A Wittler Girl

Her first Sno Shack... Watermelon.



It's not one of those firsts like first word or first step but it's monumental none the less. Shave Ice was a sign of summer when I was young. You would burn your feet on the asphalt holding your much coveted $2.00 in quarters and trying to decide between the exotic (tiger's blood) or the domestic (watermelon).

Layla wanted PINK which they didn't have so she settled for watermelon. She won't eat real watermelon so I figured I'd end up paying $3.50 to give myself sugar shock, but she had about half which is impressive for a 3 year old who isn't into things too sweet, too cold or too new most of the time.

"you're such a big girl now" I told her and as always panic stricken she began correcting me...

"no mom I not a big girl, I'm just a littler girl" complete with that soft w I love which replaces the first L in Layla and makes her Wayla.

I tell her it's ok, I forgot. She's not a big girl.

But I think to myself, she looks so much bigger these days I must have forgotten, again.

Not that I am in a hurray to lose my little girl. Quite the opposite. I want to stall time so there is more whispering under blankets, more big armed hugs and more sloppy silly kisses before she's too big and I am stuck looking at that picture of her first snow cone and wishing she still wanted to be my little girl.

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Flashback of a different color

When I was in my 20’s and a fresh college drop out with a boyfriend several years my senior, I went to a party in a townhouse too small to hold the 45 people who showed up to celebrate someone’s birthday. Wedged in the corner between the wobbly card table holding the hodge podge of all our alcohol which had been toted in swaddled in small brown bags and the couch with the floral print inherited from someone’s mother who decided it was too 1985 after the cat shredded the left arm rest and the cigarette burn hole in the middle cushion had started to spread was a small stereo with a double tape deck. That old radio was playing mixed tapes at a medium volume which somehow managed to mix everything from Sweet Home Alabama to the current (at the time) Ace of Base party songs. Amidst the CCR, TimMcGraw, Vanilla Ice and Dr. Dre random party playlist was a single Journey song and when the first cord hit the air in that room, the whole room dynamic changed. The entire room, wedged with over intoxicated, slightly over heated and definitely over fluffed for the opposite gender party goers one by one became a singing flash mob. “When the sun goes down in the city”… line by line more people sang until the clatter of bottles and exchange of great thinkers slowly trickled into “na na na’s”. Everybody knew the words. Everybody sounded good. Anyone can sing a Journey song well after a few drinks and those that can’t…well you love them even more because their just better entertainment for the crowd. The song ended and everyone went back to the den of sin, doing what people do at 2 am on a Friday night after the lights go down in the City. This is what Christianity is like for me. It’s 45 people stuck in a tiny room trying to get what they want and hide what they need. It’s a hodge podge of awkward surroundings and hand me down ideas. It’s a few big thinkers being drowned out by 40 other people who just want to get by for the night. And every now and again if you’re lucky… it’s everybody taking a moment to be one, to sing one song at one time and love every single moment of it. Yes, I just compared the a den of sin to the ultimate salvation of man kind, but you know what… I’m right. Put 45 Christians in a room and have them right down what worship is and you’ll get 45 answers. Perspective rules the world, baby. But, put 45 Christian’s in a room and start up the worship band with a song everyone knows… and you’ll raise the hairs on every room with a 1 block radius. It’s a group thing. It’s the power of many voices raised as one. It’s the ability to leave behind what you’re thinking about just long enough to just do something. It’s doing that something like you enjoy it with every ounce of your being. It’s taking a chance that someone might hear you sing off key but it will be ok because you mean it from the bottom of your heart. It’s living in the moment. It’s not having a plan and just doing it anyhow. And somehow, I’d like to find a way to bring that feeling back to my spirituality… because somewhere, I think I lost it… I lost my love of the community, of the voices raised as one, I love that ability to live in the moment and I need to find it again.

Hot Dog It's Summer

Summer is a busy time of year for everyone, we are no exception. In the last 2 weeks we have been to doctor's visits, dental appointments, and even an eye exam. We had family over for a birthday lunch, worked, played and learned, and we managed...

A zoo trip with cousins...


A playdate with Jen & Mia...


A trip for ice cream before bed...


Making some fun new recipes...


Trying some new stuff to see if we like it...



Becoming a big girl who sleeps in a big bed and eats in a big chair...






Going to the fair to eat corndogs and ride rides...






Not to mention all the day to day normal life stuff and a healthy dose of drama more than once.

But its summer... I think its supposed to be like this, right?

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Every Day America

We're blessed with markets filled with food and produce stands filled with affordable nutrition for our children to consume and grow healthy and strong.


We get to spend quality time handing down traditions and passing our favorite childhood experiences on to our children, from first piggy tails all the way through first vacations and holidays.


And we get to spend too much money recreating moments of awe and splendor in hopes that the every day and the just one day a year blend together into a life experience that teaches them to love and live well.


Because we don't know what will be their favorite childhood memory, that dinner we shared every night or just that one day we wrote our names with sparklers... And really it doesn't matter because we have freedom and a life of plenty and with that blessing of independence and safety they have a chance every day in America.

Every day.

And there are places where that isn't so. There are places were people wouldn't sign up to protect and serve in their honor so they can feel safe to learn and grow every single day.

There are people who don't get the blessing of every day with their families. They don't have the memory of dinner together every night or holidays spent together every year.

So to those who make the commitment and get up every day to do that heavy hearted job of saving the world, I send my thanks...

Not because this week had independence day...

But every day because of every day in America.

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Water Babies

Yesterday my little flower girls got to go swimming at George & Devon's Engagement BBQ.

Layla panicked in the car, she said swimming was dangerous and the water was too tall. After being assured she wouldn't have to swim she calmed down and in typical preschooler fashion was swimming with daddy within 30 minutes.

By the end of the first hour, both Jon and I were in the pool with both girls. Layla opted to swim unassisted with a swim ring, chasing Jon all over the pool. Anyah liked swimming around with mommy, flirting with people outside the pool from the steps and jumping in from the side of the pool so Mommy could catch her.

I see swimming lessons in our near future.



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Bang! Bullet Post

Some things you may want to know about this week:

- I am excited tomorrow because our little future flower girls get to go swimming with George & Devon.

- I work the 4th of July but we're going to try and squeeze in a few fireworks for Layla.

- I have 4 days off next week so I am hoping to see a few people I haven't seen in awhile.

- Today I posted new recipes on FatGirlEats including Penny's Macaroni Salad, Jeromy's BBQ Veggies w/ Thyme and my Santa Maria Grill Rub.

- I have some great zoo pictures to load when I have time to mess with my camera.

- I am skipping Farmer's Market this week for sleep.

- I have been reduced to bullet points *sigh*

- See how cute Ani is when she pretends to be Nannie soaking her feet. That makes up for a
lot.

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