LET'S BACK THIS TRAIN UP.

time to move in reverse a bit. go back in time, if you will.

i moved forward with the birthday activities before finishing up my summer vacay posts/pictures.

we left papapa's farm on wednesday morning (fourth of july!) and drove the rest of the way to lake of the ozarks.

it was so hot. like, crayons melted in my car hot. as in, crayons melted on the parking hot. i mean, so hot. (can you tell we dropped crayons everywhere? i thought we got them all picked up to avoid the melting - guess not).

we stayed at mom's place and had the time of our lives. tubing, swimming, swimming, tubing, dogpatch, celebrating hallie's birthday, shopping, swimming, skiing (me! what?!), more tubing, more swimming and YOU GET THE IDEA.

the kids stayed up late and slept in every morning. we ate a ridiculous amount of food and managed to pop a giant tube. surely that's not related.

in a word: PERFECT.

THE GRAND FINALE.

pool parties rock.

a huge pool alllll to ourselves.

two lifeguards.

cupcake, snacks, drinks.

lots of kids. lots and lots of littles.

and only a few tears.

but lots of bravery.

and loads of fun.

best birthday ever.

SIX YEARS AGO TODAY I BECAME A MOTHER.

happy birthday, my darling hallie elizabeth.

the time has really flown. it seems like yesterday you were just a beautiful, bald baby. now you are a stunning six-year old.

i remember this very  moment six years ago.

i was given pitocin to "speed things up," as you weren't progressing very quickly. you were slooooow going. i should have known then that you would be the world's greatest staller.

you were never a great sleeper as a baby. oh my. we had lots of stressful nights together. lots. but you are a sleeper now! i practically have to drag you out of bed in the mornings as you beg for "five more minutes." you definitely take after your mommy for that.

you were a chuuuuuby baby. as your papapa would say, "your wrinkles had wrinkles." and it's funny now because you are so very petite. you told me the other day when something didn't fit that you didn't want to be skinny anymore. you are teeny tiny.

you were always a good eater (unlike your brother). you nursed well, took to the bottle instantly, chowed down on baby food, puffs (loved those puffs!) and any sort of big-people food we put in front of you. any veggie, any fruit. your tastes have become more picky as you've gotten older, but you will still eat pretty much anything we put in front of you.

you are a very sensitive little girl. you really feel those emotions. so unfortunately, you take after your mommy in that aspect. i certainly hope you can control yourself a little better than i can.

we are working on it.

you may act like me, but you look like your daddy. sometimes you are sitting side-by-side with the exact same expression on your faces. mirror images.

you are a smart, smart little girl. you are great at reading and math. and your memory is very, very (sometimes annoyingly) accurate.

you love to wrestle. which means you love to be chased, pinned down and tickled. all the time.

you broke your arm this year, so maybe we should stop wrestling?

you love your brother like crazy. sometimes too crazy, but i'll take it. we had some jealousy issues in the beginning, but it was expected.

you were an only child for five years and had to scooch over a bit in the green chair to make way for mr. henry.

you love music, dancing, swimming and watching tv. you are also quite the fashion-ista.

you are my heart and soul.

i thank god for you every, single day.

i can't wait to see what an amazing woman i know you will grow up to be.

i love you soooooo much, hallie mason.

A QUICK STOP AT THE FARM.

we started off the vacation with an overnight to papapa's farm. hallie had high expectations of horseback riding and i am happy to say they were fulfilled.

and she looked adorable.

and henry had a wonderful time opening and closing cabinet doors and playing with annie the dog.

we got to spend some time with columbia family that evening, which was lovely.

THE BEGINNING AND THE END.

this is how our trip started:

(no, i did not run out, thank goodness. but i have never been so close in all my life)

and ended:

luckily, everything in between was super fun. we had a great week, but boy oh boy there is

NO PLACE LIKE HOME.

WANNA SEE MY DIRTY HOUSE AND DIRTBALL KIDS IN ACTION?

yeah?

here's a normal dinner at our house. we have: a dirty little boy forced to do tricks, cluttered countertops and a little girl with stinky feet.

and a mom recording it all.