When I moved away from home, I was no longer physically close to my parents. I had much more freedom of choice. I was no longer as reliant on them or had as much contact.My choices and experiences where my own.

My parents were always there when I needed them, even if I no longer physically lived with them. I knew they cared about me and watched over me. I would still call and talk to them and get advice from them.

Life wasn’t as easy. I had to figure out how to do all my own chores, get along and live with people who weren’t my family, shop for myself, and take care of my finances. I wasn’t at all perfect: I made plenty of mistakes. But by being by myself, I was able to learn a bunch and grow more than if I would have remained at my parents’ house.

Maybe it is the same with God. So when I struggle and wonder where God is, I can know that maybe He isn’t right beside me but He does watch over me.

This was Curtis’s first time experiencing organized sports. He was so happy the entire time, running after balls. He would even run after the ball while he was supposed to be running bases. It was so fun to watch him shine and not be in the shadow of his older brother.

This is my first year of summer break as a Mom. As in, it is the first time I had a kid in school and then got him back for the summer. It is awesome to have Peter home all day. He’s more interested in doing activities with me and I can teach him again. He got out an old workbook and did page after page with just a bit of help from me. I love teaching my children and seeing what they learn.

We’ve been staying busy with trips to parks, swimming, and the library. Peter and I both discovered that we really like geocaching and we’ve gone almost daily since school got out.

I showed Henry Cookie Monster in a book and he would pretend to eat the cookie like Cookie Monster. It was adorable.

I was having a no good very bad day. Henry would not listen to me and insisted on carting an ice cream cone around the house. I was worn out and didn’t stop him, and when confronted with the inevitable mess I decided I no longer wanted to be a mom.

Luckily, Joe came home soon after so I could get a break. I decided to go backpacking by myself. I got out our map, found a random trail head and headed out after dinner.

The trail was not maintained. I didn’t hike that much at all, but found a beautiful place to camp. I was completely by myself. It was a wonderful and spiritual time. Just what I needed before heading back to my home and being a mom again, this time a bit more patient and loving than before.

They were all soaked by the end.

Peter has done great in kindergarten. He’s brought home some of his old work from the beginning of the year, and I’m impressed by the improvement he’s made in writing skills the most. It was a bit of adjustment at the beginning. He doesn’t love school, but likes it just fine.

We didn’t have a lot of time, and then our hiking was rudely interrupted by some punks shooting on the trail. It was still fun. It was the first hike we’ve been on that Henry was actually able to hike, and he loved it! He walked farther than I thought he would.

This made my day today: