June Recap

Half the year has gone and we spent the last 6 months trusting in the Lord, even when we couldn't see what He was planning. We've made some hard decisions along the way. Decisions we never imagined ourselves making, even a year ago. But when God nudged us to pick up our lives and move, we couldn't shake it, even if we wanted to. We've been largely quiet through this time. Mostly, to rest in His presence, to discern His voice, and to wait for Him to direct our next steps. 

Little did we know what He had planned. How sweet and how intimate the Lord would be in the midst of our trusting and waiting. On June 11th, we moved into our DREAM HOME. We didn't see this coming. But God knew all along. Even years ago, when this dream was just forming, He remembered the details. This move has been a crazy story of God's sovereignty and faithfulness in our lives. And to think we could have missed it all if we had not risked our own comfort and security?

I'll be sharing more of the details here some day but for now, I'm stepping back to June for a little recap.  

For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” -Romans 10:11

Happy Father's Day to the guy who we all adore. He's the best of the best, y'all! 

And we're so blessed to call him ours! 

After church, we picked up two of our favorites for a quick and easy lunch. Sushi and Chips & Guac. 😋

 

I guess you can call him "Farmer Morgan" now. 

We have 3 miniature donkeys that came with the property. 

Here are Princess Emily, Donkey Kong, and Bob.  

The girls had some friends over and they had fun giving the donkeys some treats. 

Meeting sweet new friends has been such a great blessing for the girls! I'm so happy for them. 

Fresh basil from the garden? Yes, please! Caprese is the quintessential summer salad, right? Yum! 

Faith wasted no time planting new veggies and tending to her garden. 

It's been really cool watching her take on a new hobby and learning the joy of her labor. 

We often have guests who like to swim in our pool with us. 🐸

The kids love seeing all the animals around here.

Nearby, on Sagebrush Drive (known as the Peacock Street), various peacocks meander the yards. 

Everyday, it's like waking up to a new surprise. We've never seen so many animals (dead or alive- lots of road kill here in the spring) since we moved to Texas. We've also seen a bobcat, deer, and a family of turkey- just yesterday in our yard. Not to mention all the squirrels, bunnies, horses, cows, armadillos, and beautiful colorful birds! 

We spent all of June moving and getting settled. Thankfully, our new home is even closer to our church than our rental was. We are loving Flower Mound, our church, and the beauty and peacefulness of our new home and property. Feeling incredibly blessed is an understatement! God is so so good, y'all! 

Valentine's Day Weekend 2021

Aren't these perfect for winter?  

I knew our first Valentine's Day in Texas was going to be much different than what we're used to back home so I wanted to try and make it a little special. Each year in CA, we'd celebrate by having a Family Valentine's Day Picnic in our backyard. The weather was always beautiful and if it fell on a weekday, Morgan would come home for lunch. 

Here we are last year enjoying 75 degree weather.
  

This year, Zach and I started celebrating on Friday when we made this simple heart banner during his school time.  

  We hung the banner on the mantle and then we moved on to making cards for daddy and sisters. 

He was so excited about this card he made that he wanted to give it to daddy right away. 

After school, I let Zach watch something special on TV. He loved it! 

I knew he'd be asking for his own cookie after that so I had one ready for him. 

On Saturday morning, I made these cinnamon roll hearts and they were a big hit with the family.

These are so easy, even I pulled it off.😉 They're made from a can of Pillsbury GRANDS. 

On Sunday, we woke up to a blanket of snow! 

It was such an exciting sight! 

Morgan made Zach a special Valentine's Day breakfast out of his favorite pancakes. 

Here's a better look. 

Do you see the train with mountains? 

Zach is growing everyday.😁

Church (and many businesses) closed because of icy roads so we watched from home by the cozy fire. 

My Sweet Valentines. 💝💝💝

Too bad he's not loved around here.😍

Love them all so much! 

Me and my forever Valentine. 💘

Instead of an outdoor picnic, we had an indoor one by the fire. 

Nothing fancy but definitely memorable! 

For lunch, I made these hot ham and cheese sliders and homemade potato salad. 

Definitely a treat around here! 

Then we gave the kids a few small gifts. 

Faith gave Zach a new Magic School Bus book. He loves those!  

And he got his own big-sized Hershey's Kiss. 💋

A new book of train stickers. 

And kisses from dad.😊

Then the kids went out to play in the snow. 

He wanted to put his track out there, just like the Polar Express! 

Snowball fight! 

This kid. 

He said he needed chains. 😆

We got rid of all our sleds before we moved because why would you need a sled in Texas, right?! 

Thankfully, our neighbors had one we could borrow. 

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating Valentine's Day together (this was the day before the rolling blackouts started). It's always been more of a family day for us anyway so being snowed in made it more fun. Yes, it looked different than what we were used to, but that's OK.

I've learned that it never has to be grand or perfectly Pinterest worthy to make it special. It's special because of who you're with. Whether we're sharing old traditions or making new memories along the way, I hope my kids will have fond memories as they grow older and do the same for their families one day.