Saturday, January 31

over the last 9 months...

 It's been 9 months since I have logged in. 9 months. I decided last summer, as I watched my kids swim while I had my nose stuck in my iPad, that I would sit it all aside and embrace the moments that would come my way and truly enjoy summer with my kids. Well, we have had 9 months of "moments".  Summer faded into fall, fall gave way to winter and now here we are on the last day of January.  I had unintentionally and really, un-awaringly (is that a word?) taken a break from life online.  And it has felt good.
I have had some time to re-elvaluate what my space is suppose to look like. And what its supposed to be. When we were in the middle of adoption and missions, it was easy to write. So much was happening and changing and so much was on my heart. It was a season where God was awakening passions and opening my eyes to worlds I had never seen before. My heart was raw and vulnerable and writing came easy.
It was easy even "after the airport", whether that "after" was adoption or missions, to write about our life and things that were happening. God was, and still is ever present in our lives. But somewhere, somewhere in the middle I lost my flicker to write and lay it all out.
So much has changed, and shifted over the last 2 years. Its hard to not feel a little displaced and "unseen" as some would say.
I read a book over the latter part of summer,  "Anonymous: Jesus' Hidden Years and Yours" by Alicia Britt Chole. I'm pretty sure I highlighted the entire book. It spoke deep into my heart. I felt known and understood by the author. Its a book that has comforted me and encouraged me in this season of life I am in.
We have made the decision to stick with the kids school for the long haul. If you don't know me well this has been a burden for a while. Not the school, the school is great. Its a tough school. The academic requirements for the school are tough but more than that, it is tough on my flesh. I battled with this all summer. In August I felt The Lord speak to me. He encouraged me and reminded me that THIS is exactly what he has called me to do and that just because it is a calling from God, doesn't mean at all that it will be easy. In fact, it may mean that it will be harder then we think we can handle. Which is exactly why we have a wonderful God we can lean on and call on for help. He is there in our time of need.
So this year, this school year, I have laid it all down. And, it has been the best school year yet! We have hard days, but mostly memorable days. Days that I know I will cherish when my children are grown and they are adults with careers and lives of their own. I know I will look back and not remember the days that felt like everything was closing in and when I felt like a bottle of wine at 11am was totally appropriate. I will remember the days of seeing them get excited about something new they learned, I will remember the days when they finally memorized that 6 stanza poem that I still can't memorize, I will remember the afternoons getting Oreo Milk Shakes and Frito Pies at the local pharmacy diner with the kids and running them to tutoring and meeting up with friends at the park in the middle of the day. I will remember the days when my kids beg me to be a teacher at their school because they think that I am "THE BEST TEACHER EVER!" Bless them.
So, since embracing this season of life that is happening around me, I have felt a little displaced from the life that I had even 9 short months ago. There have been times where I realized I am not the best friend that I used to be, and friends have moved away, I have realized I am not the best servant to ministries and other people have stepped in. And I have learned, that it is all OK. Life is beautiful no matter the season. And I am thankful for the the "magnificent mundane" as my friend Bailey so wonderfully puts it. This season with my little people won't last forever. But they have been gifted to me for this moment and this moment is short.
Here is a look into the last 9 months in our lives through my photos on my iPhone.

I discovered a love for FIGS this summer and I couldn't stop inventing ways to eat them. We had figs for DAYS.
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My big boy and husband went to Alaska for 10 days. I was a tiny bit jealous.

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We celebrated my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary on my dads side. It had been years since the whole group was together.
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We spent several days at my aunts lake house and it was perfect and dreamy.
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The kids started school. All of them. It made my heart a little sad that my littles are now school aged kids and the days of parents day out are behind us.
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The back patio I have dreamed of for years was finally complete and I couldn't be more in love with it. 
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Emme and I celebrate our birthdays. Me, my 28th and her, her 6th.
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Beckham broke his collar bone on Halloween but still went Trick-or-Treating for hours after the accident. The boy is dedicated to his candy.
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I went to NYC twice this fall. What a blessing. It was a blast!
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And of course we celebrated the holidays with our families.
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2014 was blessed and I am praying that 2015 will be even more blessed.

Here's to dusting off the keys and starting again and heres to a wonderful NEW year that is going to be full of life, memories and LOVE. 

Sunday, June 22

An Unintended Break + Summer happenings

 I have taken an unintended break from blogging/writing and social media. I didn't plan on taking a break, it just sort of happened. Summer has hit and with that, comes "crazy".  We have slowed down in ways and have sped up in others. We have taken 3 spontaneous weekend trips so far. I love spontaneity.

Our first was to Austin.
We had such a great time exploring this eclectic city eating yummy food, walking around downtown and South Congress street and of course shopping.
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Second, we went to Lubbock to visit Phillips grandparents.  And last weekend we went to Dallas and took my youngest sister with us.

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So far our summer has been full of trips, swimming and playdates. I love the chillness of summer. There aren't any pressing schedules or demands and there aren't a whole lot of places that we HAVE to be. Ive been trying my best to be present in the moments that each day brings. I often get teary thinking about how fast these days with little kids are going by. As I laid in bed the other night I nearly broke down into ugly crying thinking about how this is the only summer I will have with two 5 yr olds and an 8 yr old. I know that sounds silly. I love my life with these kids.

Parker asked me just the other day what it is like to be a mom. I told him that its magically frustrating and exhaustingly lovely. I told him that its my most favorite part of my life, getting to be his mom. He grinned from ear to ear.

This summer I have decided to keep going with my "unintended" break from social media and blogging. I want to embrace my days in the pool and picnics with my family.

These are the best days of my life and I don't want to miss them.
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Tortilla Face

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I always find the most hysterical selfies of Emme on my phone.

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Unplanned lunch date with my big. He shares my love for health foods and Acai bowls.

Tuesday, May 27

Dance

Emerson loves dance. I love that she loves dance. I always secretly wanted to be a dance mom. I hope she keeps loving it. Right now its her thing. She's so graceful and girly and it shined when she was on stage a couple weekends ago. For weeks Emme kept telling us that she "was going to be on STAGE!!!"

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Her dream in life right now is to perform. She wants to dance for people and she wants to sing. We took her to see Mary Poppins at our local theatre a couple months ago and ever since, being on stage has been her life goal. Seeing her do something she adores brings so much joy to my heart. Since we started dance back in September, Emme has really come out of her shell. She has needed this to build her confidence. In a way, I think it has healed pieces in her heart and soul. And for that I am thankful.

Her little class spent weeks and weeks preparing for their recital. They worked so hard. It was lovely seeing their hard work pay off when they began their routine to "I see the light" from the movie Tangeled. Each one of them shined and looked so beautiful and delicate.  I was proud to tears for my girl. I loved every minute of it. And so did she. 

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