I was devastated when I learned that we would be moving from a small, French village near Paris to Washington back in the U.S. I was happy for the opportunities we had ahead of us, but had a tough time saying goodbye to a country I had grown to love during our time there.

Since then, we've adjusted pretty well. We've started hiking as a family when the weather is nice, and we try to explore the beautiful outdoors that Washington has to offer whenever we can. We've visited the coast and climbed mountains together, and have watched our girls as they've continuously discovered the magic of being outdoors.

Our new home is close to a field that we frequently visit. This simple field has brought tremendous joy to our girls as they run around finding flowers and mushrooms while looking for fairies.

We've watched geese fly overhead and have marveled at beautiful sunsets. My husband even came home one day and hurried us out the door and down to the field so we could watch deer munching on grass. This time together is precious.