Soccer & Photo Shoot Fun

It was another beautiful cool morning. I took my camera outside to snap a few fun shots before we got ready for the day. This little photo shoot was totally impromptu and many times those end up being the best ones! I love when I capture moments in life that aren't planned AND when the pictures turn out to be amazing framers...

Poor little guy, this is how he was feeling all morning.

So after our little fun photo shoot, we got ready for the twins first soccer practice!!! So much fun!

{You did so good girls! I was so proud of you. You were brave & strong, just like we talked about in the car. You smiled, learned so much, and stayed hydrated. Coach Mary said you did a great job & you both got a soccer patch at the end of class.}

The day ended with a very special act of kindness that was put before us. At the post office I overheard a man telling the post office employee that he lost his wife Aug 1st, and that they had been married 60 years. He said he wasn't doing good and didn't know what to do without her. My heart broke. I stood for a moment before being led by the Spirit to ask him if he lived close. He did. I told him that my daughters and I love to bake and that we'd love to bring over some goodies for him. He graciously welcomed the idea and gave me his address.

We came home and baked a batch of pumpkin bars. The girls both colored a coloring page of a bouquet of flowers and did their copy work for the day by copying "We are praying for you." We dropped off the goodies later in the afternoon. We plan to take him more goodies in the future. We just never know who we will meet and who will cross our path.

This evening we enjoyed a nice family dinner ... lemon garlic shrimp linguini. The girls told Brian all about soccer and the dreams they had last night. The day ended with a call from my mom. My parents  last night in our Richmond home (where my sister and I grew up) will be tomorrow night. Lots of emotions going on! More on the move later, but here's a picture of my amazing mom & dad! I'm excited for their next chapter to begin. It's a bittersweet closure, but excitement and new beginnings are sure to follow. Thank you both for building such a glorious home for our family. The memories we made there will be cherished in our hearts forever. Love you both!

Raising Healthy Girls

So I have many many issues about the current society we live in. I'm not getting on any kind of a soapbox, but I will say society's moral degradation is making me heavily consider some different options for my kids when it comes to decisions about how we will be raising them. One of the biggest issues, where I feel society has gone terribly wrong and I am even at fault for getting caught up in at one point in life, is the ridiculous pressure put on body image perfection. My girls are only 3.5 and I already think about how I am going to fight a battle to raise them to have a healthy body image this day in age. Society is going to make doing that very hard, but I also know it can be done with effort, prayer, and perseverance.

I came across a blog post this morning that was so refreshing to read. I've read it over twice already in hopes of drilling it into my head. Many points she makes I already do but it was still nice to read someone put into words what I am always thinking. We already talk about being healthy instead of using terms like skinny or fat. I never talk about myself needing to lose weight (even when I am working on it). I try very hard to tell them how smart they are, sweet they are, and kind they are as opposed to constantly telling them how pretty they are (even though they are of course gorgeous in my eyes). I do tell them they are pretty because I feel that it is important in building self confidence, but I DO NOT overdo it. I don't comment on other women's bodies - at all. We do go out to exercise in some way every day, and we talk about how it is making them healthy and strong girls. I tell them often that they are strong. I think strong is a great word to use because it pertains to physical and mental attributes. And I try every single day to teach them about kindness to others, because I know love of others is what this life is all about. If they don't learn another thing except kindness and loving others, I will feel successful.

So many people put too much emphasis on looks, outward beauty, and body size. We're bombarded when it comes to commercials, marketing, reality tv, and tv in general. It's best to just avoid it. I'm all about being healthy and trying to teach that to my girls. I'm still learning it myself, but it really is in an effort to teach good habits and heathy behavior not for them to look a certain way or fit an image of societal perfection. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and I will teach them to look inward not outward.

1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

The writer of this blog post hits on some things that I haven't done and will start to incorporate one day like... "Encourage your daughter to run because it makes her feel less stressed. Encourage your daughter to climb mountains because there is nowhere better to explore your spirituality than the peak of the universe. Encourage your daughter to surf, or rock climb, or mountain bike because it scares her and that’s a good thing sometimes." I also haven't learned to cook kale yet but it is on OUR future to do list. That is something we will learn together. I think these things will come in time but it was great to see her put it into beautiful words for my future use.

I hope I will remember this post and reference it many times as life happens with these two. Cheers to raising healthy girls #healthygirls!

sisters

learning kindness