We started school at Waypoint!

Backpacks on and “run and jump” shoes strapped. These girls have loved their first month of school at Waypoint. Kennedy didn’t want to let go of her teacher when I picked them up the first day and she literally sprints to her teacher when we arrive in the mornings. Talley Rae, though more upset at drop-off, is all smiles at pick-up and always has a new painting or creation to show me on the way to the car. She especially loves music class, where she gets to play the drums!

A fun bonus is that so many friends from our church go to this preschool and we had no idea! In a season where I am trying to find more ways to connect with our church family, this is a true gift.

 

 

I made this fun shirt…

There was an outcry among students for new Cru shirts, and so we delivered. I am pretty thrilled with how they turned out. The image is of our upper quad with Davie Poplar looming over top. Found a new local printing company that I love and they whipped these up for us in ONE WEEK. Also, the design lead called me and asked where we got our graphic and if we needed to credit them somehow. I got to tell him it was original.

 

… and painted this fun painting.

I’ve joked for a while that I am going to create a series in collaboration with my dad – painting all of his instagram photos.   His images of the farm are so good! And he would find this hysterical and ridiculous. For me, that is all the more reason to get to it! These cows are the first in that series.

 

Fall Retreat!

My first trip back to Camp Dixie after becoming a mamma was just what I needed. We had perfect weather for blobbing and canoeing. Something about retreating from campus with 120 college students reminds me why I do what I do. College students are so all over the place and think so deeply and passionately about things. I love to hear them talk about life and their dreams and the Lord.

Evan Marbury was our speaker for the weekend and he said something that has stuck with me. He said “The danger with ministry is that we can learn how to do it.” I’ve just been turning that over in my head ever since.

Talley Rae turned 3!

Three seems unreal to me. I just can remember with such clarity the first time I held her, and my first words to her being “It’s going to be okay!” as she squealed into the world. Now she’s a sensitive and creative and observant and stubborn and caring little 3-year-old. Her birthday was full with cupcakes and donuts and her first ever trip to the tumble gym. For her everything has been a “balance beam” for a while, so to be in a room where there were at least 3 actual balance beams was truly living the dream.

 

Fall made a brief appearance.

 Y’all remember the fake fall we had late September? One of those glorious evenings the girls and I threw on sweatshirts and ate chili on the back porch. The sweatshirts may not have actually been necessary, but we so wanted them to be. The girls ran back and forth on the outdoor couch, their bare legs sticking out from under oversized pullovers. Tom missed this adventure unfortunately – when fall comes back we will have to do it again.

The heat is dissipating a bit and people are coming out to play more in the neighborhood, because they can actually breathe outside. We’ve been in our house for just over 2 years now and we are starting to get to know people here and settle in. It is such a nice place to call home. Our house backs up to our neighborhood and we have a little path and a footbridge so people can get to us easily. We have one family who will just text us to let us know they came to play on the swing set in our backyard before dinner. Melanie lives just over the fence and she and her 2 puppies come over frequently for the puppies and babies to run together. I hope we get to be here a good long time.

 

Then summer came back.

Seriously, how to people parent without the Museum of Life and Science.? My friend Jaclyn and I took our littles to play when the heat returned. We underestimated the wetness of the misty play area, but it was worth it.

 

All-in-all, September left us pooped.

 Please forgive me that September’s update is coming at you well into October – but here we are! We hustled and played outside and sweated – and apparently the girls fell asleep very cutely in a lot of places. Sadly, if I do that it is less cute.