We spent Friday night with Matt & Johna – getting ready for the boat regatta (that rhymes!) and then we spent Saturday racing and hanging out in the rain rain rain!

On Sunday we went to REPTILAND for their DINOSAUR DAYS!

SPITTING DINOSAURS!!

Enoch KNOWS that there’s a person in there but it’s still a little creepy!

A GIANT SNAPPING TURTLE!!

Those birds – getting them to sit on a stick was QUITE THE ORDEAL!

Macy got TWO on her stick!

I love his I’M SO EXCITED BUT I CAN’T REALLY SMILE face!

THE HAPPIEST BOY!!

We had a FUN-FILLED weekend with our dear friends! We can’t WAIT to go back to the campground this fall!!

We painted the boat. We went to the movies. We went back to camp to get READY FOR THE RACES!!

Enoch and his little friend raced together in their blue race-car!

THE MACY FITZGERALD!!

Macy & Fitzy were the ONLY kiddos in their age group to have TWO in the boat!

Those kiddos – they paddled their hearts out. They knew they wouldn’t be first – but they didn’t cheat the course. They did it exactly how they should have.

THEY FINISHED! TOGETHER! With burning thighs and smiles and laughs – they FINISHED! AND – NO WATER IN THE MACY FITZGERALD!

I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE PROUD!!

IT RAINED. It rained all morning and cleared up JUST IN TIME to race – and then the rain rain rain came down down down!

Kids with shoes on the wrong feet – I LOVE IT!

LOOK AT THE DRIPPY JUICE! WATERMELON MIGHT BE THE BEST THING ABOUT SUMMER!

This girl – she’s a DEAR ONE!!

THANK YOU Matt & Johna for a FANTASTIC WEEKEND! We can’t WAIT to spend some time at the camp ground this fall!!

We visit my parents quite often and I rarely take pictures with my REAL camera!

BUT – I decided to take an INSTAGRAM BREAK for the month of July and it’s forced me to actually take REAL pictures of our lives!

I am an artist with a camera in my hands. THAT IS IT!

BUT – Enoch thought my chick was pretty good – mine is on the left! His is on the right – with a little help from me!

And some fruit – again – NOT AN ARTIST WITHOUT A CAMERA!!

This view looks toward the East – sometimes the sunset reflections are just as pretty as the sunset itself!

We had a small fire – we used to have BIG fires – with a few friends!

My parents live in the house that my dad grew up in – we moved here when I was nine.

This picture window holds SO MANY memories!

LOOKING IN & LOOKING OUT!

They want to start a restaurant when they are older – called BARDEN BROTHERS!!

SEVEN! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!

Have I mentioned I love these CRAZY BOYS!

Also – I LOVE my new lens!

Five years ago today the world fell out beneath my feet. Beneath OUR feet.

My husband was not himself. He was cocky. Arrogant. Spontaneous. Those are just some of the nicer words I can use to describe what was happening.

Turns out – he was going through a manic breakdown. Through that breakdown – as most of you know – some secrets came to light. Issues in his life and our life together – came to a head.

I was pregnant with Enoch and God had told us that AMAZING things would happen during this pregnancy.

This was NOT amazing – but does amazing mean good and warm and fuzzy or can it also mean terrible BUT great. Things can be terrible & great. Amazing & terrifying.

And I was “alone” with a two-year old boy that missed his daddy and a baby kicking inside my womb.

I say “alone” because our family was beautiful and supportive and our friends were beautiful and supportive. But I was alone in this marriage.

I was crying. Wondering. Praying. Trusting God. Some more crying. Not really hoping – trusting.

AND HERE WE ARE – FIVE YEARS LATER!

TOGETHER. Because we were all together on that fateful day.

We usually celebrate in style. But my FIL is still on the mend from his stem-cell transplant AND yesterday the rain rain rain came down down down. We found some sunshine in the afternoon and took a chilly dip in our favorite pool. The rest of the day was spent playing games – watching cheesy Christmas Hallmark movies & a little bit of Planet Earth II – spending a much better day together than this day five years ago!

Jared – I love you. I love what our marriage has become and look forward to it getting even better as the years continue. I love that you are so transparent with what happened to you and our lives. I love that you love Jesus and your parents and my parents and our families and our friends. I love how you love our boys and I love how you love me. You love me so well.

