty views. He had to blow out his candle in the conference room on account of the windy wind ;)

AND THEN WE WERE OFF TO LEGOLAND!!

These were definitely my favorite part. THEY WERE SO AMAZING! Some people have cooler jobs than other people.

And then we were back home to more dates and more concerts

And more concerts

And more dates

And more concerts

There were more boardwalk days!

And lunches with these crazies!

There were boat rides!

And hurried haircuts!

And so much celery

There was lots of staring at this precious little face <3

And more ballet

I just love her

There were nights out

And days in

And drumming debuts

And birthday parties galore!

There was my dream family band moment

There were pumpkin patches, and attempts at caramel apples, and much hanging out on the porch, pretending the railings were horses for hours :)

There were FINALLY visits from Auntie Jen and Grandma Lory

There was pretending not to know the strange children lying on the floor in public…

There were pony rides and hay mazes and patio sits

There were towers. So many towers.

There were delicious birthday dinners and surprise sewing machines!

There were dresses to be sewn!

For Halloween costumes of course!

That face painting…. puts him right to sleep. Bless <3

We attempted Wizard of Oz but ended up with Dorothy, Tinman, Cowardly Lion, and a cowboy.

There were buses to board

And trampolines to be jumped

Luke got to move up to the big kid karate where the children are HUGE

There was more bowling

And then there was Thanksgiving which is positively my favorite <3

And here she is from this angle..

And from this angle..

And with Papi :)

And with all the mens

And here she is smiling

And here’s another child

And here she is delicately opening her mouth

And preciously swallowing ;)

And this is my favorite moment of the whole holiday season. Everyone happy and fed, Christmas music to come, just moments away! Glowy candles… Christmas spirit in the air! It’s my happy place.

And here she is with her actual parents ;) I love my kids too.

And then came Christmas!!

We did get our tree on the rainiest day of the year. There was mud. Someone did go splat. There was more wailing and a hurried departure.

But Greg let me finally put it in the front room and ALL THE WORLD REJOICED

Luke lost both front teeth in the appropriate season.

Took the kids to their first real concert way past their bedtime and it was a success!

Then there was the Nutcracker which I’m still recovering from. Must. Sacrifice. For. Children. But whyyyy so many rehearsals. It’s Christmassss!!!

She did awesome though! First Grande! performance and remembered all her moves and didn’t run off stage crying as I might have feared. So proud of her :)

The other thing that took over the Christmas season was… the roooooom. I just saw Christmas approaching and my heart was so sad to think of my children waking up in ^^that^^ on Christmas morning. It was just so gross. I figured, it’s now or never. Greg told me to just not get in over my head. I decided I probably shouldn’t tell him about the mural… or the stripes… or the painting of all furniture… or the shades and bedding I needed to make. My sweet little brain. I haven’t been able to finish a single painting in over a year, but by jove! I will be able to paint mural in a week. There was a bit of anxiety… a lot of late nights… and a few tears… but we are calling it done despite all the things I need to fix ;) and it makes me happy. And I like being up there again, so all is well.

Noah got drums for his birthday! It’s been fun ;)

And then we headed up to the snow for the snowiest adventure!

Abbie had a most lovely princess tea party birthday complete with the finest servers in town!

And thank the LORD I am almosttttt through our busy season! It’s been a busy one! And there you have one million photos of random bits of our year ;) ugh, sorry! Mostly I’m just so thankful for the ordinary wonderful bits of life. I love ordinary. I’ve grown to adore being around my kids when for a while there, well most moms of young children know there comes the DON’T TOUCH ME time of life, but they are growing into the most wonderful little people that I just love hanging out with :) And this guy..

I feel so incredibly blessed to have the JOY of doing life alongside him. He’s always been the one that made me smile biggest and laugh the hardest and that hasn’t changed all these ten years of married life later! He’s still my favorite. So thanks for following along with our silly little life. We sure love you!

Lately…

April 19, 2022

by hillywoohoo

comments 2

family days / the daily life

And by lately, I mean a few hundred pictures from the last year or so ;) And this is without taking many pictures these days! But I’m already forgetting so very many things so here’s my attempt to sort through the highlights.

We miss these wonderful people so very much… they were off to their next adventure in England (like a year ago, ha!) so obviously fish and chips and pictures of the queen were in order to send them off properly.

