And Just Like That

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Just six short years ago, when Liliana started kindergarten, I started this blog with all of the best intentions of documenting our day-to-day homeschool journey. I envisioned pictures of science experiments and field trips, egg carton and toilet paper roll crafts, nature walks, reading the classics, and learning to bake. It's not that those things didn't happen (well, except for the crafts....far less crafts than I set out to do). Those things happened, but SO. MUCH. MORE. happened that photographing, documenting, and sharing those day-to-day things just wasn't the priority...living them was. 

Liliana just completed 5th grade. And just like that, elementary school is a thing of the past. Gone. Not coming back. I still wasn't over the fact that the pre-school years are behind us, and now she's going into middle school! Thank God Ivy still has a few years of elementary school left for me to *maybe* wrap my head around just how fast time is moving. 

As I look over the last six years, I recall a pretty severe mental health crisis, and then there was dealing with cancer. There was that whole pandemic thing for a few years. We've had friends come, and we've had friends go. A car was totaled; we closed in the garage. I still have regular check-ups with my breast surgeon and oncologist and continue to take a medication to help prevent recurrence. Every weekend we have family camp-outs in our new family room (former garage). We went on several vacations to Great Wolf Lodge, Anna Maria Island with Grandma, the lake with Nana and Pop Pop and a cabin with friends. Nieces and nephews were born, we lost grandparents, and celebrated a 91st birthday. Our greatest joy came when both girls decided to express their faith through baptism - Liliana in 2020 and Ivy about a year later. 

So much more than homeschooling happened - LIFE happened. The benefit of homeschooling was that we got to do so many of the minutes of life together. Sure we did reading and math, but there were also adventures and tears and deep conversations...questions, some answers, working through hard things and learning new things. 

I started this blog as a gift to my girls, so that they would have something to look back on and remember their school years. Liliana, Ivy, I hope you remember the vacations we took, the field trips with friends, books that captivated you, and playing with each other. But even more, I hope you will remember God's presence holding you through tears, His provision in times of need, His comfort and guidance and strength. I hope you will seek Him more and more and experience the fullness of His love and grace and the peace and joy that go with it. I hope you will continue to be lights in a world that unfortunately is filled with a lot of darkness. I hope you find your life's calling and passion, but even more, I hope you learn how to abide in Jesus and walk in step with Him, every. single. day. 


We've really tried to get better at gardening the last several years. This year we've actually been able to eat some strawberries, broccoli, peppers, and zucchini. I think we're moving in the right direction. 





Pandemic life got creative - lots of virtual field trips, 6-foot distance picnics, sheet hammocks and forts in the back yard, lunch-time yahtzee, and so much Zoom.
Jake still takes the girls to the  nursing home when possible. During the pandemic lock-down when we couldn't go inside, we hung window art outside their rooms.










Confession: I totally cried saying good-bye to Big Red. This was the car we left our wedding reception in...the one that I drove to the best job ever in every day...the one that brought both babies home. 


Remember that time we all wore masks for a while?!? Crazy times we've lived through!











Christmas trip to Universal and Sea World! So much fun packed into a few days!
And it turns out Liliana loves rollercoasters. We went on literally every single one!
AND, she's old enough to work out in the gym with me now! Every stage is beautiful in its own way. I'll probably forever miss the toddler years, but this is pretty incredible too!
Grandma got to join us for our FIFTH visit to Great Wolf Lodge! Ivy went down the Wolf Tail (scariest slide that goes straight down after the floor drops out from beneath your feet!). 









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