around here

1. We are spending LOTS of time in the pool.

Grant just finished his swim lessons on Saturday, and Sienna is cruising right along in her lessons at the Aquatic Center. I am totally amazed at what she has learned in just 3 short weeks!! She is swimming all by herself without the life jacket (until she gets tired and just wants to play), and she is totally into the whole swimming thing.....she looks forward to her lessons each week, and her teacher even said that she is a "natural" :)

2. We have been doing a lot of relaxing.

Grant will do almost anything for a yogurt and banana!! Thank goodness this kid is so stinkin' cute, because he is definitely a hand full.......he wants NO part of the whole potty training thing despite the fact that I purchased him the cutest Toy Story big boy underwear ever!!

3. We have been eating a lot!

I was under the impression that most people lose weight in the Summer, but apparently that isn't going to be the case for me....I have been on a major sweet binge lately, and as a result, my wardrobe is just a tad too tight for my liking.

4. We are WAY into the bendy bracelet trend.

Sienna is in love with them and wants them in ever color and theme available!!

a few Summer favorites

This Summer, in addition to making memories with the kids and going through our Summer List of activities, I have been focusing on my photography: bringing my camera with me wherever we go, paying attention to lighting, changing my settings, practicing, practicing and then practicing some more. Of course, I have a million snapshots that I absolutely LOVE which are technically pretty awful, but today I took some time to look through some shots from the past few weeks, and I pulled out a few that really sing to me :)

Sienna enjoying our neighborhood Crawfish Boil

A Father's Day smooch

Sweet Boy with GagGa in the background

Jello-Jiggler love

possibility

As I crawled into bed last night, I thought about how scary life can be. There is so much to be thankful for, so many things to love, but also so much to lose. If we really let ourselves stop and think about how many things could potentially go wrong in the course of any given day, I don't think we would have the courage to even leave the house.

But I don't want to live in fear. In fact, I know that God has specifically commanded me not to live in fear. Instead, I want to put my trust in Him, and step out in faith.

My mind has been buzzing with possibility lately. But every time I allow myself to dream, I feel the fear creeping in......the little voice that says "it's too late for you to start a new career," "there is so much that you don't know," "no one is going to want you to take their picture," "someone else could do it better," "this is all just a crazy pipe dream."

Life can be scary, and the fear of failure can be debilitating, but I refuse to allow myself to become paralyzed with fear. I want my children to see me feel the fear and reach for my dreams anyway. I want to show them that anything is possible. Things may not turn out the way I had originally envisioned, but maybe, just maybe, it will turn out even better!!

this is how we roll

When the temperature climbs above 100 degrees, things start to get a little crazy around our house!! In the afternoons, it's too hot to even move much less play outside, but sometimes when the chaos in the house is more than I can bare, I let the kiddos "play" on the back porch (which has curtains and provides a little bit of shade).

At least they are being creative and using their imaginations :)

our Summer list

I am a self-confessed list maker. I make all kinds of lists for all kinds of things. I can't help it...it's what I do :)

This year, in an effort to be a little more intentional with our time over the next three months, I decided to make a Summer list with the kids. We sat down with paper and markers, and brainstormed all the fun things that we wanted to make sure we did this Summer. It's an evolving list, and we may or may not get to everything on it, but so far, it is really working for us.

My kiddos are 2 and 4, and as much as I would like to just play in the pool, eat, rest, and repeat.....they get bored with an activity after about 30 minutes, so it helps to have a few ideas handy to keep the bickering and complaining to a minimum!! Now we have activities to look forward to, and a visual reminder of all the fun we are having this Summer.

I would love to hear the "must-dos" on your family's list......

easy to complain, hard to change

It's easy to complain......hard to change!!

It's easy to go on and on about my lack of energy and tight-fitting pants, it's hard to actually put down the peanut M&Ms, eat some vegetables and maybe even break a sweat once in awhile.

It's easy to dream about idyllic Summer days, filled with extravagant crafts and cozy mother-child bonding moments, it's hard to actually put down the iphone and pick up the book, the crayons, the markers, the blocks, the Barbies.

It's easy to pass along some heath-ful tip I read in a magazine, it's hard to go to the store, buy the vitamins and actually remember to take them.

It's easy to talk about how important my marriage is, it's hard to actually schedule the date night.

It's easy to ponder the idea of pursuing my passion, it's hard to send the email, believe in myself, step out in faith.

It's easy to believe in the power of friendship, it's hard to make the time for dinner, coffee, drinks, a movie, a phone call.

It's easy to call on God when I need him, it's hard to make the time for Him when I don't realize I do.

It's easy to feel moved my someone else's charitable act, it's hard to make time to be the one doing the giving.

It's easy to read up on saving for kid's college tuition, investing in an IRA, putting money away every week, it's hard to set-up the account, get the advice, skip the trip to Target, to just say "No" to yet another toy.

It's easy to think about all the ways we don't measure up, all the ways in which we could be better, do better, try harder, but it's hard to actually sit down and take a few minutes to create an action plan....a few tiny steps toward positive change. I'm creating mine today!