A beautiful summer...

After one of the most challenging school years to date for me, I prayed about possibly foregoing my summer education intensive and postponing it for one year. After a great deal of thought and seeking Godly counsel, I went ahead and decided to wait. This was the best decision for my family in more ways than one, and God shut the door to make it crystal clear. I've increasingly noticed his gentle direction in my every step, making the "stressful" decisions seem much less alarming. If anything, I've learned to see more clearly His will for my life.

This is the last summer for two years that I have with my kiddos without being in school full-time, so I've been enjoying every single minute I have with them! I've been fully focusing on experiencing the moment for all of its temporal glory. I've been given a unique gift over these last couple of months, and I intend to make the very most of it! This is also the last summer before my oldest goes to Kindergarten and becomes a "school-ager". Absolutely floors me every time I think about it!

Here is a photo-rundown of what our break has been like:

We have been spending extra time snuggling in the morning...

Playing dress-up...

Going to the park...

Skipping rocks...

Spending time at CDA Lake...

Splashing in the river...

Finding new mountain lakes to explore...

Playing in the hay at the grandparent's ranch...

 Planting our veggies in the garden...

Coaching the boys' baseball team...

Taking a trip to the water park thanks to our local radio station...

Taking a trip to the Woodland Park Zoo with all of the cousins thanks to Gigi...

Look at all these little cuties! 9 kiddos 5 and under!

 Picking flowers...

Learning the joys of sparklers on the 4th...

Building their very own treehouse with scrap wood...

Roasting marshmallows in the backyard...

And most of all, I've been trying to tire the little guys out! Nearly impossible!

Of course, this has me asking myself.... where does the time go? Here they are being full-on boys, and I can remember the early days just like they were yesterday!

All-in-all, it's been a very busy couple of months, and I'm forever grateful! This goes without saying all of my own personal accomplishments that I've been checking off of the to-do list throughout it all. Spring cleaning evolved into summer cleaning/decorating/organizing, and life is pretty beautiful as a result. I've also built some incredible friendships that have re-directed me to what is really important - building meaningful relationships beyond the "surface-level" ones that so often fail us. 

What have you been up to this summer?