I’m sure you’ve read about my friend Trudy. We met when I went to college in Philadelphia. She was my RA and took me under her wing. I was so very homesick and she was so very supportive.

I transferred after one semester but we stayed close – thank GOODNESS for email and IM – in those days!

Trudy lives in Virginia about 7 hours away. When I got married – she was there. When she got married – I was there. But that time – I was IN the wedding AND photographing it. So – my friend and fellow photog Megan Hampton came along with me. Fitzy was 6 months old and Megan was pregnant with her first!

Jared and I met Trudy and her husband in Lancaster three years ago – but – she has TWO sweet boys now and I haven’t met them.

Megan and Trudy have stayed in touch over FACEBOOK and we messaged one day that we should meet halfway – in Gettysburg – at a place called Land of Little Horses!

Monday morning we piled our 5 kiddos in Megan’s van and started our 3 hour tour!

This guy – he has always reminded me of Fitzy – and seeing him in person – made it all the more true!

He is such a sweet pumpkin!

I mean – LOOK AT HIM!!

And this little pumpkin – she is SUCH A DOLL!

It was an UNBELIEVABLY hot and humid day. But when you make plans in advance THREE HOURS AWAY – you keep them!

THOSE BOYS TOGETHER!! OH MY HEART!!

That guy lounging on the bleachers – he is cut from the same cloth as my Enoch guy.

It’s absolutely wonderful having a friend like Megan who I love and respect who happens to have a son just like mine.

I can text her – tell her my frustrations about the stubbornness and the dedication of that sweet boy and she very much understands.

BROTHERS!! 13 months apart!

Typically the horse rides are outside – but thankfully they decided to hold them IN the arena!

We saw a horse that could ADD and stomp out the answer with his hoof!

This guy – he wanted to take this little horse home in our car! ALL THE LITTLE HORSES actually!

THOSE CHEEKS!!

Trudy and her boys left mid-afternoon – because as you mommas know – wrangling a one-year old and a two-year old in nearly 100 degree weather is EXHAUSTING and the kiddos get EXHAUSTED.

We hung out for a little bit to pet some horses!

He is very seriously trying to figure out how to smuggle those 2 horses home.

This guy loves his animals too!

This guy does NOT do well in the heat – but we made sure to stay hydrated and take lots of shade breaks!

ONE LAST PICTURE before we make the drive home!

And one stop at RED ROBIN to fill our bellies! YUM!

Megan – thank you for being adventurous and awesome! I LOVE YOU!

Trudy – thank YOU for making that trip with two kiddos – LITTLE KIDDOS! YOU ARE AWESOME!! I LOVE YOU!

WHAT DOES YOUR FRIENDSHIP LOOK LIKE!?

Jared’s aunt and uncle were up for the 4th of July – so we got some quick family photos!

That’s my HANDSOME hubs!

Those CRAZY boys!

I hope you spent America’s birthday with the ones you LOVE!

I got a new lens! I didn’t have any sessions immediately after I got it – SO – I took a few of my Enoch guy!

He’s such a sweet and spirited boy. Right now – his new favorite thing to say to me is – can I help you my queen? Can I help you my beauty?

But he also loves to say – don’t even talk to me right now mom – you are being naughty. So – it evens out!

Since I started a job in March – I needed somewhere for Enoch to go while I worked – and NCA is SUPER AMAZING for so many reasons!

They were totally on board with Enoch coming only one day a week until the end of the school year!

While Enoch wasn’t graduating preschool this year – they still wanted him to be part of the program!

Fitzy was able to come down with his class to watch his brother in his special program!

He was SO VERY PROUD of himself!

LOOK AT THAT SMILE!!

Those brothers – they sure do love each other!

Thank you Mrs. Wilson and Brenda for POURING your love and energy into these kiddos! THEY LOVE YOU!!!

As you may or may not know – I took a very part-time job in March!

I LOVE being a secretary and I LOVE being a photographer and I LOVE being able to stay home with my boys while they grow up!

Matt Neal is our contractor and the husband of one of my best friends – and he needed a secretary for his contracting business!

They are building a house right up the road from us and I’ve been taking weekly progress pictures (added bonus to my new job) and the boys LOVE coming with me!

BECAUSE OF THE DIRT!! SO MUCH DIRT!!

AND THAT VIEW! SUCH A GORGEOUS VIEW!!