Hi old friend!

Hey guys! 

I can't believe it has been over 5 years since my blogging days abruptly ended (whoops). 

A lot has changed and not much has changed all at the same time. 

Life is funny like that.

We have all gotten bigger. 

Especially these guys.

As much as I miss the little years and am always trying to slow down time, having big kids is awesome.

These middle years have been such a joy.

I thought I'd jump back in by sharing 10 totally random things I have been loving lately.

1. The sweet smell of honeysuckle. 

These grow like a weed around our neighborhood and the smell is thick in the air when I go for a walk around our block. It literally stops me in my tracks and I breathe in as many breathes as I can. 

2. Emergency distance learning (EDL) has been a learning curve to say the least.

Things have not been all sugar and spice. 

There have been a lot of really hard days trying to figure out this new way of learning and learning how to learn with 6 people in a shared space. 

Am I the only one whose home felt instantly smaller once quarantine kicked in?

There have also been so many sweet moments because of EDL. 

I love the slower pace of our day and the freedom (and time!) to add in so many other shared learning opportunities. 

When we heard the schools were closing I ran to the library (which thankfully was still open) and checked out a bunch of read aloud books. 

Caddie Woodlawn was the first one we started and it been the perfect book for our family in this season.

It's the story of a big family that lives in the countryside and is full of adventure and moments that will make you laugh one minute and then want to cry the next. 

We have one chapter left and I'm sad for it to end. 

Any suggestions on what we should read next?

3. I didn't grow up singing hymns and I didn't know what I was missing.

Last year I stumbled upon Happy Hymnody and it has been such a blessing!

Hymns are full of such rich and sweet theology. 

We have had so much fun learning a new hymn and the background behind it each month. 

4. This pretzel recipe.

We have baked a lot of things during quarantine and this is by far my favorite.

It's like having Wetzel's pretzel bites at home.  

Heat up some Tostitos queso to dip them in and thank me later.

My pants are happy we ran out of rapid rise yeast because we may have been making them every day.

5. I'm not a big online shopper but there is one online shop I love.

All of my favorite clothes are from Carly Jean Los Angeles.

They have cute, affordable, good quality clothes that make me look way more put together than I really am. 

They also introduced me to my favorite hat ever!

6. It's loquat season!

mmmmm

Thank you to all of our friends who have let us raid their trees.

Have you ever tried a loquat?

7. The Puritans knew how to pray.

I've got a lot to learn and they have been great teachers. 

I'm so thankful for the compilation of Puritan prayers in the "Valley of Vision" and "Piercing Heaven" that so often put eloquent words to the thoughts of my heart.

8. My baby lost his baby front teeth and looks like a big kid now.

I'm not crying, you're crying.

9. We are living in a dark time. 

I've been so encouraged by David Platt's "Pray the Word" podcast this year.

A few days ago he prayed for people who are contemplating suicide.

Maybe someone who is reading this has been there before or is there right now. 

If that's you please listen to this! 

Corrie ten Boom said, “There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still."

Friends, there is hope in Christ. 

If you need a friend to listen to or someone to pray for you please send me an email.  

Hey there strangers

Hey strangers!

How have you guys been? 

I feel like we just need to grab a cup of coffee and sit down and catch up on life. 

Here's a little recap of what the Sellars' have been up to. 

The past few weeks were spent packing.

and packing and packing and packing and...

moving!! 

Literally just a half mile away from our own house so super close but still moving.

Remind me never to move again. 

At least for a long, long time.  

Our new house has lots of great things we love. 

Like an extra bedroom and these beauties. 

I love spring but I'm counting down the days until all I have to wash are bathing suits. 

#isitsummeryet

Also I'm totally the worst end of school year mom ever right now. 

If you haven't read Jen's post about it you.have.to. 

Click the link above and die laughing.

It's just so true.  

When Daddy's gone we eat breakfast for dinner. 

Heck who am I kidding. 

Lately my kids have been eating cereal for lunch.

Most days.

Don't worry. 

Sometimes I add in a green smoothie too.  

Adventures in the big boy bed. 

or not. 

Little love birds. 

This will be in their wedding slide show one day. 

Double trouble. 

They get so excited when we let them sit in the car next to each other and then we remember why we have to split them up. 

Every time. 

twinning with Daddy 

Five year olds playing baseball is the cutest and hardest thing ever to watch. 

It is the cutest train wreck you have ever seen. 

Always wanderlusting 

\Swim season started. 

If you need me you know where to find me.
Usually chasing the non swimmer around the pool. 

I love that they've been able to have so much one on one time this year while the big kids were in school.
It's so fun to watch their relationship grow. 

And Maddie's jumper. I need it in my size. 

Beware the tickle monster. 

Doing what we have to do to survive baseball games. 

