"Let's try to get to 100 without missing, ok?" I'd say to my friend while standing in the middle of my long gravel driveway smack dab in the country. With leather baseball gloves on our hands we'd spend hours as kids tossing a yellow tennis ball back and forth... the same tennis ball that doubled as... Continue Reading →

It started as a pretty regular Monday morning... During breakfast I wrote a sentence on our board for the two little boys, and then I turned away to make some coffee. When I looked back at the board, big brother had come and gone, but he had most assuredly left his mark. These days of... Continue Reading →

"Mama! Why so many balloons out there?!" The little face standing beside my bed whispered. I could feel his breath on my eyeballs. He had just walked through a small sea of balloons across the living room floor to get to my bedroom. "It's your birthday buddy! You're three now!" I answered with a grin... Continue Reading →

These are the introductory words to many a sentence around here... It's like a skill testing challenge in which I have mere seconds to prove my memory capabilities. For instance: "Mom, have you seen my pants?" is a complex question. "Your jogging pants? Your adventure pants? (AKA the grey quick dry track pants... obviously) Your jeans?... Continue Reading →

These are the beginning words to questions I have often wondered and asked. Questions laced with hope, and a tiny bit of suspicion. Deep down I think I've always known the answer to these questions, which is "Yes, of course you will... but maybe not for awhile. Of course you will, probably really soon. And,... Continue Reading →

He had a high fever when he went to bed, but he still managed to successfully sleep through the night. I checked on him several times before I went to bed myself. The next morning, still in the 5 am's, I heard him coming for me. I heard his hoarse cough grow louder as he... Continue Reading →

I'd had a soother all of my life. I used it when I was sleepy, grumpy, hungry, scared, nervous, crying, bored, or just feeling in need of a general soothe. It was never far from my side. If I cried, my mom popped it in my mouth almost immediately. If I was tired, she gave... Continue Reading →

He had been coughing for well over a week and running a fever too. It grew worse every time he hit the tiniest bit of cold air, and every time he ran. He woke up long before the sun every morning with a coughing fit, and he even coughed so violently once at the playground that... Continue Reading →

"I climb up!" He said confidently while standing at the bottom of the tiny rock wall at the playground. He grinned and reached his hand up to the first rock. His second hand followed, and then his feet joined the scaling process too. I stood back and watched his bold attempt. Nearby another 2 year... Continue Reading →