A LOT has gone on!!!
You are about to read one of those posts that crams WAY too much into one place...
It's months like this when I wish my eyes and ears were cameras that could capture it all, remembering every little detail along the way. Instead, I rely on my camera and frayed memory to recall all that this past month has been for our family as we transition back HOME. :)
Vacation Bible School
We arrived to my parents' house Sunday evening and on Monday morning, the oldest three started going to VBS at my parent's church! How's that for hitting the ground running! It ended up being an amazing week. :)
Ryder on "CrAzY HaT DaY!"
(He was on the orange starfish team)
My mom sent us a CD of songs before we left IL so we could listen to them in the car on the way to CA and so that the kids would be familiar with them when they arrived at VBS the first day...little did we know it would become the CD of the summer! They LOVE the songs they've learned and sing them often...especially Cora!
Cole and Cora were both on the "Purple Pelican" team and still sing their little team chant...
"We're purple, we're pelicans, we're praising God!"
I stayed with my purple pelicans for three days and then traded with my mom to be in the craft room, since it seemed like they were more interested in hanging onto my legs than participating when I was around! They did wonderfully with Gramma :) One neat thing about being in there for 3 days was getting to observe Cole in a mainstream setting where no one was doing anything to accommodate him in anyway. He definitely did better sitting in the front row and even raised his hand a few times to answer a question based on the Bible Story he had just heard. I was so proud of him!!!
Ryder was on the orange starfish team and had a blast with the kids who he had just met that week. He's such an adaptable little thing, jumping in and making friends in new surroundings.
There was a moment that week though, when he cried as I was tucking him in to bed one night because he missed his friends in IL. Even though God had led us to such a good place, it doesn't make leaving all our friends in IL any easier. :)
There were two extreme water days where the kids got to bring their bathing suits and slide on HUGE slip n' slides and inflatable slides...Cole is my most adventurous one right now! Rylee may be right behind him soon too...they have SUCH a sweet connection :)
And then there's my little Cora Grace who didn't touch a drop of water all week :)
She loves her Gramma though!
One of the highlights of our first week back in CA, was getting to spend it with my cousin, Lauren. :) She worked in the craft room with my mom all week, and every once in while, they'd sneak out to visit us Purple Pelicans :)
I think it's safe to say we all had a week we'll never forget :)
We also got to take Lauren to Malibu Seafood before she left...one of my favorite spots. We looked at old photo albums all week, and we all were in awe of how much Cora looked like Lauren when she was little!!!
We hit up the beach before heading home :)
Birthdays
Cole, my mom and I all share a birthday month :) When we arrived, Gramps took Cole out to get his birthday present...a new bike! It's the same size as Ryder's and he is tearing it up already!!! Cole has such an adventurous spirit...When he's faced with a new circumstance, he may be shy at first in meeting new people, but if there is a challenge that comes his way, it doesn't take long for him to look it square in the eye and not stop trying until it's conquered! He's mastered riding this bigger bike without any help from training wheels and over these past few weeks, he's also taught himself to swim! We went from wearing floaties when we first arrived (not having swam since last summer a few times at a community pool in IL) to diving for rings at the bottom today with Ryder...seriously...who is this boy??? He's God's creation! That's who!!! I just love being his Momma :)
Getting to celebrate my birthday with my family this year was the greatest present I could've asked for. This was the first time in 3 years that we were together on my birthday!
My Babi and Deda :)
My Mom and Auntie Ine :)
My Love and our girls :)
My chilly boy always knows the best places to warm up :)
My boys just love the goggles!
What a gift...to be 31 and with the ones I love...the only thing that would've made it perfect is if my brother was there :)
Visiting Family
We were so thankful to have a time to visit John's grandparents and aunt in the Bay Area for a couple days! It's always a joy to be in their presence and see how quickly the kids warm up to those who love them but have been so far from us the past 3 years! One of the priorities John and I have set since God has brought us back to CA is to see LOTS more of our sweet family who lives within driving distance again!!! It's amazing how quickly our perspective shifts when we're taken out of what is familiar for a time...God has done a good work in us in so many ways, and a growing appreciation for how close we live to our extended family is one thing we can say we have now more than ever!!!
We also got to visit our dear friends who we went to college with years ago...quiet, contemplative visits together have quickly turned into fun, family gatherings with 7 kids between our two families! I love how although our kids haven't spent a ton of time together, since they've grown up in separate states most of their lives, they are quick to connect each time they are reunited...our youngest girls didn't make it into this picture, but they are there watching their siblings pose! So thankful for these DEAR friends!!!
After a few days in the Bay Area, we headed further north to spend the week at Grammie and Papa's house! This meant, lots of time at the lake for sailing and swimming...
Time up at Manzanita Lake in Lassen National Forrest to beat the heat...
We watched a mama duck and her babies...
Took our shoes off to squish our feet in the mud
(perfect for Cole's speech sound of the week...final d!)
Rolled up our shorts so we wouldn't get too wet :)
Climbed rocks...
Took our shoes on and off many times :)
(Do you see Cole's lip? He took a hard fall on his bike the day before and was still healing...such a tough boy!)
All with Papa and Grammie!
We praise the Lord for such an amazing family!
One of the boy's favorites...nightly rides on the riding lawnmower with Papa :)
Yes...Cole is driving...everyone get inside!
Goodbye, Auntie Erin!
Our Auntie Erin is moving to Arizona this weekend to pursue her Masters in Speech and Language Pathology over the next two years at Northern Arizona University...we're so excited to see her pursue God's call on her life that she felt more firmly after Cole was diagnosed profoundly deaf. What a gift she will be to her profession to those who will speak more clearly and have a better command of language because of their time under her care!
What a blessing this summer has been so far...
There are many questions yet to be answered regarding our housing and Cole's schooling, but we are confident that in His time, we'll have all the answers we need. In the mean time, we are enjoying the season of refreshment God is giving us after 3 long years away from our dear family. Jesus said not to worry, and we are experiencing the JOY it is to trust the Lord and soak up the moments we have to just BE...with our family by our side. What a gift...
In the mean time...lots of trips to the beach...
...lots of time with our family and lots of opportunities to TRUST in God!
Sounds like the recipe for the kind of summer God knew we needed.
Thank you Lord. We praise for EVERY precious moment!
