We've been so excited this summer to really make every moment count. We tried to come up with ideas to do small acts of service every week we were home. And even we weren't. We started by sharing cookies with friends. #madecookies #sharedwithfriends #stayedtovisit #nowcloserfriends “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” – Barack Obama // #evieproject #barackobama #dosomething #dosomethinggood #doingitforevie #oatmealchocolatechip
Our first weekend out of school and sienna put on a party at the local pool. Daddy was at a conference so we sent him a picture to make sure he knew he was missing out on the free root beer floats! Such a fun activity to hang out at the pool to start our summer off right. #siennaplantationrocks #rootbeerfloats #lilmissaria #ticklewars on another note, #missingevie #summerbringsbackthememories #thegoodones #andthebadones #icryalot #baddreamstoo #sometimesiwishitwasalljustanightmare#butialsoamproudofwhoshemademe #icantbelieveshewouldbe1
Our very first swim meet!! Ever. So proud of my kids for trying something new. They've improved so much and I'm excited to see how they improve over the next few weeks. Jeff got two 2nd place ribbons and swam the very last heat before they called the meet due to lightning. #gottalovehouston #myjeffyboy #freestyle #backstroke #jeffwantedahotpadtosleepwith #wishihadhismusclemass #orhismuscledefinition
Aria only got to do one race. #darnlightning She was a little more disadvantaged than Jeff but she learned a good lesson on what it feels like to not succeed. #shewillbeworkingonimprovementAnd I was over the boys group. Girls are way more organized in general than boys. Just saying. #foodandtowelseverywhere#ilovemyboys #theytellmeeverything#standandstaywhereitellyou #dontmove
My other project for the summer was to put on a STEAM "camp" - that stands for Science Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. We seriously had so much fun experimenting and creating. Best part of the summer. Here is Aria and Connor making a bridge out of popsicle sticks and tape. Supplies were limited.
This is the kind of stuff that my education dreams are made of. When the kids requested a STEAM camp, I couldn't find one that didn't sound like daycare. So I made my own. #iamamathteacherafterall we had some classmates and neighbors and Friends join us and we solved problems and did an art project inspired by Ton Schulten. They were so creative and thoughtful. It was fun to hear them solve problems and work together. #iloveteaching #artandmath #engineering #steam #popsiclestickbridge #tonschulten #lilmissaria #myjeffyboy
My parents came to town to help celebrate Evie's birthday. "The world sees birth and death as the beginning and the end. But because of God’s holy plan, we know that birth and death are actually just milestones on our journey to eternal life with our Heavenly Father. They are essential parts of our Father’s plan—sacred moments when mortality and heaven intersect." - Weatherford T. Clayton // I felt foggy for months-still do sometimes-not really sure if God even existed... Or if he did, why would he let this happen to a baby that was wanted and longed for so badly. Looking back I can see that God was doubly present and the experience was doubly sacred... To experience birth and death in the same moment. I couldn't be a luckier mama. Often filled with days of sadness, but also so richly joyful. I was especially grateful for my earthly baby girl's extra hugs today. #compassionatesoul #lilmissaria and extremely grateful for my man, who also struggles but often does so alone, or allows his sadness to become swept up in caring for mine. #heisincredible #selfless #heavenhuggedme #evielaree #happybirthday #oneyearinheaven #nothingbundtcakes #lemonraspberry #thedayyouwereborn #torchys #moreevieprojectstocome #sunflowers #roses #gardenias #bananabread #watercolorartwork #notes #myjeffyboy #todaysherbirthday? #aswesitdowntocake #itwasagoodday
I've been wanting to go see a movie accompanied by the Houston symphony for a long time. This wasn't really my movie of choice but it was really fun and the music was better than I remember. #jeffmayhavebeenmoritified #ormaybeweallwere #mydadgetsawardformostphotogenic #matilda #houstonsymphony #cynthiawoodsmitchellpavilion #lilmissaria #myjeffyboy #houstonsummer2017
Oh... and this man... he's so dreamy.
