Garden Swing

I've wanted a garden swing for a long time. But it has never really felt like a priority, so it always sat on the back burner. However, when someone was selling one, I hopped on the chance and picked it up. We are giving our garden a little makeover, and the swing made the perfect addition. 

It seems so silly and we've only had it for a couple of weeks, but I love that swing so much. Scott and I have spent time out there watching the play and talking about life. I spend most mornings out there eating breakfast and enjoying the early morning sunshine. The boys and I have had quiet moments swinging together and nice conversations. 

I love my little area outside. It still needs rocks, the canopy attached, new cushions, and a rug. But for now, I'll take this little swing and the sweet moments it's providing. 

Babysitter Beckett

 Beckett babysat my sister's kids the other day. He was eager to earn some money and took his job very seriously. I'm glad I was there to help, but he did a pretty good job. 

Pack-A-Dallys

The Dalleys and us spent the weekend together in Ashton. It was marvelous. Our kids got along well, the husbands hit it off, and of course, Nicole and I are close as ever. As best friends in High School, this was all we ever wanted. Families! And now that we have families, sharing them with each other is icing on the cake. 

Nicole has five children. They are all great, but she has one sweet little daughter, Lucy, with Down Syndrome. She loves Scott and spent much of the weekend in his arms. It brought me close to tears multiple times. It was the sweetest thing. 

The weather was pretty good. It was warm enough for the kids to spend most of the day on the lake fishing and catching turtles.  However, we did get caught in the rain as we were packing up to leave.

We stayed up way too late playing games, and laughing until we cried. We took Yeti rides and talked about church and politics. We took walks, cooked together, and helped with kids. It was honestly one of the best weekends we've had in a long time. We love the Dalleys! 

End of School

We made it! We made it to the end of the school year. The kids had a great year and grew so much. And now, we happily welcome the summer. 

Kyle had an end of a year awards ceremony. He did great and got the award for biggest reading growth, which I love. I am so proud of how much he has grown as a reader, but I was even more proud of what a kind friend he is. During the ceremony whenever someone was called up he would clap loud and give them thumbs up while saying, "Yeah! Way to go (enter name)!!" He was genuinely so happy for everyone and it was the sweetest thing! 

 

New Job

Weeks ago, Scott was encouraged by upper management to apply for a new position at the INL. He is such a great employee and so good at what he does, so it wasn't the least bit surprising when he got the new job. Now, instead of leading a team of technicians to work on the security systems, he will be the one designing the security systems. It changes so many things for him. An increase in pay, more independence, lots of knowledge, and my personal favorite, better hours. He'll get home around 5:00 every evening! This will be a game changer for us. I  am so proud of him and his drive to constantly better himself and our situation. 

We celebrated at Panda Express for dinner and Kyle said, "You should get new jobs more often!" 

 

Memorial Day

Our Memorial Day plans were ruined when we got hit with a little stomach bug. We intended to spend the weekend in Ashton but decided it was best to stay home. The only thing I wanted out of the long weekend was to spend a couple of minutes together. We decided on painting stepping stones for the garden. I loved having these few minutes with all of us hanging around the table and chatting about life. It was just what I needed after a week of dealing with sickness. 

 

 

Golf

Tayden has found a new love of golf. The golf course down the road has a five-dollar short course and Tayden and his buddies have been playing any chance they get. I have a feeling there will be lots more golf trips this summer.