Summer Catch Up ~ Final...maybe

At the conclusion of this post, the blog will be hopefully be updated with most of our 

Summer Shenanigans for 2013.

Moving into cooler weather, colored leaves and the Holidays.

With Brynlee getting older, life is getting more and more interesting. 

She keeps us moving and helps us stay young.

Our garden has provided, we've gone on vacations, enjoyed s'mores and weenie roasts, went swimming, played at the park, sat on the red ball at Target, got sunburned, and we've all grown.

EVERY time we go to target she has to have her picture taken on the ball.
Silly girl. 

If you ever want your kids to snuggle you, go to Girls Camp for 3 days.
They both snuggled me for like 10 minutes. No complaints from me.
Brynlee got the worst sunburn she's ever had. It was worth documenting. 

The beginnings of our garden.
Peas, corn, carrots, squash, cucumbers, cilantro and garlic.
We tried cauliflower but it failed miserably.

This summer, during pea season, I had one of those moments where you connect simple truths of life to some small incident. 

I like to call them tender mercies and/or personal revelation.

I was out in our garden picking peas and I realized that a pea pod is like a family, more or less just the children. We are all given the children we are meant to in order to fulfill our purpose as parents. 

A friend of mine had had a stillborn and was trying to overcome the grief. 

Our families are all different. 

We are like the pea pod with one little pea in it.

Brynlee.

Some families have 5, 6, 12 kids or anywhere in between. 

They are blessed differently than others.

I picked pods that didn't have any peas in them and pods that had one big pea and 2 or 3 peas that hadn't formed. 

May it be miscarriage, stillborn, surrogacy, in vitro, adoption or whatever the means, we are all blessed with children in a different way. There are wonderful people who don't have the opportunity to have children in this life. It's a trial that will strengthen them and if they are faithful, I believe they will have the opportunity just like me and Ty, to raise a family in the next life. 

I believe my friend will be able to raise her baby in the next life. I am a better parent for having the experiences I have had and it will bless me in situations throughout this life and into the next. 

Ty and I need to be diligent enough to receive exaltation so we can have that family.