Nate heard about this new battleship being commissioned off of Galveston island on NPR. We looked it up and decided to get a closer examination. It was seriously awesome. Basically a humongous jet ski. It's able to move quickly and at fast speeds. Taking pics on the Helio pads was a favorite. The main highlight though was getting the catering cast-offs while waiting in line.. Cold water and tuna sandwiches feel like manna on a hot day in June. We bottle flipped, I'm officially better at sticks than Nate and we taught grandpa and grandma how to play scum. #somanyacronyms #military #famouspeoplewerethere #3hourtour #orwaitinline #weswitchedtourguideshalfwaythrough #oursknewnothing #notallarecreatedequal #lovemyfamily #lilmissaria #myjeffyboy #ussgiffords #gabbygiffords #weplannedtogotothebeachafter #boattourtooktoolong #wewenthome
"To coparent is to one day look up and notice that you are on a rollercoaster with another human being. You are in the same car, strapped down side by side and you can never, ever get off. There will never be another moment in your lives when your hearts don't rise and fall together, when your minds don't race and panic together, when your stomachs don't churn in tandem, when you stop seeing huge hills emerge in the distance and simultaneously grab the side of the car and hold on tight. No one except for the one strapped down beside you will ever understand the particular thrills and terrors of your ride....I am smiling. Not because I am not afraid, but because I am deeply, solidly, unshakeably happy." Aria is demonstrating perfectly how we all feel about this special father. I thank God every day for him. #lilmissaria #n8man #ussgiffords #thebridge #glennondoylemelton #lovewarrior
Sunday=Monopoly day. Only one person took the loss hard. She just didn't know that grandpa always wins. Jeff's math skills were 👌👌 👌. He may be able to take on grandpa with adding-in-your-head skills. No one beats grandpa... #ihavethebestdadever #jeffmymathematician #monopoly #railroadsalwayswin #justamatteroftime #maybenexttime #wealsocookedmacaroniandcheese #for24people #yum #sundayfunday #myjeffyboy
Tuesday was our Evie project day! Happy birthday beautiful girl! For those of you who are interested, and may not know about it, I have an Instagram account @evielaree dedicated to the small and simple things that make the biggest difference. Occasionally I'll throw up my thought for the week, or a testimony of her presence in our lives. Having a child requires a great amount of selfless service. Because of our loss, as a family, we have dedicated ourselves to looking outside ourselves and looking for opportunities, albeit small opportunities, to help make our world a better place. We look forward to doing another service project that Daddy can be a part of... Swimming just takes up all the time... ;) And dancing... #helpie#houstonfoodbank🍏 #warehouse#seniorboxes
oh and we went to an astros game. #itwasawesome #exceptwelost#beattherangers #american
"A peaceful world cannot exist, one third rich and two thirds hungry." -Jimmy Carter// Look up your local food bank and look for opportunities to volunteer. I think this is the only type of volunteer work in town that allowed for formal volunteer work from kids. Ages 6+. We can also deliver senior meals and box up lunches etc. This day, we made senior boxes. When given an option, seniors almost always choose pet food or medications. When seniors make less than $1300/month they can qualify for these boxes. It provides 26 meals a month and a nutritionist helps them plan their meals using the box. It was fun to see the kids working. They were leaders too. Helping the daycare group do all the right things. I'm so proud of them.
