Happy birthday, Nana!

A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to Matt's mom and Lola and Finn's "Nana" - cheers to many more!

(Her birthday was actually yesterday, but I just now have time to sit down and post this.

Time. Where does it go?)

Beauty

Is it just me, or is the sky exceptionally beautiful this winter? It seems that every time I look up, whether it's in the middle of a blue-sky day or at dusk, I find myself reaching for my phone to snap a picture. And thank goodness for good iPhone cameras, because that's really the only camera I carry these days, despite the fact I have three good cameras at home.

You'll never hear me complain about the view from my office (see below). And as I get older (and I hope wiser), I appreciate where I live more each day. Sure, I sometimes long for the conveniences of living in a bigger town or a city - for us and for our kids. But, you can't beat the simplicity and the solidarity that comes with living in a rural area and being a part of a small community. It's special. We're lucky. And I try to remind myself of that often. I hope my kids appreciate it as they get older, and where ever they land as adults, I hope they always want to come home to the lake.

These were all taken with my phone and have not been edited; i.e. "no filter." The last photo was taken by Matt's phone. It's one of the best. Enjoy.

Hello, 2015 (I'm just a few weeks late...)

More than 30 days have passed since my last blog post. Not how I planned to start out my 2015 blogging, but, c'est la vie. We had a wonderful Christmas and have already had a busy start to the new year! Lola still goes to Montessori school two days a week in Mountain Home, and I have been working for my mom's company in Mountain Home on those two days as well. So, our Tuesdays and Thursdays are really long and busy. About a week after the new year, Matt went on a fishing trip to the Bahamas with his dad and Caldwell. They met my dad down there and fished for four days on the Feeding Frenzy III. They caught huge wahoo and brought home more than 60 pounds of filets, which got them stuck in customs, as the officer working quizzed them at length about why they were bringing so much fish back to the states. Ha. I'm happy to report the kids and I did well while he was gone (thanks, in part, to my mom, who pitched in a lot while he was away). It certainly wasn't always easy, and I have a whole lot of respect for single parents, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be either. I enjoyed the quiet evenings to myself, but we were all very happy to have him home. I'm still waiting for a fish fry…

The kids and I have had colds or allergy symptoms off and on since the beginning of fall. Blah. But, so far, no real sickness. I'm thankful for that.

The first three weeks of 2015 have flown by… I can't even imagine how fast the rest of this winter is going to go... then spring... and then it will be summer again. Gah! We're already gearing up for a busy season at PCM. Looking forward to getting the kids back out on the lake and continuing their swim lessons. I'm still in awe (and sometimes denial) that Finn is no longer a baby. There are fleeting moments of sadness over this fact, but as he continues to grow, and his relationship with his sister continues to blossom, my heart is happy. They are each other's best friend, and I hope that never changes.

Lastly (in case you're wondering), my toe is healed, but it is still nail-less. Sigh. There are worse things, right? (Right.)

More soon! LOTS of pictures soon. Happy Thursday.