Take a Hike :)

Okay, so maybe just a walk. But it's in the woods, so... we'll just call it a trail hike and leave it at that. We brought Levi to this trail for the first time last weekend and he did such a great job! I was thrilled and a little sad, too. My baby is not a baby anymore. And the weather this weekend was crazy! This whole month has just been "off," and it's kind of horrible because this is my favorite month and time of year, and we just haven't been able to be outside to enjoy it very much between the storms and the frigid, gloomy days. So when it's not pouring, we go!!

He maneuvered those rocks with pure finesse :)
Except for maybe once or twice. And then the whole world knew he wasn't happy.

Notice the addition of layers here, ha! Cold and windy, but it did feel really good to be outside in the woods.

Oops, his little face is blurry, but of course they had to find sticks to throw

The stairs leading up here made me puke in my mouth a little. Not a fan. But the view was so neat!

And wouldn't you know, the sun finally popped out about five minutes before dinner. Ugh. Again, at least it wasn't raining.

This is a busy busy week for us... our first official college tours begin with Jonah, midweek of all thing, ha! It just seemed like a better fit than to try to make it happen over the weekend. I'm so excited just thinking about it, even though it isn't that far away. Far enough. :)

Now that I've caught my breath from all the Trick or Treating orders for the shop, I'm starting in on Christmas. I can hardly believe it! I don't even have a sneak peek for you yet, but I;ll try to do that later this week. Hoping we all have a great start to a brand new week!

Catching Up...Labor Day Weekend and Our 20th Anniversary

Saturday was beautiful and sunny, the perfect day for a trail walk.

You'd think this was such a sweet, calm capture. Nope. She was ticked.

It was shortly after this that I made a declaration. Maybe it's not a good decision, maybe it is. But I made it anyway: I'm not bring the older kids on walks anymore. I need this time for me, a chance to rejuvenate if you will, and the complaining, fighting, and general stress that comes along with having them there is not worth it. It has the opposite effect of what I hope for every single time. And then what was supposed to be refreshing ends up sucking the very life out of me. I wish it weren't this way. well, that's a whole other post...

Sunday poured and poured all day long. Monday we decided to hit the road for something fun and somehow ended up at this joint. I explain a little below...guess I wrote that part first, ha ha.

So then Screechy McScreech started in. Bill walked around with him while we were waiting for our lunch. Fifteen minutes later, still waiting, I just scooped him up and brought him outside.

  Yeah, it looks all nice and serene. But the smell of manure was so thick in the air I nearly gagged. You could smell it from inside the restaurant, too. Which, by the way, was the most ridiculously overpriced place I've seen in a long, long time. I guess you can get away with that when you are literally in the middle of nowhere, and Google maps lead you astray with promises of waterfalls, so by the time you find this joint, you're relieved...until you walk inside, sit down and scan the menu.

Anyhoo. If I sound bitter, it's because, well, I guess I still am. A little.

There was a dairy barn at the end of this field, and another one across the street. I was so angry at this point. The waterfall we'd planned to go to couldn't be found (later Bill mentioned that one site said you couldn't access it because it "technically" is on private property. Well that might have been good to know from the start. Maybe? Yes. I think yes.)

We finished our sub-par sandwiches and hit the road again, still unsure of where we wanted to go at this point. My pity party game was still going strong, and while we were kind of near a mountain, I felt so out of sorts and tired I just didn't think I could do it. Lame, I know. I kept my comments to myself and just went along with it.

Wouldn't you know it was the very thing that changed everything around. 

I was a sweaty mess by the time we reached the top, but it was fun! And everyone enjoyed being outside and working hard at the goal of getting to the top.

Someone looks a bit unsure of this whole packpacking thing.

Oh, but Daddy bending over to tie a shoe brings out all the smiles! ha ha ha

If you know me in real life, you know what this does to me.

Monkey see, monkey do ;)

Sweaty, frizzy mess here!

Maybe this pic is at such a weird angle because my arm was too tired to raise it right? ha ha

 There were lots of other areas to walk around and see all the vistas, but I was holding Levi, who was pretty much done, done, and done at this point, so this is what I got. It really is beautiful anywhere you look.

This is Pack Monadnock by the way, so if you're in southern NH, you should visit!

We all made it in one piece!

I really missed Ethan. I know he isn't around as much between working, school, and his social life, and while I understand, it still stings. Things will never be the same, and I know that. It's just hard to accept at times.

We had told them we'd find a nearby Dunkin' for a little reward, and the boys came out of the store laughing their heads off. Apparently, the kid behind the counter gave Bill the senior discount. ha ha ha Hiking a mountain will do that to you. :)

Only later did I learn that he was being nice because Bill was a few cents short and didn't want to use a credit card. Twenty bucks won't get you very far when there are this many of you, plus that dumb lunch, but I didn't even care because it turned out to be such a fun day.

And THEN Bill took Jonah out to run some errands after he'd kissed Levi goodnight and I was feeding and rocking him, and when I came downstairs, Bill was holding the most beautiful bouquet and smiling. Ethan works with a woman who arranges flowers at the shop, and the two of them had been in cohorts all week long. The flowers were so, so pretty, but the idea that they had spent time picking them out and having them be made ahead of time just for me made me feel really special.