Also, things like this can be done on vacation. My parents were here on vacation. It was surprisingly easy getting them signed up to volunteer. They said it was the best part of their trip. #itfeelsbesttoserve
#helpie #houstonfoodbank #seniorboxes #1in4childrenexperiencehungereverydayintheus #inamerica #mykidshaveitsogood #evieproject #happybirthday #loveevie #evielight #madeafriendnamedfabian #neverhadchilibefore #hatesonions #theymakeyoucry #lotsofthingsmakemecry #hungerdoesnt #countingmyblessings #summerservice #week3
It wouldn't be a visit with grandparents if it didn't include endless swim practices, dance lessons, grocery tripsand the only swim meet this far that didn't get rained out. #heatwave
feeling lucky that I get to try out my new#used camera as the"official"swim meet photographer. #myjeffyboy #lilmissaria #summernights #stingrays #awholenewworld #wedontdothiswhereimfrom #swimbabyswim
We went and visited our only family in Texas last weekend. We celebrated Clara's birthday with a trip to the Austin Zoo. It was small and quaint but we loved feeding the llamas and goats, riding the train, complete with creepy spider tunnel and giant pirate ship, and staring down the peacocks. It was also hotter than Hades, but we'll try and forget that part.. #claralaree #lilmissaria #myjeffyboy #austinzoo #morelikeanimalsanctuary #peacocks #chickens #goats #llamas #tiger #wolves #train
"How do you spell 'love'?"-Piglet
"You don't spell it, you feel it."-Pooh
-A.A. Milne // I got to take care of this special girl during church last week. If you are a Mom with young children or babies, it is sometimes difficult to feel that you care or want to serve others because you're elbow deep in baby wipes, bottles and no sleep. Allowing others to care for your baby for an hour or two here and there, gives people like me a chance to feel of the powerful heavenly presence that exists only with babies. This little cutie pie would be 11 days younger than my Evie. They are cousins and share a middle name. I know she played with my E Necklace for a long time, not just because it was pretty but to remind me how very much I am loved. #claralaree #evielaree #evieproject #sharethelove #babies #foreheadtouch #love #poohbear #clarabear #e
I heard a beautiful song on npr today. #barbaracook #stephensondheim #lovingyou It reminded me that true love is a way of life, not a feeling. And that sometimes falling in love isn't a choice. I very much feel that way about Eve. #griefhurts #onlybecauselovecamefirst I linked a version of it in my profile. Go take a listen... it's short. #evielaree #peacock #austinzoo #matingseason #evielight
Loving you
Is not a choice
It's who I am
Loving you is not a choice
And not much reason to rejoice
But it gives me purpose
Gives me voice to say to the world:
This is why I live
You are why I live
Loving you is why I do
The things I do
Loving you is not in my control
But loving you, I have a goal
For what's left of my life
I will live
And I would die
For you
When it's hotter than heck outside or raining cats and dogs, we spend our time inside prepping for the Radmall family reunion. #bringiton #pingpongtourney #watchoutjared #wevebeenpracticing #36 #myjeffyboy #hehassomuchenergy
Made our own mandalas yesterday. We learned that these were originally made out of sand!!! And then they'd just brush them up and take them to flowing water and disperse them. They were gorgeous but they point out that nothing lasts forever. It served it's purpose. We made ours with chalk pastels and paint. Ours will last a little longer....It was so fun to see how different they were. #steamclassweek3 #myjeffyboy #lilmissaria #mandalas #armymenlaunchers #26feet
Baseball games with Jeff is definitely a number one summer activity. Especially when they're having a world series kind of season. We're pretty obsessed with our astros around here.
I finally got my big girl camera back out and started having fun taking pictures again. I love how her tail is in motion here. It's always moving because she's always happy. We love hazel.
When a day is a rough one and because of that you end up breaking commitments and on top of that you get frustrated with little torments like "why am I not more sad?" Or "how do I make that weird whiney noise coming from my son stop?" ------> and then God brings you THIS to give you a goodnight kiss, the world seems alright, maybe He does see my faith.... I hope he knows.... I'm ALL in. #nofilter #tropicalstormcindy #sunset #evielaree #evielight #seethelight #streamsofpink #glorystreamsfromheavenafar #texassky #griefguilt I prayed for the day when the waves of sadness would leave me alone. Now I feel guilty that they do. #icantwin
"Indexing is essential to making the world's records searchable." -familysearch.org // your ancestors =>their records=>YOU TRANSCRIBE=>others also transcribe=>a consensus is reached=>family is found // this ended up being one of the hardest projects yet for the kids. I try to do a set every week but apparently knowing how to type is essential to accomplishing something like this... Quickly. I learned we need to find a good keyboarding program. Anyone know of one? Also, if you plan to do this with kids I recommend showing them the videos linked in my profile to help then see the vision. #indexing #familysearch #summerservice #week4 #evieproject #sundayfunday #lilmissaria #heavenisntveryfar
Aria saw this statue at the art museum this month and thought it belonged in Daddy's office. It totally looks just like his logo. Only better, if we're being honest. :)
Nate is officially bring upgraded to owner. It was the first office he's had of his own and was thrilled to be in there, but he is excited to get more space than he knows what to do with and floor to ceiling windows in his new office. #moving #soexciting #thekidswerepatient#boxingitup #justdownthehall #medcentertmj #n8man #lilmissaria #myjeffyboy #onlyafewgrayhairslater
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