{The Guys Behind the Blog // June edition}

Time for Guys Behind the Blog! It's hard to believe we have been linking up for over a year now! It's one of my favorite posts each month! But, I have a confession - I didn't read the instructions and interviewed Nathan instead of my Dad. I was just so used to asking him all of the questions, I suppose. Ooops!

June Questions:
June is all about celebrating dads and grads. That’s how the saying goes, right? Next month we are going to shift our attention to some other guys behind our blogs — our dads! To celebrate Father’s Day we have a series of questions to interview your dad or a father figure in your life with.

1.) What did you have as a child that kids today don't have?

Nintendo, Vanilla Ice, the mom-arm seatbelt while standing in the front seat.

2.) What did you want to be as a child when you grew up?

A professional baseball player or a game warden.

3.) What three adjectives would you use to describe fatherhood?

Fast, hard and fun.

4.) How many years have you been a father and how many children do you have?

6 years and only one son.

5.) What is one piece of advice or wisdom you would like to pass on to your children?

To work hard and get an education, but mainly work hard. There are a lot of smart but lazy people out there with nothing to show for it.

For our other Guys Behind The Blog Posts:

April // May // June // July // August // September // October // November // December // January //February  // March // April // May

If you're a fan of the Guys Behind the Blog and have a kiddo come check out our Kids Behind the Blog linkup!

{Beach Packing List}

Beach 2016 by crystal-stowell-hall featuring a paris bedding

Lilliput Felix one piece swimsuit, $160 / Volcom shoes / Muuñ tote handbag / Charlotte Russe floppy hat / Ray Ban ray ban aviator / White sunglasses / Hurley mens swim trunk / Catch Surf men s fashion / Havaianas mens sandals, $27 / Sun Bum sun care, $15 / J Crew paris bedding, $54 / Sunnylife patio umbrella / Nautical beach towel, $34 / Las Bayadas stripe beach towel / Yeti Rambler Tumbler Stainless Steel, 30 oz / J.Crew Kids' Speedo® Aqua Quest snorkel set / The North Face Kids' Photobomb Hat / Summer Fun 8 Piece Children's Kid's Toy Beach/Sandbox Tool Playset,... / GoPro HERO4 Camera, $340 / Hopper 30

I am officially in vacation/beach mode and trying to think of everything we need to bring with us! I think I covered the essentials above, but if I am forgetting anything please let me know. As you can see, I didn't put a towel next to Nate's group of things. Apparently towels are overrated as far as he's concerned. ha.

I've heard that baby powder helps to get the sand off. Have any of you tried that trick? Any other tips or tricks I should know about? We will be spending a week at the beach and we are staying in Nate's parent's RV. So, I'm trying to think of ways that I keep from bringing pounds of sand back with us each time we visit the beach. I feel like that's impossible, though! Also, if you've ever been to Panama City Beach FL and know of anything we must do or restaurants we must eat at, please let me know. My sweet friend Leslie was so generous to send me an awesome list and I can't wait to try some of the places she knows and loves.

Are you going on a summer vacation? Tell me about it! I love traveling and vacationing.

{Splash-tastic // Slip and Slide fun}

I don't know why 'playing on a slip n slide' didn't make our summer bucketlist cut, but it totally should have. I've been trying to find things that Mason can do to keep cool at home during the week. One afternoon we were walking around Five Below and I found a slip and slide...perfect! I remember growing up with these things and how they provided hours of entertainment for us. I knew Mason would love it. And if he didn't, it was only $5 bucks.

We finally hooked it up this past week! Mason drove his truck around a bit while Nathan worked on the water hose. It had some kind of attachment on it and he had the toughest time getting it off.

Finally, it was ready for play. Nathan joined Mason while I took pictures. I guess I didn't realize how hard it would be to get pictures with water going in every which different direction and with moving bodies. But, I love the ones that I got. These boys have my heart and I just love them so. I love how Nathan gets right in there and plays with Mason.

        Mason loves the slip and slide. I wasn't sure exactly how it would go because he typically doesn't like water splashed in his face. But, the slip and slide didn't bother him one bit. He did have a little trouble sliding the full length of the slide though. He would back up like 20 feet and take off running to the slip and slide and then of course slow {nearly stop} when he got to the edge of it. It was so fun and funny to watch.    
       
slip and slide fun - june 2016 from Crystal Hall on Vimeo.

What are you guys doing to keep cool in the summer?

{Weekending // Art Gala, Friends from Houston, Church}

Happy Monday! Can we please just go back to the weekend? I'm not ready for another work week. This weekend was a good one and left my heart so, so full. We soaked up lots of friend and {church} family time. I am exhausted today, but it is so worth it.

Friday night we went over to our pastor's house for an art exhibit on his farm. One of our church members is a recently single mom and paints beautiful canvases. She showcased her work around the farm and gardens and had 8 paintings for sale. Each one of her paintings had spiritual meaning and name {Exodus, Genesis, Crucifixion, etc}. Our church family rallied and helped her sell all 8 paintings. They also had a wine tasting and cheeses from a local farm. The kids ran around the farm petting the animals, playing in the treehouse and on the inflatable slide. Later that evening they projected Zootopia outside and had a fire going for s'mores. It was an amazing evening and their farm is awesome!

       Saturday morning we woke up and finished cleaning the house and getting ready for friends that were coming in from Houston. It's been a whole year since we had seen them and it was a long overdue visit. However, I love that no matter how much time passes between us we always pick right back up! The Tolberts are such dear friends to us and we are so blessed to have them in our lives.

We chatted for a while and then the kids had a quick waterballoon fight...

     Then we all loaded up in the carpool van and we showed them around our town! It was neat to show them little places that are special to us. After our tour we went to eat at Nate's favorite restaurant, Ojedas {Beth, there it is again! haha}. We left there and went straight to Academy for bait and then headed out to the lake for some fishing. On the way there we saw a glorious sunset. Nothing was biting, but we had a good time.

Sunday was church and the Tolberts joined us! We were so excited to have our friends at our church. We love that place and want to share it with the world! Service was AMAZING.

This is Church.

God is faithful in the midst of suffering.

I love that whoever was working the balcony was able to capture this photo. It moves me. This is our church praying around our pastor and his wife.

After church we grabbed a couple of photos with the kiddos.

 

Then we loaded up for some little adventures. The Tolberts wanted to eat lunch somewhere that they didn't have in their hometown. Joe lived in California for a while so we settled on In and Out Burger. He hasn't had it since his California days and his family had never had it. It was really good! And I cheated on my diet. O'well. We spent the rest of the day at Cabela's. We all love that place! The kids had fun driving the boats and four wheelers and looking at the animals It was a fun time!

Then it was time to say goodbye to our friends! We started missing them the minute they pulled out of the driveway! We can't wait to go visit them in their hometown!

How was your weekend?