Bill was taking the next day off so we could spend it together, the day before our anniversary, and he wanted to be around to see me enjoy my flowers. :)

This post already feels too long, so I'll end here. Besides, the truth is, nearly every single plan we made to celebrate our anniversary fell through for one reason or another. And that's okay. That's just how life goes sometimes. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try again. I think many times we've felt crushed that something didn't happen, but then as time goes on, we never made it right. And then that disappointment took root and it became a bitter or sad regret. I won't ever regret putting our family's needs ahead of my own, and it just so happened that they needed All.The.Things over the past week or so, but we've committed to keep pursing those special dates that we had to put on hold, and now we have lots of things to look forward to.

Oops, it's later than I thought and hungry kids will be storming through any moment. Have a good day!

Hiking the White Mountains: Coppermine Trail (And a Fun New Nightgown!)

My kids roll their eyes when they hear me say how amazed I am that little old New Hampshire has such breathtakingly beautiful mountains because they probably hear it no less than 70 times a year.

And then I proceed to wonder- aloud- how impressive some of the other state's mountains must be if we have these.

Now their eyeballs are literally bobbing around in their sockets.

I think it will be one of those charming things I'm long-remembered for.

"Hey, remember when Mom used to say...?" Insert laughter, smiles, and nostalgic joy.

Mother's Day was gorgeous. The kind of day that beckons you to the great outdoors. 

 That water was friiiiiiiiigid - Caleb had to walk through the brook to get there...he was the only one. =)

 We had The. Longest. Winter. Ever. this year, and what is she super excited about?

Finding snow.

 This was a really beautiful trail, complete with a mountain brook bubbling alongside you almost all of the way. There were several rocky areas which would not be suitable for very young children or for older folks who are a bit unsteady on their feet. As you near the waterfall, there is a rickety bridge to cross, which my angelic children would never, ever dream of hopping, jumping, shaking and/or swaying upon just in the hopes of sending their mother over the edge. Both figuratively and literally. Go figure.  ;)

I like steady ground. What can I say?

Now onto the fun summer nightgowns. I don't think I've shared this yet...sorry if I did and just forgot. It's a fantastic option for those of you who have something particular in mind but A. you don't sew; and B. you can't find it in stores or online.

Design Your Own Nightgown

 For Baby, Little Girls, & Teens

You can visit my shop, Rose & Ruffle, HERE for more details. Thanks!

Have a super weekend!

Mount Moosilauke & More Isabelle Funnyisms

What a fabulous weekend we had! Lots of friends, good food & fun! We were even able to take our first family hike since Caleb busted up his leg over Memorial Day weekend.
We're no experts for sure, but I think it's safe to say that we are a hiking family. Yesterday we tackled Mt Moosilauke...well, we attempted to tackle, but I have to admit it - it beat us. We were nearly three hours and 3,000 feet in, schlepping our way through squishy, slippery mud, scaling rocks and boulders (lots and LOTS of rocks), and it just got to be too much for poor Isabelle's little legs. I felt bad because I knew she couldn't really go any farther, and I knew how much the boys wanted to press on, so that kind of stunk. I thought about carrying her- or rather having Daddy carry her- but it just wouldn't have been safe, and frankly, we need another broken bone like we need a second mortgage.
Summit or not, we had a great day and marveled at all God has created for us to enjoy.
{We're still praying for all those in Colorado right now.}

This last shot was in the car, through the window, with me wrenching backwards and basically pointing the camera over my shoulder without looking. Not bad, right?  :)
Bill and I were SO impressed with Caleb on the mountain, so proud of him! Very thankful too, that he is regaining full use of his leg and ankle. We have another x-ray scheduled later this week to re-evaluate, which will determine whether or not he'll need surgery, but I don't really want to think about that possibility right now so I'll simply focus on what fun we had yesterday.
Did you notice the hair? I've washed it, oh, 7 times since Friday night. 21 more shampoos to go. I think it's not quite as Ronald McDonald, phew!
 Oh that girl of mine. She was so funny yesterday. Nothing but quotes will do for these!

When I expressed concern for Daddy carrying the heavy pack, Isabelle whips around and tilts her head, hand on hip, and advises me not to "worry myself about it because Daddy is strong and can handle it." Well then. HA

Later on, when she was beginning to struggle maneuvering the mud and rocks, I tried to distract her by announcing that I saw those little mini-trees, which means only one thing: fairies are nearby! Her response wasn't what I'd thought it would be- "Mom (in a somewhat stern, authoritative voice), I think you know that the Tooth Fairy is the only real fairy, and she is not here." Oh boy, did I giggle over that one!

The last cute thing was on the way back down, when she was really struggling with mud and rocks. I suggested she walk in a zig-zag fashion to help her keep her balance. That somehow perked her right up. So imagine my laughter when I hear this little cheerful chirp of a voice behind me, singing out but only to herself, "Ziiiiiig, ziiiiiig, ziiiiiiiiiiig, no, that's not a zag. Ziiiiiiiig, ziiiiiiiiiiiiig, um, no, still not ready for a zag. Ziiiig, ziiiiiig, ziiiiiiig, oh yes, that's a zag all right. Zaaaaaag."
Cutest.Thing.Ever.  =)