Right of Passage

My baby turned 7 on Saturday. He doesn't like being called "my baby" much. But he still loves giving me kisses good-bye when I drop him off for school. And he loves making us laugh with his quick wit. He loves building the new LEGO's from Grandma Kay and his family for his birthday. He loves reading Magic Tree House books and his new bookmark. He loves sugar cookies with lots of icing and sprinkles.

But most of all, he loves being with his Dad. Dad takes him to baseball. Dad lets him dig in the dirt. Dad teaches him how to hammer and drill. And his Dad taught him to fish quite a while ago...a right of passage in Dave's book. And on Hayden's 7th birthday...we gave him a choice...to go to baseball or go fishing.

He chose...








Hayden caught 8 fish on his birthday. Two Bass, and six BlueGill. We tossed them all back.

This beautiful pond is on a teammate's property. We had a soccer party there. They have 2 gorgeous acres complete with a pond they built with an island, zip line, soccer nets, trampoline with a basketball hoop hanging over the edge of the trampoline net. (Short people can now dunk!) It was nothing short of spectacular...and the perfect backdrop for a father/son fishing trip on my "baby's" 7th birthday. Hayden, I believe, thought it was all for him.

I think this was his favorite birthday yet!

Before and After

Have you missed me? I know, I know. I haven't been inspired. To blog, at least. My inspiration led me elsewhere. My backyard to be specific. Maybe some of you will remember the before. Right now we are in the during. I'm close to the after. I can't WAIT for the after. Those who know me KNOW I'm not patient. But I certainly can't post pix of a during. And quite possibly it won't mean much to any of you...but to me it represents a dream. What hard work and perserverance can bring.

My backyard is my santuary. My peace. My zen. I've missed one of my callings in life...that is...to have cultivated a career in greenery. To know all the fancy names of plants, how big they get, how much water they need, and to answer questions like: "Is it dormant in the winter?" and so on. And because of that, I work at cultivating my own garden. Learning through trial and error. Not to win accolades or awards, a degree or even a pat on the back. Just because it makes me SOOOO happy. Just like sunshine. And while my yard won't be what I envision it will be for at least another year...we are laying down roots, so to speak. And eventually those plants, like babies, will grow and blossom and enrich my view every day.

My yard is nothing special. Just a project. A hobby. An inspiration. A place where my family laughs, eats, plays, bonds and relaxes. I am looking forward to long summer days out there. Kids splashing, jumping, laughing. Because you have to capture it now. Soon enough, like my one gallon plants, my kids will be adults as my seedlings with be mature plants that will need to be transplanted. Nothing makes me so happy as to watch the evolution of a garden, except the life span of my children. But in tandem...that is bliss.

And that's where I've been. Out in the garden.