Louisiana Trip May 2019 {Part 1}

When we left homeschool PE on that Friday, we headed toward Birmingham. The traffic was horrible but we were happy to see the Coca Cola sign!

We got to Birmingham in time to have dinner with our friends to celebrate their little girl's birthday. Maddox was dealing with allergies so he was coughing a lot and that made it a little stressful for me but we had a good time! And those cupcakes were yummy. 

That night, I had a great visit with friends before heading to bed. We were so grateful that The Dykes let us stay the night! 

I slept with Mason that night. I was a little nervous but he really did well. 

That next morning they were up EARLY! I hadn't decided if I would leave early but they were up and making noise so we loaded up and headed out. They were wound up and ready. I was not. 😂

We had a smooth trip and the boys did well. We got to PawPaw's that afternoon. 

My sister showed me this picture from many years ago! 

Do we favor? 

Meanwhile back in Spartanburg, Matt was smoking ribs. He was PUMPED up! 

LOOK AT THAT!!! ❤️

  

Meanwhile, I took a nap (note the hair) and ate a gold brick egg. 

He fought it. Then he finally gave in! 

Sleepy guys. PawPaw loves those Morgan boys. 

Still sleepy? I feel ya bro. 

After nap, we were ready to swim! PawPaw's friend, Eva, has a pool and she welcomed us nearly every day and we enjoyed it! 

  

PawPaw got attacked! 

All worn out from a full day of travel and swimming and getting ready for bed. 

The Morgan's Movements 2019 {Week 21}

Well, the last time I blogged with the exception of book reviews was nearly 3 months ago. This summer was fairly fast paced with much going on and the task of catching up on blogging has seemed daunting! But here I am giving it a go! 

These pictures are from late May so we will call it a throwback. 😂

A morning spent at the children's museum is always a good idea. Our membership expired in July and we weren't sure when we would get to renew so we made every effort to get there! 

Working on the marble run...

  

  

 

We got these plus plus block dupes at Target for Christmas and pulled them out one afternoon to play. Mason and I had a fun time together! 

  

Someone was sleepy...

We went with friends to Costco to order a cake for Maddox's birthday. These two are so cute! 

Waiting for some pizza. 

This kid...he suctioned the rubber duck to his ear. 

  

Snuggles. 

We got to spend some time with Anna and we went to Hatcher Garden. There was so much good stuff to be seen and we had the best time exploring. 

  

  

  

Target is everyone's happy place. 

Please note: Matt was in desperate need of a haircut! But the snuggles were GOOD! 

The library said we had some overdue books and I told them we didn't. Then I found them. 😑

The last session of homeschool PE was a family event and while I had planned to participate, Maddox was glued to my hip so I hung with him while Matt participated with Mason. 

  

Maddox eventually loosened up and played some as well. 

  

Right after this, the boys and I loaded up to head toward Louisiana by way of Birmingham. 

Light from Distant Stars by Shawn Smucker {A Book Review}

Last year I read another book by Shawn Smucker, a memoir,  called Once We Were Strangers. I was drawn to the book initially because Shawn Smucker lives in Lancaster, PA which is where some of my husband's extended family lives (well, close to there.) Anyway, I enjoyed that one so much that when this one came out, I couldn't wait to read it. Light from Distant Stars did not disappoint! 

Smucker's writing style is enjoyable and easy to read. I flew through this book and honestly, couldn't wait to find out what happened next. 

There are a couple of story lines for this book. The first is Cohen's father being found nearly dead and goes forward as we discover what happened, what contributed to that initial scene. There are some unexpected twists and turns that I really enjoyed. Nothing too crazy but enough to make you pause in a bit of shock. 

The storyline that the book went back and forth with was a storyline from when Cohen was younger and encountered "The Beast." I must say, I like the current day storyline better than I did this storyline but it wasn't bad at all. Just different. 

It was cool to see young Cohen as well as grown-up Cohen and how his younger years affected his later years. I loved the characters in the story including Cohen, his sister, his mother, his father, a young boy named Thatcher and more. There wasn't one that I didn't like except "the beast."

I definitely recommend this if you are looking for a quick and enjoyable fiction read. 

When You Need To Move a Mountain by Linda Evans Shepherd {A Book Review}

When You Need to Move a Mountain: Keys to Praying with Power by Linda Evans Shepherd is my latest read. In recent months, I've been highly interested in growing in my prayer life. I have spent almost a year spending time in the Word each day but my time in prayer could use some help! 

When You Need to Move a Mountain seemed appropriate as there are some mountains in our lives we would really like to MOVE! This book was very empowering. Shepherd provided some practical ways to pray powerfully. The personal stories included in the pages were encouraging to me as well. 

This book has really pushed me to read more of God's promises in Scripture and to claim those promises, pray those promises and truly believe that God can and WILL do what he says he will do. 

I feel like this book is a great guide for increasing your prayer life. It is easy to understand and to digest and I truly think anyone could benefit from it. Thank you for writing it, Linda Evans Shepherd

**I received this from Revell.**

 

Recent Reads {June/July 2019}

Here are a few of my recent reviews reads from this summer. With all of our traveling, I haven't read much so I'm hoping to jump back in with more reading ASAP!

The Women Who Met Jesus by Dorothy Valcarcel is incredible! Each chapter introduces a woman that Jesus encountered. The Scripture is shared that introduces us to the woman and then the author dives deeper. A personal story typically accompanies each topic as well. There is a time for reflection where the name of each woman is shared again as well as the scripture reference. Questions and an inspirational passage are included, too. I found this book relatable and interesting and I will hope to utilize this as a reference for encouragement as I go through different situations in life. 

The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman is the next book. The tagline for the book is "A simple, soulful practice for making life decisions." I truly feel like this book embodies that. The chapters are straightforward and insightful and made me think through some of the thoughts she presented. I think this book would be great for someone who is in a season of having to make a big life decision. This gives practical steps and helps guide the decision making. That's not to say it can't be beneficial for the day-to-day decisions of life though. Freeman's writing is very calm and I enjoyed that. 

The Very Best, Hands-On, Kinda Dangerous Family Devotions by Tim Shoemaker is the last read for this post. I had super high hopes for this book and I must say I'm a bit "meh" about it now. While I LOVE the lessons that the activities are supposed to teach, I felt like most of the activities were a bit time consuming and more involved than I or my husband would truly enjoy. That being said, the author does encourage the reader to complete one a week or so. While they are time-consuming, it isn't like you are doing something huge everyday. So, I think the idea is great but for a family on a budget, I don't know that this is the best choice. We will pick and choose the ones we will do from this book. I think this would be great for a youth leader or a co-op teacher etc. 

Thank you, Revell Books,  for all of these reads!