What an amazing summer!

This summer has been soooooooooooooo WONDERFUL!

We have had SO MUCH PLAY TIME TOGETHER as a family of seven!

I told a girlfriend last week that it is so nice to have had a summer "where we haven't had anyone in any major transition/attachment phase and where we haven't been paperchasing!"  The next day I realized what I had said ... WE ARE PAPERCHASING!

My heart and prayer for our next adoption was exactly what God has done!  One of my MANY hesitations with adopting another precious jewel RIGHT NOW was all of the time and energy spent in bringing home a new child!  In the past I have had such a difficult time from keeping my heart in check, my hearts yearnings being overhwelming, and the spiritual element of our last few adoptions being enormous!  So I prayed this time around that God would guard my heart, where I would be able to LIVE FULLY in each moment/day and not let the paperchase consume my everyday life!  Now looking back at the last four months, God HAS protected my heart!  THANK YOU Father!   I realize we have months ahead, but I will keep trusting my Father's provision, direction, and miracle doing!  I sooooooo realize that I'm just along for the journey!  I just simply say "yes" and He does all the rest!

Allllllllllllllllll to say that we have had such a wonderful summer!  Since last time I blogged we have gone camping again with three of my sweet sisters 7 hours away in one of the most beautifulest places in the world; and we went to Whistler again (this time without any dear friends)!  Although in all honestly I think we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world!  Just today alone we saw spectacular mountains, sparkling blue ocean, a dozen seals, and so many other wonderful sea tresures!  We rubbed our feet in sand, rode our bikes along beautiful views, and collected too many treasures that were brought home ... and that was just ten minutes away from where we live!  JOY, truly!

I have sooooooooooooooooooooooooo many pictures I could share of time spent together as a family this summer, with wonderful different friends, and also time spent with extended family!  It feels like we have done SO MUCH ... yet honestly what we have been doing mostly has been playing outside in God's creation!  The kids have all become better swimmers, bike riders, kayakers, fishers, hikers, and nature lovers! 

I will try to blog again soon ... I feel like in the midst of all of the fun spent of time together outside God has continued to teach me more about who He has made me to be ... which is always very humbling for me!  I have so many more wonderful pics I could share ... especially from Whistler!  Oh, how I love Whistler!  The evidence of God is EVERYWHERE I look in Whistler, as the mountains there are simply stunning!

So for now ... all of the pictures were taken up in Northern British Columbia (Canada -- soo beautiful, no bias here)!  This trip was completely spontaneous (yes totally still doable with five kids) and was spent with three of my sisters and their sweet families (one of my sisters being just recently engaged)!   Really this trip was so meaningful on so many levels!  It is such a gift that my siblings and I truly get along so well and are such good friends!  My brother and one of my sisters were not able to make it, they were missed!  We are hoping to make this trip an annual event --- I already am looking forward to it next year!

THANK YOU JESUS for the GIFT and SACRED PRIVILEDGE of being a mommy, to EACH one of our precious jewels!  THANK YOU for believing in me when I did not believe in myself as I never thought I could be a good mommy to more than two precious jewels!  THANK YOU for your plans!  I WILL keep trusting them!

(I picked a few of my favorites ... which is so hard to do!  I have to say though that the first one I LOVE, there are so many things I love about the picture ... it represents so many different things to me!)