10 on 10

10 pictures from our day - June 10, 2016.

Beautiful sunrise on my way to the gym.

This girl loves crafting.

Ava "cleaning" with baby wipes. haha

Happy baby after his morning nap.

Ava thought WD-40 was good to use for gas for her car. (Please don't worry, it has been put far out of reach now!)

Popcorn and reading in the shade!

Supper - grilled burger, fresh veggies and roasted brussel sprouts. Yummy!

We had quite the fiasco during our evening walk - I opened the van to get the bigger stroller out (the umbrella stroller doesn't do very well on the bumpy road) and it fell out and smashed my shin. Ouch! I got Ezra strapped in the stroller and then walked a few feet away to fasten Levi's shoes. While my back was turned, Lily started pushing Ezra in the stroller (which is usually no problem) but we didn't realize that the front wheel was locked and when she started pushing him, it wouldn't turn and the whole stroller fell over on it's side. Lily started shrieking and I whirled around and ran over to where Ezra was hanging by the seat belts and got the stroller righted. Ahhh! I didn't know what was wrong with the stroller wheel, so we put Ezra in the umbrella stroller and proceeded to go on our walk. The kids were running ahead (again, something they always do) and all of the sudden Levi was on the ground screaming. I ran to him and realized that he had fallen in a hole (actually a large pipe in the ground by a neighbor's water meter) up to his thigh and his shoe was stuck. After a lot of finagling I got his foot out of the shoe and then got the shoe out. I decided we should just turn around and head home before anything else happened to us. Ha! Well, just as I said that, Ava took off running in her pants and flip flops and got all tripped up and face planted on the rough road. Seriously! 

A little reading before bed.

Ready to call it a night!

xoxo,

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a whirlwind of a Memorial Day weekend! On Thursday evening, Lily had her piano recital. She played Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, and another song and she did a great job! She loves learning piano!

How is our girl getting so big!? *sniff*

After Lily's recital, we left town to drive to South Carolina (6ish hour drive) for my brother's seminary graduation. We thought we would just drive partway, get a hotel, and then drive the rest of the way in the morning, but the kids went to sleep and we were making great time, so we drove straight through.

Friday morning we took the kids to Downtown Greenville to show them some of our favorite spots from our college days. We went to Falls Park and had a great time walking across the suspension bridge, exploring, and watching the ducks. 

Such a beautiful park!

Ava loved the ducks!

It was a really hot day so after we walked around the park for awhile, we went in Spill the Beans coffee shop for some ice water. We got into a conversation with a security guard who commented on the number of children we have and said we look like missionaries. It turned out that she had been a missionary overseas and is now in a waiting period before she starts more mission work. 

We grabbed Chick Fil A and headed to another park to meet a bunch of family for lunch! It was so fun! There were lots of kiddos/babies to play with and meet for the first time. It was pretty much a family reunion!

We went to the hotel for some rest time in the afternoon before heading to the graduation ceremony. It was a very special service! My dad preached the graduation address and all of our immediate family was able to attend except one of my brothers and his family. 

We came home on Saturday morning - we had to hurry back because Jacob had a wedding in the late afternoon. Thankfully the trip went smoothly!

Early on Monday morning (Memorial Day) we heard this strange whooshing noise and we looked out and saw this hot air balloon! So fun! I ran through the house like a crazy person calling the kids to get up fast. It was a cool way to start the day!

Our church hosted a tool and gadget shower Monday afternoon for my brother in law and future sister in law who was in town for the weekend. It was a cute shower, but I forgot to take any pictures!

Monday night we went to my sister's home for a family supper - grilled hamburgers and hot dogs! Yum! My sister got a ton of water toys, bubbles, outdoor games, cool bandanas, etc for the kids! They had a blast! 

Our weekend was filled with family - immediate, extended, my side of the family, Jacob's side of the family. Family is so special and we feel like it is very important to make memories with them and cherish the time we have together. We are thankful for each one!

xoxo,

Life update

Whew! The last month (or two) have been crazy around here! 

Lily and Levi played t-ball and absolutely loved it! They were on the same team and we were blessed to have a great coach who truly loved the kids and helped them learn and have fun. It was a hectic time for me though, with Jacob finishing up school and having lots of rehearsals and concerts, I had to do all the transportation to practices and games. We had family come to a lot of the games and they helped me with the younger children which was so helpful!

We finally got moved from our home in the city out to a mobile home in the country near Jacob's parents. It was bittersweet to leave the home where we began our married life and our wonderful neighbors of 8 years, but country life is what our hearts were craving!

On April 30th we rented a truck and with the help of friends and family we got it loaded up and then unloaded in just a few hours! My mom and sister came and helped with furniture arrangement at the mobile home and unpacking the kitchen - so thankful!

My sweet Ezra helped me remember to sit down and take breaks during unpacking. 

The kids are still enjoying exploring the land and practically living outside! We are away from busy roads and lots of noise. Quiet, slower life is what I needed. 

There are lots of trees to climb and play under!

The sunsets are magnificent! 

Of course everything hasn't been perfect - we've dealt with ants, flys, a bathtub not draining properly, stress from getting our house on the market, Jacob finishing up teaching for the school year and being so busy, a few boxes left to unpack because I need shelves put up, etc, but the good definitely outweighs the bad and we are so happy where we are!

My favorite quote in this season of life is this: 

"The life of faith is lived one day at a time, and it has to be lived - not always looked forward to as though the "real" living were around the next corner. It is today for which we are responsible. God still owns tomorrow."

-Elisabeth Elliot
xoxo,