Georgia Beginnings

For the first time since moving into our new home, I find myself sitting down and seeing glimpses of how we've been turning this house into a home the last 9 or so days. We are so grateful for the opportunity we have to create a life for our family here. Transitioning a house into a home can sometimes feel overwhelming, but it also has moments and rhythms that have become a bit familiar to us.

These past nine days our intention has centered on: logistics, exploration, traditions and connections.

Logistics - I set a personal goal to unbox our house as quickly as possible. The quicker I could complete the "macro" portion the quicker we could start creating systems and routines that work as far as the ins and outs of everyday life. This was the first time we've moved without a toddler, and we found the unpacking process to go much quicker (ha!). We still have a ways to go with the order, but it will happen as it needs to. Alexis was a champ with helping me unpack the entire kitchen and offered loads of ideas for where things could go. The kids took full ownership over the pantry unpacking. And this time, we had the kids unpack the majority of their rooms themselves. Overall, while some kids definitely enjoyed unpacking more than others (some found it to be painstakingly boring), working with them and setting small goals and continual check-ins suited much better than sounding like a broken record. And they had the satisfaction of taking their space from a pile of boxes into something that felt much more familiar.

Exploration - we've tried to balance in moments of exploring and learning more about where we live. Whether it's taking a different route home from the store or planning an outing somewhere, the exploring helps imprint both familiarity and memories in the mind.

Traditions - slowing down enough to keep up on the small and simple traditions is huge for keeping us all centered on what matters most and not be so overwhelmed with the "to do" list. They are extremely simple, but foundational for the rhythm of our family culture. Family dinner, a few moments to share what we are grateful for, a few minutes discussing scriptures, praying together, our weekly dinner out/movie at home and ice cream - all of these small traditions have held the space of familiar within all of the change. The tradition of Mike blessing our home invited the sweetest feeling of peace.

Connections - this one is definitely a learned skill for me that I'm trying to always get better at, but proactively reaching out and setting up times to connect with others is something we've done this past week. And while my brain tried to convince me to cancel and get back to the "to do" list, it turns out those times connecting with others has been the exact thing to fuel the soul. I've been trying to get better at intentionally connecting with the kids (and not just working on projects all of the time - an easy way to buffer all of the chaos). So when I set up the slip n slide waterslide (it's not actually called that, but that's what I remember calling them as a kid!), rather than jumping back into the house to get more done, I stayed with them, and of course they convinced me to just start sliding with them (which turned out to be so fun!). Or when they really want to play a card game, or show me their latest magic trick, or listen to them read something they love, or to tell me that they miss Florida, or that they don't know how things are going to work out - those are the moments all of this is really about. And slowing enough to listen, love and hold space for them is the exact kind of connecting we want to create. 

The photos over this time have been a bit random and sporadic - some moments completely missed for sure, but these catch glimpses of Georgia life we've been starting together. 

 Abigail loved the hotel room. She kept commenting on how close everything was - like she could hardly walk and would already be at the bathroom. She found it so convenient. After our second night in the house, I asked how she slept and she said how much she really loved it. She then said "mom, can we stay at this hotel another night?!" I chuckled and told her this was our home and we'd stay here a long time. She laughed and said, "mom you're so funny! This is just a bigger hotel! Our house is in Florida!" It took her a few more days before she settled into the idea that this really is "home." Love how those minds work!

 A fun outdoor piano we found at a park near our hotel.

 A cool "ninja warrior" park we found.

 Checking out the Chattahoochee!

 Visiting dad at work!

 Hiking Kennesaw Mountain!

 Trees. Loved this one!

 Enjoying a bbq with some amazingly kind co-workers.

 The girls checking out a park and loving the tire swing.

 The pantry "before" photo.

 The empty house and boxes!

 The moving truck!

 Max on his last day of basketball camp - he found out about camp the night before it started, and while I wanted to hold off on juggling driving him, we are so grateful we had him do it! He had a great experience, learned A TON, and on the last day actually won the Coaches Award - the Coaches honored him by sharing how he really stuck out to them with how hard he worked, how he took action on anything they suggested and how he asked questions to better himself - and then applied whatever he learned. So so cool.

