Summer is over and it's so sad! My family had the busiest summer yet and we had a lot of fun! I'm sorry to see it go... and at the same time, I'm ready for cooler days and routine and having a cleaner house and spending a few months nesting and getting ready for baby girl. 

Holly is in second grade this year. So far, so good. The only adjustment I've noticed is a little extra sass :). Greta started kindergarten this year and is breaking my heart. I had a good sob the night before her first day. It just seems so unfair to hand them off. Some days, home schooling sounds so appealing. I want my darlings here with me! Greta is doing well. She's a smarty pants and a perfectionist so I'm sure she'll excel. 

I'm looking forward to next summer, which is shaping up to be pretty packed already! The only thing that I am not looking forward to is my baby getting bigger and older! Why does time move so fast??

July has been a super busy month for us! I'm way behind on sorting and editing all our pictures. Working on it! This weekend we went camping at Priest Lake for one night. It was so much fun! No one wanted to leave. The girls really wanted to go camping and this was pretty much the only weekend to do it. We were really lucky to book a campsite that was right on the water last minute. It was the best. Extra bonus what the 7-week old puppy at the beach. Holly and Greta were in heaven! These sweet family memories are what make life so beautiful!

It's been HOT in Spokane. We went to Liberty Lake with a picnic dinner the other night to cool off and have some fun. It's only a 25-30 min drive from where we live and it was lots of fun! Summer time is the best!

We just wrapped up spring soccer this month and it was lots of fun! I liked going to the Saturday games and seeing so many other families I knew. Holly missed soccer so much that she wore her jersey the Saturday after her last game. Many thanks to Conor's parents for handling the last two weeks of soccer while we were in France!

I really enjoyed attending church on Easter Sunday and thinking of Jesus. Wow! What an amazing event! I love that it wasn't just this one-time big thing that happened. If I allow it, look for it, humble myself, I can have the feeling of Easter, I can have Jesus in my life each day. I love that every wrong can be made right. Wrongs really, truly happened in my life because of Jesus. I'm thankful that the pain and sadness that I feel now will one day become okay. I love that because of Jesus, my relationships can be healed and made whole. I love that I can be made whole. I've had times in my life where I've felt broken and worthless. And because of Jesus I was healed. One of my favorite Apostle talks is "Like a Broken Vessel." A passage that has brought me a lot of strength is the following:

"Believe in miracles. I have seen so many of them come when every other indication would say that hope was lost. Hope is never lost. If those miracles do not come soon or fully or seemingly at all, remember the Savior’s own anguished example: if the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead."

Hope is never lost. I have to white-knuckle hold on to that hope sometimes, especially when the cup is so bitter and so heartbreaking. One day I will get to hold my next baby in my arms. Until that day, I adore and cherish my family as is. My daughters are JOY. And I'm so lucky to be loved by Conor.