I am good at vacation. (lots of pictures)

I have a few God given talents. For example, I am really good at sleeping. And at being on vacation. They just seem to come naturally to me. I love summer. I love waking up without an alarm clock. I love hanging out with my kids. I love doing puzzles and making pbj's and going to the park and not wearing makeup. And I am really, really good at it. Sadly, I go back to work this week. I love my job, but the transition is always a rude awakening into the world of alarm clocks and lunchboxes and people who are not always as nice to me as my kids are. So, I savor the time that the Lord allows me to be away from work, and this summer was a real treat!

We went back to Family Kamp for the 3rd year. I just cannot say enough good about this place. The main thing that I love is the caliber of counselors that they have working with your kids. It is such a blessing to watch young people who love the Lord invest their lives in the lives of the people that you love the most. A few days after coming home from camp, Carter asked Jesus to live in his heart! It was such a sweet time of celebration for our family, and I feel certain that the counselors at camp helped him reach that decision! Here are some random pictures of our time at camp.

We also spent our fair share of time at the ballpark this summer. T-ball was super fun, but the heat this summer was most unpleasant. 

And what would summer be without swimming lessons? Both kids really found their groove in the water this year. Carter can swim independently in the deep without a life jacket. He is quite the little fish. Evyn loves to fully submerge herself underwater and "swim by myself," which makes me a nervous wreck.

I had the opportunity to go to Schliiterbahn with some girlfriends on a middle school counselor retreat. We had a fantastic time. And this is how I was greeted home! Pretty sweet, huh?

And we have loved getting to camp this summer. The memories that we are making as a family are priceless.

 

 

 

It has been a fantastic summer, and I am so grateful that I have these sweet memories to take with me as I go back to work!

My Brown Eyed Girl

 There are days that I look at this kid and she takes my breath away. Beautiful, isn't she?

Safety First

One can never be too safe when preparing to ride a tricycle or small bike with training wheels. This is how we roll.

The Boys of Summer

Carter is playing on the Lions this year with many of the same kids that he played with last year. It is hard to believe that this is our last year of t-ball. I was sitting close enough to the dugout at his first game to pick up on some of the conversations among the boys. Carter asked one of his buddies if he thought that they would both be "baseball champions like my dad." My heart almost melted. Win or lose, this kid has the heart of a champion.

Happy Birthday, Carter!

I remember before we had kids. Sort of. I definitely remember thinking that people who had 6 year olds were adults. The kind of adults that are responsible and mature and officially grown up. You can have a baby and still be sort of hip and cool. But when you have a "grade schooler," you might as well pull on your mom jeans and stop listening to contemporary music. Then I blinked and now I have a 6 year old and I don't quite feel like any of that is true about me. But the candles on the cake don't lie, and I have a little boy sleeping in the same bed that my toddler used to sleep in. And that little boy tells me that he is 6 years old now! Wow!

We had a sweet day of celebrations! The day before his birthday, he kept telling me, "Mom this is the last time that I will do this when I am 5." I loved the build-up for the big day! His actual birthday fell on the Friday of VBS. I was one of Carter's teachers this year at Bible School (which might need to be another post for another day), so we brought rice crispy treats and a candle and the whole class sang to him while he grinned from ear to ear. But the fun didn't stop there. Grammy and Papa took Carter to lunch and to pick out his birthday present- two hermit crabs and all the fixings. Thank you so very much, Grammy and Papa. What a very thoughtful gift. I am already brainstorming what I can get you for Christmas. Seriously, Carter adores them. They are named Noah (rainbow colored) and Sheldon, and he carries their cage with him everywhere that he goes.

After lunch came the big party. This year he had a bowling party, which mom loved because it was air conditioned and easy! We were so pleased that so many friends were able to come this year!

Good form, no?

Ellie and her sweet big sister, Anna (who walked Carter out of school every day this year).

Three of the four Hensons!

Mai Mai and Jax.

Grammy, Papa, and Mark.

Evyn even got in on the bowling action. She thought that you were supposed to kick the ball.

From left to right: Mai, Tegan, Ellie, Makenna (whom Carter has a crush on), Anna, Morgan, Paden, Carter, Blake, and Cole.

The birthday cake- I don't know why I feel like I cheated by ordering a bakery cake, but I sort of do. Carter specifically requested a cake from a bakery, and it was delicious- chocolate with buttercream frosting!

Blowing out the candles!

Carter was so sweet to thank all of his friends for their gifts and for coming to his party. I think that he really enjoyed the day! Nanna and Grandad even made the trip from Abilene! After the party, we ran home and changed clothes for his second t-ball game, and they won! All in all it was a wonderful day! We continued the celebration on Saturday with a Cracker Barrel breakfast (complete with cake for dessert).

