Breathe...

Today we are leaving for vacation...

...and we are ridiculously excited about it!

Shaver, the Rae's are coming for you!❤︎

A first for us...

On July 11, it was the "get free chicken at Chik-fil-A day" I mean I don't know what they actually call it, but we have never done it before.  (I know, it is not like us to pass up free food!)

The kids had the best time printing out their cow masks and coloring them and getting to wear them through the drive through:

It was also July 11 A.K.A. 7-Eleven day, where we got free slurpees:

Honest to goodness, the kids thought that it was the best day ever.  I can't believe it was our first time to enjoy either of those things!  We are already for next year...❤︎

quiet time...

Ryder has been SO amazing at working on his reading, math, sight words, and writing.  He does a little each day.  He likes to work at his little desk and every time I see him there, he seems so old and yet so little at the same time.  

I shake that off and go find Eden, only to see her doing the same thing, and I feel the same way: How does she seem so old and yet so little in the same moment?

I love how these summer days are allowing us family time so that I can sit and just be present in these moments of my babies growing up.  The now and not yet... Oh how I love these big kids of mine!❤︎

Corona Del Mar Beach

Yesterday we went to the beach with my sister and her room mate from college, who is pretty much the SWEETEST person ever!  I remember visiting my sister at their apartment at UCI and thinking, "If living with someone like Dana is what college is all about, then I am IN!"

We made a playdate at Corona Del Mar and had such a fun day!

Dana is a phenomenal cook and she wanted to make out picnic:

It was a chicken caprese sandwich and a raspberry vinaigrette salad with salted chocolate cookies for dessert...

We climbed the rocks at Hidden Beach:

The day was so good and exactly what our hearts needed!  I am thankful for connections with friends and family that are so life giving to your soul!❤︎

VBS 2017 (A.K.A. the best week ever!)

Last week was such a special one for our family.  We love getting to bring our vacation Bible school out to our local parks, neighborhoods, and communities.  We also loved getting to be at the same park two years in a row and getting to have kids return from last year was so special!

Here were some snapshots of the week:

Crazy hair day!

Water Slide!

Art created from combining paint and alka seltzer tablets placed in plastic film canisters...

We sat around and talked about the Creator that God is and then we screamed each time one went off...

We had bowls set around with pieces of paper that had God's promises and each kiddo would come to that bowl and a volunteer would pray that promise over each kiddo.  It was incredibly powerful!

Decorating frames our last day:

 We love miss Melody!

Praying over and blessing our kiddos every day before they headed home:

Our family BBQ the last day:

Worship and story telling from the Big God Story, small group and large group time mixed with bounce houses, HUGE slip and slides, snow cones, field games, crafts that exploded (intentionally), dance parties and prayer, and all the fun that comes with being together talking about God's love for us... It really was the BEST. WEEK. EVER!❤︎

giggles...

brain teasers...

We have been having fun with some brain "activities" for the summer: games we have pulled out, work books for them to work through to help transition them for the upcoming school year, and picking books to read.  Some books are more challenging than others, but all have gotten him excited about reading and learning new words! 

Plus he reads to Eden which is a HUGE win!❤︎ 
Here were a few shots over the last few weeks:

(Sometimes this happens too:)

It's been such a blessing to watch them work on skills to try to keep their minds sharp over the summer!❤︎