Adventure – Page 4 – Beyond the Elm

I am a proud mama…and in awe of His grace. He has truly given me a life that I don’t deserve. This past week, Iz had the privilege of attending a drama camp at Stevendale Baptist Church, and what a blessing it was. Last night, she was in the musical, Violet the Viking. My shy, timid, perfectionist became my dancing, singing, performing superstar…and she and around 40 other children, taught the audience how to follow God’s plan for their lives even if those around you don’t understand, and that we are children of the one true King! If anyone is looking for a great experience for their children ages 6-12, Frick and Frack’s “Art is In” camp is happening again this coming Monday thru Friday at Park Forest Baptist from 9am-3pm for ONLY $50…but trust me, it is worth so much more!!! Iz is 2nd fish on stage right in the front!! This was her big part, but she also danced and sang back up during the entire performance…and all kids had a special role….again, such a blessing!

What do you do when you are going stir crazy at 8:00pm? You take your kids to a place they have never been…a place “where a kid can be a kid”, and you teach them how to play your favorite games-racing and basketball! Guess which one is Lance’s favorite and which one is mommy’s favorite! But wait, no air hockey…. What’s up with that? ‪ So many digital games these days like iPads on steroids!

My heart is full of love. I am proud to be a mom and a step mom. It is not often that you get alone time as a mom of 4, but last night, I had the house to myself… so I may have had a little wine and stayed out way too late hanging out with friends and making new ones…It was nice to have some me time, but I was a bit exhausted this morning. So, I had my natural vitamin, and I was good as new…and then this happened!!!

Today we were blessed to visit the Zoo with our friends from co-op. Perhaps Roo will be our guide today?

“Sometimes you have to let things go, so there is room for better things to come into your life.”

A few years ago, Lance and I needed a reset on our lives. We had been going, going, going – and though we enjoyed what we were doing, we had NO time! We took a step back, and we began to develop our family’s mission statement. To do this, we decided to fall off the map for 3 years and move to Zachary. There, we raised/grew much of our own food, splashed around in the creek, camped frequently in our 6 acre backyard oasis, and watched our girls enjoy the beauty and bliss of the outdoors. Sure, we made some new friends through our new community and Church, but most of all we enjoyed being a family. This was a time of finding our family’s personal priorities and ignoring everything else! We lost touch with friends, and we left behind something we loved (something we put our time, sweat, blood, resources and tears into)…BUT, this was the RESET we needed! We made a home in Zachary, and we lived most of our family’s mission statement there, but we weren’t achieving it to its max. So, we packed up right before Kbug was born… we LET GO of the farm and moved back to the city (our original home), and we are making room in our lives for “better things to come”. We are ready…we are willing.. and we are excited for the adventure, and we hope you will be a part of what’s to come!

So proud of my girls…not because they are perfect dancers with flawless performances, but because even though nervous dance about the “big stage”, they didn’t give up…they persevered. They have been dancing with many of the same sweet girls for the last two years, and have developed some special
friendships. I think there are so many important lessons that we can learn from our children… At least, I know my kids open my eyes everyday. Not everyday as a wife, a mother, a business owner, and a teacher is easy, but with a clearly defined WHY and an example set by the innocence of my sweet babies, it is all worth it! I am truly blessed.

I am trying to get into pre-baby # 3 shape… then pre baby #2 and #1 shape… I am an active person, but I don’t move like I used to. I went on a “speed walking” session with a friend of mine tonight… and oh my goodness – ouch! I am so thankful for my pool, it was kinda like an ice-bath after! Ice bath, a good nights rest, and some amazing natural supplements, and I shoul aaaaa d be good as new in the morning.

Thank you Christine for building Iz confidence over the last three years. She has shown off her trophy to all 6 grandparents, let her brother use it as a chew toy, slept with it, and i think she may have even named it. It has been such a hectic and crazy year for us, but we found some consistency in life with Thursday night dance class…even if we had to leave our house an hour early to get there and my girls would fall asleep as we pulled up😉. Thank you!