Open House

It seems that yet another year has flown by. Tonight we celebrated all the hard work and all the fun had in Mrs. Durrell's second grade class and Mrs. G's Kindergarten class.
How bittersweet!
How we will miss our crafts with Mrs. Nolen and Mr. Durrell. We will miss the smile of Mrs. G. We will miss the candor of Mrs. Durrell. Yet I am overcome with gratitude as a look over the last year and see how God has been faithful in answering our prayers.
We have spent a year praying over these girls as they left our home each morning, as they learned their academic subjects, grew in their friendships, experienced life lessons and gained independence. We have prayed for their protection from the tops of their heads to the bottoms of their feet (physical, mental and spiritual), we have prayed for wisdom in relationships, we have prayed for grace and patience, but most of all we have prayed that these girls would have their eyes open to see the one friend who needed their love that day.
God is faithful.
He is guiding, teaching, protecting and blessing!

Ut Oh

In just 1 week's time, Josiah went from learning to ride a motorcycle, to racing on "Lil Okey" track and winning 2nd place!

I think we may be in trouble!!

Adalie also learned to ride ... watch out!

The girls' friend Turner was not only gracious in loaning his championship bike, he had a pocket full of riding tips too! He is a sweet encourager!

I Love to Read

Truly, these girls do love to read. And so it seemed fitting to celebrate 200 books read with a swim party!

Mind you, we have had the coldest of springs. But thankfully, the sun emerged and the breeze died down so that these girls could enjoy a fun day of swimming!

Score

Sometimes Josiah has the best ideas!

Today it was a "Foot Craft Massage Cintr" where you can receive "works of all cinds, foot massage cinter! Only 25c for the best foot massage EVER by Josiah and Adie!"You only had to "sine" in, put your tips and money in the money bag, take a sticker if you like and then enjoy! It truly was a fantastic foot massage. And you could shop with the assistance of the cutest shop keeper EVER while you waited for your appointment.

Quite the entrepreneurs we have here!!

Gymnastics

Gymnastics this year has been alot of fun. Both girls moved up to the more advanced class and enjoyed learning many new skills. Cartwheels, one-legged back bends, vaulting over the horse, beam routines, pull overs of the bars, handstands and more. The strength they gained throughout the year was amazing!

The girls performed beautifully at the recital. Adalie and Kaiya were in perfect sinc with their cartwheels and forward rolls (hands up, cock back and go). And despite all odds, Josiah and Kaia landed their one handed cartwheel trick like pros (never mind that despite weeks of practicing and many bumps and bruises they had only successfully landed a couple attempts previous to this performance.... according to Josiah, "it's the pressure" that is the key!)

This year's recital, although a favorite of both girls, was bitter sweet. It was our favorite coach, Jill's last year. She has taught the girls since they were babes, barely able to do somersaults. She was the catalyst that made gymnastics more fun than work! We will miss her immensely!
(Adalie and Kaiya 5yrs, Josiah 8yrs, Kaia 7yrs, Khloe 4yrs old)

Mother's Day

I know I am the luckiest girl in the whole wide world. I have been blessed immensely with a husband who loves me AND 2 of the sweetest girls on the planet!
For Mother's Day we spent the weekend in Avila Beach and I got the royal treatment!
I loved riding bikes, eating cinnamon rolls, swimming in the pool, digging in the sand, playing frisbee, running from waves, searching for shells, and flying kites. My favorite part is always the getaway.... stepping away from the routine and feeling free to enjoy every moment without the pull of chores or obligations.
Thank you for the sweet Mother's Day gifts of you!!

New Adventure

A rare warm spring day and we were in need of a new adventure. So our cruise director (aka Daddy) suggested taking Grandpa's homemade canoe to Kerkoff to explore. We braved the rapids, had a picnic on the rocks, and followed Josiah's lead with a cool off in the water.