mother's day

it is my great privilege to be their mother.

it is also so humbling.  

it is also so hard.

 but good grief, they are cute.  and they are sweet.  and wild.  

 and they happen to call me mom.

i always wanted to be a mom, always.

and i love being THEIR mom.

it is a happy mothers day to me.

my people

happy 3rd birthday flora

i tell her every night that i always wanted a daughter...

and that i cannot believe God gave me two daughters!

flora jolene berre happy birthday.
you show me how to always be joyful.
you remind me that i need help, that we cannot do this on our own.
we love you.

embrace the camera

a local drive-in in wichita falls.  flora's skirt.  she borrowed those boots from a cousin.  river always puts his hands on his hips when he gets talking.  and that broken foot that didnt slow him down.  the car in the reflection.  my long hair and walker on my hip.  love it all.  must print it.

my three kids in my lap.  my hands are full.  my heart is happy.

we went on a double date with my parents to see The Quebe Sisters Band play with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.  we sat in the (cheap) seats ON the stage behind the orchestra and it was awesome!  those Quebe sisters are our very favorite!

since we all live in dallas, we get to do a lot of regular life with my parents.  stop by after work.  meet for dinner.  swing by and drop something off.  i am guilty of not doing enough special stuff with them.  this night out was just perfect!

and this photo just captures flora's sweet nurturing heart.  she is happiest when caring for someone.  she is her best self when given a job to help.  she is most content when holding a baby, like sweet baby eli spencer with the biggest sweetest eyes.  i need to print this one too.  and make sure and put it in flora's room for her.

austin, tx

me and the kids went to austin a couple of weeks ago.  we left at naptime on thursday and got there in time to play out back all afternoon.  it was a quick trip...we headed home to daddy at naptime on friday, with tired, sweaty kids that were so happy to have spent time with cousins and bridge + dustin.

i was pregnant or nursing for 4 years and 10 months...from january 2008 until october 2012.  seriously. to type that seems unreal.  needless to say, i have been learning how to live and mother and eat and socialize and road trip! all over again... now that my entire body is not nurturing another human life.   my newest nephew, lucero, was born on november 1st.  i got to meet him when he was just a couple of days old.  BUT shame on me, my kids had not met him yet.  i came to my senses and squeezed us all in a room at bridge + dustins.  it was awesome.  what took me so long to get down there?!

My girls were obsessed with their job of caring for sweet baby Lucero.  

Flora went into "help" mode.  and look at sweet walker perched on that ball. 

 austin is the perfect city for bridget.  she is her best self there!  

and dustin is the perfect mate for bridget.  she is her best self with him!

we love you bridget and dustin.

please look at her muscular-toned-jen-aniston arms.  apparently this is what your arms will look like when you tote a 5 month old who is bigger than my 16 month old.

Flora's face here does not convey her TOTAL love for Lucero.  She seriously gets to thinking about him and looks off in the distance all starry-eyed...it is precious. 

 

thanks for having us bridget and dustin and leica and lucero.  we love you so much!

the year of the dinner

i decided that 2013 was the year of the dinner!  ok...so my family decided that they would continue to want to eat dinner every single night and so i decided that i wanted to get really good at dinner.  i want george to say this christmas that i fed him well all year...tasty, healthy, real food.  and the occasional keller's hamburger :) which is amazing too.

5 o'clock is a bad time to think about whats for dinner.  have i said that before?  its true.  it makes me crazy.  it makes my kids extra hungry and extra crazy.  i want to plan and prepare and get really good at dinner this year!

two nights ago, i cooked a spaghetti squash in the microwave and served it with meat and tomato sauce.  it was good.  no one was crazy about it.  george wasnt that into spaghetti squash in general.  but it filled peoples tummies.

i had a ton of spaghetti squash left over and wanted to figure out how to make it delicious.  where everyone would love it!  lick their plates.  and what do you know? when you follow a recipe...people like what you cook.  i followed this recipe and it was amazing.  my people licked their plates.   george took all of the leftovers to work today and declared that he would be eating it before his 1st period class even got in the room.  i love that!

i served it with the best broccoli of your life and it really is the best.  i do this recipe's method of roasting vegetables at least 4 times a week.  always with different combos...broccoli and cauliflower or sweet potato fries or bell peppers or carrots.  yum yum.  the citrus really makes it so yummy!  i buy the bag of broccoli/cauliflower florets already ready for you which makes it super easy.

wildflower flora with her bed head hair

new years eve at the creek house