beauty amidst the storm

Last weekend we had some CRAZY weather. It rained ridiculously hard, like sheets of water pouring off the roof hard. Then it thundered. And there was lightening. And then the sun would come out. And then the cycle would repeat. This was pretty much all day! During one of the sunbreaks, I was looking out the front window and caught this beautiful sight! Isn't God amazing?!!!

Of course, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that this is my POTD! (That's Picture Of The Day for you non-Project 365ers.)

Expedition to Lost Lake

Lost Lake
by Aaron JonesI had been planning and looking forward to taking my boys out on their first hiking trip for quite some time. So after checking the Boyd's blog and their adventure I decided that their destination would be ideal for Levi and Landon. Promptly I sought master woodsman, Chad Boyd, for some directions and needed advice. Like every expedition, there is a mixed bag of feelings, excitement for the upcoming adventures, and sadness for loved ones that will be missed. In this case, it was just excitement for the boys' new adventure and excitement for mommy, for more uninterrupted sleep.

We arrived in the morning after a long and dusty road. With all the supplies we needed, we venture, hearts racing for what lie ahead. It starts out with a steep decline to the riverbed below. With their trusty tennis shoes, they made quick work of it sliding and skidding down to the bottom.
The first of many water barriers to traverse. Not one shoe got wet, tempting as it was.
Along the way there were many obstacles, but their resolve could not be hampered.
A quick break, water in, water out. Watering the plants was a new experience and enjoyed thoroughly.
Behind the boys lives a few Rodents Of Unusual Size. (marmots) We observed, took a few mental notes, then moved on.
Those before had built this handy bridge to cross this canyon of death. It looked like Boyd's handy work to us.
Levi and Landon wanted to stop and investigate these rocks. They were intrigued about the giant holes which could be used as some sort of cave dwelling if you were in need of some shelter in a pinch.
At last... Lost Lake! Victory was the cheer! Our hard work had payed off.
We searched for a proper sight for camp and set it up right near the lake.
After some lunch and gathering of some wood, we decided to slay some fish. Landon's first cast caught a little trout.
Levi's first cast... and he also caught a little trout. It seems as though my boys got the knack.
After fishing the boys practiced their wrist rocket skills so they can get a clean kill.
We found this stream while hunting around the lake.
The boys liked the tent, though next time we will remember to bring some pads to sleep on.
With our conquered destination behind us and two eventful days it was time to head back home. Their missed mommy was heavy on their hearts and the last hill climb just about broke their spirits.
It actually broke Landon down. Those are not tears of joy. Emotions were high so Daddy turned those frowns upside down with promised sweet nourishment to come.
The end in site, we express some of our Jones masculinity. Till next time... when the wild woods call our name... we'll come running.

My Boy on the Bus

Well, here's my baby boy getting on the school bus for the first time and he's actually SMILING! This is a huge thing, people. Of course, I'm sure it helps that he has his trusty, fully-zipped sweatshirt on! Man, I love that thing... But seriously, there have been tears leading up to this day (and they weren't all from me!) Levi has always been a stand-offish, reserved, timid sort of boy. I can remember when we was just crawling that if a ball rolled under the end table he was too afraid to crawl under and get it. So I can see that facing his fears is going to be a highlight of this little boy's many lessons to be learned. After trying to take the bus yesterday and having a mix-up on what time it came, we tried again for today. Unfortunately I had to be at work at my new preschool job right at the same time the bus came. So Grandma Jones came over and helped Levi get onto the bus. I think this may have actually turned out better than me being the one to do it... it seems he might be a smidge Mama's boy. Everything went smoothly and we even found out that there is another little boy who is in first grade and lives on our street! Sounds like a play date is in order! Hopefully, he ends up liking to ride the bus and wants to do it everyday!

First Day of School

Last Wednesday was Levi's first day of the 1st grade. I cannot believe how fast this has come. I was pretty much in denial that he was going to be away all day every day until it actually happened. After having him at my side all day, everyday for 6 years, it is harder than I thought to let him go. In anticipation of the big day, I was thinking that it would be pretty hard for him and not too hard for me. Wow, was I wrong! It was quite the opposite. He did pretty good, didn't even cry and it was ME who was sobbing, walking away from the classroom. What a mess I was!

Here he is in front of his classroom. He INSISTS on wearing his jacket zipped all the way up! He says it's not "comfy" otherwise...

This is his desk. He is liking school for the most part and is excited to be going back on Tuesday. Stay tuned to see how his first bus ride goes this week!