Favorite Five: July 2015

Summertime!

We've had some challenges, but it's been mostly great. 

What's left of this blog, these pictures, help me focus my lens and memory on the mostly great parts. 

It is a practice in perspective, focusing on and remembering what matters.

July started off with our annual summer gathering of my family.

It was a mixed bag this year, kind of like real life. 

There were wonderful memories made, and some really not-so-wonderful memories made (bad injury).

It was certainly memorable, and we were all TOGETHER, which is always the whole point.

Here are the kiddos, ages 9,8,7,5,4,3,2,2…and one more arriving in December in Nashville.

The accomplishment of the summer! Potty-training!

I did the 3-day method, and while day 1 started as a total disaster (much worse than I even imagined),

it ended with Hannah totally GETTING IT!...and then we couldn't keep her off the potty.

Apparently her Tigger suit inspired her??? Also, different locations. Whatever. It worked.

We've had some rain this July. What a gift!

Here is Sam, not letting a little rain stop her from reading.

We gave Sam a summer reading challenge bribe and she has been reading NONSTOP. It is wonderful!

 We gathered in Malibu this month to celebrate Chris' Dad's 70th.

I love this picture of the grandparent-grandkid picture.

It is the scene behind Chris' lens, and everyone (but me) is pictured. 15 of us now.

We are so thankful for all our wonderful family.

Surf Camp! 

What is my life? My kid went to SURF camp! I'm from the Midwest. SURF camp?

And how can I even have a kiddo old enough for this? SURF camp!

Sam LOVED it and we got to come on the last day and watch her catch wave after wave. 

#midwestmamaraisingCAgirls

Favorite Five: June 2015

June.

The end of another school year, the start of Summer.

The 2nd grade musical "Go Fish" was absolutely darling.
My spotted zebra fish (IRONY!) is front and center in this class pic.

First day/Last day picture.

They are getting so big.

The days are long, the years are short. Indeed.

Father's Day was a little weird this year.

Chris tore his MCL while surfing that morning and he was one sad dad all day.

We rallied and had a park picnic at the end of the day to celebrate him.

I got brave enough to volunteer for all 5 days this year at Kids Games.

444 kids and 286 student/adult volunteers. It is a well-oiled-machine.

Kids Games also confirms for me every year that I think teachers are the most amazing people on the planet. Although I love being a mom, I don't have a teacher-bone in my body.

Annual "Judge Family" summer vacation was in Oceanside this year.

More pictures and stories to come about this trip, but here is a cute shot of the big kids getting slurpees for Quinn's 9th birthday. Slurpees are serious business.

Favorite Five: May 2015

May was a month full of firsts, lasts, adventure, and celebration.

My AMAZING Tuesday night small group did a mini retreat together. Planned and put on just by us.
Some hiking, some yoga, some solitude, lunch, rest, and laughter.

A few hours to BE STILL and KNOW He is God.

After 8 straight years, I tearfully said good-bye to MOPS. It was time.

There are no words to adequately express what MOPS has meant in my life.

I am beyond thankful for this amazing group at our church.

Mother's Day feels like a more significant day to me than my birthday.

It's the biggest and hardest job I have ever done and it both sucks me dry and fills me up every single day.

I love adventure.

2 moms, 7 kids, and 2 straight days of cold rainy weather in the mountains was definitely an adventure. My friend Karen and I went to Julian while our husbands were building houses in Mexico with church. We had a blast and made memories, and no one was terribly injured. A total success!

Just regular life with my creative girlies.

Favorite Five (+ 11): April 2015 Spring Break as told by Instagram

(Yes, it is July, and I am about to post about Spring Break. Life is rolling FAST these days, and I am WAY behind. C'est la vie.)

Going into Spring Break this year I was VERY intimidated. I was staring down two weeks with all three kids home…and basically no plans. It had the potential to be great, and it had the potential to be a disaster by day 2.

I made a choice to use social media to help me this year. Since I was off Facebook for Lent, I turned to Instagram and vowed to myself to post one picture everyday of what we were doing. My intention and hope was to mindfully focus my gaze, my energy, and my memory on the little/fun/beautiful/silly/simple moments.

And you know what? As ridiculous as it may sound, the act of taking/picking/posting/looking back at a photo each day REALLY helped me. I would look through my Spring Break photos and feel encouraged that despite the challenges and exhaustion (plenty of both every day), I was doing it, we were doing it, and we were having a great time. Instagram honestly helped me to focus on the fun and feel proud of what I was doing with my kiddos each day. So here is an Instagram glimpse of Spring Break.

Day 1: Craft Time.

As my friend Amanda said, "Aren't you setting the bar a little high here? Organized activity on day 1?"
HA! Very true.

Day 2: Fresh off new haircuts, we brought scooters to a favorite local park. 

Between races and the roly-polies, we had a good morning.

