First water pics of the season!

This is my favorite picture of the day. I took about 10 of

this same pose. This one was the best.

Doesn't this picture just seem like it should be titled, "FREEDOM" ?

Though I'm not really sure what a third grader has to be "free" from. I guess from younger siblings. From winter. From clothing. From inhibitions - even if just for a brief moment in time!

This child has an internal self-esteem that is absolutely staggering. She doesn't ever question herself. She knows how absolutely adorable she is. My true prayer for her is that as she grows older she holds on to that quality with all of her might. In fact, if there was one gift I could give to her today for her to keep forever, it would be the gift of self-esteem. The ability for her to see how absolutely wonderful she is, intrinsically, just because she is a child of God. That the things about her that are so beautiful have nothing to do with outward appearance, they are her inward characteristics - her heart above all else - the way she loves...Unconditionally.

I sure wish I could give her that gift.

You know, to be honest, I wish I could give myself that gift!

me and Luke (with a grape in his mouth). picture taken by Ryan, a budding photographer!

Ryan, age nine. For those of you who don't know this kid, I sure wish you did. He is such a great kid. He is self-less. He has been taking such good care of me since my surgery, but you know, even before that he has always taken good care of me -- and you should see him with his sister and two brothers. He gets up early every day (that trait came from his dad I assure you), but on Saturdays and Sundays when he's up early watching his cartoons and he hears his baby brother awake, he goes in and gets him out of bed and changes his diaper - if the baby isn't poopy (I mean, he may be great, but he's still nine!) Every time I drop the kids off at school in the morning I yell out the window (yes, I am that woman yelling at her kids in the drive-through at school), but I yell, "You are a great kid!" I absolutely couldn't mean it more!

Can you spell A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E?

I'm not even sure if I should claim this man. In fact, I don't really know who he could be. I just took a picture of some crazy man riding down the street on a child's bike. What? It looks like my husband? It couldn't be. I mean, after all, my husband is a general surgeon. He would never act like such a child. HA! LOL!