 More unpacking.

 Creative time together (we had no internet for the first few days)!

 The mound of boxes!

 This awesome tree was in full bloom the day we moved in, and I found it so welcoming. It has the biggest bees on it we've ever seen and I look forward to soaking in it's beauty again and again!

Our last week of summer

Ahhh, summer. It makes me so happy. And tired.

A little snapshot of our last week of summer:

The girls and I went swimming at the YMCA pool. They had a blast and we were able to enjoy it all morning before a ginormous storm came in the afternoon!

On his way to the airport, Mike met us for lunch. We love how he'll squeeze in time with us any chance he can. The girls picked Chick-fila, which of course meant ice cream cones.

One of our summer goals was to do weekly service. And we made it a goal because it brought some accountability and awareness into making it happen. And gosh, I feel like opportunities and moments came - so much of it was small and simple, but those seem to be the ones that I want to hold on to. They are the ones I want woven into the kids minds and hearts.

This last week, our service was centered on letting go. We cleaned out closets, passed down clothes from one sister to the next, and picked up some new items to fill in the gaps for school uniforms this year. Then we took a couple bags of too small clothes and shoes to the recycling bin at the school. It's so cool how choosing to let go can create space for the next chapter and fill needed space in other ways.

I saw lots of this. She loves practicing and I think I hear it any spare moment in the day. Love it!


Tayler is starting up a dual language program at school and to catch her up a bit (the kiddos typically start this in kindergarten so she's jumping in a year later) she's been watching el monosilabo on you tube and having fun with duolingo. Abigail loves being her sidekick.


We headed to the library. I still can't get over how amazingly beautiful it is here. Of course, we were dripping in sweat with this walk over to the fountain, but they were good sports, and knew we were headed to the pool later that day. And I want to remember the heavy library bags and armfuls of books.


Where's Max in all these photos?! This kid soaked in his last week of summer at a basketball camp at the high school. He loved every minute. He was up and ready to go early and walked out every day with a huge smile. It has been so fun to support him in something he loves and to see him develop new skills.


Lots of arts and crafts. Alexis taught the girls how to make turtles out of paper plates. In other news, I may need to start buying scotch tape in bulk. And we have spots of dried sparkly glue all over the floor a week later, but it's all good.


The kiddos wrapped up golf lessons for the summer. This is another place I pinch myself looking around. It's beautiful. And we feel so grateful to experience it. Abigail and I get to hang out under trees like these.


Lots of this around the house. Sometimes they'd choose the most random places to sit and read together. I was in the middle of prepping for dinner and moving onto the next thing when I turned the corner and just smiled. I love listening to her read.


This guy and I went to his open house for 7th (!) grade together. So grateful Mike was able to hang out with the girls while we went. His middle school is ginormous and it would have been brutal taking the girls along with us. And dare I say awkward for the tween? Who knew we'd be entering that chapter!? Anyway, knowing the crazy crowds, we opted to ride our bikes to and from. And loved popping in and out of that place in a jiffy. So excited for him.


We went on one last Saturday afternoon summer family adventure together. I'll write more about it later, but some of the crowd loved the outdoor wall art and some of the crowd, well, didn't.


The kiddos and I went to our favorite museum for our last outing of summer together. And these photos are so much sweeter because we really almost didn't go. It had been a rough morning in the motherhood world - dragging feet, eye rolling, lack of motivation to do much of anything and I almost threw in the towel. But I took a few moments to re-center, prayed for guidance and took some one-on-one time with a couple of the kiddos. In all those conversations, I realized I had a clear choice. I could hold a grudge and be grumpy and angry over actions of others, or I could own the real truth that the actions of others are...actions. This parenting journey is full of crazy learning. As much as we can influence and help them problem solve their own problems, allow space for logical consequences, some days there will be bumps, a whole lotta crazy, and some potential slamming of doors. And sometimes actions are the result of worry/anxiousness/nerves/fear and maybe we just need a big dose of grace. And as we all get to start fresh, learn from mistakes, and keep moving forward, we get to teach that process to our kiddos through living that principle rather than just trying to explain it. And sometimes the action of that principle has a way of influencing others to reframe too.

