saturday + the ugly stuff.

whew.

that's all i care to say about the weekend today.

we had a wonderful day on saturday, beginning with some exercise and pool time with friends {as you can see by the pictures}.

we've been going to jack carter weekly. sometimes two times a week.

each time, i ask brady if he wants to go down the slide. he always says no. always.

saturday was no different. even with daddy there.

but all of a sudden, we watch him - by himself slide down the slide! with no prompting from us or pierce.

and then we couldn't get him to stop.

the daddys relaxed with the itty bitties.

it was super fun. and i can't wait to take him to hawaiian falls now! he will have so much fun!

i have to say that one thing i LOVE about my 'big girl camera' is the way it captures water.

I. LOVE. IT.

and the picture below is my VERY favorite.

little miss was trying to get stella's hat. i don't think she was too happy about it.

saturday afternoon, we ran some errands at lowe's and we {ahem, jeff} mowed the yard without any help from brady because "it's too hot, mommy". 

all of that is GREAT. i love family time. i LOVE saturdays. and i LOVE when the hubbs is home and we get to spend extended family time together.

but it's not ALL great. 

despite doing my best to be honest & vulnerable, i feel like it can appear on a lot of blogs - mine included - that life is peachy 95% of the time. 

and although we are BEYOND blessed with health, loving family & friends, a church home and a lovely roof over our heads, we have hard days. looong days. some days worse than others. some days full of downright ugliness. some just moments of ugliness - and some without ugliness at all! {those ar the BEST!!!}

but - friday night was U.G.L.Y.  we battled over eating a taco. a better way to put it is just eating two BITES of a taco. 

brady didn't eat. anything. {that's right, i've become that mom.}

to make a long story short. he threw NUMEROUS temper tantrums - with trips to his room in between to calm down. he didn't eat anything for dinner. and he ended up in bed at 6:45. 

it broke my heart. but jeff & i were determined to stand firm.

and after an early morning jog with joanna, i came home to a little boy running out the door saying "i ate my taco, mommy! i ate my taco!!!" oh - that's right. he was GOING to try it before he ate anything else. so jeff had made him a plate of a heated up taquito and some salsa. he at THREE bites. at 7:30! {yuck!!!} 

but now he knows we mean business. he NEEDS to try new things. i was always a picky eater growing up... and i feel like i missed out on so many good things because i just didn't try them.

and we don't want that for him. at all. 

so - right now, i will celebrate the victory of the taco. 

lunch today will be the battle of the turkey sandwich. {the peanut butter & jelly battle was so much smaller than i thought it would be!} so here's to hoping this battle will be small and short lived too.

so, see? it ain't all pretty. some days i wish i had a reset button to press. at 10 a.m. anyone else get the picture? 

but today, on this hot & sticky monday morning, i am incredibly thankful for two healthy, sweet children. hearing about all of this sickness affecting some children around me makes me praise the lord every day for our health. knowing that in an instant life could change for all of us.  

i feel like this could easily paralyze me as a mom. but i know that my children are not my own. they are the lord's. and they are in much better hands that if i were in charge upstairs. it is a challenge i have to meet every morning and give them up every. day. 

let me end by saying that i'm very thankful for our hope in heaven. 

i pray that YOU have that hope too. 

happy monday to you all.