Updates

What have we been up to so far this summer?

- Charlotte, Max and I just finished up a week of vacation bible school at church. It was our first year to attend, and it was a success! About 300 kids attended VBS this year. They rotate through 6 different stations over the course of 3 hours. I helped to lead the Science portion of the day. We did all kinds of fun experiments with water since the theme was "Operation Overboard". It was all about diving deeper into your faith. Or, as Charlotte says, "Your Faif". She was in her element all week. Singing, dancing, learning, and being with her friends. She did say that "bible school has a lot of standing." So, I guess there was one downside. Max did awesome in the nursery. By Thursday & Friday there were no tears at all at drop off time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we have turned a corner with his separation anxiety phase.

- In anticipation of our big trip on Wednesday, Judd and I started a diet about 6 weeks ago. You call it a "diet", but it is more than that. We are revamping the way that we eat. Eating more at home, eating almost all whole foods and very little processed food, watching portion sizes, and cutting out all sugary beverages. So far we have lost over 20 pounds combined. Judd has started to put his time in at the gym and we both are feeling great overall. We have learned how to build in splurges so we can maintain a good attitude about it. I have much more to say on this topic for later posts.

- We went for Charlotte's hearing test at Children's Healthcare. I'm not sure what happened at the doctor's office to have caused 2 failed tests, but turns out she's just fine.

- Judd and I leave for Hawaii on Wednesday morning! Even though the kids will be in the best hands we can imagine for them, I'm still very anxious about leaving them - especially my little buddy, Max. Charlotte will bask in the glow of her grandparent's attention and probably not think about us more than a few minutes a day. Hopefully Max will follow suit.

- Why Hawaii? Why such a big trip sans kids? Judd and I are about to celebrate 10 years of marriage. It is unreal to me that it has been 10 years since we got hitched - there are many days that I still consider myself to be 22 years old. Time flies when you're having fun.

- Speaking of having fun - I'm really happy. We are having a great summer so far. Time at the pool, time at home, time together. The kids have been so great lately. Charlotte goes to the "art table" and will work on "projects" for an hour or more. Max is content to drive trucks around the house. Sometimes I stop and think, "has it really become easier?". I feel like we are all hitting our stride, finding our place. It is a great feeling.

- I added a new link to the upper right corner so you can view my Instagram pics even if you don't have some sort of apparatus to view them on the go. I think I may not take my big camera to Hawaii - I'm not really a landscape photographer and I feel like I won't do it justice. I will, however, be snapping lots of pics with the phone and posting them over on Instagram. Now you can keep up with our Hawaiian adventure! Aloha!