first grade

the time has come for our sweet Caden to start first grade. we are so thankful that he was in a k-1 flex class last year. he is with his same teacher from last year, and the transition was so much smoother today than last time around (remember this?)... So, a few things he's pumped about this year?

• he's in the same class with so many of his favorite friends (Cole, Griffin, Brayden and Annie Thompson, to name a few)
• first graders don't take naps anymore! they get to go to PE while the kindergartners rest.
• mrs. buxton didn't have to move rooms from last year, and he knows where everything is
• Trace is in mrs. ramsey's class and is right next door!
• buying his lunch! Cole's grandmother runs the lunchroom, and Caden loves to buy!

I took a few pictures this morning and he was off without a single tear! (although he did try to talk me out of making him be a bus rider this afternoon, and also he complained about his "heart hurting" earlier, i think because he didn't want to go to school). I can't wait to talk to him this afternoon and hear exactly how his day went!

let me not fail to mention that today is also Josh's first day of school. it's his 11th year to teach at Berry Middle School and his mission field has never been greater. God has blessed that school with many Christian teachers who are able to share and lead without fear of retribution. I am so thankful for that!

beach, baby!

you can tell the busy summer we've had by my lack of blogging lately. it's been a good, long summer. We've played and partied and traveled and just tried to be intentional about spending time with each other as a family, as well as building into friendships with others.

we spent a few days at the beach before school started. it rained and was overcast for much of the week, but that just fed into our desire to be low-key. it was an absolute blast! here are two pictures we took the first afternoon we were there...

caden and laura grace are old pro's in the sand. i knew they would have a blast, but i wasn't sure about Timothy. He has been to the beach one other time (remember this:)

so this year, we are walking, running, trying to swim, and all other sorts of adventurous things. here are a few pictures from our latest trip!

and, of course, we have the obligatory family beach pictures. i'll have to say, with the help of our friends Brad and Courtney, we were able to capture a few good ones (and by a few, i mean 5 out of the 250 we took!). my favorite cousin Page did a few magic edits on them and we were in business :) you'll probably see these in the banner and design of my blog sometime... not soon. it may be three more months before i update it again!

our good friends, Brad and Courtney (Bwad and Cwortney as LaLa would say) were able to join us for a few days and i snapped a few shots of them. they are our favorite, non-blood "aunt and uncle." they don't have kids, but love ours... somethings wrong with them :)

and of course... a few bloopers, just for the ones of you who really don't know me and need confirmation that we AREN'T a perfect family.

ten years

Last week (slow in posting this), Josh and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. We were able to celebrate with a week together with no kids! Ten years... I'm not sure what I thought ten years would look like. To be honest, I was a little let down. We were somewhere in the ocean, close to the Bahamas, when I had an ugly talk with myself. So this is what ten years looks like? It looks like nine looked, like eight looked. I don't know if I was expecting fireworks (didn't get any), or if something monumental was going to happen while we were celebrating our tenth anniversary, but I was bummed. I felt like there should be something "special" that happened, and instead, I was left wondering why nothing felt different. And then, God revealed to me that I was right where he wanted me. I've been there, so nothing felt different. He still loves me, he still honors me, he still provides for me. Did I expect him to do that more? Did I expect him to stop taking care of me? No, I was focusing on the unimportant. Sizzle? Excitement? Sure. We have our exciting moments, but for the most part, we're just us. Josh and Shannon. Shannon and Josh. We love each other, and we love God. Each day, we try to love Him more, and we are thankful for every new day we get to spend together, raising our sweet babies. I pray that on the days that I feel 'blah' that I am quickly reminded that 'blah' to me is a blessing! It means that we have been given another day to live life together, to laugh together, to raise our kids together. I don't want anyone to think 'blah' is bad. To me, it means that there are not a lot of valleys right now. It means the road is even, and that we are moving in the same direction. That is something that I do not want to overlook or to give less attention to than it deserves. I am so thankful that God goes in front of us and that we are (trying) walking behind Him as He leads the way. I am content to be here. Where He's calling me to be.

During our trip, we were able to spend two days in Disney World before leaving for a cruise. We were like big kids in a candy store. We hit every ride we wanted to ride in all four parks in two days. It's amazing what you can do without toting three kids with you :) We started in Epcot and then hit the Magic Kingdom. On the second day, we went to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. I was amazed at how light the crowds were. There were several times that the walk up time would get you in faster than having a fast pass, and several rides were no line, no waiting! We were able to meet up with some dear friends Sunday night before we left, and were able to stay with some 'like family' family that live near the park. Their hospitality and generosity are SO appreciated!

Here are a few pictures from our trip... i made an extra effort to take pictures of us. I have maybe 2 pictures from our entire honeymoon because it was just us. for our 10th anniversary, i wanted proof :)

We saw it all and had a blast. At Hollywood Studios, we were picked to be part of the Behind the Scenes backlot tour. Josh and I were part of the show, and were SOAKING wet!

After our fun in Disney, we boarded a cruise ship and were UNPLUGGED for five days. it was a relaxing time of doing nothing but chilling and spending time together. i'm so thankful we had the chance to do this!

I am so thankful to God for the love and companionship I have with Josh. I am so convicted about the times I am selfish or unloving or do not respect Josh. I pray that everyday, my love increases for Christ, which will then flow into my relationship with Josh. I love him so much!