My New Favorite Picture

(Gibbons Falls, Yellowstone, 2011 Mackley Family Reunion)

My Best Friends

I know right now things are tough. It's hard to raise kids. I'm never 100% sure I'm doing my job right as a mother. Am I too tough? Am I too lenient? Are my expectations too high? Do I challenge them enough? Do they know I love them no matter what? Do they know when I'm disappointed it's only because I know what they are capable of accomplishing? Do I choose to fight the right battles? Do they hear what I'm not saying? Do they know who they really are? Because I do. I remember. I remember their distinct spirits following me while they were in my womb. I know their personalitities. I know they're daughters of a king. Do I remind them of that and give them the tools needed to fulfill God's potential for themselves? I don't know. But when I see this picture, I know it has captured 4 very best friends who will not only go through life there for each other, but also into the eternities. God has blessed me greatly.

Sharing a Favorite Snack

Daila and Ben are trading fruit snack flavors one night at the hotel. There's just nothin like trading fruit snacks with your daddy at bed time.

A New Project

Our latest project was replacing our retaining wall. It was beginning to fall apart. It probably is as old as the house (which was built in 1928).

By the time we remembered to take "before" pics, Ben had already dug out the end and filled it with concrete. He has also started to dig the old wall out.

The old wall is being pushed out by too many freeze-thaw cycles. Not to mention the roots of that big bush/tree.

Bye bye big bush (which scrapes my van everytime I try to park in the driveway).

Yeah, sure that looks straight. *note sarcasm*

Our wall's "loose tooth".

Look how easily the cars fit onto our driveway without that monster bush! And what's that?? A front porch! I can see it now! ;-)

What a blessing these blocks were. We found the exact number we needed on craig's list and paid less than $2 per block. (Regularly priced for around $7/block). Aren't they pretty? And so sturdy.

Now that's straight!

So all we have left now is to cut out the stump, back fill with dirt, and plant something lovely (and easy to maintain).

I'm so very thankful for my talented husband. Thanks for the beautiful wall, Ben.

Celebrating the 4th of July

Our 4th of July weekend was phenomenal. I won a free weekend hotel stay in a drawing at work. I was going to surprise Ben with it for our anniversary, but my babysitter plans fizzled at the last moment. So instead, we surprised the girls with it on Saturday night (July 2nd). We checked in at 3 and went swimming and snacked on complimentary popcorn. Daila loves to swim. But she's never stayed in a hotel before. So when we first walked into the room, she hopped up on the first bed and said, "I'm sleeping here!" Then a moment later, "I changed my mind; I want to sleep first then swim." Hotels are sooo cool to kids. ;-) The hotel also provided a hot dinner (potato bar, mac n cheese, hot dogs, salad). After we ate, Ben went up to the room to watch UFC and the girls and I swam some more. Sunday morning was leisurely and a hot breakfast was once again provided by the hotel.

We went to Sullivan after checking out and drove around our old haunts in the state park. Ben and I showed the girls where we used to swim and go on float trips and we reminisced about grandpa. We told the girls how we would spend every summer at the river when we were growing up. And consequently, Ben decided we would start bringing the girls down there for a float trip every summer. With all our sight-seeing experiences in the city, I've completely neglected showing them the caves I grew up with. So that is also a new adventure on our list.

We spent the night at my mom's, watching movies and laughing. Monday morning we had a big traditional chuck wagon breakfast like Dave and I used to grow up with. He wanted to start it back up as a family tradition with Mom's help. So we had dutch oven potatoes, scrambled eggs, sausage links, fruit, pancakes, biscuits and gravy . . . I think I'm missing something. Anyway, it was a lot. :) Especially since we were heading over to Mary's in a couple of hours.

John and Mary's 4th of July bash is always a perfect day. Mary's mom rents the inflatable water slide and provides other goodies and games for the kiddos. While waiting in line for the water slide, and watching my brothers do flips down it, I said to Shelley, "You know, we don't really have any adults in this family." We had a good laugh. It's a perfect holiday to go back to your youthful ways. We also played giant beachball volleyball. And Dave taught everyone a new game called Pirates, Merchants, and Soldiers (which we missed). We went back up to the city to watch the fireworks display and do our own sparklers, glow bracelets, s'mores tradition.

Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better weekend with my family.