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,

10 on 10

10 pictures from the 10th of July :)

Starting the day with the Lord.

Lily loves drawing with highlighters.

Splash pad fun.

These kids still love to watch their daddy mow the yard.

Goofy faces.

Starting a new book. Loving it so far!

Playing at Grammie's after supper.

20 month old baby girl.

We love to make funny faces :)

My kitchen window sill makes me smile everytime I see it. 

Silver Club {my trip to Utah}

Two weeks ago I had the amazing privilege to take advantage of an all expenses paid trip to Utah to visit Young Living corporate offices and the Mona, Utah Lavender farm!! So awesome! I was supposed to go last year, but we had previous plans, so I deferred the trip to this year. It's neat how it worked out - my mom got to go this year, which was really fun for us to spend time together! 

It was my FIRST TIME EVERRRRR to get on an airplane!! What a fun experience! On the first flight to Atlanta, I had a talkative lady sitting next to me. She seriously talked the whole time - which was so nice to keep my mind occupied! 

It was NOT easy for me to leave my babies. I cried a lot during the trip because I missed them so much. Thankfully Jacob was off work and able to care for them (and he did GREAT btw) - I'm just not cut out to be a traveling mama. :) 

I had a window seat on the long flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake City. I loved getting to watch the landscape changing as we flew west. The mountains took my breath away - spectacular!

The resort we stayed in was amazing! 

Ready for the opening fancy dinner night.

Gorgeous sunrise from my window.

I love Young Living's unique Seed to Seal guarantee that sets them apart from all other companies. Amazing!

I took a walk in downtown SLC one day. It was SO hot - dry heat unlike the humid heat we have here in Alabama. Even though I was drinking TONS of water, I think I got a little dehydrated during that short walk. 

During the afternoon meeting I decided to rest and drink lots more water. Thankfully I was feeling better within an hour or two. It was nice to get a little reading done...and LOTS of chatting with new oily friends!

This was when our tour bus broke down on the side of a mountain, 14 miles from civilization, in 100 degree temperature! Thankfully we were rescued within an hour!

Incredible sunset.

I got up super early to participate in the lavender fields 5k! 

A field of Clary Sage.

Lavender fields.

SO beautiful and SO fragrant! 

I couldn't get enough of the scent and beauty. Such an incredible experience!

28 weeks pregnant with Baby #5!

This is part of the Young Living store at the farm. 

The horse barn.

The horses are used for plowing/harvesting, etc to keep the plants free of tractor fumes/pollutants. I love how committed Young Living is to unadulterated oils - even in small ways like this.

Gorgeous lavender and mountains.

Heading home. I was SO ready to get home and see my babies.

It's SPRING!!!! (and other randomness)

We have really been enjoying the beautiful weather the last week or so! It seems like my kids do so much better when they can get outside - so much less whining, fighting, crying, etc. The three big kids are really into riding their bikes this year. We don't have much space at our house to ride, but we are enjoying rides around the neighborhood. 

Ava is loving toddling around this year. She doesn't like walking barefoot in the grass - she walks on her tip toes. So funny! She is a little stinker and likes to take off for the road whenever she gets the chance. I can't take my eyes off her at all!

Snack time.

We are happy to be back at the park too! 

Lily found these daffodils in our yard. She picked them and put them in a glass of water on the table.

Ava loves this little outfit and would wear it everyday if I let her. 

Spiffed up and headed to church. Jacob was out of town for a weekend conference, so I snapped this picture to send to him. 

Snacks, stories and outside time = joy to this mama's heart! 

Snow days.

Last week we got snow for the first time this season! The kids were so excited to watch it come down and get to play in it! Lily and Levi had the best time playing in it, but Asher and Ava preferred to stay inside. 

Early in the week Asher had a bar stool fall over and smash his toe, so he pretty much spent the whole week on the couch. He enjoyed hot chocolate though! :) 

We got about 10.5 inches when it was all finish! This picture was taken at 9pm - I love how light it is outside at night when there is snow on the ground. Jacob and I went for a walk after we got the kids to bed. 

The next morning Jacob wanted to brave driving out to my parent's farm so we could participate in sledding and snowboarding behind the 4-wheeler. I'm not that much of an adventurer, but I didn't want to be left home alone with the kids. Ha!

The roads were pretty rough in some places, but the two big mountains that you have to go up/go down on the way had been scraped, so that was good. We got a little stuck going into my parent's driveway, but when Jacob backed up and took a "running" start we made it. 

Levi enjoyed getting a clump of snow and slowly eating it. 

Levi and Uncle Joshua ready for a sled ride.

Lily and Uncle Joshua having fun on the sled!

Jacob took his snowboard and while he was waiting on a rope to hold on to, he took a quick ride holding on to the sled. Ha

My mom invited us to stay for lunch and I enjoyed getting to help her cook it while Asher and Ava played inside and the others were outside burning off energy.

This week we had a couple of days of ice. Ugh! I'm not a fan of ice...but thankfully we didn't lose power! I am ready for spring now! :)