I am so proud of the young man that Carter is growing into. He is kind, and tender hearted, and gentle. But he is also all boy. He loves to wrestle and play ball and be "dangerous." I have no doubt that the Lord has big things in store for this little man, and I am honored to get to be part of his life! Happy Birthday, Carter-bug! I love you and hope you had a spectacular day!

Playing Catchup

One of the reasons that I have been a slacker in the blogosphere lately is that my computer is melting down. It seriously took me over two hours to upload some pictures and then save them to a thumbdrive so that I could move them to a computer that still connects to the internet in order to blog. I tell you this only so that you will fully appreciate my dedication to bring you new pictures of my beautiful offspring. Also, if you happen to have some extra cash laying around and feel compelled to buy me a new computer, I would be tremendously appreciative. On to business.

Evyn continues to be her sassy little self. She is all about the accessories. Bows, glasses, jewelry, hats, you name it. Her vocabulary is massive. She sings and dances like mad. When a song comes on the radio that she likes she says "Oh yeah" then throws her arms in the air like she just don't care! That girl can move. She adores her brother. She is completely fearless- she thinks that she can do just about anything that Carter can do. She loves to draw and read and has recently started paying attention to her baby dolls and Strawberry Shortcake. She makes us laugh every day and is completely the ray of sunshine in our family. When she gets in trouble, she gives us what we call the "mal ojo" and then points her finger and angrily says "I'm a kid." Hard not to laugh. To know her is to love her.

In other blog-worthy news, she is doing great with the whole potty thing. We have not mastered overnights yet, but other than that she does really well! She and Carter love to go potty at the same time and entertain each other in some very creative ways.

Carter finished Kindergarten and is so excited to be a 1st grader next year! We adored his teacher and cannot say enough good about her. He is reading on a 2nd grade level and loves school. He has recently developed a passion for all things Narnia related. We are reading a chapter every night at bed and he loves the movies. He even started writing his own Narnia book. Amazing. He is kind and patient and tender hearted. He recently started piano lessons (with the same lady that taught me 20+ years ago) and is already able to play a few songs on the piano. He is playing t-ball (more on that later), loves to swim and camp, and tells me on a regular basis that he is dangerous. He is a gentle spirit and an amazing young man, and I am so very proud of him.

About a month ago, he decided that it was time for his summer haircut. This is the before picture.

And the after picture. I completely forgot to put the guard on the clippers and he was BALD. His little head was so pale and got horribly sunburned during recess. I felt terrible. Luckily it grows super fast, but I felt like mother of the year.

Mike has fallen in love with another girl, and I am completely OK with it.

We thought it would be fun to go to the drive in movie. Unfortunately for us, there was 60 mph wind and blowing dirt that came directly at our faces the whole time. This resulted in me sitting inside the back of the Yukon with two fragrant kids in my lap with no air circulating at all. I really enjoyed the show.

It sure is nice when your kids are old enough to fix their own breakfast. (Teasing, of course.)

We have been enjoying some camping time as a family. It is simply so magical to be unplugged and under the stars with your kids. I love that I get no cell phone reception or internet while we camp. I love the laughter and giggles that come from the kids beds. I love watching them dig in sand or play in the creek and throw a frisbee. Some of my very favorite family memories are camping memories and I am looking forward to many more.

Carter caught a fish (a minnow).

Thanks for bearing with me during my dry spell. I will do my best to keep things a bit more current around here!

Thoughts

It would seem that I have been on a bit of a blog-cation. To be completely honest, this school year was hard. I am physically and emotionally tired. I can't remember the last time that I felt this ready for summer vacation. Or the last time that I have been so eager to leave work behind me for a while. Or been so anxious to completely invest all of my time and energy in my own offspring and nobody else's. I felt a deep desire to step away from "the grind" for a bit and remember the things that makes life fun and good and joyful. There is something about waking up without an alarm clock and spending a day with my two favorite little people that brings healing to my heart! Don't get me wrong- I love my job, but it was time for a break.

Throughout this semester, I have been amazed at how scripture has come to life for me. How even on the frustrating days, God was right there. He seemed to anticipate my need and provide just the encouragement that I needed. He has a truth for every question that I ask. His love continues to be more than enough. I feel like there are times when I get paralyzed by human emotion- frustration, self pity, anxiety, anger, fear- I could go on. And God is there with His promise for me every single time. Below are some specific verses that have meant a lot to me this year.

Romans 8:38-39
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 139 (all of it, but especially verses 1 and 14)
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

Ecclesiastes 3:11
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

Matthew 6:25-27
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

1 Peter 2:9
For you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

I am so thankful that I serve a living God who cares about my feelings. I know that my "problems" are completely petty and insignificant, but He still cares. And I am thankful for the months of June and July.