'smore lovin'

Despite the rainy weekend, I was sure that we'd be able to swing one summer tradition....smores. Unfortunately, the one day we did grill, Eddie lost his manners during dinner and smores were off the table. So we tried again the next night, and again, manners were forgotten and rewards were lost. Until that night, when both boys were quite fed up with this whole co-habitation thing, and we needed a diversion. 

Enter SMORES! Yes, I took them away and recanted. Whatever. We needed happiness and no one can be sad eating smores, dammit. 

{put those tears away, little boo! here, have a marshmallow}

{am I teaching my children to eat their feelings? maybe. but whatever. HAPPINESS!}

{AND LOOK! They love. Smores make love happen, for real}

disclaimer: please excuse Finn's lack of pants. He's very....free spirited. Or stubborn. Or, he just likes the feel of fresh air on his chicken legs. Whatever makes you feel better about it. Ultimately, we've kind of stopped caring. It started to be quite the battle of on-off-on-off-run away laughing-on-off-hide them somewhere....so, rock on with the no pants, little buddy. 

Weekends...

I had a giggle the other day, when, after reading a really inspiring mommy-blog, I decided that I was going to DO THIS. I was going to be the best ever. My kids? They'd be total angels. And then I turned around to find one pant-less and one picking his nose. We might not be perfect, but we are who we are, right?! So I decided that maybe WE didn't need to change. That maybe, the way we looked at things needed to change. So I started talking - and thinking - like a mommy blogger.

We went to breakfast Saturday morning, and afterwards found the most perfect spot to capture a brother-love moment.

{finn isn't wearing shoes and I hated Eddie's shirt but he picked out his own outfit and was so proud. He didn't even complain about holding Finney's hand, which is damn close to a miracle.} 

We'll totally ignore the fact that Frank and I fought over this parking spot and then we snipped at each other for forgetting Finn's shoes and then I wouldn't stop complaining at the restaurant because it was early and I needed COFFEE. And theirs sucked. Mommy bloggers wouldn't admit that in a second! They'd post the picture and let you think that everything was just that picture perfect. And you know what? Maybe we can go with that, because those boys, in that picture? It made my morning 1000 times better. 

Unfortunately we were rained out of our plans most of the weekend, but still managed to make some indoor-smores and generally enjoy each other. A trip to Cabela's and Nanna and Grandpa's made our Monday exciting, even if Eddie left crying hysterically and Finn screamed the whole way home and Eddie screamed about Finn screaming. Frank and I just smiled at each other and tried to hold in our laughter. 

For some reason my phone cord isn't working with the computer, but I have insta's to share, so hopefully it will work soon!

We Marched.

About a month ago, we marched the lake shore wearing purple tutu's. We talked and laughed and passed babies and strollers back and fourth. We held signs and wore photos of our loved ones taken too soon...and we cried, but just a little. We did these things in honor of those taken by Pancreatic cancer.

For me, I walked for my Grandpa, a man who I loved and admired more than words can say. He announced me every time I entered a room "Heeeeeeerrrrreeee's Maggie!" and enouraged me to find good looking nightcrawlers in the dirt. He smiled at me as he lay in his room, almost gone, and asked me to bring him a popsicle, my favorite kind.....I brought him root beer and remember handing it to him with shaking hands. I can still picturing him bringing it to his lips with his own shaking hands.

I walked for my beautiful cousin Margie, who was one of the biggest supporters of my writing. She had a way of making every person feel so special. I remember each gift she ever gave me or the boys....a striped scarf one birthday, monogrammed Ralph Lauren shirts for Eddie when he was a smushy little baby, a monogrammed Ralph Lauren hat for Finn....each one made me feel so incredibly special for different reasons. Margie was a pro. She was taken even sooner than my Grandpa, without much warning and leaving broken hearts behind.

Pancreatic cancer sucks. It takes people away too soon, with little notice and reckless abandon. So for them, we walked. And cried, but just a little. Because Margie would yell at us for messing up our make up if we cried too much :)

{Dana and baby Jimmy, Margie's daughter and grandbaby}

{mom, dad and finney}

{Dan, with the picture of his beautiful wife}

{thanking everyone for being there}

{and oh, my dad. gotta love him}

{Jen is my partner in crime, but apparently we take after our dads, who are each others' as well!}

{the sign!}

{Jimmy, representin'}

{hugs and motivation}

{and some more}

{love, love, love this picture}

{part of our beautiful walk!}

{one of my other favorites}

{holding hands with my boo}

{who was amazing through the whole walk, might I add}

{I know someone who loves his god mother!}

{omg, isn't he the cutest?!}

{crossing the finish line}

{me and my best elder cousin}

{d and jj}

{my other favorite cousin :) }

It was a good day. The most beautiful weather we could ask for, an awesome group of people I love to be around and supporting a great cause, PanCan research. Know it, end it! I have to believe that we will find better diagnostic tools and get the upper hand against this awful cancer SOON! Until then, we will keep walking, keep remembering and keep raising money.

A month

Has it really been a month of neglect over here?

I wish I could say that I'm sorry, but we all know how that goes. I neglect, I apologize, I post and then neglect again. My days recently are filled with busy boys...one who needs attention quite often for when he doesn't have it, he causes quite the toddler trouble, the other who requires the same amount of attention, but in different ways, ones that make him feel special and not so left behind in the wake of a blossoming terrible two-er. It's a balancing act, one that I have yet to master in the midst of changing work schedules and activities, and of course, house work.

We're constantly spinning around here, and on the days that we can actually sit for a moment, I get antsy and need to spin some more. Summer is calling me, which means explorations and special trips for no other reason than to say we did it. A trip to our favorite cupcake spot, because I realized that Finn had never tasted the insane, butter loaded yummyness that I was craving at that exact moment. An adventure to a prairie preserve, one led by me spotting a tiny sign on the way home from paddling practice.

We're spinning. I'll come back around soon.