Having this outing together where we laughed, learned, walked all over the place, had some great conversation and listened to a couple of fun podcasts in the car, made the moments that much sweeter knowing they might not have happened had I/we chosen to stay stuck in frustration or disappointment.

The Frost science/aquarium/I-don't-even-know-what-to-call-it-other-than-amazing museum is incredibly beautiful. These photos are of the fourth floor - which is this amazing outdoor/indoor space with incredible views of Miami, the ocean and the cruise ship port.




We were going to eat at a spot on the main floor, but then Max noticed these picnic tables totally empty. We couldn't think of a better view for peanut butter sandwiches!

Hanging out on the main floor after going through a "poison" exhibit.

Max spotted this tiny portion of a rainbow surrounded by clouds on the drive home. It was as if the rainbow was on the other side of the clouds. Hard to see the colors as well as they were in the sky, but they were so bold and bright. And then surrounded by white clouds and a blue sky. 

And on our last literal day of summer we pulled out the file boxes and added the paperwork that had been sitting in a pile for over a month. These boxes have been such great tools for keeping kiddos papers organized. One folder for each grade - and one box for all the grades. There will definitely be some downsizing in future years, but the process has been so helpful - especially as a way to journal and simplify as we've moved from place to place!

And we kept with our tradition of Mike giving a "Father's Blessing" before the start of school. He gave me one along with the kiddos and while the details are saved for the crew that was there together, I will say this: the feeling of love and light was abundant in the room. I don't remember where I heard this, but one thing I've tried to make a habit of is to take a few moments shortly afterward (relatively - in this instance it was after everyone went to bed) to write down the experience and any thoughts that come to mind. So much wisdom to bottle up.

Love you, summer!

Utah - Part 5

Hiking Bell's Canyon Reservoir! We left super early on a Saturday morning - to take advantage of getting on the trail before it was too crowded. So glad we did! It was shaded, cooler, and the crazy crowds were headed up as we were headed down! Love the energy and love the kids have when heading to the mountains. And lollipops and fruit snacks are great bribes!

Abigail LOVED the Russian Dolls at my parents home. So fun to see her sit and open and close them over and over.

Made it to a movie!

Downtown adventures!

Loved the images of Christ in the Church History Museum!

Love creating intentional time to head to the temple. Even walking along the grounds is so centering and grounding.

At this point of our trip, the kiddos were super sleep deprived, and Max had picked up some kind of a bug. We took him to an urgent care, to find he was actually sick - amazing how antibiotics really can help when they need to. And I feel like it's not a real vacation if we haven't visited an urgent care. But, even not feeling that great, he was determined to get in one more mountain hike our last week there. And while we'd initially planned for something longer, we opted for a short and simple hike - Rocky Mouth Falls. And it really is still a favorite with kids!

Lunch at potbelly! Gosh, I love those spicy sandwiches!

The kiddos had a blast with their cousins doing an acro-yoga class. I wanted to jump right in there with them!

The kiddos helped my dad pick chokecherries - a huge batch that my parents turned into jam. So fun that they were able to try it at Christmastime!

My mom and I found these awesome paintings done ages ago. And the crazy thing is - so many of these were done in FLORIDA!! To think of relatives who were down in Florida so many years ago simply blows my mind, and at the same time makes me so grateful!

We went with my parents and brother to the Rodeo. What a blast!!

And our flight home. I was super stressed about flying home solo with the kiddos on a red eye (and returning the rental car, and all those logistics of luggage and keeping track of this independent soul). Gratefully, my dad willingly offered to ride along with us, help get us into the airport and have the extra set of eyes on this gal. So grateful for their support, their loving ways they serve our family, and how they are always seeing things and situations with such wisdom.

We made it! That yawn turned into sleep for that gal - something I was pleasantly surprised by! Alexis and I had the hardest time sleeping on the plane. The next day we were all so tired! Came home and literally crashed!!

So grateful for the abundant memories and experiences we were able to have!