i feel so......

BLESSED AND REFRESHED

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last week we had the privilege of having the clarks visit from california. kacy and i met in college and became fast friends. we have remained very close over the years and have shared so much since we graduated. our weddings...birth of children...loss of children...vacations...long talks....illness...laughter...honest converations....joys...tears... and so much more!!!

it has been 2 years since we got to hang out last so we both were so excited to spend some time together and to have our families hang out! my amazing aunt and uncle were so gracious to allow us to stay at their amazing cabin. there is plenty of room for everyone and lots of space for the kids to explore. and it is in the beautiful mountains overlooking grand lake! we were so BLESSED!!

we spend 5 amazing days just spending time relaxing surrounded by God's beautiful creation. what better place to REFRESH your soul! mark and i spent every afternoon while everyone else napped, on the back deck. it was one of my favorite times of the day! i loved to grab my bible, a cup of coffee, and to just hang out with my husband. i felt so BLESSED!

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the kids loved being outside exploring the forest by the cabin. kya loved to take her fishing pole everywhere. we would often find her fishing off the deck :) she loved carrying her bucket for her treasures. it was so fun to see her explore and enjoy the creation around her! kinley was happy at a clam just sitting in the dirt kicking her legs. so cute!

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kya's favorite activity to do outside was to make fairy houses! so fun! she would gather all different items from her "treasure hunts" and she would work diligently to make a "beautiful house for her fairies". kinley would again just sit and watch it all, just enjoying the dirt :)

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kinley is such a happy baby! i feel so BLESSED!

one of kya's fairy house. she even lined the inside with fresh soft evergreens so her fairies would have a soft place to sleep!

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we also went to the lake to fish and let the kids catch minnows. it was a blast watching them all do their own thing! kya sat so patiently on a rock hoping to catch a fish. kinley crawled to the waters edge and splashed in the water for over an hour without a fuss! skyler joined her too..how cute are they!! it was so REFRESHING to sit by the lake and watch the kids!

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the spillway was a huge hit for the kids. they loved watching the waves and throwing stones in the water! it is amazing how something so simple as throwing rocks can bring so much joy to kids... and their dads :) josiah, halee, and skyler are such amazing kids! it was such a BLESSING to hang out with such cool kids!

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it was so good for me to be BLESSED to just sit and spend so much time just catching up with a dear friend. this girl is so REFRESHING to my soul. our friendship is easy and at the same time challenging. we love to sit and just talk, yet also love to have deep conversations about being a mom, wife, and daughter of God. i have learned so much from this girl!!

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it was also just an amazing time to have with mark and my girls. we have not had a family vacation in over 2 years so it was so nice to get 5 days in a row together! we have had quite the last year, and it was so REFRESHING to just be together and to reconnect!

i so enjoyed slow morning where we would all crawl in bed together and cuddle. i loved playing outside and making fairy houses together. i loved taking drives into rocky mountain national park and see moose and elk and the excitement in my daughters eyes! i loved eating all our meals together and just talking. me and the girls drove up together since daddy didn't come till after work. kya and i had an amazing talk almost all the way up to the mountains. we talked about creation. what we saw and how much God loves us!! what an awesome memory! such a BLESSING!

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last but not least i left feeling SOOOOO BLESSED!! i have 3 of the most amazing treasures in my life. i have an amazing husband that loves me deeply! i am sooooo BLESSED by this man!!! he is a dream come true husband and daddy!

i also have have 2 AMAZING daughters. their hearts are sooo sweet. they love to cuddle and say i love you! they make my heart OVERFLOW with joy!

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on the drive home i felt completely blessed and refreshed...what an awesome week away!!

good day!

today kinley had to her 18 month wellcare visit and i am so happy to say that kinley is back on the growth chart and is 21lbs!! she is also 25% in height which is a all time high for her! the last couple months have been so hard! she has been so sick and lost so much weight it was very stressful. i finally feel like i can relax about her and hopefully this is a new start! she is also really starting to walk more which just makes my heart overflow! i always thought her joints would be okay, but there is always a little part that makes you worry if there was something really wrong. so each time is see her drunken sailor walk my face is beaming! i LOVE IT!

this afternoon my best friend from college came out for a visit with her family! we have kept in great touch over the years. we have walked along side of each other through many hard times and through many amazing times! i just love this girl and her heart! i love our friendship and that no matter how long it has been since we talked or have seen each other we just pick right up where we left off! those kind of friendships are a treasure! we are headed up to grand lake for the week to stay at my aunt and uncle's amazing cabin! i am so excited i can hardly stand it! i can't wait to have the kids play and to just hang out with kacy and joey. a little escape is just what the doctor ordered for us all right now!

mark is doing okay, he is back on some meds to deal with some increase of symptoms. we continue to take one day at a time. he is such a positive man, which amazes me every day! we trust that in God's timing he will go into remission. he goes back in a couple weeks for some more tests seeing if the new medication is working. but for now we try to be patient and give his body time to heal. some days that is easy....some days that is sooooo hard!

love you all!

princess dance camp!

kya is in princess dance camp this week! she has been counting down the days all summer! this girl LOVES to dance. she took some classes last year and she fell in love! she loves getting dressed for class and then coming home and practicing her new dance moves each night. at the end of each class the parents can come and they "perform" the new dance they learned that day! it is so fun to see each day. i am actually very impressed with how 4 year olds can learn something so quick! i can't wait to see her this year in tap :) so fun!

so excited to dance!
day #1 they made crowns :)

day #2 she wanted to wear her "fancy tutu " :)

my pretty girl!

day #3 hanging out with her little dancer friends!

her dance from day #3 this has been my favorite so far!

love them!

gotta love days like this!

kinley LOVES to be outside! i love the adventurous look in kinley's eye. she is a true sweet heart and LOVES to cuddle! she is soooo much fun! i love watching her grow up and do new things! i can't wait to see more of her personality come out..she is going to be a kick in the pants! i so love her!

kya also loves to be outside! she loves that she is old enough to be able to conquer a playground all on her own! she also LOVES to pose for the camera! this girl has a heart of gold, but also a drama mama :) i cannot believe she is 4! where has the time gone! she brings a smile everywhere she goes! i so love her!
sisters! i LOVE moments like this! they so love each other! i love how much fun they have with each other! it is so fun watching them play and just enjoy each other's company! i can't wait to watch their relationship grow!