These Little Moments...

Christmas Break is officially over. The kids are back at school and I now have a moment to reflect on our time off. We once again packed as much goodness as possible into this time, and I am left satisfied and thankful for the opportunities taken to catch up with family and friends. Of course, spending lots of quality time with my own little family was one of the very best parts of it all. Movie nights and lazy mornings, Christmas programs and family gatherings, play-dates with cousins and cookie decorating with friends... Many of our days were overflowing with people to see and things to do, but there were also plenty of days where we did absolutely nothing. The balance between the busyness and laziness was key for us in creating a relaxing, joy-filled break. We continued our traditions of wearing pajamas to see the Festival of Lights, attending the Kernersville Star Lighting celebration with friends, and visiting our favorite Santa (while also raising money for a ...

Thoughts on a Good Dog. I remember that first day. The day when he became ours. I’ll never forget the pained expressions on the faces of the two college students who stood inside the doorway of a rundown pet shop and asked if we could take their puppy to be sold. Their only other option was the animal shelter. I could tell that they loved him, however short their time with him may have been. He was an 8-week-old mix, Border collie and black lab. The couple was well-prepared with shot records and explained that the puppy had already been seen by a veterinarian for his first round of shots. As I listened to their plea and took in the sight of this adorable dog, I made a decision. I knew the pet shop owner would not agree to accept a random, mixed-breed puppy, so I did. As the couple handed the puppy over to me, they hesitated. “We named him Bentley, if you want to call him that.” Bentley – I liked the sound of it. And as quickly as they came, they were gone, and I was left holdi...

Seriously, where does the time go? It seems that just yesterday Sean and I were preparing to drop Gracie off for her first day of preschool! Now, our baby boy is embarking on this same new and exciting journey. Ethan started in the 4-year-old preschool class this past Monday. This first day was considered a "short visit" and gave the kids (and parents!) a chance to ease into the preschool experience. Sean and I took Ethan from center to center and explored the classroom with him. Parents were then asked to leave while Mrs. Handy and Mrs. Matics had story time with the students. Ethan didn't want us to leave the room at first, but once we did, he was okay. I was much more nervous for how Wednesday, his first "real" day, would go. Ethan didn't seem nervous necessarily, but he did ask a few questions as we walked him inside. He asked if we were dropping him off and leaving the building... We told him that we were, but that we weren't going to be far ...

Last Wednesday, Gracie headed back to school. She is now in the 2nd grade! It is always such an exciting time. We love the back-to-school shopping, meeting new teachers, and seeing old friends we've missed over the summer months. Gracie is in a class full of kids she already knows, but there are also a few new faces, which is great! We absolutely love her teacher, Ms. Darnell. She has been teaching for 35 years and has been a teacher at Calvary Baptist Day School since 1980. I love her approach to teaching; she views her classroom as the mission field God has chosen for her. I believe this makes all the difference in each and every day and I truly believe my daughter is in great hands this year. I cannot even express how thankful I am for our school and the school family we learn, live, and love alongside. This was the day before school started. We attended the student open house, which gave the students a more relaxed, less hectic setting in which to speak with their teache...

In July, our family joined my sister's family for an Oak Island, NC beach trip. This was our first vacation together with our husbands and children, and it was fantastic! I don't think it's always easy to vacation for an entire week with another family, but with Ashley, Landon, and the kids, it was effortless and relaxing. We hope to make the Vaughan-Levan (Levan-Vaughan?) vacation a yearly thing.  I have so many "favorite" pictures from this trip. We were blessed with wonderful weather and zero shark sightings. ;) I captured this incredible moment on our very first evening. If only the picture did justice to God's beautiful creation... This was Ryleigh's first time on the beach! It was so special being able to experience this with her. Austin was very young the last time he went to the beach, so it was also like the first time for him. Once he was in the water, it was hard to get him out! We spent a l...