Fourth Festivities

These last couple of weeks have been emotionally draining. We have spent the last couple of weeks searching our hearts regarding questions which have arisen through our adoption process. We have spent many hours in prayer begging God to reveal His will to us. I will write more when we have made a final decision, but for now, please keep us in your prayers.

By the time the Fourth of July came around, we were in desperate need for some uninterrupted family time. Chris and I needed the time to pray together and just talk. The girls needed some undivided attention. So, we canceled plans with some dear friends and spent most of the day reveling in each other and the amazing creation surrounding us.



We went for a hike on a fabulous trail just a few minutes from our house.



It was a three mile hike with half of it up an incline. After a while, the girls looked like this.



So, we hoisted them on our backs and kept trekking.





Even though the girls didn't make it the whole way on their own, they were still troopers. They were especially excited when we made it to the top of the trail and they could explore this little, stone house.



Carrying Addie back down the trail definitely made things interesting, but I kept telling myself the extra weight was increasing the number of calories I was burning! It also helped that this was the view most the way down.



After the hike, we took long naps. Then we headed over to a family member's house to swim.





Then it was off to watch the fireworks. Even with their long naps, the girls were getting tired so they laid down while waiting for the fireworks to begin.



Once the fireworks started though, they were wide awake. Clara was very patriotic and waved her little flag through the whole show.





We ended the night by dancing to live music courtesy of Tracy Lawrence. Clara had a blast! It is so fun to see her let go and not even care who was watching or what she looked like. I should take a page out of her book more often.



It was a wonderful day and just what our family needed. Chris and I were able to spend time in prayer and take the time we needed to talk. We finished out the week feeling refreshed and that was just what the doctor ordered!

Summer Living Part 1

It has been a few weeks since I posted last. We have been trying to enjoy summer like there is no tomorrow. There really is not much time left to enjoy summer activities during the week for the girls and I, so we are trying to make the most of the time we have together before I start my new job.

We were up in Albuquerque, NM for about a week and one half the first part of the summer. We did so many fun things together! There are a lot of pictures so I am going to split up the posts.

Chris and I went white water kayaking on the Lower Gorge of the Rio Grande River. White water kayaking the love of my husband's life before he met me and to be honest, it was pretty stiff competition for a while. After spending the day on the river, I totally get why he loves it so much. Chris spent countless hours white water kayaking in New Mexico, Colorado, and Montana, but pretty much gave it up when we established our home in southern New Mexico. Now I understand why he still talks longingly about it. Kayaking is fun and a huge rush!



We didn't get many pictures coming down the white water because whoever was manning the camera was usually also going down the same stretch and more concerned about keeping their duckie upright than taking pictures. Here is one picture I managed to snap of my dad and sister in one kayak and my brother and sister-in-law in another kayak navigating a short stretch of white water.



Chris and I are messing around in this next picture. We thought it would be funny to get a picture of us in the same kayak rowing in opposite directions. It seemed like a good visual of how marriage works sometimes. We are on the same team and yet sometimes we find ourselves "rowing" against one another. This picture is a reminder to work together because we are on the same team!



The Rio Grande is absolutely beautiful in this section of New Mexico and we saw great scenery and even some wildlife. Here is a mama duck and her ducklings.



We also saw several pairs of geese.



This trip was so fun. Chris and I are now talking about renting a kayak and taking the girls down the calm stretch of river later this summer. Maybe Chris' love of the water will rub off on the girls too. My extended family is turning kayaking on the Rio Grande into an annual tradition and we cannot wait for next year!