I remember this being an especially good night cause it was the night I :’) found :’) out :’) I :’) was :’) going :’) to :’) be :’) an :’) auntie :””’)

There was Florida, where we had the best time visiting friends and family and getting eaten by one million bugs. IT’S SO TROPICAL! I loved it! Minus the bugs.

Abbie was cracking me up with her costume Gummy Lory gave her :) It quickly became a favorite that didn’t come off!

Did you know Auntie Jen is an incredible pool player?? Teaching all her tricks to the boys :)

Wasn’t planning on it but Disneyworld was calling :) so glad it worked out cause I had the best time with all those people there.

Luke went on space mountain!!!! Still so incredibly proud of that crazy brave boy.

So very fun and SO VERY magical. Darn them.

There were lunches by the sea

And baths for all

Mostly we just had the best time relaxing and visiting some of our favorite people. We miss you so!

We got really into chess. I can’t keep up with Greg anymore so I’m reduced to playing with a five year old. It’s sorta the best :)

I threw on the ugliest outfit to run outside but moments later was joined by the sweetest little twin. It’s my favorite thing… she sneaks away and reemerges with shockingly similar clothes that never cease to make me smile. I love her to bits.

SOMEHOW we ended up here again. WHAT IS HAPPENING!?!

I’m starting to crave fancy food. Dear me.

Clearly, we fit right in with society.

But you only turn 40 once so… happy birthday, you old man. We love you!!!

There was a very foggy day… obviously, memorable ;)

When all your trees start to lean on their own :'( THOSE DANG GOPHERS! This was the year they went to town on every single one of my trees… literally EVERY ONE I’ve ever planted had their root systems STOLEN from them! but but but! I dug what was left of them up, put them all in gopher baskets and so far, this spring, they all put out a few leaves to tell me they are trying! The rollercoaster your heart goes through with such hobbies! Goodness!

There were Thanksgiving hikes with the cutest of pregnant ladies :)

AND THEN!!!! AND THEN!!!! It was Christmastime!!!!

Noah turned three! BUT HOW!?!

Obviously the Hulk was there. I love that he loves the Hulk because he is him. Sweetest boy until he’s not, and then hide everything you don’t want destroyed! One time, he went over and pulled a plant out of the ground! He’s scary. But we love him. From a distance. ;)

Don’t you just love little kid friends <3

Abbie turned SEVEN!!! She’s still six in my mind though… for some reason… can’t…. process… such… high… numbers…

I think these were from the day Noah was officially potty trained :’) I had a quick cry using up the last diaper and haven’t missed it since! GOD BLESS TOILETS and kids that know how to use them!

I just think she’s the cutest thing <3

We celebrated NINE years together!

Bentley remained in his rightful place. Whenever Greg would give me a hug when he would get home from work (back when he went to work ;) ) Belly would wiggle his way right between the both of us each and every time. So glad nothing has changed :)

How can he expect me not to act like a child when I am spoiled in such a manner?

Cause again, I just think she’s the cutest! Tutu at 2:22 on 2/22/22 :)

Remembering sunny days and baby teeth and homeschool sessions that don’t end in everyone crying :)

And then there was Valentine’s day

Noah’s face <3

Love was in the air for all! We had the brilliant idea of trying to recreate the Julia Child’s Valentines party from Julie & Julia… I cooked for nine hours straight only to have everything cook down so small you got a sold three bites. Maybe that’s how the french stay so slim? It was cold. I was hungry. Definitely woke up in the middle of the night and cried cause ugh it just took so long and was so bad! And I was so hungry! But the company was great and I’d do it again in a heartbeat :)

There’s been lots of trying to convince the kids that their backyard is great. Go play.

Yes I make them play in ties and coats. Just kidding. Abbie lives for dressing her brothers ;)

Abbie finally got her dolly. I love her so much.

There was St. Patricks Day and a party that I took zero pictures of!

There were beach days in spring and ice cream and tea parties!

There was passover!

And finally, there was Easter. I have been wanting to host Easter for NINE YEARS! Carrying around this Easter menu I ripped out of a Williams Sonoma catalog many moons ago. But we’ve always been moving or under construction or SOMETHING so I was so happy we got to finally do it – and that the weather felt like cooperating! It was so lovely!

Taywhad brought the CUTEST appetizers!

There were melting baskets!

And Gummy’s that didn’t care because newborn snuggles <3

LOOKIT SHE!!!! She is perfection.

