Andrew was out of town again for the last few days. You would think it would get easier each time, but it really doesn't. However, I am so very thankful for the position that he has, the great company he works for, and his ability to work from home when he is in town. There are definitely perks! :)

One of those perks is that he has lots of vacation time. So this week, following nearly a month of travel (for the whole family for a good portion of that time), we're having a stay-cation! We toyed with the idea of a getaway, but decided it would be good for all of us to just have a few days off. At home.

Thus far, stay-cation day one consisted of waking up to the faces of the two most handsome men I know laying next to me*, having a little quiet time and coffee, and watching Jonah savor moments on the couch with his favorite guy in the world.

{*Our boy rises way too early, so we have a routine of him climbing into bed for snuggle time with us around sunrise...he doesn't sleep with us all night. Not because we don't love to cuddle him, but because he's a tosser, kicker, turner, and wiggler, and sleeplessness and his parents don't go so well together.}

God has been so very good to me. Sometimes, it's the smallest things that remind of that. Like that little look on Andrew's face when he was watching Jonah sleep this morning, the tiny, gentle touch from my sweet boy after breakfast, or my boys "reading" together on the couch. Is it odd that those are things that bring a tear of happiness? It's just overwhelming sometimes, how much I'm blessed, and how undeserving I am. God is good.

Because I'm a delinquent blogger, I figured while I have the time tonight I would go ahead and post a new letter printable. Bananas are one of Jonah's staple foods, so fittingly, B is for Banana. B week is a fun week for us, because we do lots of fun things like blowing bubbles, making banana smoothies, and blowing up balloons...amongst other things, but those are the ones that stood out in my head. And now, thinking of B's, I'm really craving brownies. Mmm. Maybe we should have made brownies instead of banana smoothies. Ahem.



Off to enjoy a movie with my beloved. Okay that was cheesy. Enjoy the printable. Share links to how your child(ren) used it!

I've been making lesson plans for Jonah for preschool. In researching, I've had a hard time finding printables that I really like. It's really just a personal preference, there are tons of them out there, but none that were exactly what I was looking for.

Each week, we focus on a letter, color, and number. So, it was my desire to have those things (at least the letter and color) incorporated into printables for the week. I designed a few myself, with the intention of continuing to do this for each week. The color is decided based on the letter/animal I use, and then I just work my plans for the week around that.


Week 1 Printable: A is for Alligator

If you would like a copy of this, feel free to email me. You're free to use it for your personal use. I'm happy to send you the file. I'm not quite sure how to host it for you to download directly, so if anyone knows, I would be thrilled for you to share the knowledge. Otherwise, it will have to wait until I have time to have Andrew teach me :)


Enjoy!

"Trusting His heart and embracing His truth brings freedom and rest which nourishes our bodies so that we can use them to serve Him and His purposes."  (-PC3)

That's the sound of the last five months rushing past.

Ready for a flooding of updates?

We have been traveling for most of that time, with little pockets of delightful rest worked in throughout. I am so thankful that Andrew has a job that allows us to travel as a family more often than not. We have explored lots of new places, and had daring adventures. 

Okay, maybe not so daring.

As I write, I'm swinging at a park overlooking the water in Cedar Key, FL.



Andrew came here with his dad as a child, so on the way from Panama City to Tampa we decided to take a detour. It's so neat to see places that were a part of his childhood.

Tonight we will be in Tampa, and then in Sarasota. We will be heading to NC for a visit on Sunday.  I have lots of sessions booked, so Jonah and I are staying until the following weekend. Andrew will be flying out that Thursday to go to Chicago. SO. Busy.

In the last year, Andrew has traveled over 50,000 miles. Fifty THOUSAND. That's crazy to me. I never imagined we'd be a jet-set couple, or that my husband would be. But it's all a kindness of the Lord. Andrew has been able to see and do so many interesting things, and God has truly blessed his efforts at work. I admire him for all of the hard work he puts in. How he manages it all I have no idea, but he does, and he does it well and then some. I am a blessed woman. Jonah doesn't like it when his daddy leaves...and he always tries to go with him. That boy loves his daddy.


In the last few months, we've been to NC several times, taken Jonah to Disney, Tampa, celebrated our anniversary at Disney, made huge business decisions for Visive, found a church, and somehow managed to squeeze in dates nights and time to relax. Well, maybe not much of the latter, but some.



God has truly blessed us in so many ways. It's amazing to look back at our family this time last year, and see how far He has brought us. Jonah is an incredible little man....he's healthy, smart, intense, and precious. And intense, did I mention that?! He talks nonstop. I'm pretty sure he just says any and everything that pops into his head, which makes conversations with him a little hard to follow sometimes. And really funny...like belly-laughing funny. He's growing a lot, too! He's actually in the 79th percentile for height, which is a big deal for this little shrimp. He loves staying in hotels because he gets to jump on the bed. Thankfully, he's a traveling rockstar. He never complains and seems to really enjoy all the new places.




We've decided that homeschooling is the route we will take with Jonah. I went to school for elementary ed, so I'm at least mildly qualified. It's fitting that this endeavor would start now, at preschool (However, I just misspelled preschool so I'm not entirely sure what that says..thanks, spell check!). Anyway, I've started developing lesson plans, and think maybe I'll share some of the printables I'm making with you all here on my blog. Ya know, just in case anyone wants them. Homeschooling is a fun addition to our adventures, because we can't just "take off school" when we're on the road. We do lots of hands on learning, but I think this time is really prepping me for the future and needing to fit in full days of school on an ever-changing schedule (for now, we do 20-30 minutes of school time each day).

Home is Jacksonville again. We love it here, and when the opportunity arose, we couldn't not come back. We've been here since late April, and are soaking it up. My business is starting to pick back up. Moving back and forth wasn't exactly great for gaining clients in either state, but God is bigger than geography, and has shown me that. Not only that, but now I have so much fun shooting in both NC and FL. I am so very thankful...few people get to call something they are passionate about their job. I have that times two. 

Okay, we're on the road again....