Hello, old friend!

So, it's been a while! I tried to post several times but the photo uploader was being a jerk so I gave up!  

I am trying again!!!

We have had a CRAZY busy year! Joe has been working hard on his MBA and will finish in December!!! Whooo-hoooo!!!! The girls are growing up much faster than I would prefer! We listed our house for sale and have had A TON of activity this past week! Joe will be eligible to apply for management jobs come spring and we need to be able to pick up and go! So, it's off to apartment living for a while! (sniff, sniff)

 But, who cares about all that anyways! Here's some updates of the girls:

Bella will be 4 next week! I cannot believe I have a 4 yr. old!!!! She is so smart and funny and a true sweetheart! She has the greatest imagination and considers everyone her friend!

Ava is....Ava! Can you believe this cray will be 2 in November?! This girl is a ball of energy that never stops...did I say NEVER?! She is such a crack up and knows it. This girl will do anything for a laugh. Watch out future teachers. She is also my cuddlebug and total momma's girl! She loves to snuggle up with a book and just hang out!

 We're excited to see what the next chapter of life will bring and where we will end up! I'm still crossing my fingers that Joe's boss will come to him and say 'Wilcox, I need you to take a job in Ireland, asap"! Wouldn't that be amazing! I guess I'll have to settle for San Antonio or Minneapolis! 

There you have it, my super quick little catch up post! I'm going to try and do a weekly post from here on out so stay tuned!

Not a Photo Challenge post but...

I know! I'm totally slacking on the photo challenge! I have the pictures, I just need to edit them. I thought I would blog this just in case I forget how blessed we are and despite the trials I face my little family is being watched over. 

 We have had a slew of bad luck recently. It seems as soon as we have extra money something happens (I guess I should be grateful we had the extra in the first place) While I have visions of strolling through paris in outfits like this:

Our money eventually ends up going to things like this:

 We haven't had heat or AC for a few months. We finally had someone come out and take a look. Turns out the whole thing is just about shot. The grand total you ask??? It'll be around $5,000 to replace! We're not quite sure what we're going to do just yet. Which is beside my point of this post! 

I was almost in tears when the repair guy left thinking of all the things we need to pay for. One of the immediate things is a booster for Bella. After shelling out big bucks to the HVAC guy today I didn't know how we were going to do it. I left for my visiting teaching appt. pretty dismal. When I got there, she asked if I happened to need a toddler booster seat! Coincidence? I think not! Not only did she give me one but she gave me two and a beautiful twin size bed for Bella! I don't know why I'm always so amazed when these things happen. I should just know that God will always take care of us. He may not have magically dropped off and installed a new energy star heat pump, but He made sure to let us know that we're being taken care of. I am learning everyday that our prayers are always answered, just not in the way we necessarily expect them to be.

Day 6: A picture from a Low Angle

I'm already laughing about today's photo challenge! I LOVE my swimsuit! This is the first time in my life that I can say that. Being someone who is ahem...more endowed than others...and no I'm not talking spiritually here, swimsuits have never been my favorite attire. Except maybe that one summer in college. Different post people. 

Anywho, this is my sad attempt at being artsy.

Notice the orange hat? I'm a little obsessed with it!

As promised day 5

Day 5: something from a high angle

Today was a super crazy day full of cleaning and organizing. If we're being honest here, I really actually made a ginormous mess in my living room in for the sake of organizing my hallway closet that hasn't been clean and organized for 2 years a really long time!

I had really big plans to find a cool shot for today's photo challenge...not so much.

Alas, my sister saved the day! She was able to get all my picture files from our old computer that died. I had completely forgot that almost all my mission pictures were on there. 

Here's one of my ABSOLUTE favorite places in all of France. Les Calanques in Marseille. I could spend forever there. It's truly breathtaking. Whenever I stood on the cliffs overlooking the mediterranean, smelling the fresh, clean air. I always felt as if everything were right in the world. I like to think of it as my outer sanctum.

 

oops! Day 4 AND later day 5

Well yesterday, started out pretty good. I put on this super cute green eyelet skirt, of course to use for the this blog...30 min. before we were supposed to leave for church I glanced int he mirror and GASP!!! That stupid skirt made look 4 months pregnant! So, after fighting back, I'm chubby tears and vowing to start running again and to stop eating eating cookies...I changed.

I also forgot about day 4!

Here you go day 4:

This little guy and I swam together for almost 30 min. (that's when I realized I was more than a mile away from the shore and a baby man-of-war- decided to wrap itself around my ankle. If someone scream 4 letter expletives underwater does it really count?)

Day 5 to come later!

Day 3: Clouds

Living in the Pacific NW you always hear how it's always so gray and cloudy...I mean entire vampire clans live here without even getting noticed. Until the day you need some of those awesome NW clouds for you 30 day photo challenge!

Bella and I set off outside to get some amazing cloud pictures and well, this is what we got:

We have some lovely cherry tree branch, which annoyingly, said cherry tree is not fruit bearing! What the???

 I'm pretty sure this is Bella being avant garde?

 And of course she did capture a national geographic moment of me being nuzzled to death attacked by a lazy ferocious cat wild beast

For the sake of clouds here's a fave from our trip to Maui:

 This was at the Grand Wailea in Wailea. We went here everyday at sunset. There was a little cliff that you could lounge on and watch the sea turtles swim and the sunset. It was amazing!

30 day photo challenge Day 1 and 2

Here it goes!

Day 1: A self-portrait

Okay so not super flattering! This is me trying to show off the super mushed tour d'eiffel from my birthday cake!

Remember the whole OCD thing???

Here's Day 2: A Picture of what you wore today

 

What!? Don't tell me I'm the only one who runs around their house in spandex pants and giant orange sun hats!