On Summer So Far…

June 18th, 2014

I cannot believe we are weeks into summer already. I just want it to slow down and linger forever, especially after the roughest winter of our lives. Summer has had too much busy so far, and I’m hoping the next few weeks have more slow days of less.

I feel like I’m having to find my feet in blogging again, and I apologize for my hit-and-missness, and sometimes vagueness. Creativity is harder for me when I’m not in a rhythm, but things are smoothing out. Actually, things are really really good, even when some things are really really hard.

There’s a lot of transition going on outside of our home with our families, but we are trusting in God’s faithfulness and timing in the hard.

Meanwhile, we are really enjoying our boys these days. Their crazy. Their sweetness. Their growth.

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We haven’t found a routine yet in our summer days, but so far here’s a little of what we’ve been up to…

~ We are 2 games away from concluding our first baseball season.  I’m relieved for the break in schedule, but it sure has been fun cheering them on each game. I’ve loved how far they’ve come these past weeks, the way they’ve been teachable, and the friendships they’ve made.

~ I’m reading two books I love so far, and have been so good when thinking about our home and family life. 

1. The Nesting Place, by Myquillyn Smith

I love every single page of this book so far – the pictures, the creativity, the permission to not have a perfect home. 

2. Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, by Crystal Paine

This is full of practical advice and solutions for managing home, family, finances, and time. I’m underlining and trying to implement several         takeaways each chunk I read.  

~ Our new love for essential oils is keeping me busy sharing them with others. I had the privilege of facilitating two Introduction to Essential Oils classes last week, and it’s been so rewarding to see others been blown away by the awesomeness of these oils for anything from infections, arthritis, pain management, headaches, allergies, anxiety, and so many everyday needs. There’s so much interest that I’m trying to figure out how to meet others needs and stay on top of things around here too, but it’s such a blessing.

~ We are making good use of our neighborhood pool key that came with this house. I even get a few pages read on my Kindle poolside every few visits, which is much different than the juggling babies in the wading pool days.

~ Our loss is taking a new form of grief as we approach the due date. I’ve accepted it and life has continued, but questions remain, and it still hurts at times.  It’s a different kind of pain, but there’s still a heaviness I can’t completely shake.  (And every time I think I’ve unsubscibed to every “Baby” email possible, a new one pops up in my inbox almost daily. “Your in the Home Stretch”, “Time to Start Your Baby Registry” , etc.)

~ The boys have an even deeper love for fishing this summer.  In fact, Clark is borderline obsessed.  It might have been sparked by his 9 pound catfish catch, or a fishing night with cousins that resulted in 29 fish reeled in. Nevertheless, they beg to go down to the pond nightly.

~ I’m working on getting back on a workout routine. Running is so stinkin’ mental. I did some Pilates yesterday just to switch it up a little.

~ We caught the end of the USA winning their first World Cup game this week.  And since Brooks was player responsible for scoring the last goal and blocking another, Brooks’ brothers immediately lifted him up and cheered.

~ Our little garden is doing well so far.  We’ve enjoyed a nice crop of strawberries – our best year yet, and the cucumbers, green beans, squash, and tomatoes are growing well so far. One of my favorite times of the day is watering the garden and watching the boys eat strawberries right off the plant.

~ I could listen to this song on repeat all day long. 

What about YOU?  How’s your summer going? What are you into? Have you found a routine or are you soaking up the laid back days?  Let’s chat about it in the comments.