keepin' on

Pb2, Gabriel's employer, laid off 34 employees yesterday.

Gabriel was not one of them.

Let's all breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Even though we are still trying to get out of here, knowing that he has a job in the meantime makes it easier to deal with here and now. Because whether I like it or not, we are still here in Arkansas. Still here, living in a fantastic home, near my mom and sister, among friends, and in a community, I can't believe I am saying this, that I have grown to love and appreciate.

And, really, it's hard to not love this life when this was our weekend's activity:

It's blueberry picking season. We brought home our first gallon on Saturday, which is already nearly gone. We'll be going back for more soon. Yes, summer is officially here, along with the mosquitoes and ticks (Arkansas will always have that against it).

In this season of waiting for what's next, I am making an effort to enjoy what's right now.

mopping up

When Liam asked if he could mop the floor, it seemed silly to refuse him some manual labor. So out came the bucket, some warm water, a splash of simple green, and his trusty mop.
He worked hard at saturating the entire tile floor. River worked hard at freaking me out with his slipping and sliding. Gabe took him to the other room while Liam worked.

And then it seemed silly to let all of that soaped-up floor go to waste. Or maybe it was because I was wearing a kerchief over my hair. Either way, I ended up on my hands and knees, scrubbing that silly floor for the next few hours.

And now our floor looks amazingly clean. It's funny how you, meaning me, never notice just how dirty something has gotten until it's clean.

I think I should be doing this more often.

an extra-long weekend

We were surprised to have Gabriel show up at home early Wednesday afternoon. His job didn't have enough work. They sent every one home. But they didn't lay him off. At least not yet.

He was home Thursday and Friday, too, but was called to come in for work on Monday.

It's been a bit of a roller coaster here. Does he have a job? Does he not? What should we do?

All of those questions are still up in the air, but we took advantage of the extra days with Daddy home and spent some time splashing at the creek in the afternoon.

It wasn't that long ago that I saw other families playing in Sager Creek and thought that it was disgusting. The water and rocks were notorious for slime trash, and dead fish. And it smelled bad.

But with all of the work done this past fall and spring, the water is remarkably clear and there are plenty of fish and tadpoles thriving in the stream.

So now we are one of those families splashing in the creek. If you see us, turning up your nose like I once did, maybe you should come down and see that the water is fine. Or maybe we really have been in Arkansas too long. It's time to get out of here.

Either way, the creek is lots of fun on a hot summer day.

And nothing beats splashing with Daddy.

for the Grandmas and the Aunties

Okay, this is also for anyone else interested in watching River eat for nearly 3 minutes. I can't get enough of it.

muddling through

These past few weeks have been rough. It seems that we are stretching everyway possible: New and continued struggles within my own family and also in our friends', the reality of River's blood condition, financial stress with all of the medical bills that just keep piling up, our moving plans that don't seem to be going anywhere since our house has yet to sell, and the never-ending exhaustion of keeping up with Liam.  

When things get tough and tougher, and the details are not something I can share here, I tend to shut down with the blogging. It turns into an awkward tiptoe between the mundane things that seem irrelevant and the crap that is really on my mind. Sometimes it is easier to just not say anything.

But that is doing anyone any good. And there are still remarkable things to blog about. Things for this virtual record of everyday life.

Things like Liam spilling paint, stepping in it, leaving foot prints all over the floor, and then spilling even more and running around the house as fast as he can once I notice what's happening and try to put a stop to the mess. And while in his room for a time out (both as discipline and for me to get a chance to clean up the mess without him making it messier), he pees on the rug in his room. On purpose.

When he is 13, the memory might be funny. But right now it is just infuriating.

And in the spirit of sharing life's hardships, here are some laughable moments from the last two weekends:

A flat tire at a busy Johnson intersection .

 (Thankfully, Gabriel was with me. I have no idea how to change a tire...).

A brand new bag of cat food splitting open in the Wal-Mart parking lot, and the store manager helping us scoop it up and sending us back in for a new one.

I'm a little worried to see what this weekend will bring us, but as long as it is tornado-free, I think I can take it. What's a little more stress?

memorial day weekend - at tanyard creek

We spent this morning splashing, hiking, running, and playing at Tanyard Creek. I am not sure how we never visited this great little nature trail before, but it was a great place for a morning outdoors.

memorial day weekend - at the zoo

Our annual zoo membership expires at the end of the month and, with our moving plans, it seems silly to renew. So we skipped church to spend a day at the zoo.

Zoo trips are so much better when Daddy gets to come along.

We ended our zoo trip with a carousel ride. Obviously, we were all very excited about this.

Really, the kids were more excited than me and Gabe.

And can you believe how big River looks perched by himself on his polar bear? It's strange to think that just a year ago, we were at the zoo with him nestled in the Ergo carrier, only a few weeks old. And now he rides the carousel and cries when it is time to get off...