Sweethearts on the Hill

  One of my favorite things to do on a Hatcher Family day is escape to The Great Smoky Mountains just a short distance away. It is refreshing to leave the toys, Leapsters, cell phones, and televisions behind and enjoy the simplicity of the world around us.   I love to see my boys exploring ~ throwing rocks, finding crawdads (I don't touch them, but they all love it!), building dams and waterfalls, and never once complaining that they are bored or need something to entertain them. Pure. Simple. Fun.   Charlie wanted to wear his goggles so he could find minnows in the water.   I'm not sure what he stumbled upon here!    A little playtime with daddy   (I'm NOT gonna smile. You're NOT gonna make me.)   Aaand my little pleaser ~   Run! Run! He's gonna get us! A perfect way to spend a family day ~

She puts on the shoes that make her stand tall, buttons her buttons, sees herself in the mirror: resilient and beautiful and ready.   There is nothing in this day that is too much for her. There is nothing she can't meet with clear eyes and a willing heart... …and a strength that bubbles up inside her like a spring.

Okay, so maybe not quite THE Pioneer Woman, but I am pretty excited about my little vegetable and herb garden I've got going this year.    AND I'm super, silly, excited about the handmade plant markers my three sweethearts surprised me with when I came home from work today! As they have beautifully noted, I have herbs (which comprises of two types of basil), strawberries, and cucumbers. Everything is growing inside the raised vegetable garden Mr. Agrestic made me for Mother's Day. Almost ready to be eaten! The morning dew forms around the edges of the leaves on the strawberry vines … so cool! Throw in a few cattle, a couple cookbooks, a few more kids, and some homeschooling and you'd never be able to tell us apart! (seriously though, I've figured out how to grow this stuff… now I just need some pointers on how to cook with it!)

On my days off from work, we've been taking advantage of this great weather and our shaded backyard by enjoying breakfast outside. It typically leads to some small adventures on the patio. On this particular day, the boys got into bubbles and cars.   Sam was mastering the art of recycling bubbles by blowing, catching, and recreating.   He was getting pretty good at it by the time the morning winded down ~   Meanwhile, Charlie was intently focused on fixing this car...   he had the tongue out and all! "I did it! I did it!" Lovin' these summer mornings!

He's a tough little cookie, this one.  I gotta tell you, I was very skeptical about having Charlie play baseball this year. He seems to struggle in the listening department, and is extra stubborn when he's under mommy's supervision. But after one painful practice, a whole lot of threats, and a new mommy frame of mind (he is  only 4-years old!), we had a fun season and Charlie made incredible progress.   Most Saturday mornings have started off like this… Charlie begging for and then ultimate winning the battle of "Can I play a game on your phone? Can I play a game on your phone? Pleeeease can I play a game on your phone? Mommy, can I play a game on your phone?" during Sam's baseball game. Then over to Pilot field where Charlie plays. Charlie never passes up an opportunity to be silly and have fun! This is how he and his curly headed twin, Bennett, would celebrate in between every play. So hilarious to see this go down... Actually, most of...