back in the day...

i was born in oklahoma. my dad was finishing up grad school there. when he was done, four months after i was born, we moved back to the navajo reservation in arizona. basically, i've lived my entire childhood in window rock, arizona. it's home, and always will be. 

today we went on a car ride to show the kids around again. this time, they bombarded me with questions. whenever we passed a particular spot of memory, i would tell them a story about the time i went bike riding with my dad and brothers and we killed a rattlesnake. or how during the summers my brothers and i along with the neighborhood kids would walk down to "the mission" and play baseball or catch salamanders in the creek. i didn't realize how much they'd actually like the stories...and i didn't realize how much i had underestimated my own memory. this place is filled with them. some day i will have to write down everything i remember.

we took the kids to the town's namesake and monument. i remember many hiking field trips in elementary school, walking to the window rock and having picnics with classmates. it's nice that some things don't change, like big, massive red rocks with holes in them.

it was actually a really nice and warm day. most of the snow has melted and the kids ran free throughout the park without their coats.

i'm pretty sure this is mimzy's first time here.

isaiah's been here many times, but he loves coming back.

so does makayah.

the first time shot of all three of the kids here.

while the kids went off hiking with daddy, i followed mimzy around on the safer sidewalks. 

she was ecstatic to be outdoors, romping here and there. she is such a little explorer.

we forgot to bring the tripod, so, everyone had individual shots. the best we could do.

 i love that my children will have so many memories of their own in window rock. 

after a day of romping around town, we had our cousins over for games. unfortunately, mims just couldn't hang and conked out before her future roomie/best friend came over to play. it was so much fun playing, and if we hadn't realized before just how much we've missed being close to family, we definitely remember now.

today i am grateful for:

*the beautiful opportunity i've had to grow up here. i am so lucky to have the rich memories i do, and to be able to share them with my children.

*my extended family who came to play games with us. we laughed into the night, just like a proper night should end.

*melatonin, i've been having a hard time with this one hour time change.