Time to get wet!

Our playgroup went swimming this morning. The kids did great alleviating any concerns I had about keeping watch on both of them by myself. They both like the water. The boy surprised me greatly. He was a bit timid with just his floaties on, but once I put him in a float he wanted nothing to do with me. He would push my hand away and kick to get away. I'm glad he's so comfortable in the water. He would even throw his face down himself. We may have a member of the swim team on our hands!








I was quite impressed with his ability to move around the pool. He would kick and turn himself in circles (can't you see the water moving?). He just had the best time!









A group picture (taken by another) before we were all there. And a family photo.








This was the girl's first time in a pool. It rained so much this summer that we just haven't had much time to get her wet. She seemed to enjoy the water and didn't even cry when I put her under. She was just laid back trying to get some rays!









She just hung out for a while, but finally gave it up and slept amidst splashing and squealing. I think we may have a little diva on our hands!

Help please!

While he managed to close the case on his shorts, he couldn't quite figure out how to get it off or why the case was following him around!

Best friends

Do you see this woman? She is my best friend, and today she moved. After 6 years in my life and never living further than about 2 miles apart, God has called her family to serve Him in AL. Through Godi Jail (one of her "names"), God has shown me what it means to be a true friend. He taught me about hospitality and showed me a true servant's heart. JAP fought for our friendship when most others would have washed their hands of me. She is beautiful inside and out, and loves fiercely. Words cannot capture what this woman means to me and how I am better Christian, wife, mother, daughter, and friend because of her influence in my life. I am honored to know her, and blessed beyond imagination to be her best friend. While the distance between us now is greater than a mile, our relationship doesn't change because Christ is the foundation of our friendship. Proverbs 3:5-6 perfectly states the life Jodi lives each day, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
Here is her whole family - Jeremy, Emma, and Abigail (arriving in Nov). These two are the first couple friends Clay and I had. It is rare to find another couple where everyone gets along. No one tolerated one spouse or whatever. We all truly enjoy being together. I figure it's simply because Jodi and Clay have the same personality while Jeremy and I are the same. That's why it all worked so well. Thanks for all the late night Outback runs, the Triangle trip, the meals, the laughter, your love and support and so much more...

Jeremy is an amazing preacher, teacher, leader, and friend. His life is a testimony (visit Jodi's blog and read about July 4th) and his passion about God oozes from every pore in his body. He has the amazing ability to make complex spiritual truths come to life in a way that anyone can understand. He challenges my thinking and pushes me to be more than I am. When I think of him, Proverbs 27:17 comes to mind, " As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."


Jodi and I had the joy of being pregnant together with our eldest children only 4 months apart. Then she picked up being pregnant about the time I quit this second time so the babies will only be 9 months apart. It's been so much fun watching them grow up together. I love hearing the boy talk about sweet Emma...he gets so excited when we're on our way to "see Emma, see Emma" (said with a long E). And to hear Emma call my name as she runs toward me melts my heart. I caught a few pictures this morning, but they were much more interested in playing than standing still. Can't you hear the squealing and giggling?

Happy Trails

We threw a Texas-sized shindig this week to say Happy Trails to some dear friends. The Powells have been an amazing part of our lives over the past 6 years. Through Jodi, God brought together a "gaggle of gals" who have grown in Christ and as friends over the past year. We thought of no better way to send them east than to remind them of all the great things about Texas. We had a wonderful meal, great play time, and a special time of sharing and praying. Happy Trails Powells...our love for you is bigger than this state!

It was a night of picture-taking...












And a night of play...










We knew an entire group picture was impossible so we settled for this instead. I'm impressed we got these!

Blue's Clues party

Saturday we stepped into the world of Blue's Clues at Chelsea's first birthday party. Her parents went all out (note Blue's house that Ryan made), and the boy was in heaven. We even came home with a shovel, pail and handy-dandy notebook! (This is a big deal for those unfamiliar with Blue.)


I found myself overwhelmed at the boy's development during the party. He often took off on his on among many strangers. He also enjoyed the bounce house - a first. He cackled heartily as another little boy bounced all around him. He has come so far!

Music

My heart swells now that the boy often asks for music before Blue's Clues or the Backyardigans. We have a worship CD and some PraiseBaby DVDs that he sings along with. I've mentioned before that there is nothing like hearing him praise God. He seems to sing all day, and the other night asked for music before bedtime.

My boys climbed on the sofa and praised God for half an hour. The boy was so intrigued watching his daddy sing, and he worked so hard on imitating him. Clay hated for the music to end. If we hadn't had somewhere to be the next morning, I think they would have sung together until they fell asleep!
The girl moved to the music in her own way. What a special memory and a reminder of our role as parents.

Falling asleep

The girl blew my socks off today in so many ways. It seems like she's turned another corner already. She's actively playing, reaching for toys and other things, smiling, laughing and "talking." She got a kick out of kicking me with her feet...she just cackled! She added the consonant "d" to her babbling so it's like she's repeatedly saying da-da. She even pushed up completely on her arms today as well as repeatedly scooting herself backwards. I figure the crawling won't be long now because she's so eager to get her hands on things.

While bathing the boy, I left her resting on her back on the boppy watching a PraiseBaby DVD. This is how I found her when I returned to the room. I guess she was tired after our full day.

An evening outdoors

We had a great time outdoors tonight blowing bubbles, swinging and singing. We are so thankful Aunt Kristi bought the boy a bubble machine for his birthday. It saves my breath and blows a TON of bubbles in a short amount of time. I was lucky enough to catch some really great shots which is why I posted them larger than I normally do. I think I will definitely print large copies of the last three!

Fun with Emma

Emma played with us several days this week while her house is getting revamped. The kids are truly enjoying playing together these days. They had a little singing/dancing party in the kitchen...can't you just hear "We've got the whole wide world in our yard to explore...the Backyardigans?"








You gotta love the Aquadoodle...coloring without a mess or fear of crayon on the walls! And sharing...something we are working on learning in our house, but he has come so far just this week. Aren't they adorable?

On the move

The gal is now semi-mobile. I walked back into the room Tuesday, and this is where I found her (obviously not where I left her!)...

She is rolling multiple times in a row making it halfway across the room and getting herself stuck in various places. This all happened overnight. While in Memphis last week she never rolled more than three times in a row, but now she is a machine! Life has definitely changed in an instant here. It's quite different after having a boy who wasn't truly mobile until after his first birthday. And now that she's experienced this freedom, she isn't interested in confinement (ie. the swing or bebe pod) for long.

Another new development: sweet potatoes. She seems to enjoy them; but just like the cereal, she prefers they are a paste instead of soupy. I can't believe her first year is almost half over!