Back to School!

We did it!  We got both of our girlies in Elementary school, and this week it all became very real.  A new chapter of life has begun!

Evie had a special introductory party for Kindergartners on Monday morning before Back to School night.  She had such a great time meeting some of her friends and hanging out with her teacher Mrs. Rodeffer.  I am so thankful the Evie has Gretchen this year because we love her.  Evie did not shed one tear in the whole process!

My beautiful girls woke up bright and early on the first day of school, and were ready to go even before I was. Their backpacks this year perfectly sum up their personalities. Evie is Wonder Woman......she just is, and her face lit up when she saw the sparkly bag practically made for her.  Lily is bright, bold, and full of fun and friendships. That's Lily, and she chose a backpack that reflects her perfectly. 

Evie seemed so little with her backpack on, and yet her smile tells you everything. Little doesn't mean squat when you are ready!

We captured every moment we could before we headed out on this new grand adventure of having 2 kids in the same school for the same time!

Both of the girls walked right into their lines and didn't even hesitate when the bell rang and they marched off to their classes.  I wasn't sad,  I didn't cry, but I did feel.........reflective.  It's here.  This day is here and I will not have a Kindergartner again.  Life is changing and moving forward.  It's exciting and perhaps a bit more emotional than I can wrap my brain around.

All I can do is hug Bob and smile with excitement.  We did it honey!  We got these beautiful creations to elementary school, and now, the sky is the limit!

Evie is a KINDERGARTNER!

The day has come, and Evie, my bumblebee baby, is a KINDERGARTNER. The days were long, but the years have most definitely been short.  She's 5, she's in elementary school, and I have been hit with this beautiful revelation, that my life chapters are changing. 

And oh is Evie so very ready.  There is not a shred of doubt in my mind that she is completely ready to be a Kindergartner. She is one of the bravest, boldest, spiciest little 40 pound kid that I have ever met, and the best part? She's mine.  She is all the things I wish for myself, and its just baked right into her. Gosh this kid is going places.

Evie had a couple moments of nerves, but once she reconnected with her teacher Mrs. Rodeffer, Evie flew the nest without even pausing.  The first day of school was so exciting for her.  The chance to be on the playground, to play with Lily, to be where her sister is, and to do big things.....she didn't hesitate.  I have said it before......and I will say it again.  Evie is Fearless.

I can't help but be in awe about the amazing wonder my Bee is. There is no kid that loves like her, no kid that challenges like her, no kid that believes like her, there is just no other Evie Frances. I love her so much.

There is absolutely no doubt that our Evie is ready for Kindergarten and the great adventure of elementary school.  I am beyond excited for her and we cannot wait to watch just how far this kid will go!

When you are fearless baby girl, life will be limitless.  Spread your spice little one and keep loving the way you do.

Lily takes on 2nd GRADE!

My Lily, this kid just grew up. There are days where I look at her and have to remind myself that she is only 7.  Her heart, her understanding, and her personality has matured so beautifully lately and I find myself wanting to slow down the clock just a little.  Lily is in 2nd GRADE! 

Last year was an amazing year for Lily academically, and a challenging year for her socially.  This kid loves a great many people, and a great many people love her, but navigating personalities, conflict, and growing up is hard.  We had so many wonderful talks and wonderful moments of learning about life and fairness, about kindness against all odds, and about the 2 things that matter the most:

Loving Jesus

Loving others

She approached start of school with a normal mix of excitement and nervousness, but after back to school night Lily was ecstatic about the new year.  She has a posse of new and exciting friends as well as some old ones, and her teacher, Mrs. McBrien is perfect for her in every way.  My girls have been enormously blessed by the teachers that have come into their lives.

This girl has a mind and personality all her own.  She knows what she wants and wears her uniqueness boldly.  She wants long hair, buns, bows, and braids.  She likes sparkly shoes and all things colorful.  Pink and purple are her favorite, and she would rather be in a dress on most days. She has her own sense of style that occasionally lends itself to Mom's wishes. She is bright and spunky and she exudes light.

Oh her backpack........its all Lily.  I took her to Target and pulled down every Jansport colorful, sparkly bag I could find, but she went right for this one.  I used every argument in the book for picking a more classic bag that would last a couple years, and after 10 minutes of attempted manipulation, she looked at me and said, "No, Mom, I want the Shopkins bag." I surrendered with great angst, and as we walked down the aisle I couldn't help but smile.  I got myself some bold, confident, know what they want children. I turned to Lily and said, "Do you kiddo, cause you know what? You're kind of awesome."

Lily is a ray of sunshine in the world and the doors to her future are open wide.  She is off to a year of  making 2nd grade memories and I am so excited to play her supporting role.

Go, Be Brave, Love Jesus, Love Others, and change the world!

Danny and The Shacks

This year Lily and Evie got to participate in their first ever Music Camp.  Both girls absolutely LOVE VBS, so I jumped at the opportunity to put them in a music and theatre camp.  I ended up being in the mountains for the entire week and the performance, but Bob was amazing.  He got them to and from practice and was their biggest fan on opening night!

