Fall Things: Friday at Fox Follow Farm

We spent a fun Friday afternoon at Fox Hollow Farm, a beautiful (albeit, kinda spooky) farm nestled into the hillside of Issaquah. It was magical: fog swirling above the treetops, reds and orange and gold leaves all around, piles of pumpkins and white-fenced arenas, wild bunnies hopping around randomly, a box of brand new kittens for your petting pleasure, a barn full of friendly horses, pony, tractor and train rides for the kiddos, parrots (!?) in the trees above out head greeting us, a beautiful river behind a charming little farmhouse, and plenty of mud puddles so that my Hunter boots could earn their keep.

It smelled like sawdust, campfire, leather, and evergreens.

It was magical.

Oh, and I'm told the "Sweet Shoppe" was selling the makings for S'Mores, so you could carry them over to the bonfire and cook your own. Somehow I didn't end up here, and I'm considering driving back up for that part alone.

Life is so much better when you spend it with great friends. This is Maggie, Katie, Jodi, and Jen... four amazing mamas that I get to be around all the time. It's so fun raising our kiddos together. Not only will Porter will have these wonderful memories growing up, but I will be able to look back on days like this and remember how amazing it is to be surrounded by genuinely good people. Especially as I'm learning and growing in my new role as a mother to a (gulp) almost one year old!

I love photography. This photo above is amazing, but if you panned back, you would see Porter perched perilously on a very questionable tree branch, with Paul's arm death-gripping his leg. Doesn't Porter look so relaxed for a child that could possibly fall into the river at any given moment? ;)

Love that Porter loves his daddy so much. It makes my heart skip (several) beats.

See. Beautiful, and only a little spooky.

100% adorable here. Not even a little spooky.

Every Day In May: Day 7

I used to be able to answer today's blog topic with a resounding and emphatic: "CHILDBIRTH."

If you're guessing today's topic to be: "what in life are you most looking forward to?" you'd be dead wrong. Nope, in fact: completely the opposite. Childbirth was my single-most greatest fear. In fact, when I found out I was pregnant last April, I cried... and it took a few days before they became tears of joy.

Ok, weeks.

But anyway, I cried because I was terribly afraid I wouldn't be able to do it. It seemed impossible.
But, it wasn't. And, ironically enough, it's now what I consider to be my greatest accomplishment.

So, today I'm supposed to talk about what I'm most afraid of.

I don't like to give my fears a face, so I'm not going to.

I will say this: I spend a lot of extra time talking to God about my health, the health of my precious son and husband, and the health of my family and friends. I spend a lot of time thanking God for complete and total wholeness in me and in all of those I love, and for the long life I've yet to experience. I thank God that my days on this earth will be long and full of blessing, and that I will grow old with my husband and children by my side. I thank Him for not giving me a spirit of fear, but of power. And of love. And of a sound mind.

I am at my very best when I believe every single promise of God, even if there are days when I struggle to do so. Some days, I Google things I shouldn't, or I worry about what I would do if _______ (fill in the blank here). I worry. I worry too much, when there's no reason to.

I am healthy. My husband is healthy. My baby boy is healthy. My parents are healthy, my friends are healthy, my family is healthy and happy. 

The funny thing about God's promises: the more you repeat them, the more you believe them. And the more you believe them, the healthier you become - spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. Which, is my greatest goal in life.