Art & Anniversaries
One of my favorite things about summer is the hours of creative play my kids enjoy together. Granted these hours are often preceded by the inevitable “I’m bored” saga, followed closely by the “Can’t we just watch tv” drama.
But when the creativity finally kicks in, it is super fun to watch. Lily and Gracie are my little creators and love finding art projects to do or recipes to make.
Meet SquishMellow. Lily’s latest art project.
Lily has always been our in-house nurse. As soon as someone is hurt or bleeding she becomes the self-appointed caretaker which is ironic because it is not an uncommon occurrence for her to be the cause of said injuries.
One of her favorite playtimes is being doctor to her stuffies and siblings, when they are willing.
This week her skills have actually been quite appreciated as she has been in charge of administering Caleb’s ear drops for a swimmer’s ear infection.
Gracie’s love of creating includes creating on stage as the past 2 weeks she has enjoyed CAVOD’s musical theater summer camp which is ELF Jr this year! She is playing Deb, the secretary, and has been working on a sassy New Yorker accent which is harder than I anticipated. Every time I try I sound like a New Yorker that grew up in Georgia.
On her way to rehearsal with stage makeup and a [decaf] espresso in hand and she looks like a teenager.
Sigh. Time – Slow down.
Did you hear the news? The podcast just bumped up in global rating again, and it is all thanks to you.
This week Zach and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary.
Look at those babies!
Look at those tan babies.
On our honeymoon post-ATV excursion through Jamaica.
Voted “best smile” all 4 years in high school for good reason. He has my vote.
How it went 12 years ago.
How it’s going now.
It really is possible to love your spouse more now than 12 years ago, but it is not without significant struggle and striving through hard times which more often than not are simply the result of the mundane busyness that makes up so much of our lives. Those smiles are real, but remember these moments are only snapshots in time. Don’t get discouraged by the curated highlight reels of our lives that make it look like life is all smooth sailing. We all struggle. Let’s normalize it. We all fall down. Let’s own it. The key is finding people who help you get back up. You are not alone.
Both sets of our parents contributed to sending Zacn and me on an anniversary date night, and Lily (aka: Frozen Princess Ana) wanted to help with my hair.
Ready to go!
We turned off our phones and enjoyed a delicious meal at Cork and Cap and then sat by the fountain at Lititz Springs Park for 2 hours. Unplugged and intentionally connected for 4 hours. So grateful.
Today we are headed to watch Gracie’s first show of the weekend, and then it is beach time for 2 weeks! Possibly our favorite 2 weeks EVERY YEAR. Get ready for family fun in the sun. Lots of love to you all!
