Fall

Critter catchin'

Beaches

Beaches and pools and rain... That pretty much sums up our summer vacation. Back in May, we went to Amelia Island in Florida for vacation. These are a few pics I took while soaking up the sun on the beach.  The kids loved every second of our time there.  After we got home, it rained for the next six weeks, or so it seemed...

It was difficult to watch the kids test their skill on those boogie boards.  They would always go a little farther out than I was comfortable with.  They'd push their independence a little more every day.  I think I finally got the point across that the ocean rip tide was stronger than they were and that just because they could swim didn't mean the ocean wouldn't carry them away.  I would do the head count constantly and wonder if all the other mothers on the beach were doing the same thing.  I would get up to call one of my daredevils back a little closer to me when I'd see them look up, search for me, and smile.  They were being careful or trying to be careful.  They would always look up as if laying their eyes on us gave them confidence that they were okay and that we were there and that we were watching over them.

I think it's like that with our Lord.  When we keep our eyes on Him, there's a special peace we have that surpasses our understanding.

I want my kids to be confident, capable, and independent, but it's hard to watch them move closer toward letting go. Lately, I've heard the words, "I can do it" or "I know how" all the time. It's hard on a mama...Bittersweet, really.

A little girl I babysat when I was a teenager...she's actually my Hannah's namesake...just got engaged to be married.  She was a junior bridesmaid in our wedding, and then, I moved away to start a life with my precious husband.  I remember meeting her and she poked her shy head out from behind her mama.  I can still see her face.  I don't know if she could ever know the impact she had on shaping my life.  After all, she was just a little girl, but she was watching me.  She was imitating me.  Wow...the pressure to be something worthy of imitation.  I don't feel like I ever really lived up to the job.  I was growing up, too. There was a time when that sweet Hannah bounced around in dress-up clothes, my clothes actually.  I knew she was busy growing up, and I was busy having children of my own. Looking back, it seems like just yesterday that little girl was a part of my daily life.

And now she's getting married.

I have a feeling I'll be thinking the same thing in a few years when my own children set out on their own.  I'm gonna be a basket case...

Hannah's Baptism

"I feel like God is telling me to join the church.  I feel it in my heart, in my ears, and in my head."

Ethan

Flight

Grace fell in love with this dog.
He's just her size.

Thursday, March 14, I traveled alone.  I went through security at the airport.  I waited at the gate until it was my turn to board.  It was loud and quiet for me all at the same time.  I ordered a very large cup of coffee and sipped it while I read a book. I was uninterrupted for the first time in a very long time.  I started to clear my thoughts.  I was able to pull them all the way from point A to point B.

On the plane, the people that sat around me spoke Spanish and an Indian language, so while I heard them talking, I didn't know what they were saying.  It felt like white noise. I had a window seat for my 7:25 PM flight.  I felt like I was riding into the sunset for three hours before it got completely dark outside.

I loved flying above the clouds. It was a new perspective on how small we really are.  All the towns, small or large, looked relatively the same from the airplane window.  For a long time, I could pick out the ball fields, the neighborhoods, the ponds.  It was all very patchwork.  Different yet cohesive.  Separate yet connected somehow.

We had a lot of rough air.  It wasn't a smooth flight at all.  The captain came over the PA system several times apologizing for the flight attendants being unable to serve beverages and snacks to the passengers. Eventually, they served everyone, but it was a long flight.

I am absolutely crazy about my kids, and I love that they like to tell me what’s on their minds.  They talk to me all the time. All. the. time.  A part of me wanted to rush back and bring them all with me when I thought about all the things we could see and do in California.  Not that I could do that but talk about a hands-on experience.  Then, I thought to myself what a good experience they were having back home with their cousins.  What great memories they were making.

It’s not every day Deron has to travel for work, and now that the kids are a little older, we can let them visit with cousins while I accompany him for some time together alone. 

We went to Amelia Island last year for our tenth anniversary, and it was revitalizing.  We talked and walked and dreamed and planned and ate amazing food.  We just enjoyed being together, just the two of us.  It was something we hoped would become a tradition for us.  So when we found out he had to be in California for two weeks, we decided that I could meet him out there for the weekend. What a blessing it was!

We, originally, planned for me to go out to California with him for a few days and for me to go with him to his conference for five nights this summer.  I still want to go, but I'm starting to chicken out a little in terms of leaving the kids again.  Although, they've already asked when they can go back and stay with their cousins again because it was "awesome!" They told me they had a lot more fun than we did! So we'll see.

Spring Break 2013

The kids are pretty sure they had a better time than Deron and I did!