Impressions

Monday there was one pod. We've been anxiously watching them all week. Soon...

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A Haircut for Sadie

Sadie has her second hair cut under her belt.  It's the same stacked bob she's been sporting since December.  She get's SO many compliments on it daily... "that hair!!!" random people say.  She wears it well and it suits her independent spirit, although it makes her look so grown up I can hardly stand it.

I had a bit of a moment today.  I was tidying up her bedroom and I dusted this picture by Sarah Jane Studios, entitled "Waiting".  It struck me how much Sadie resembles the little girl in the print, especially with her new do.  I thought back to when I purchased it, SO many years ago.  I remember knowing, deep inside, that someday there would be a little girl with shiny black hair in our family.  I'll admit it was purchased at a time when that seemed like wishful thinking, but I held on to that tiny speck of hope for so long.

So, on this random Thursday, can I just say that waiting is good, and hope and faith can keep dreams real, no matter how wistful they may seem.  My answer to prayers came full circle as I sat on the bed and had my moment, and the boys stuck their heads in and asked what was wrong with me, and then mentioned that Sadie had emptied an entire box of cereal onto the kitchen floor....

To all of you still waiting, I say, "wait as long as it takes".  It's totally worth it.

The Good Friday, Bad Easter Egg Hunt

The minute the boys stepped off the bus last Thursday they were falling all over themselves trying to tell me about "the best Easter egg hunt EVER".  Apparently, each year, the city hosts an epic egg hunt with eggs worth $100 cash.  Last year it was on a Sunday, so we didn't make it, but this year it was being held on Good Friday.  The boys were determined to go and WOULD NOT stop talking about it and what they were going to do with their money!!

It almost didn't happen.  Sadie locked us out and the key that's usually in the garage had been misplaced by other little hands.  Luckily, Dean was close, so we were only five minutes late.  As we drove in, Ben practically threw himself from the moving van and it was all I could do to keep Alan in until we had come to a complete stop.  They were off like a shot.  I have no photos of them because they were just gone.  We were also able to meet up with some friends from church, so that was helpful.  Anyway, Sadie got sidetracked by bubbles while I surveyed the scene.  I had no idea what this egg hunt entailed, but as I looked around I realized the park went on for MILES!!!  This wasn't your grandma's egg hunt.  There were no eggs on the ground for the kids under 5 and no head starts for the littlest ones either.  There were 10 golden eggs, each worth the enticing $100 and a handful of  EMPTY colored eggs, all well hidden.

I have to say, my boys didn't give up. They were still diligently searching for the last two eggs THREE HOURS later as I gathered my sweaty boys and their empty baskets into the car.  Alan was in tears and Ben was sulking, repeating, "This is the worst egg hunt ever."  Sadie had totally unraveled at this point and was kicking and screaming "egg!" "egg!" as I forced her into her buckles.

Later that night, when we were able to laugh about it, Ben dubbed it the "Good Friday, bad Easter egg hunt."  I don't know if anyone ever found the last two eggs, but I learned my lesson.  $100 eggs have lost their charm and they won't woo me again.  Although, I did hear Ben and his friend plotting out their egg hunt strategy for next year...

Live Oak Cemetery

I like to think of myself as a pretty low-maintenence wife/person (which probably means I'm not) but I did require a bit of indulgence on our trip to Selma.  When you Google, "things to see in Selma Al", it's not a very long list.  But, #2 on the list is Live Oak Cemetery.  A mix of old and new headstones, some dating back pre-civil war.

I'd never seen Spanish Moss so far North.  The trees were majestic and the moss was drapey and eerily beautiful. So much so that this stop required it's own blog post.  Though we were in a bit of a rush to get back to Dothan, they let me linger.  In the end it was the kids who took their time (looking for heart shaped rocks for our collection) getting back to the car....   

Impressions

A hunting we will go.....

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The Road to Selma

When Grandma and Grandpa come to town we find ourselves packed into the minivan loaded with snacks for some kind of road trip.  This time, we made our way north to Selma, AL.  Grandma and Grandpa had seen the recent movie about this sleepy little town and wanted to check it out for themselves.

We decided to stay the night in Montgomery and then head into Selma.  I'm so glad we did...  We had visited Montgomery a few months earlier over the MLK holiday when we unknowingly stumbled into the 50th anniversary of the now infamous march from Selma to Montgomery to secure voting rights for African Americans.

Well, as luck would have it, we ended up back in Montgomery for the culmination of the celebration. The marchers originally entered the capital on March 24th and held a rally on March 25th, the morning we were headed into the city.  Roads were blocked off again and police were gearing up for a major event.  I felt right at home, having maneuvered these same barricaded streets just a short time ago.  I knew exactly where the free parking would be.

We were early, which was a good thing.  We got to see them setting up.  Oprah and Pres. Obama stayed home this time, but Dr. King's daughter was scheduled to speak.  We caught the first tour of the church and were well on our way to Selma before the marchers started re-creating their march to the capitol.

I really liked this cross walk filled with footprints headed towards the capitol...

The original pulpit from the 1800's.  The pews were original too. 

I find it really beautiful that these ideas started and ended at churches...

Crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge.  It's hard explaining what happened here, but there is a beautiful spirit and I think that helped the boys understand.  We made the march backwards, but it didn't matter.  I'm grateful we could experience some history, see more of this state, and be with family.  

Impressions

"Mom, we can't go without finding you a heart rock." 

                                                                - Alan, Live Oak Cemetery,  Selma Al.

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