pickles, leaping waters, and meat eaters

Yesterday we took our lunch to an outdoor leaping water spot in our little downtown.

 Our lunch contained a large New York deli pickle.  Yep, they take after their mama:

(Eden wouldn't give it back!)

I love when we get little moments like this as a family...♥

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kit is heading out today for a four day backpacking and hunting trip with his brother Andrew and their cousin Michael.  The kids and I are going to miss him terribly but I know that he will have such a fun trip.  I'm just praying for safety!  We are heading out to be with family in Redlands, and we are REALLY excited about it!

Hurry home Kit Rae.  

We can't wait to hear all about it! We love you and miss you already! 

Noah's Ark

Yesterday, my friend Angelina and I took our kiddos to the Skirball Cultural Center in LA to see their Noah's Ark exhibit.  Some friends and family had gone and had recommended it and we had such a  great time.  The kids LOVED it!

Here are a few of the high lights:

On the way to the center, we read the story of Noah:

 can you tell that Eden was riveted:

 

The exhibit is completely interactive and family friendly.
We had so much fun!

 Simulating a storm:

climbing around the ark:

And of course there was lots of playing with animals:

 

 Coloring our arks for the craft time:

 

 It was so fun to be there with such amazing friends:

It was a great day and we had such a fun time.♥

desperate times call for desperate measures

With a 3 and a 1 1/2 year old in my house, I can't think of the last time that I was able to get ready without any interruptions.  I usually try to sneak away while they are playing, but inevitably they find me and they want to hold something that I have, like my brush or my hot flat iron.  Yep, it's a real hoot trying to make myself presentable.

So I decided to make a little make up bag of their own that they can have full reign over so I can get myself put together so much faster♥.

I put together some brushes that I don't use and added a few from the store.

I cleaned an old powder cassette and filled it with the nail polish that Eden is always pulling out of my drawer.  I ran the applicator puff through the wash.

Little miss has been LOVING the brushes.

You wouldn't think that something like this would make a difference in our morning routine, but gosh, it certainly has made life a little easier for this mama♥.

being unplugged and staying cool...

Last week was a wonderful time to unplug from all media.  I'm not going to lie, it was really hard not to want to pull out my phone and check pictures on Instagram and read my favorite blogs.  The time away was so needed though, and I think I will be carving out time to do it more often.
There is a simplicity and peace that comes from being in that type of quiet.  I realized how much I needed it!
The time was spent in prayer and scripture (I got a copy of the Jesus Calling by Sarah Young for a daily devotional), playing with the Littles, reading, crafting, and taking naps...
Yes, it was a very good thing to unplug!♥ 
Kit and I also chose something in the food category to fast from.
I chose carbs and Kit decided to do a full week of smoothies: no coffee, no soda, no alcohol, no fast food, no solid food...
Goodness gracious, it was tough...
The Lord was very gracious in meeting us in tough moments and
I am thankful for the experience that the week of prayer offered.

Our blender has never been so busy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have been having some 100+ degree weather here and that has made it pretty miserable to be outside.  Within five minutes of being outside, both of the kids' cheeks are red and Ryder is wanting go someplace cooler. Not so fun when you have an entire day ahead of you.

Here have been some fun things on our "try to stay cool" list:

In addition to tackling little science project ideas from Pinterest like here, Ryder has been having lots of fun with puzzles, legos, reading time, and Playdough.
Making lego guns and rockets is a huge highlight.  

His dinosaur puzzle is definitely his favorite:

(Thanks Grandi and Monkey Papa!)

We also have a pirate puzzle that we had fun doing too!

I love watching him concentrate and then get so excited when he finds a piece that fits...

 I love watching him sit and use his little mind to make new things.  We have two lego sets, one is for a car and one for a small speed boat.  He makes rockets and space men and puts wheels on all sorts of things.

Eden loves her books:

(Pulling all of them off the shelf and then putting them back is also a very fun game...)

Both of the kids enjoy being outside so we can go a little bit stir crazy if we are cooped up too long.

My sister-in-law Mallory gave me the idea of freezing toys in water and then letting the kids play with it until the ice melts, using cups of water to melt the water around the toys.  They have been LOVING it! We have a shady part of our yard and that combined with the cold water has made for a very fun outdoor activity on these hot summer days...

 Little miss taking a break to watch her brother.

When all else fails, we just turn the sprinklers on,

 and take a nice cool bath:

When I think back to these days, though they can feel long, I will remember these really sweet moments.

Fasting

This week, I will be taking a fast from ALL media (music, tv, movies, the Internet...etc) as part of our church's week of prayer.  I'm nervous, mainly because I know how dependent I am on it, but I am excited to watch the Lord use it to quiet my heart and to refocus me on who He is.  
I'm excited to see what the week will hold...