Visit Greece

Scouting out all the local nature trails and this

Scouting out all the local nature trails and this one was a perfect find! Variety of landscapes, with fun bridges here and there, a good amount of shade, and lots of dogs to say hi to along the way! And I am also reaping the benefit of the hard work of getting them out and hiking for a full hour because they are currently both napping at the same time 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼. I am hoping to get outdoors as often as possible with these two and watch them explore in wonder. ☀️ #ouroutdoors

We pull up to a new playground and before I even s

We pull up to a new playground and before I even sit down in the shade the kid’s heads (and mine) are covered in sweat. They play for only a few minutes before they rush back to the shady seat and ask for the snacks and drinks (which I was luckily prepared for). The kids were not sharing, the slides were scathing hot, and you could call this outing an utter failure. As I tipped my head back to get the last sip of my drink, I was struck with an unexpected sight above me. The sky was a glorious blue with clouds whisping through the tree cracks. And the prettiest lilacs were blooming above me that I had not even noticed since I sat down. It stopped me for a split second; I smiled and returned back to refereeing the sharing. The kids learned to compromise and they began treating each other kindly. They zoomed on their scooters and found a bush full of berries to pick. Lesson learned: if I just tilt my head upwards once in a while, I can see things in a new perspective and find the beauty in what is usually completely missed. The mundane is a gift. ✨✨✨ The last two slides are from my favorite corner of my own little website: My 1,000 Gifts. Now I started this in 2017 and am only to #62, but it has given me a new lens to view life in, and I love documenting those God-moments where, for a split second, I am struck in the beauty of the moment I find myself in and I write it in poem form to express my gratitude. I highly recommend you give it a try! And read @annvoskamp’s beautiful book to be inspired by her words and idea. mckenziesuemakes.com/one-thousand-things/ #exhalecreativity

Last week I taught Hazel the letter O and since we

Last week I taught Hazel the letter O and since we didn’t have a chance to make orange juice then, we had to give it a go this week! And James woke up from his nap just in time to enjoy the fruits of our labor 🧡☀️🍊

If God’s love represents the tree of life (the o

If God’s love represents the tree of life (the one told in Lehi’s dream), and God’s greatest act of love is Him laying down his life for us, is not the cross itself a sort of tree of life for us? I loved this idea so much that I just had to create it visually and then I volunteered to speak in front a dozen+ teenagers (🤯). For those who watched my stories a few weeks back when I asked for your personal message from Christ, thank you for your help! We had a ton of phrase options at the youth fireside, and it seems like nobody totally hated the idea 😅. If you want to make one yourself, I put up my fireside sermon on my website and the downloads to make your own cross/tree of life. Happy Sunday ✨ mckenziesuemakes.com/individual-worth Illustration by @val.lineart and idea is inspired from @johnhiltoniii’s book!

Made bread but can’t give it to anyone unless th

Made bread but can’t give it to anyone unless they want to possibly be infected with hand, foot, mouth. 🫣 And I wouldn’t wish the virus on my worst enemy! We’re surviving and finding the tender mercies we can along the way. (The first photo is not the same batch as the other two slides. Just missing my long-haired happy boy who is currently sleeping in, the best kind of tender mercies!! ✨🙏🏼✨👏🏼)

First day of home school and part of me asks why I

First day of home school and part of me asks why I add so much to my plate but deciding last minute (literally yesterday with a friend), then executing it the next day, and getting so much joy out of prepping and watching our two girls learn makes it so worth it to squeeze into my week. Focusing on just learning one letter a week and we’ll finish just as 2023 rolls in! Today included making donuts and Cheerio bracelets for O day so it was definitely a success.
#mckenziesuehomeschools

Two babies — two completely different personalit

Two babies — two completely different personalities. 🌞✨🥰