{iPhone Rewind} :: July

Our deer has a baby :)

Happy Birthday, America!

So much for our bird feeder being squirrel-proof...

I have no idea how this is comfortable...

Rest time is for building :)

Our sweet little laundry helpers :)

Sweet anniversary flowers :)

Women's retreat planning team {+ Philip}!

Thankful for these ladies and their willingness to engage on tough topics!

July 2023 will be the month we introduced our kids to Uno...we basically play every day!

Enjoying their "graham teddies"  :)

The kids will even ask to play on their own...which makes for some fun conversations haha

Salon time with my girlie!

"Mommy, come take our picture with Daddy!"

12 Years

Today we celebrate 12 years of marriage! It's hard to believe that we have been married for that long. Time flies ;)

As I have been reflecting on the last 12 years and all that the Lord has done for us, I am overwhelmed with His goodness to our family. When Mike and I started dating, and then got engaged, and were looking forward to starting our lives together, I had a different idea of what our lives would look like. We had our plans and hopes for marriage and ministry and family...and our lives look very different from what I thought. And yet, my heart is overflowing with love and gratitude for the story the Lord has woven for us. Despite it looking different than what we originally planned, God has been incredibly faithful and kind. I'm still married to my best friend, we still have 3 beautiful kiddos, and we still get to love and serve together in ministry. God is so good!

This photo has sat on my nightstand our entire married life. We went to a Dallas Mavericks game while we were dating, and Mike told me I should wear his Mavs jersey, since we were there to see the Mavs...and because I was smitten with him, I agreed. Did I abandon my beloved Spurs? Of course not! The Spurs will always be better ;) But because I was falling in love with this man, I was willing to wear the Mavs jersey. It was fun and important to him. I now {sort of} love the Mavs, because he loves the Mavs. 

I know it's a little silly, but I often think about that date, and how it was so easy to don the Mavs jersey in those early days because I was so starry-eyed in love haha. But now 12 years into marriage, I don't have quite the same doe eyes and admiration. Not because I don't love {or admire} him; I do, very much. But the girl who was dating Mike all those years ago was inexperienced about the hardships and work that would lie ahead in marriage. I had no idea how much marriage would reveal the selfishness in my own heart, and how I would have to actively choose love every day. I knew it intellectually; we had godly marriage mentors. But practically? That has often been more of a challenge than I could have anticipated. Because love is not just a giddy, smitten feeling {as fun as that feels sometimes}. 

Some days I do have stars in my eyes; he's super sexy, is an amazing husband and father, and I now have the benefit of walking through all the hardships with him, knowing he meant every part of his vows. He has seen me at my absolute worst....and still chooses to love me and stick with me. But some days we have selfishly chosen to hurt each other, or the busyness of life and kids and ministry causes us to drift apart, and it can be hard to know or remember who we are as couple. And I am reminded that a good marriage doesn't just happen. It takes a lot of really hard work, commitment, effort, failing and trying again, sacrifice, and humility.

More than just a fun memory of when we were dating, this photo is a daily reminder to me to pour into our marriage. To always be learning to love the things he loves, because I love him and want to be a part of what's important in his world. I want us to have fun and like hanging out with each other as friends, to be a couple on our own, aside from kids and ministry. It's a reminder to me to actively find ways to love and support and encourage him. I can get so focused on what I need to get done in my day, be consumed by the kids and work. I know he's an adult and can take care of himself {and he does}, but I need to be looking for ways to pour into him, fill his tank, and remind him that I'm on his team. And sometimes, yes, I need to put aside my own preferences to love and honor him. 

The photo is a reminder to me of who we were all those years ago, how far we have come and who we are now, and it makes me excited about what lies ahead for us. Because there's no one else I'd rather have by my side, no one else I'd rather tackle the craziness of life with. 

Happy Anniversary, Babe! ;)

High Five for Friday!

{one} We just wrapped up a super fun week at VBS! We were all cadets on spaceship Galactic Praise, and we enjoyed a full week of astronomy, Bible lessons, slip 'n slides, silent team cheers, green gorillas, and crafts. I helped with the 2nd and 3rd graders, and each of the kids had their own group. Aiden was an Aqua Comet, Eli was a Red Shuttle, and Maddie was an Orange Rocket! {My group were Flame- Golden- Meteors}. Even our friend C from our old neighborhood joined us! The kids had a "blast" {pun intended} and basically had the time of their lives ;)

{two} We have adopted a deer! Ok, not really, but we have had this deer hanging around our yard for a few weeks now, and she basically has adopted us. She has just made herself right at home in our yard, and is {mostly} unfazed by our presence. Which, honestly, is pretty amazing, considering how our kids dance around and scream and yell whenever they see her haha. While it's not fun that she eats our plants and leaves a mess in our yard, it's pretty special to see her almost daily. We're hoping that she is getting comfortable enough that she might bring her baby into our yard soon!

{three} Aiden recently had a small procedure to have a mucocele removed from his lower lip. We have no idea how he got it {they're usually caused by mouth trauma}, but it just wasn't going away on its own, so we had to have it removed. Poor little guy had to see multiple doctors before we could actually get someone to remove it, so he had a lot of time to prep and work up his courage. They gave him laughing gas, and he was a rockstar patient! It was a little sore for a few days, and he had a bruise on the outside of his mouth for a bit, but otherwise, he's healing nicely, and hopefully we don't have to worry about it again!

{four} At the start of the summer, I had mentioned that I had started a maintenance medication for my migraines. While I definitely saw a difference in the severity of my migraines, I was still having a headache almost daily. So they went ahead and increased the dose of the maintenance medication. It has been about a month now, and I am just not seeing much more improvement. I'm not giving up yet, and I will have a follow up with the neurologist in August. But I am still having a lot of headaches, and had a pretty severe migraine recently {all the full-blown symptoms, lasted 5 days...not fun}. While the headaches don't all turn into migraines, and I'm able to manage most with Tylenol, it's still not normal and just gets in the way of everyday life. I am also struggling with insomnia and temperature regulation {I'm either really hot, like it feels like I'm burning up from the inside out, or freezing cold}. Sigh. So we'll see how the next few weeks go, and then discuss next steps at the August appointment. I knew this was a possibility; I was just hopeful I could find a better amount of relief in this first round of "easier" medications...

{five} I can hardly believe that we are halfway through the summer! We have been on break from school {though still practicing our reading}, and spending our days at the pool, playing with friends, and trying to survive the humidity. We still have lots planned for the second half of the summer, but we are already starting to see our schedule fill up with all the fall activities, and we'll be jumping into all of that before we know it :)

Happy Friday!