in fact, i'm more than happy to admit that i am truly nuts. and when there is a life growing inside me, multiply that by 5.

monday afternoon i was still attempting to work something exciting into our week. after all, ella was turning the big number 4 on tuesday. and i was still feeling a yearning to ditch town. somehow that yearning keep increasing by the minute. it didn't matter if it was only overnight. just somewhere with different scenery. anywhere without a cactus would suit me fine. 😉

luckily i have a man who doesn't squash my insane ideas even if he knows better. i actually think he may enjoy my craziness from time to time. that's just another reason why i sorta kinda like him.

so when i called him late that afternoon at work and said, "hey, our bags are still packed. i've got all the food we need in a cooler. wanna hit the road?" he replied with a laugh, "ok then, grab my flip flops, hat and pick me up after work!"

with that we jumped in the car one more time and headed toward the sunset.

nothing better than spending a leprachaun birthday at our happy place

an afternoon at the beach

this weekend we taught our kids a new word: flexible. not the one where you bend at the waist and easily touch your toes (because i can't really demonstrate that to them right now). but rather the meaning of being able to go with the flow even when your plans change at a moments notice.

we did have some adventurous plans this weekend. plans that included packed suitcases, everyone piled in the car, and a short jaunt out of town for spring break. but about 2 hours into that jaunt, plans changed and we had to make a decision: keep on going or turn around and go back home. it's hard to separate emotion from logic when you're in a place like that. but logic won out and reluctantly we decided to head home.

that's right about the time when flexible became part of their new vocabulary.

and surprisingly, they rolled with it. with the promise, of course, that we would make the weekend just as great as we possibly could…a trip to the dollar movies and some outdoor fun.

who would have thought that hanging out in the backyard would provide all the excitement they needed? but it did. perhaps my cuties are better at teaching flexibility than i am!

in my head of things that make me pee my pants.
you could say that one item on that list is finding out i'm expecting when i don't expect it. another might be watching nacho libre or pretty much anything that jack black does.
this morning i added one more thing to the list…
perusing through my favorite websites and unexpectedly finding my mug staring back at me in large proportion. kinda made me fall out of my chair a little bit. no, a lot bit.

i have another list going of people whom i adore and love. it's a pretty long list…but without a doubt tara whitney is there with stars and hearts by her name! i've gushed over her before and i'll probably gush forever. she's just one of those people that i'm so grateful to know. and learn from. and praise forever for the gift she gave me…to quote another favorite photographer of mine cheryl muhr who summed up my feelings perfectly…
i always knew what it FELT like to love my family…now i know what it LOOKS like.
love you, tara. thanks again.

i am here. i am here. i am here.
barely.

here's a summary of my past four months of hiding:

pregnant cherie = sick cherie
and that's about all i can remember.

life has a way of sending me adventures in the most unique ways.
sometimes i understand them. sometimes it takes a while for me to
understand them. and then there are those things that i need to
understand again and again and yet again.

my latest life lesson can best be quoted by uncle rico. (particularly for jeff's enjoyment)

only it wasn't napoleon's grandma this time.
rather yours truly.
yep. broke her coccyx.
and i can't help but laugh just saying it.
although at the time, it was a bit less funny.

here's how it happened.
lincoln started throwing up monday night and into tuesday morning. he had already decorated our floor once that morning when i saw him heaving again. so with my supermom cape on, i took off running with a towel in hand to save the day before the chunks hit the floor.
small problem: i was wearing my blood clot support hose. which apparently weren't providing the kind of support i needed.
slipped.
both feet took to the skies.
supermom came crashing down to the floor. no capes!
brave dallin managed to get me the phone while i'm on the floor shrieking and unable to move.
i called jeff and he swept in to save the day and transport me to the ER just like a good knight in shining armor should.
diagnois: baby fine, me broken tailbone
remedy: tylenol, a donut pillow, and a healthy dose of time.

and the story does get more exciting after that, but i'll save that for another day because right now my rump is demanding relief.

what i have learned for sure is this:
i love my knight in shining armor even more than the last time he saved my broken body.
i love my children for their humble prayers.
i love my life because it's good.

and one last thing

photo by tara w.