Summer gets sweeter every year with these sweet Fieleke kiddos. Our days are full of bare feet running around our backyard and little ones begging to stay up till dark to catch just a few fireflies. There is also an amazing miracle that happens every August when my kids start arguing a little more fiercely with each other to the point where I am really ready to send them back to school in a few weeks. I barely cry anymore on the first day of school because I realize its either we all go back to school or Mommy starts drinking too many margaritas to get through the bickering…I digress…

I realized today I hadn’t posted a family update in months so I wanted to quickly share a few sweet spots of our summer – one of those being these BEAUTIFUL pictures Ferris Wheel Photography took for us on a sticky summer night in July.

So here are a few of my favorite shots and a few of my favorite parts of our summer.

Ruth Mae Ru got her own big girl room this summer and is trying her hand at decorating all the things. She painted her new thrifted mirror bright blue because it seemed like the perfect color for a 9 year old. She’s excited to start 4th grade this month and she decided to trade her dance shoes in for gymnastics leotards again because tumbling is calling her name.

She is sweet as ever, always my mini-mommy, has discovered an avid love for all the podcasts, and she’s trying to master sarcasm. We adore her.

Lydia Joy

 

Nearly gone are the days of our timid Bitty. She is courageous and bold and loves to master new talents these days. She decided swimming is fun after all and turned into a fish this summer. Everyone comments on her bond with baby Abi – they are kindred for sure. Lydia paints her nails no less than 7 times a week and my house forever smells of acetone. I’ve come to believe that God smiles his biggest smile at her quick wit and her infectious joy. 

Micah Joshland 

To sum up my boy’s summer, let me tell you a quick story. He came in from the yard one day holding his fingers and complaining about the mean worm that bit him. See, he loves to dig big holes and gather creepy crawlers into a cooler, whom he calls his friends. Well apparently, this day in particular, he found a BABY SNAKE EGG, cracked it and sure enough the mean baby SNAKE bit him. Oh my gracious. Jesus take the wheel. It wasn’t poisonous – just a black snake – but good golly this boy loves his critters. Today he found a baby frog who he loved to actual death by carrying it around in his pocket.

He is sweet, and kind, and has a little spice coming up lately when told to go to bed or brush his teeth. He loves his family and loves his Jesus. At night this summer, he’s been asking a million questions about Heaven and he’s decided that it might be the best place he’s ever heard of. Last night he looked at me and said, “Have I told you lately that you are so beautiful?” I’m not kidding. He is beyond precious.

Abigail Grace

Abi wears this crown day and night. Lydia got it for her and she puts it on first thing in the morning. Its fitting because she orders us all around day and night. She is a ball of joy and her orneriness is curbed by her peaceful spirit. She loves to go on long walks with Daddy and loves to fall asleep in my arms. She shares a room with Lydia now and her favorite thing is when she and Lydia have special tea parties in their room together.

She gives the best, sloppiest kisses and talks more than just about any of the rest of us do. She loves to say, “oops, I sorry.”, “how rude!”, “awwww nuts” and just about every other phrase our kids have learned from Full House. She stepped on a hot coal from the grill in July and rocked her first major injury – she now tells everyone, “hot coal. doctor. ouch.”

Us

 

Our counselor reminded us this summer that marriage is a dance and sometimes the beat changes. Four young kids has certainly changed up the beat but (thanks to a few hard counseling sessions) we are genuinely enjoying finding our new rhythm. Some days are hard, some days are sweet, and most are in the middle somewhere where Jesus meets us in our mundane.

Our summer has looked like God providing MIRACULOUSLY for us. Just last week we had a bill that we had no way of paying, and complete strangers gave us a check towards our ministry for the amount we needed to pay. Story after story of God’s faithfulness has defined our summer and our prayer lately has just been a open handed, “find us faithful, Lord.”

Thats about it for our summer update. Thanks for stopping by and caring about us, praying for us, and laughing with us. I hope your summer was sprinkled with bare feet and fireflies too.