We had the best time with friends in Big Sur (more detail post soon. hopefully)

Little man tripped and fell on the tile chin first. 

4.5 hours at the ER later he had 4 stitches. 

Our new backyard was overflowing with these morning cloak caterpillars.
It's been so fun to share them with friends and watch them turn into chrysalis' and wait for them to emerge as butterflies. 

Seriously, creation is the coolest. 

Thanks God for being such an awesome Creator. 

What have you guys been up to?

Cliffs Notes version

Hey strangers!

I've been meaning to get back here for a long time.

It just seemed like so much has happened and I didn't have the energy to write a looooong boring recap post.

So I'm just going to stick with a cliffs notes version.

Here's goes...

1. Kenzie turned 7.

seriously how do I have a s.e.v.e.n. year old?!

Don't tell her I still haven't done her birthday blog post yet, ok?

2. We bought a cabin!

in Big Bear (our local mountains!).

It's so magical there (especially in the snow).

We rent it out on airbnb if you ever want to come for a stay. 

3. White Collar

Our new favorite show. If you are looking for a new series to start, it's available on Netflix.

4. I've been painting in my free time. I forgot how much I love it. 

5. I got the best Christmas present ever!

(oh I also got bangs)

 Me and my Madson bike are BFFs. 

6.  I really really want to read the Bible all the way through this year and I'm super excited about my new journaling Bible.

7. Our best friends are moving to New Zealand in just a few days. It's been so hard to try to say goodbye but we are so excited for what God has for them there.

8. This is my life. Trying to sew (or fill in the blank) while 2-3 other things at the same time. Today it was pinning and play dough tasting. Motherhood=multitasking 

9. Aaron and I got to go to Hawaii (kidless!) to celebrate our 10 year anniversary which meant sleeping in, uninteruppted conversations, enjoying water without worrying about anyone drowning and hiking without anyone complaining they were tired. But we totally missed the kids. 

10. We got a puppy!

Her name is Roxy and she's an Australian Shepherd.

I love her and I hate her at the same time.

Just kidding I love her, but puppy training is no joke people. 

10. I miss you all! And this little blog. Hopefully I'll be blogging more than once every 5 months.

See you again soon! 

I'm back! A peek at our week

Hey guys! 

I guess I needed a little blogging sabbatical because I sure took a long one.
Whoops! 

I feel like I should give you a proper recap of our summer with pictures and lots of details but I might need another sabbatical by the time I was done. 

So here's the quick recap. 

It was full of a whole lot of fun and a whole lot of crazy. 

We did swim team, park days, lots of vacations (June Lake, Sedona, The Grand Canyon, Big Sur, Yosemite) and lots of little things in between. 

In fact we almost checked off our entire summer fun list.

And now the kids are back in school! 

Which has posed a whole new kind of crazy (2 days a week I have 5 drop off/pick ups)!.

Mackenzie started first grade,

Wesley started kindergarten,

and Madelyn started preschool.

How and when did my kids get so big?! 

All the kids love their teachers and school but I think Madelyn won the prize for most excited. 

She really really wanted to go to kindergarten with Wesley but she settled for preschool and she loves it.

Is it just me or has going back to school been a big adjustment? 

My kids love school but they come home crazy. 

Like a mixture of energized but tired and not getting along. 

We have been in school for a week but it feels like it's been a month. 

I think I'm still getting used to them being back in school too. 

And making lunches. 

Uggg...making lunches! 

If you are a mom you need to read this book. 

so good! 

we took the kids to their first teppanyaki experience.

Kenzie and Wes loved it! 

And Maddie and Hudson were totally freaked out when the guy lit the food on fire.

My kids are super clumsy.

Someone is always hurt so our boo boo bags get used frequently. 

I've had it on my to do list to trash the old ones and make new ones (i reused the combination of rice and wheat berries inside).

I love checking projects off my to do list. 

A few days a week I take this bad boy (full of kids plus more kids on their bikes or scooters) to school for drop off/or pick up. 

I'm pretty sure I'm known as the crazy bike lady. 

Madelyn has a crazy love for mannequins. 

It's so funny. 

I think it may need it's own blog post. 

My cuddle bug. 

He's never far from me. 

We planted our fall garden. 

And I got to help throw a shower for this cute lady! 

I love babies!  

Growing up Aaron's dad took him out to breakfast before school on Friday mornings an this year Aaron started the tradition with our kids.

They think it's the coolest thing ever. 

I think my hair had a growth spurt.

I swear it grew a foot since I straightened it last (which may have been months ago!)

A special superhero cape for a special little boy who is now in the arms of Jesus. 

We survived the first week of school so we got pedis to celebrate. 

My church just started an 8 month theology class. 

I feel like I'm back at Biola (my college) and I'm loving it. 

Finished pic of the fall garden. 

So, how have you guys been??!