WE'RE BACKKKKKK \\ HELLO 2020 🎉...

it’s the top of february now, and i am just now reallllllyyyy saying hello to 2020.

I feel like it snuck up on me, so quickly that I needed to take a few moments to realize she was actually here. I love it. easing into the new. the new decade. the newest chapter of our story. the new “life and times of thefallcofamily”. but, as always, I feel a tad bit scared. scared that we might leave behind the lessons that we were meant to learn above all else. scared that I will miss the mark. overlook an opportunity or not step into what was meant for this time and this time only. and, in order for me to smash those fears, I have to face them. face them with a faith that says we will walk through this year together leaving NOTHING behind. with a foundation that only grows stronger each and everyday. with a joy that is unshakable and a peace that rises above all else.

so, hello 2020… so pleased to meet you! 🎉

we released our first film of the year HELLO 2020 and it felt sooooo good.

that crazy type of good that leaves you with a sense and a knowing that you are on the right path. that is, until I realized that it “performed” HORRIBLY and was viewed the least of our videos in a very long time!! in the moment, I felt deflated. I felt as if I would never “survive” in such a space. I felt as if making our little videos and sharing them in such a space was “never gonna work for us”. the whole SELF-PITY vibe was STRONGGGG! but, then… out of my spirit rose a FIGHT! out of my heart rose, FAITH! faith that hopes above all and believes what it can’t see. a faith that isn’t lead by its feelings and moves forward knowing that SHE WINS!!!

i know that seems pretty dramatic, but I feel somewhat of a duty to share the drama of it all. to share the moments that tempt you to give up, to call it quits. the moments that make you abandon the promise before it is ever given the chance to show itself true!

we sat to record the dialogue for the film with a heart full of GRATITUDE as I listened to each take, as we laughed at each “mis-hap”. someone would pause with the cutest look for approval, while another would giggle causing a chain reaction of giggles all around, quickly turning into rolling belly laughs. i played the clips for the film while they wrote the script and recorded. there were so many memories from this journey of ours that I felt so blessed to have been a part of.

when I was finally finished the edit, I had them come and look it over. i watched each moment play back throughs their eyes. I saw the memories connect moments that turned into a full on story of love. once the film was over, cam looked at me with the most precious smile and the purest heart and said, “it was perfect!”.

i could have cried.

we’ve made our way through the “smaller” years of homeschool and now we are marching our way into #thebigkidyears!!! i think I love it! the “return” is different. the fruit of your time invested shows it self a bit more than the toddler and little kid years. the experience is rich and i’m here for it all!

i shared about this angel on our instagram. and I want to make sure to record my thoughts here as well.

“if you don’t already know, this year i am “studying” to be a “true” film-maker. self-taught but GOD-graced, it will be my very first film and nothing less than a family affair. i just want to say a little bit about this girl 👧🏽 ... she watches me edit 🎞 until she falls asleep. she grabs her journal or her writing paper and edits her stories right beside me. we listen to movie scores 🎥 🎶 to help me through longer edits and she rest her tiny hands on my shoulders as she massages them and whispers in my ear to keep going! when we make it to the premiere of our very first feature film, it will ABSOLUTELY be because she helped me every bit of the way.”

i also shared a bit of what we’ve been studying lately, from history studies to science units, ways we make our days a bit more fun, and even the moments that leave me in awe of this homeschool way of life …

our first goal of the year is to CONNECT MORE with all of you who are doing this life of faith and love right alongside us. the goal is to SHOW UP DAILY on our fallcofamily instagram. as a result of our efforts to engage we are believing to reach 10,000 “followers” by the end of JUNE! let me first say that “followers” do not matter to me AT ALL! butttttt, the swipe up feature on instagram DOES! the “SWIPE UP” feature that is given only to accounts with 10,000+ followers, is the most efficient way to share information with all of you that goes beyond the image and caption that we would share. it will make it easier to share links to videos, Pinterest boards, articles, printables etc. so, that is our very first goal of the year in case you were interested in knowing a little bit of “the plan”, lol! its kind of a BIG goal, in that growing organically on instagram has become an extremely difficult task if your heart and soul isn’t “glued to the platform” of which ours is not. i’ve set boundaries, allotted times to post, engage and remove myself in order to make room for what matters the most in our days. i’ve specified our goal to make it plain. i’ve answered the questions “how much?”, “by when?” , given myself actionable steps to work the goal (SHOW UP DAILY & ENGAGE AUTHENTICALLY) and will choose daily to guard my heart from comparison as our journey is our own. that’s the goal and the plan.

i’d love it if you would set a goal with us!

make sure you are following along on our fallcofamily instagram. start by chiming in on one of our latest efforts to CONNECT MORE and TELL US WHERE YOU ARE FROM 🗺 !!!!!

if you are here, following along, I want to say thank you. thank you for sticking with us through the years. for riding the waves of change and watching us grow in grace and love. we are so excited for what God has prepared for us and for all that HE is doing in your hearts and homes along the way. to know that we can be so very far away and yet still close in heart MELTS me and fills my heart with a JOY and PEACE that extends beyond my understanding!

excited to “be backkkk”

with all the love,

syreena