It was my first event bouquet that I gathered entirely from my yard. It’s always been my goal. I’ve never been so proud. JUST LOOKIT IT IT’S SO PRETTY!!!! DID I MENTION I WAS PROUD even if it is a little melted from the sun :D

We attempted to take a totally normal picture.

Concluding that it can’t be done!

Well, IIIII had a marvelous time! Is there anything better than good company and good food? I can’t think of anything. Aaaand with that, I am officially caught up ;) Thanks for coming along on our boring but happy journey! We love you guys!

A sweet little shower for the sweetest of little girls to be

January 24, 2022

by hillywoohoo

comments 2

family days

Hello! It’s me! Way behind as always! Still have the majority of 2021 to sort through but we got to celebrate my wonderful sister and her soon to be arriving daughter yesterday and I just didn’t want to forget it so here you go! Let’s see if I can end every sentence with an exclamation point!

Being that her name is Eden, my oh so original thought was to have a gardeny-paradisey feeling party with loads of flowers, birds, perhaps some bunnies hopping around… would a couple of storks be too much? Buuuuut, it was the middle of winter …and I didn’t know what to do about the inevitable poop. Luckily, her middle name is Renee, meaning reborn! SO I thought WHO CARES there are no flowers in the stores right now… what is a better picture of rebirth than sticks and new life poking through! Luckily mom managed to find the most lovely flowers and I think it turned out rather pretty ifIdosaysomyself in a crazy jungley sort of way.

If that’s not the prettiest cake you ever did see. THANK YOU CINDY!!!!

Have you ever seen a more adorable pregnant lady? Also, is it too much to ask everyone that enters my house to have this sort of reaction?? ;)

Whew! We did it! And a HUGE shout out to all my aunties who have thrown so many stunning showers! You guys amaze me. And to everyone who helped and served and baked and let us borrow all the things. We have such a wonderful support system and I know you all made Taywhad feel so very loved. Thank you thank you thank you thankyouuuuu!!!!

And purely for Taylor cause she said she wanted it written down but I was really hoping not to relive this… ugh I’m serious… when mom asked me to do the devotional with her, I had such hope that good advice would just flow to me… not so. I’ve been sick in bed this last week and instead of watching shows or reading books, I just sat there. Staring straight ahead wondering what the heck to say. We have had a doozy of a couple weeks leading up to this and parenting has not… been easy. We shall say :) so, probably wasn’t the best person to offer any advice but for Taywhad and all the people in the back who couldn’t hear my squeaky laryngitis voice, here’s what I came up with ;)

_________

I remember reading, I think I had just had Luke… an article called walk slowly, momma… it was about how children tie the feet of their mothers.

She talked about Jacob and how he wrestled with God and from then on, his name was changed to Israel, meaning God prevails, and he walked with a limp.

By His glorious design, I’m convinced the hidden gift of motherhood is to get us to lean hard on Him. I want to read you a short excerpt from that article cause I love it so much. She says:

[ Lean, Momma. Lean on Him at the hospital when confusion clamors, and it’s not going how you envisioned. Lean on Him when that baby is up all hours of the night. Lean on Him when your toddler has peed on the floor for the fifth time in one day. Lean on Him when your little one is screaming because he’s shoved a Tic-Tac up his nose. Lean on Him when you discover things like rashes or ticks or high fevers. Lean.

You might feel tied up, but you are wrapped up in the abundance of God’s Grace.

And that place of spills and kisses? It’s Holy ground.

If I could say one thing to the young momma behind me: Your feet are tied up for a reason.

Walk slowly. ]

But to be honest, parenting is hard. The hardest thing is seeing sin in your kids – when you see them lie straight to your face, or are blatantly defiant, or hurt each other repeatedly… it breaks your heart.

But even harder is seeing sin in yourself. Sin you may not even know was there! I can’t imagine screaming at anyone before having kids! I didn’t GET mad! To see fear in your precious child’s eyes because you, the adult, were acting irrationally… it’s heartbreaking. Almost too much to handle sometimes.

But the hope is that you’re never left there. Parenting teaches me over and over again that I am in desperate need of a Savior and that He is strong enough to save me. You get a front row seat to his redeeming grace, again and again and again.

