Hiking

I took this for the shadow. *** Off to tackle another week! ::whistles Andy Griffith theme song with optimistic effort:: #am_100daysofsummer

Mountain Beauty

I thought all the wildflowers would die/struggle this year with our horrible drought, but they showed up brilliantly and I am so happy about it. 💛 Hugs to anyone struggling in this terrible smokey air & heat. It’s a rather miserable summer in the valleys—hoping it passes quickly and praying for rain. Also planning my next relief trip to the mountains. #am_100daysofsummer

Happy Heart Warrior Hiker!

This one was in my stories but I’ll put it here, too, because I like this girl ☺️ We are a family that loves the outdoors, and we live near/in the mountains. High elevations can be stressful on people with heart conditions. Thankfully, Lydia has adapted well and continues to improve. I always monitor her oxygen levels carefully after we travel to really high elevations, and we haven’t yet kept her overnight camping (O2 is lowest when she sleeps). Last time we did this particular hike, she set off her alarms several times that night and it scared me (incidentally that was my first introduction to how high elevations affect her 😬). Her heart has since gotten strong enough, however (we know from short day trips to slightly lower places), and this last trip went off largely without incident 🙏🏻🙌🏻 I got a little nervous when she fell asleep during the last 10 min of the hike, but she was just fine. Grateful for this girl and her continued improvement. Grateful that we can continue to live in & enjoy this place that we love—especially since hiking is one of Lydie’s very favorite activities! 💛 #lydiesheart

Patriotic Bubbles

Did you say… “bubbles?” *** We broke out all the toys while waiting for the fireworks the other night. 3.5 hrs is a long time to keep kids entertained!! But honestly, that annual wait on the fields is where some of my favorite memories happen. A small family next to ours joined in the bubble chase and I love this image because you can see the dad & baby brother watching for them on the far left. Bubbles catch everyone’s attention 😄 #am_100daysofsummer

Been awhile since we had a crib shot. 😘 *** I’m in such a stage of self-rediscovery right now. It’s painful and hopeful and full of questions and highs and lows. I’m overwhelmed by it all and feel like I’m spinning in circles trying to find a direction. Trying to dig in with faith but also expand to meet the unconsidered possibilities & paths my dang life always seems destined to travel. I just want a cup of “Here’s your validation & it’s all going to work out just fine.” Anyone know where I can find one of those? I looked at Target but they’re out. 🧐

Reservoir Splashing

Whatever new thing we are doing she is in 100%. In this case, she was set on walking into that mountain snow runoff right over her head, hah! 🐟 She did face-plant at one point, and although the cold water took her by surprise, it didn’t dampen her curiosity one bit, and she was right back at it 💪🏻🥶😅 #misslydiefaith

Happy Father's Day!

To the captain of all our adventures, Happy Father’s Day. 💛

Remembering Indy

Last Sunday was the celebration of life for Miss Indy Llew, a five year old girl with Down syndrome and cancer who changed the world. Her celebration was beautiful beyond words. Every detail was perfect & poignant. My favorite element was the wishing tree. Attendees had the opportunity to write hopeful messages of gratitude and sympathy to the Jones family. The giant tree filled with colorful streamers and messages was lit up with light all night long, first backlit by a sparkling golden hour sun, and later glowing from the inside out with hundreds of fairy lights. It was a sparkling symbol of hope and the light one person can create in the world—a perfect emblem of Indy Llew. 💛 (Full images in stories.)

She Walks!!!

She walks!!! 🎉💗She’s worked so hard for so long to get here! This last week especially has been amazing—all of a sudden walking has become her main means of getting around. She gets better and stronger every day and is just obsessed with and so proud of her new skill. I can’t quite get over turning around to find her toddling behind me without any support!! She falls down and gets back up and claps and giggles. So SO proud of this girl. She’s going to be running around in no time 😳🤣 Lydie Bug, you are amazing. You go see that big world. 💗😭💗 #misslydiefaith #am_100daysofsummer

Friends

Oh hey, it’s just Lydia & her beau, Cooper!! 💛💛💛 I have waited SO long for the day when these two could finally meet in person! I wish the occasion had been different, but what a joy to be able to finally hug my friend Kim in real life! Lydia & Cooper are the same age and went through open heart surgeries six months apart. Kim and I have just been casually following/messaging each other for three years sharing all the things—things that only a select group of people understand. Living in endless quarantine, therapy, the gifts of T21, some tears, plenty of planning how these two redheaded toddlers are going to grow up & marry each other, and lots of sarcastic one-liners. She’s the kind of friend that when you’re surrounded by hundreds of strangers you’ve never met and a car drives by and someone in it yells your name, you know exactly who it is 😂💗 Can’t wait to finally escape our houses & get these two together over and over again. We love you guys. 💗 (PS Kim don’t hate me for posting a picture from the sweatiest night of our lives, k?) @runninglatewiththebates

Mountain River Relaxing

In college, one of my friends was sliding down a handrail and somehow ended up upside down & hanging on with his knees. That was the image I had in the back of my mind while taking this picture 👉🏻😬😂
My stories have been pretty heavy lately and full of important things which I will eventually write about but haven’t found the emotional space, yet. We went up the canyon last night to take a break & turns out that putting my feet in a 50 degree mountain river & doing photographer gymnastics on a log was just what I needed. 🧘🏼‍♀️

Feeding Journey

Real life 📷 Sometimes I take pictures of it just so someday I can look back and say, “We made it through!!” 😂 Last week we had *quite* the episode in our feeding journey. She just stopped swallowing for like 3-4 days 🤷🏼‍♀️ No other symptoms—would just hold the food in her mouth forever and refuse to eat. I had no idea what was happening and all my go-to persuasions weren’t working. Her eyes would well up with tears when I tried to help her as if to say, “Mom I don’t know! I’m trying to do what you want and can’t!” Stress is keeping kids alive 😳😅 I’m laughing now but it was deep anxiety for awhile. Still have no idea what the episode was (don’t Google ‘kid won’t swallow’ unless you want to be scared out of your mind... seizures, something caught in throat, etc.) But she came through it 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 Her therapist was baffled, I am baffled, but the boys have since come down with colds so maybe it was a sore throat (no other symptoms)?? We might never know. I am just glad she’s eating again. Like, SO glad. 🙏🏻💛