Dock Time

We've probably said it a million times, but our days spent on the dock are some of our favorite days. We love to run and jump, throw ourselves in, swim until we need a noodle to help us float, eat our dinner on the docks while the sun goes down, watch the bald eagles hunt for their dinner, take the party barge for an ice cream cone, and talk about the days of summer gone by.

We are grateful for the many friends that love to swim with us and for the family that loves to cool off with us after a hot days work!

It's the 4th of July....

What do you get when you put together; family and friends, a boat and a party barge, tennis balls and floating rafts, sunscreen and hats, Punky and her holiday dress, sunshine and swimming, potluck BBQ and a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, Homemade Ice Cream and Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake, fireworks on the water and a splash of Red, White and Blue??

Well our favorite holiday of course ..... it's the 4th of July, it's the 4th of July!!

Satisfying

There is something so satisfying about growing a garden. From planning your space, picking seeds and plants, planting, watering, weeding and feeding, watching them grow to that first ripe tomato. It's so exciting to pick. It's so red and delicious. It tastes the way tomatoes were made to taste!

This year, we worked as a team. Daddy dug and terraced, irrigated and fenced. Josiah and Adalie planted. The chicks fertilized. I kept tabs on the poison oak. And we have all enjoyed the fruit!

Family Lake Day

Way too much fun to share a day at the lake with Elias and Freney! We love our boy cousins that chase you with a bucket of water and then laugh uncontrollably when they succeed in dumping it on your head, who climb rocks and destroy sand castles. They add the perfect amount of crazy chaos!! Could it be that our world of all girls is missing some of this delightfulness?? We will have to steal you away with us again and again so that we can enjoy laughing until our sides split!!

(Josiah 7yrs, Adalie 4yrs, Elias 3yrs and Freney 1yrs. Redinger Lake)

Belize

Belize, Stewart Family Vacation #5, year of the Parable, was nothing short of incredible!! We did it all, from fishing and snorkeling, diving and sailing, zip lining and cave tubing, to water slides and bicycles (and everything in between). We had great family relationships, lots of laughs, good food, fantastic weather and fun entertainment! A simple "Thank You" just doesn't seem enough...... so I will give you a riddle...... what do you get when you take 15 people on vacation together for 1 week to a fabulous little island??

That's right over 400 pictures!!!

Intentional

The definition of Intentional is "done deliberately, by design, calculated, conscious, considered, contemplated, decided, designed, determined, knowing".

This is my word for the summer. I want to be intentional. I want to pour into my little family, to hear their words and see their faces. I want my days and moments to be deliberate and considered. I want to maximize our time together. To break out of our usual molds and routines. To take time for one another and all the little fun things we want to do.

I suppose my plight of intention is a battle against the days that fly by because we were too busy keeping our schedules. If I were honest, it is yet another attempt to slow the hands of time. Yet, as a result, I am enjoying new adventures and the smiles that come with new discoveries, and the funny little quirks and comments I might have otherwise missed if I wasn't listening. The voices and special memories are sinking in deeper; perhaps even treasured a bit more!

(Josiah 7yrs, Adalie 4yrs and Ducey 13yrs)

Graduation

Well, he did it!! Uncle Tay Tay graduated for UCSB. We got to celebrate with a weekend down in Santa Barbara. Our little family of 4 stopped by our old studio where Josiah was born and saw our 1st Christmas tree which we had planted in the back yard; once 3 feet tall was now a towering 30 feet tall. We BBQed and played on the beach where every Easter Seth and I would host all the family for the weekend. We roamed the campus where Daddy once attended, graduated and taught! It was fun to introduce our girls to what once was, to enter a lecture hall where Daddy learned, to talk about old memories of riding bicycles on campus and throwing tortillas at concerts in the park. So Congratulations Uncle Tay and thanks for the stroll down memory lane!