First Day of Summer

Friday was our first full day of summer vacation.  We had a pretty good day.  Got kind of a late start....which is a lovely way to start summer break, I do believe.  After a scattered breakfast, we walked to the park and spent a good hour plus there.  The weather was amazing.  Had a fairly awful storm the night before, but the aftermath was crisp, dry air with temps in the mid 70's.  It's funny to observe the kids.  Clayton took his basketball and played most of the time, breaking twice to swing.  Thomas swung almost the whole time we were there.  And the girls ran back and forth from the swings to the playground, but definitely spent more time running up the stairs and venturing down the slides.  I squeezed a little workout in while we were there.  No pictures.  The dog decided to knock my phone off the breakfast bar this week while I was taking Gaby to the bathroom and now my camera won't work.  I have no idea what would have been so intriguing about a phone to a dog....or even how he knew it was up there.  I guess it smelled like bacon.

Water Water Everywhere!

Friday night at the pool!  So fun!  We took dinner: sandwiches, watermelon, and chips, and swam, swam, swam.  Great fun and an awesome perk of living in our neighborhood.

This kid is a fish!  He's kinda hard to supervise in the pool because you can hardly ever find him underwater!

Big bro and littlest sis.  Love how much fun they have together.

This girl LOVED her pink "babing" suit and the pool even had pink noodles.  She coulda died and gone to heaven.

New flip flops.  Same cute toes. :)

The very next day, they enjoyed the water again.  Sprinkler fun!

Seriously, she is too cute.

 All the water play really got me excited that summer is here.

Home Musings and A Recap

Hmmm....gosh....where to start.  My blogging has only gotten worse.  Personally, I blame Facebook.  I can't do both.  Just can't seem to swing it.  So...I either blog, which some people enjoy or I FB, which some other people enjoy.  Forget both.  And I totally love and hate FB at the exact same time.  It is a great way to keep up with people, but somehow it does seem to get addictive.  I hate even the thought of being addicted to anything.  I think my aim then, my personal goal, is to blog more and FB less, but neither exclusively.

I've missed blogging two of my kids' birthdays this spring.  The birthday blog used to be sacred.  Gotta make that up, but to me, it feels insignificant, having missed the day.  Sorry Clay and Elena.  I think I'm gonna still do your posts, but they'll be way late.  Sorry babes.

So we've lived here nine months tomorrow.  Ronnie and I have talked this week about how it still doesn't feel like home.  I'm not sure of the reasons.  I can guess, but who knows?  Seven years in one place is a long time, especially when you grew to love it.  So then to start over?  Hard.  And maybe doomed to failure?  I know it's been nice to see family more often living here.  And my parents are moving next week and turning 70 this summer....big transitions....nice to be close by for the big moments.  But the day-to-day grind still feels like that....a grind.  We like our house, but it hasn't taken on a "homey" feel for us.  (Probably has something to do with the not user-friendly landlords we have.)  Ronnie thinks no place may feel like home again until we've lived there longer than we lived in Vegas.  I kinda hope not since I don't see us staying in one place that long again (until retirement).  I'm sorta just thinking that God does amazing work in the desert.  Where it's hot and dry and you're thirsty....He shows up in powerful ways.  We experienced huge spiritual growth in our lives while there.  Maybe that's why the lush climate of Tidewater VA just can't compare.  (We also had three babies there, amazing, supportive friends [non-military for the first time], a church we deeply loved, and ministries we were invested in.)

But....I also think it takes a considerable amount of time to even sort of like a place.  I mean, I hated....excuse me....HATED.....Vegas the first year we lived there.  I don't hate it here.  It just doesn't feel like home and I've called VA home since I was 8 years old.  So maybe, for me, nine months just isn't long enough.  Only time will tell.  I confess, I'm curious how things will look in the rear view.

In another news....the boys have been exhausting to parent for the last couple weeks....for different reasons. Gaby is very particular and always walking on the verge of drama.  Is it really possible that a two year-old is the most stable child being in the house??  Yes, it's possible.

The puppy was neutered yesterday and I started a serious three month plan to drop the extra pounds I've been carrying for far too long.  Oh, and 10 days of school left.

I think you're all caught up now.  :)

Change and Prep

I'm making some much needed changes to this space.  (Nevermind that my header photo is still quite outdated....sigh.  It's a fave and I have so few photos of all of us....even all of them.)  I'm also preparing to come back.  I miss this space.  I miss documenting life here to look back on one day.  I'm determined to figure out how to manage it all, so I can spend some time here.

See you soon!

My New Role

Dear Family and Friends,

I am so excited to announce my partnership as an Ambassador with Noonday Collection!  Noonday offers a line of distinctive, handmade jewelry, accessories, and home goods that provide a pathway out of poverty for men and women around the world.  

Noonday's mission aligns perfectly with my heart.  While feeling certain about my role as a stay-at-home mom, I desperately wanted to get involved in the cause to alleviate global poverty and the orphan crisis.  I feel that God has called me to this role.  (Trust me when I say that "business owner" is not a title I ever thought I'd wear!)  I'm chasing after Him and excited to see where He leads.  I'd love to have you join me!

