Author: Blog-admin

Literally!

He was trying to find some sun, and he ended up on the top of the couch cushions.

Then he realized, I’m up too high!! HELP!

Anyone?

Taties to the rescue.

Dear little pup. He is just lost without us.

Wince. SO cute.

Baby quail with their mommy while daddy is up high on patrol.

Bluebell and Rio are starting to warm up to each other. Rio tries to kiss her!! I wonder where he got that from!?

Anyway, they just hang out with us, and

Just the cutest!!

We love our birdies

Today turned out to be one of those unexpectedly meaningful days…. the kind you don’t plan, but somehow ends up feeling orchestrated by something bigger.

This morning, Tatum woke up to a new season of life (hint hint…yes, that kind of morning). It was emotional. Tender. A little rough. And while we’d already been thinking about getting a companion for Rio… our half-English, half-American budgie …we didn’t expect the timing to be so perfect.

Yesterday, our friend Jackie sent us photos of the most gorgeous little bird. A full English Budgie. Big cheeks, soft powdery feathers, and the calmest presence. Tatum saw her and instantly knew: “Her name is Bluebell. Or maybe Bell.” And with that, Bell became part of our family.

As soon as Rio and Bluebell met, something clicked. He was curious, she was gentle. English Budgies are known for their calm, grounded nature, and it was almost as if Bluebell knew Tatum needed that softness today. A steadying force in the midst of her new experience.

And here’s the wildest part… Bluebell was born on May 23rd. Tatum’s “Love Day.” … Of being alive. Of being loved. What are the chances?

It felt like confirmation: this was meant to be.

So now, our joyful HAY home is complete with:

• Coopy, our loyal fluffball
•  Ollie, our chirpy cockatiel
•  Rio, our spirited yellow sunshine
•  Bluebell, our gentle new bloom

Today, something shifted ….not just for Tatum, but for all of us. New life. New beginnings. New beauty. And a reminder that even when things feel hard, there are still soft landings waiting for us. Sometimes feathered ones.

Welcome home, Bluebell. You were born for us.

There’s a special kind of majesty in the way a daddy quail watches over his family.

This morning, I saw him standing tall and noble on the high wall, his eyes scanning every direction. From above, he guards the ones he loves. Below, the mommy quail gently leads the babies across the grass, showing them where to peck, where to hide, and when to stay close. She nurtures, she guides, she protects.

It’s such a moving image—this quiet, instinctual teamwork. And in it, I saw our Father. Our God. Our Daddy.

Like the quail, He stands watch. He sees all. He protects fiercely. And at the same time, He’s with us on the ground, in the mess, guiding us, feeding our souls, sheltering us from danger we can’t even see. He is both above and beside. Our defender and our nurturer.

And the little baby quail….oh how she longs to be near her daddy. You can almost hear her tiny feet scrambling up toward him, needing the comfort of his presence. Wanting to know it’s going to be okay.

That’s me. That’s us.

We’re the ones who keep looking up because up there is where we know we are safe. Up there is where love watches over us.

And down here, He’s walking beside us too.

What a beautiful God we serve. A protector. A nurturer. A constant presence.

She’s starting a new chapter: summer soccer camp at Rancho Solano Prep, a step toward her new team this fall.

This wasn’t something we pushed… she asked for it. She wanted to try something new!

She’s growing up quickly now. Puberty has arrived with its ups and downs … It’s raw and real, and as her mom, I’m feeling all of it. Some days it feels like we’re both learning new moves on the field of life.

But in all the changes, we always go back to what grounds us:

Our faith in Jesus.

When the emotions run high, when the body feels unfamiliar, when the fear of the new creeps in …we anchor ourselves in Him. He reminds us that this season has purpose. That growth isn’t meant to be tidy. That light always follows the shadows.

And we also remember what is important…! (our family; our little feathered and furry friends)

The sun shone bright this morning, casting long beams across the pavement, and it felt like God was reminding us, once again, that His presence goes before us. The same way it did yesterday. The same way it will tomorrow.

I’ve been working on this piece for a few weeks. Why?? Because I ADORE sunflowers. They brighten any room and remind me of my dad. So…alas. It was time to attempt the drawing.

I finished it in about two weeks. It was so fun to work on.

It went right up on her wall. I LOVE adding to her collection.

Well, as I finished my drawing, Tatum and Dad were returning from a bike ride.

Ugh..did you get that? A BIKE RIDE!! It’s 150 degrees outside! Or so. Tatum was sapped and completely wiped. So our fourth was very quiet.

Cooper, Tot and I enjoyed Netflix in the afternoon.

Well, Cooper enjoyed NOTflix and more like He’sOUTFlix!

Then when the fireworks began, he was all cuddled up in my personal space.

We were all ready for July 5th by then. Still, we love America! (and may the sun keep shining (just not directly on us).

It happened on a boring Tuesday. The kind where it’s too hot to go outside, and nothing good is on TV. So, naturally, Max did what he always does—he snuck into Ellie’s room.

Again.

I know, I know. She’s thirteen, I’m ten. “Boundaries,” she always says, like she’s some kind of grown-up. But it’s not my fault her room is the only one with working A/C and the best stash of candy on Earth. And okay, maybe I was sort of curious what she was hiding in that drawer she always slams shut when I come in.

So I waited until I heard the front door slam—she’d gone to the store with Mom. Boom. Perfect timing.

I crept in like a ninja (well, a ninja wearing SpongeBob socks) and headed straight for The Drawer. I opened it sloooowly, expecting the usual: lip gloss, old notes, maybe that dumb journal she writes in when she’s being dramatic.

But instead, there was a box. A metal one, weirdly heavy, glowing just a little blue around the edges like someone had stuck a flashlight inside.

I opened it.

Inside was a rock. Not like a boring rock from the backyard—but one that hummed in my hands. It was warm and buzzing, like it was alive. And under it was a piece of paper. Folded up a hundred times. When I opened it, my heart stopped.

It said:

“Do NOT tell Mom. This is from the meteor. The rock gave me dreams that came true. I’m not crazy. Max can NEVER find this.”

—Ellie.

What. The. Heck.

I stared at the rock. Then the letter. Then back at the rock. This wasn’t just “older sister being dramatic.” This was weird and maybe kind of magic. My brain was spinning. Did she really touch a meteor? Are her dreams really coming true? Is she like… psychic now or something?

For the first time ever, I didn’t want to mess with her stuff. I put everything back—exactly how I found it—and backed out of the room like it was on fire.

But all night, I couldn’t sleep. What if it was dangerous? What if Ellie was in trouble? What if she already knew I had found it—because she dreamed I would?

The next morning, I sat at the kitchen table poking at my cereal when Ellie walked in. She looked straight at me and said, “You went in my room yesterday.”

My spoon dropped. “What?! No I didn’t!”

She narrowed her eyes. “Yes you did. I had a dream about it. You touched the box.”

I swallowed hard. “Is it… real?”

She sighed and sat across from me. “Yeah. And it’s doing something to me. I don’t know what yet.”

“Are you gonna tell Mom?”

“I can’t. Not yet. She’ll freak.”

Silence.

Then I said, “I won’t tell. But I wanna help.”

She blinked, surprised. Then, slowly, she nodded. “Okay. But no more snooping.”

I smirked. “Deal. But only if I get some candy from your stash.”

Ellie rolled her eyes, but she smiled too.

I think we both knew… nothing was ever going to be normal again.