We were never meant to do this without Him. So lean on Him, momma, and NEVER ever underestimate the power of prayer. Ephesians 1:19 says “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for US who believe in him. This is the SAME mighty power that raised Christ from the dead” THAT is the power you have fighting for your family. The SAME power that raised Christ from the dead! Lean on Him.

My prayer for little Eden is from the verse I put on the little seed packets. God had just given the Israelites the Ten Commandments and despite being terrified, they were eager to listen and obey. God says to them “oh that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands!” If that is not the heart of every parent. Oh if you would always be obedient and stay on the right path! I pray that from a young age, she will fear God, be obedient to Him and remember that no matter what, God will prevail!

I sure can’t wait to meet you, sweet little Eden!!!

Camp Happy!

September 3, 2021

by hillywoohoo

comment 1

terrific trips

Just takin the days as they come now :) We couldn’t go up to our regular camping spot on account of it being the ever so lovely fire season so we took a trip to Gummy and Papi’s backyard instead. I was super enthusiastic about it. But really, mom named it Camp Happy and it certainly turned into such. We had the best time!

Just LOOK how happy my husband is to be setting up our tent on grass and not dirt! Honestly, it was rather wondrous! Our tent stayed clean, Greg and I didn’t fight over the appropriate level of dirty the kids are allowed to be in such situations, it was warm and beautiful and really who can complain about this outcome?

Mom made the yummiest sandwiches wrapped all cute-like in their little wax bags and strings. How can anyone stay pessimistic with such thoughtful touches :)

NOT TO MENTION BELLY!!! He didn’t have to be tied up the whole time and MY was he happy. He just loves when everyone is outside and together. And I just love when he’s happy :)

He’s a fruit dog. We rarely have any persimmons left cause he always jumps up to eat them. The other day I saw him grab a branch from our loquat tree and shake it to get those down… needless to say, he was mighty pleased to find that mom and dad had a lovely apple tree to help himself to, branches and all.

There were hikes!

And babies that kept missing their naps :)

There was even DANGER!

Dad taught Luke how to spit off bridges ;)

Abbie being Abbie ;)

Their were lovely dining experiences!

And games!

And stories around the campfire!

There was adventuring!

My little heart got its fill of otter love and pretty birds and glorious nature!

Then we forgot about nature and filled a whole trashcan with our lunch cartons.

And our kids played find the fry under the cup games all perfect-like at the table! And were so amused by the wooden seagulls!

Just try to find Noah amongst the little mens…

And there were more hikes and games to be played and foods to be had. It was all so lovely.

And then it was back home for baths and dinner with our little characters. Thanks, sweet hometown for being so lovely. And thanks mom, for committing to the camping trip and making it all so fun! We had the best best time with you guys!

School has begun!

August 28, 2021

by hillywoohoo

comment 1

the daily life

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We are all VERY excited, clearly, to be starting school again. We have a FIRST grader!!! A KINDERGARTENER!!! And HEY we’ll call him a preschooler AKA participating in the art of distraction ;) Goodness as intimidating as it is to homeschool, I can’t adequately express what an honor it is to get to teach them. The conversations I get to be a part of just melt my heart. We have our Voice of the Martyrs calendar up to remind us to pray for the persecuted church, and ahhhh something about a little voice praying so earnestly for the pastors in Tajikistan is overwhelmingly precious. Hearing their memory verses take root in their hearts is so special …Lukie telling me he doesn’t have to be afraid because the Lord is with him :’) it’s just really really good and 100% worth all the hard. So, super excited about this year. Last year was a good warm up and I feel much more prepared for how to prioritize and get out of my own head. So, here goes nothin!

Reading has been fun to teach (and I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible) but it’s been so encouraging that over the summer she hasn’t forgotten everything she learned last year since I never did get all those practice books I was planning on getting :D ahhhh it’s just so cool to see them learn and figure things out and LUKE! I thought he would be really tough in school but he has been rising to the occasion, super eager to learn, seems to get the math concepts and phonics so well and ughhh he’s just blowing me away. I definitely sound like I’m bragging and truly, I am so proud of them, but this is just coming from a place of complete former terror and now relief ha! We’ve been having a lot of fun :)

As sad as it is to be leaving the baby stage, it is really so cool to see them grow up and become more capable – like being able to fold their own clothes! and play an instrument! and bake without getting flour absolutely everywhere! I’ll just say it again, it is such an honor to be these guys mother. They have already taught me so much more than I ever could teach them :)