deep breaths

the air changes. the earth has a smell and the wind blows it through new buds on branches. hazel stares out the window and says "they're dancing, momma, the leaves are dancing in the wind" and they are dancing and we talk for a while in the sunshine about how the Spirit of God is like that wind that makes us dance.

when it's spring and you live where we do in arkansas, you just gotta get outside. we loaded kids up yesterday and headed to devils den state park. matt said it would be crowded but we practically had the place all to ourselves.

hiking may just be our family thing. Hazel and anders love it and lena...well, lena loves walking and loves being outside and loves being with her family. so it's her happy place.

so we just went. 

explored. played. ran free. jumped. laughed. chased. picked wild flowers. skipped rocks. touched moss. ate apples by the waterfall...

and all of us took a good deep breath.

being together out in the slow is just good for the soul. 

obviously matt was the photographer, but I promise he was there too.