July is Here [printable calendar]

July is here, and my crew and I made it home from our annual beach trip just in time to celebrate! It’s sweltering outside, but this month is such a sweet time to celebrate liberty and the second half of our summer vacation with new adventures. We’re intent on making the most of these last few weeks before school cranks up again. Outdoor fun, flowers in season, fresh eats, and remembering the freedoms we are so fortunate to call our own… I hope this month’s printable calendar reminds you of all those blessings.

letters to my daughter . 022916

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Some great spring-like weather this weekend made for fun times playing outside. It’s sometimes a rare occasion when I’m able to get all three of my kiddos outside at the same time, and rarer still is the moment they are all playing in the same spot with the same things! On Sunday, the rarity occurred with all three playing with bikes of some kind in the same spot on the patio. The result was a small collision with Baby Girl’s leg caught between her seat and bike wheel on the concrete, and she has the big purple bruise to show for it today!

These days, Baby Girl (all three, really) will topple over something or plow through something and hit the floor, and it doesn’t take much to help her pop back up again ready for more play. I love her “full speed ahead” mindset and her tendency to take the big leap. But, I also know that as she gets older and discovers more of life, some falls won’t be as easy to get up from. Some of the wounds from those falls will be deeper than the tears she shed over a bicycle collision. Some will shake her and bruise her in the depth of her heart. I hope she keeps on taking the leaps. In spite of the falls. I hope she is always willing to plunge in, to speed into the challenges. And, I want her to know that I KNOW… she IS brave enough. She IS strong enough. She CAN get back up. And start again.