Day 3: I got a sitter for Hannah and we brought a friend to see Cinderella (with the dolls, of course).

Day 4: It was "Watch Week" at Abby's dance class so we got to see them sing Happy Birthday to her.

Day 5: We went to a Good Friday service at church.

Day 5 Bonus: This was simply too cute not to post. Hannah does this every time Chris mows the yard.

Day 6: Abby's birthday wish was a trip to Legoland (her first). 

Hannah stayed back with Grandma and Grandpa. Win-win.

Day 7: Happy Easter. Happy 5th birthday to Abby.

Day 7 Bonus: First successful family photo in a LONG time.

Day 8: Birthday playdate for Abby with two friends.

Day 9: A trashed house. Watching the new Annie movie (for the second time).

Day 10: "The jumpy" came in handy this break.

Day 11: The big girls got to do a 3-morning art camp in the neighborhood.

Day 12: We got ambitious and met friends at the Safari Park.

Day 13: We did the Compassion Experience. This is Samantha in a Kenyan classroom.

Day 14: They love this hot tub.

And we did it. 14 days. It was a simple and AWESOME Spring Break. 

Favorite Five: March 2015 (My Three Girls)

It is rare that I can snap a picture of my girls all together, yet this month I seemed to have many of them.

Nothing particularly creative here, simply my favorite five, of my favorite three, just doing their thing…

OK, I'm cheating, this is from late February (Community Serve Day). 

I just found this on Chris' fancy camera, and LOOK AT THESE LOVELIES!…can't believe they are mine.

Family Movie Night: The Parent Trap (1961 version)

Let me just say, we have come a long way since 1961. For example…there was a lot of smoking around children in this movie, and parents asked questions like, "How was your summer?"...because they truly had no idea how their children's last three months at camp had been (I'm totally against today's helicopter parenting/checking in constantly, but surely there is a happy medium). 

We just donated our glider. The chair I nursed my three babies in. Sniff sniff.

I asked Chris to get a picture of me holding my babies in the chair, one last time.
This is what I got. It's kind of perfect, actually.

(And although it looks like it, I am not flipping off the camera...at least I don't think I was.)

 Spring Break Day 1: haircuts

 Spring Break Day 2: scooters at the park (Sam is displaying her roly-polies)

 Wish me luck on Spring Break days 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13&14! Whoa-nelly.

Favorite Five: February 2015

I'm pretty sure this February will go down as the craziest month we have ever had. 

Crazy busy, crazy full of good things, but CRAZY.

We were out of town 3 weekends in a row (Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Big Bear),

and then concluded the month with an awesome and immense Community Serve Day.

I turned 36 this month. That number feels about right. The older I get the more thankful I am for each day.

My girlies thought I needed frozen yogurt on my birthday. Totally for me, I'm sure.

 A few days after my birthday these three arrived for our first ever mom/sisters weekend.

We went to Palm Springs…because it was warm there and these girls needed to feel the SUN.

Palm Springs did not disappoint. Although, honestly, I could have been just about anywhere and been happy to have a weekend with my favorite people. I am so blessed to have these incredible women in my life.

 Feb 22 was Community Serve Day for our church.
No church service held that Sunday, instead 1400 people spread the love around San Diego county. 

This year Chris and I had the privilege of leading a site at our grade school.

The project was MASSIVE, but with 75+ people and lots of behind the scenes work, it came together beautifully. It felt like "holy ground" on that Sunday watching our school/church/work/neighborhood all collide. What a joy! And our kiddos did amazing…working 8 straight hours!

This was my favorite picture of the day taken by our friend Chad.

Favorite Five: January 2015

2015 is certainly cruising right along. 

There is so much beauty in this crazy life of ours.

I love how this "Favorite Five" helps me to look back and pick out beautiful moments to remember.

Moments like… 

The first sunset of 2015.

 A leak in the girls bathroom that led to a beautiful new bathroom they can enjoy for years to come.

The mermaid print was done by a talented friend and neighbor, 

it reads "SISTERS make the best of friends." Indeed.

 Celebrating this guy on his birthday, 

feeling overwhelmingly thankful for his life and the fact that he is ours for keeps.

Sweet moments at Westmont College with this crazy crew.

They may be laughing in this picture because they just pulled the fire alarm and evacuated the entire Dining Commons. Yep, that happened. 

 Moments like this where 15 women left 32 kiddos behind to be inspired and encouraged by Jen Hatmaker. What a special weekend in Santa Barbara!

Favorite Five: December

December. 

High highs, and low lows.

Stillness, and busyness.

A big beautiful month…all about Christmas.

These two nuts sang with the children's choir at church 6 times in December.

First ever Christmas Eve service at our home church (normally we are out of town).

We loved having friends with us this year. 

 Christmas morning at home.

 Cousin time in Santa Barbara.