Take Him By the Hand

No.  This is not a postcard. 

It's also not a googled image of Maui.

And it's not a copied picture from my "Yes, Please" board on Pinterest.

Yes.  I am actually looking at that scene through my viewfinder.  

Amazing cannot describe the time we had in Maui.  It was absolutely wonderful and such a blessing!  We are so thankful for all the hands that went into taking care of our little ones while we got away to soak in the sun, have a few mai tais and not care what time of day it was.  

Please know, my faithful followers, that I do not intend to post these "I am so jealous" pictures just to tease you.  Rather, I want to encourage you to find that hubby of yours, take him by the hand, and go somewhere with him!  Just the two of you.  It's the most refreshing, rejuvenating, romantic thing you can do for your relationship.  By no means do you have to buy yourselves tickets to Hawaii (although I highly recommend it) but a sunset walk, or a nice dinner, or even a night away makes a big difference.  

You could even just share a little dance :)

Thomas and I will never forget our treasured time on Maui...WITHOUT KIDS!  And we will never forget the importance of spending quality time, being fully present with each other.  

Mission Beach Getaway

Where are you when you find yourself at the beach with a waffle in hand?

San Diego!!! (sandy ego...get it??)

Well that's where we found ourselves this past weekend.  Our little family of four had a weekend away all by ourselves!  We didn't end up having waffles on the beach, but we did eat lots of berries, ice cream and pancakes while on vacation.  Mission Beach really has it all...the beach, the bay and lots of places within walking distance.  We arrived Thursday afternoon and didn't get in our car again until we left.  Katin would say her favorite part was either her boat ride or the sea lions that we saw at Sea World.  Aubrey's favorite....pointing out every bird that flew by.  Thomas enjoyed his daily naps and my favorite...that's easy!  Besides the quality time our family had together, I absolutely loved piling the sink up with dirty dishes and leaving the living room full of toys and not cleaning anything until the very last minute. (For those of you who have lived with other people/family you know exactly where I'm coming from)

Our much needed time together will always be cherished.  Many memories were created and Thomas and I came back feeling refreshed to keep doing life together....feeling more connected and "on the same page".  We took time to remember that we are on the same team, desiring God's will for our lives and reminding ourselves that our desire to align our hearts with God's pleases Him.

Here's to family fun and fond memories!

"Thanks Daddy.  For sea world and breakfast time.  Thanks mom.  Thanks for the beach." -Katin

The Little Things

I've always wondered how people got this cool strike through font on their blog posts.  It was always such a great addition to their writing.  So clever and witty...always made me laugh.  I'm so glad that I can actually do it in my own posts now.  Thank blogging world for making this a font that I can just simply click on and get the affect.  Awesome!

I seriously love the little things in life.