all the boys

 

Last week Amelia took her first plane ride by herself to visit my dad in Florida.  She's there right now having the time of her life.  I've been asked so many times whether I miss her.  And the answer is YES, of course.  But, I know I can't keep her to myself forever.  There's going to come a time when she moves out of the house and goes to college and it's going to be hard for me to let her go.  Opportunities like this are so valuable in order to take baby steps towards the future.  I have to tell you though, when I saw that plane taxi off to the runway, it felt like a great big giant step.  And what I've learned is that time is not slipping by too quickly.  Amelia has taught me that.  She gives me the courage to know that she is completely capable of grown up things.  Thank goodness for that.  We are exactly where we need to by right now.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, life goes on as usual.  This time though, it's just me and the boys.  Without the hens,  the gender scale at my house would weighs heavily on the boy side.  But, even though I'm surrounded by boys, on mother's day mama rules.  And what could be better than a day in the outdoors with my boys and some friends of ours that love hiking just as much as we do. 

Of course, the boys and I wanted to go to the same place we went last time.  This time with friends, we went a little further than before.  We discovered some wildflowers that must have just started blooming and a creek to explore.   

I hope you were made special on mother's day in just the right way.  Whether it was a hug and a kiss or a special homemade gift.  Whatever it was for you, I hope it was a good day.