Save the date!  My first trunk show is scheduled for Tuesday, April 30th, from 10:00 am-12:00 pm and from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm.  It will be a casual, open-house style gathering at my home.  Come check out the goods, learn the transformative stories behind each piece, and order (just in time for Mother's Day!)  Bring a friend or two!  Everyone is welcome!  

If you're ready for more, reply to this e-mail to schedule your own trunk show!  You can style your friends while making a lasting difference in the lives of vulnerable populations....plus, you get free fun stuff!  Or if you (or someone you know) are in the process of adopting, Noonday Collection will give you 10% in cash towards your adoption.

Check out my website (www.carriehawkins.noondaycollection.com) to read Noonday's full story and my bio.  You won't believe how beautiful the story is or how gorgeous the pieces are!  Host a show or purchase with love to become part of the Noonday story too!  

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Blessings,

Carrie

"When you satisfy the needs of the oppressed, your night will become like the noonday."  Isaiah 58:10

A Definition, A Favorite, and Growing Big

This girl.

Earlier this week, we were looking at a Curious George book together.  One particular page was about jobs.  There was a dancer.  Of course, she would know what the job was of this lady dressed in a tutu and all.  I asked, "Gaby, what does she do?  What's her job?"  

Her answer, "She's tutuing!"

Love.

And she's loving counting everything these days.  Today it was pretend fruits and vegetables from pretend gardens all over our house.  (Fun!)  She says eleventeen.  I love it and I just don't want to correct it.

She makes my life so fun.

She's growing up so much.  We've made a lot of big changes in her little world over the past month or so.  She's sleeping in a big girl bed....and it's kinda pink....and she kinda loves it!  She was ready about the time we were moving and when we tried to transition Clay when we moved from Italy to Vegas, it turned into an eight-month nightmarish transition.  She's been sleeping in a toddler bed (not a crib) since we moved, but now, the real deal.  Love seeing her snuggled up in that big bed every afternoon and night.

And we successfully stopped her thumb-sucking habit that she began when she was three-months old.  Her teeth were kinda jacked up from it.  The dentist recommended this gadget called a thumb guard.  We ordered it.  Used it everyday (nap and nighttime) for just under 30 days.  It appears, she's kicked this habit.     Only the first night was hard.  She did so well.  Very thankful (if maybe a little sad....she's just always sucked her thumb.)

Finally, and most importantly, she's fully potty-trained!!  Hoo-ray!!!  She's been bladder trained for almost a year, but we couldn't get #2 down.  She's suffered from chronic constipation issues since she was tiny, and getting her to poop (at all)  at times has been difficult.  I really thought we might not ever get there....to the promised land....poop in the potty.  After (almost) 40 years of wandering, we did it! :)

  

The Closer We Get

Moving to Virginia has been an unexpectedly hard adjustment for me.  Moving's always hard, right?  Yes, but when you're in the military, you just kind of forget that part and go with it....even if you lived seven years in one place.  I've been "walking in the desert" since we moved here in a lot of ways (if I can use that expression without sounding dramatic).  But....it never felt without purpose.  I have felt close to God (most of the time) and felt that He was leading me through the desert....just Him and me....for a reason(s).  I've gotten a lot of clarity in the last couple weeks.  It's thrilling and terrifying all at the same time when you feel quite certain you've "heard" from God.  The very next question is, "Will I obey?"

My three "life-changers" came all at once during my quiet time, just two weeks ago tomorrow, I believe (without looking in my journal).  The first, join Noonday Collection.  If you don't know about Noonday, you should.  Look 'em up.  Their story is inspiring and it just happens to line up with my heart....exactly.  So I responded pretty quickly (God even gave me three purposes for any money I might earn) and I have an interview next Wednesday.  Excited.  Nervous.  Excited.  My heart's desire the last couple years has been to have more of a global impact with my life.  I know too much about the dire circumstances so many face that sitting in my house, taking care of my own, is no longer satisfying.  But....I feel completely called to be a stay-at-home mom.  How do I reconcile these?  Maybe Noonday is the answer (for now).

One of the things I want to use my earnings for is a yearly mission trip.  I'm tentatively planning to head to the Dominican this fall with Compassion International.  As part of the trip, I'll get to meet the darling seven year-old girl we've sponsored for the last four-ish years.  I'm already thinking that meeting just might change my life.

I'll share a couple more steps as I get closer to taking those.  Not quite sure how this will all take shape and feeling a little overwhelmed to be doing something new for the first time in many years....and then, several things at once?  God, I keep wondering, did I really hear you right?  I'm sure on a couple.  On the other, need to do some research.  I'm very mindful of "keeping the main thing, the main thing."

So the title of this post though to come full circle....the closer I get to following God, the more radically obedient I become, the more readily the attacks come.  We know that right, as Christians?  If we're running after God, Satan's gonna run after us.  Right?  But it's hard.  And wearing.  It's made me mindful, really distinctly mindful, of how the body should always be lifting each other in prayer and encouraging each other in word.  I commit to being better in this area.  So my point, what do you do when you feel totally thrilled and totally worn out when chasing after the one who's heart you adore?  I think, we keep running.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (Heb 12:1-2)

I figure, even with my busted up hip that is quite literally keeping me from running (or really any exercise at all....boo), if I'm running with God, there ain't no way Satan's gonna catch me.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  (Jer 29:11-13)