Bob took the girls shopping for brand new fancy shoes, did their hair up, and got them ready for their performance.  I got pictures all day and loved every one of them.

The show was all about Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendego and God's saving power over the fiery furnace.  I love that my girls are experiencing the many wonders and miracles of Jesus and learning songs to last forever.  It's written on their hearts and I love it.

I missed the show, but Bob took so many wonderful videos.  I am not sad though, because life is full of purpose and I loved spending time with my Dad.  Bob was an incredible Daddy and the 3 of them have this special memory to always hold onto.  I walked into the kitchen the other day and they were all singing a song about being "too hot, too hot to handle!"  It made me smile. There will be many more shows that I will be a part of, but Danny and The Shacks will forever be my favorite three amigos moment!

Cali Coast Adventures: Aquarium and Goodbyes

The final day of vacation was filled with more beach time and a trip to the Long Island Aquarium.  The Corona Del Mar Beach is such a perfect beach and we hiked down to this quiet little cove for the morning.  The waves were very mild and the kids had an absolute blast being able to swim by themselves in the water.  Evie and Jess spent the morning either eating gummy worms or covering themselves with sand and running in and out of the ocean.  These girls love each other.  Nathan and Lily spent their time in the water and were too busy to take pictures.

It was such a treat to have a brief time with Cousin Jordan too, she took a break from her busy life to come down and visit us for a bit.

We took the lovely drive along the PCH through Huntington Beach and found ourselves at the aquarium.

Our time at the aquarium was hurried, but the kids just soaked up the remaining time with each other and we enjoyed every second.

Right before we ended our time together we chatted up the scuba divers.  Such a fun experience and such a great time!

Our Cali Coast adventures were full of family, fun, and memories.  We love to get together with these guys and cannot wait for the next big family trip!

Cali Coast Adventures: NASA and JPL

Guys, DREAMS DO COME TRUE!  Life is amazing and the people that you meet along the way are magical.  When Bob went out to watch the Falcon Heavy last February, he just happened to sit by Justin Foley on the plane ride home.  Well, Justin works at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, and he personally invited us to come and take a tour whenever we were out in CA. Bob was like a kid in a candy shop. 

Not only were we able to make it fit beautifully into our Cali Coast Adventure, but Aunt Darcie, Uncle Brent, Nathan, and Jess got to go with us!  Nathan is an avid space buff, and he loves Uncle Bob.  I think it was an amazing moment for Bob to be able to take not only  his girls, but his buddy nephew.  What a fantastic day we had!

We showed up right on time, and Justin was waiting with personalized name badges for all of us. Won't lie, we all felt pretty official.

Justin started us in the museum area of the Visitor Center, where they have mock ups of all the probes, satellites, and equipment that NASA has launched into space. It  was a great way to get started.  Technology is an amazing thing and the incredible men and women who engineered all of that equipment are truly remarkable.

Much of what we saw at JPL was a little lost on me, but the enormity of talent represented on campus wasn't.  I watched my girls surrounded by greatness and was hit with the possibilities.  Dare Mighty Things ladies......the world and beyond needs you!

Justin took us to the command center, and I will admit, this room was my favorite.  So much achievement was witnessed, experienced, and celebrated right here and in the adjoining rooms. There was just something about the colors, the lights, and watching the current satellite information update in real time. Pretty cool.

All throughout the campus everywhere you looked there were engineering marvels headed for space travel.  So much testing, planning, building, and mechanical brilliance goes into the final product and it was amazing to see.

I think the highlight of the entire trip was the Rover practice grounds  We had one of the most unique experiences because the replica of the "actual" 2020 Rover, which is usually kept under tight lock and key, was out in the open for us to meet personally.  It was grounded and we had to be very careful not to get close to it, but this is the mock up of what will actually be launched to Mars for exploration!  So cool!

Bob could tell you all the specs, but one thing I was BLOWN AWAY by, is its incredible speed.  I mean wow......this thing moves at 10cm per minute.  I mean, that is a 28 hour marathon pace.  Smokin.' It really does make sense though because there is a signal delay between here and there. So in a nutshell, the thing CANNOT flip over......its got to go  SSSSSSLLLLLLOOOOOWWWWW and steady.  After all, if it malfunctions or tips over its 15 minutes before we know and then a lot of time before we can do anything about it!

The final stop on our tour was the clean room environment where they are currently constructing the actual rover that will be going to Mars in 2020. There are only a handful of people that will ever get to go into that room, but that my friends will one day walk on Mars. 

I won't lie, seeing the actual equipment that will make the journey was a surreal and exciting experience.  That belief that we can do really exciting things and go to really exciting places lives in all of us.  

The tour ended and we were all a little bit wiser and a lot more excited to watch Justin and his team get their gear to MARS.  I am looking forward to 2020.  

We left and made our way to Chic-fil-a.  While we were there one of Bob's friends from high school, AKA last seen 18 years ago, noticed that we were in Pasadena right next to him.  Thanks to the power of technology, Christian hopped on over to the restaurant and we spent a good hour meeting him and reconnecting old friends.  What an amazing world we live in!

Our day at NASA JPL was incredible and a time we won't soon forget! To infinity and BEYOND!