i'm so bad with grammar. i'd like to think that i'm good at... everything... but i'm not. i'm not a writer. i don't even know when to capitalize letters. i don't even know how to spell capitalize. spell check caught that one for me, which is why it's correct. haha. so all that said... trying to figure out proper grammar slows me down. so i'm not gonna do it for this post. i'm just gonna write!! :) and i'm prob gonna add lots of smilies becaussssse i like to smile!
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no more apologies for not updating my "poor neglected blog" any earlier. :-p life is busy. i can barely find time to wash my face most mornings. though i have to say, i love the busy-ness of having two small children. typical summer days at home with my lovies have been filled with loads of laundry, littlest pet shops, teaching Sky how to read + write, dance parties, new recipies, trips to the park, dealing with temper tantrums (both mine and the kids'), picture-taking, making new friends, and about 4-5 dirty diaper changes a day.
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| sky's hair straightened for the first time |
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| backyard pool time |
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| silliness |
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| creative lunches |
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| dance parties |
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| first ice cream truck experience |
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| daily tantrums |
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| vacation bible school |
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| dressing herself |
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| bible stories with daddy |
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| kisses from brother when sky fell asleep on the sofa |
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| my puppy. |
life isn't perfect. life is actually really difficult most of the time. if i'm being honest here, the past two years have been two of the most difficult years for me. yet i feel like God has sustained me through it all, and out of his love and kindness he is helping me to grow into the kind of woman i've always wanted to be in the first place. the biggest lesson i feel like God's been teaching me is the importance of kindness. the importance of loving everyone. the importance of being responsible for my thoughts and my words and my attitude and the way i both directly and indirectly make people feel. and the importance of forgiving those that have hurt me. through these things i've been discovering the grace and the power of the gospel all over again, as though for the first time. and the rest i have to say on this topic is saved for my journal.
but as you also can probably relate, life has it's really, super duper sweet spots in it too. i look + search for these moments throughout the day. and when my iphone or camera is nearby, i grab it and take a picture of it. it helps me to stay sane. to focus on all that is good. it helps me to thank the Lord for all he has provided for me.
i have enjoyed so many sweet spots this summer! i've gotten to know this gem of a person, Bethany Starin. have you ever become fast friends with someone, and you look back at how your life was just 6 months ago and you can't remember what life was like before they ever came along?
that's how i feel about this dear one. she's a gift. an inspiration, really. someone who truly loves her husband and her family and lays down her life for others that she barely knows. she likes to craft, cook, try new things, and visit new places. annnnd i just like her a whole stinkin' lot. :) i wanna be like her.
here's something else that's been so awesome this summer. i've gotten to know my sisters more.
we've become like best friends.
not that we weren't close before. this wouldn't be true. since my mom and step-dad married in '99, God knitted us together instantaneously into this radical sisterhood. but it seems to be turning into something deeper. something even more real and lovely and wonderful...
...and i'm so grateful.
our home has been filled with sincere little notes this summer, as Schuyler is learning how to read and how to write.
we've also had some pretty fun lake + pool trips.
Sky also got her ears pierced...
...on the same day that her newest cousin Reveille Elle was born.
i got my tragus pierced, a part of my ear that i didn't even know could be pierced.
it was so on a whim and i only did it because my sisters were with me, chanting me on.
it hurt like crazyyyy! but i love it.
(i bet you're reaching for your ear right now feeling your tragus. it's thick.)
as you can imagine, we've spent a good amount of time with our dearest family friends that live right next door. Reagan Avonlea just turned ONE.
it's been filled with worn out knock knock jokes and silly made up songs...
and a cuddly sick boy who, for some reason, keeps catching colds.
it's been filled with delicious midnight snacks and date nights at home...
and fun DIY projects like this chalkboard and pictures hung for our bedroom.
and lots of picture-taking of the middletown sky.
so many sweet spots. so many reasons to smile in the midst of difficulty. so much grace.
:)
