Four Generations

 And my girls were being goofy, of course.

 Charis liked the big buttons on Grandma Lois' shawl.

Celebrating 91

 My lovely Grandma Lois turned 91 in June. And folks, she is truly one of the lovliest ladies that I know. Her zest for life and spunk, along with her gracious and joyful heart attitude in the midst of pain and suffering are the example of how I want to grow old.

Between having a baby and having a baby, we hadn't been out to Iowa to see her for a year, so it was good to get to see her again.

Our day and a half in Iowa wasn't all sunshine and roses. Charis did quite a bit of crying in the hotel and didn't settle until 2am. I am sharing this detail because it's real life; traveling with littles has its challenges. I was thankful that the older two had a slumber party with Mimi, Papa and Grandma Lois, so their sleep was unaffected. And Tabitha, the flexible girl that she is, was unaffected by her sister's crying and fell asleep in spite of the noise. The Lord, as always, provides the right amount of rest and we ended up having a lovely day to celebrate two birthdays.

As always, the pictures celebrate the best and most joyful memories. There are many.

Hannah enjoyed getting to celebrate her birthday early with her grandparents, of course!

CJ is 8 months

This sweet girl turned 8 months more than a month ago, so this catch up will be brief. This month she is sitting very well, clapping, and eating more table foods and purees. Unfortunately, she has not been sleeping well, which I'm attributing to moving teeth and developmental changes. This girl is tasting everything in her grasp, and I think her teeth will be here soon.

Getting an infant to look at the camera when there are so many tasty things to eat on the deck is definitely a challenge!

I'm enjoying this pudgy infant stage and want to remember these soft folds for a long time to come. She is a sweet girl and very amiable. We love you, Miss CJ!

a little girl's dream

This sweet girl turned 4 last month and loves all living things, excepting spiders and other bugs. Of the snake that slithered on our back porch she exclaimed, "I like him." And of the bird that I caught and released from our garage she said with a pout, "I wanted to hold him too!" She intently and patiently chases frogs and toads down by the garden, and is delighted by the butterflies and even the bees that pollinate our raspberry bushes. She is one who would chase a bird a mile from our home if we weren't watching her carefully. So you can only imagine her delight at getting to visit a horse ranch, where Abigail was participating in a friend's birthday party. She could have stood and watched the horses all day, and I was delighted that she was able to pet a friendly mare and her filly. In a couple years, child, you and Abigail will probably get to take some riding lessons. This little girl will be dreaming of that day, and I'm sure her love for animals will continue to grow.

T is 2 - Fun With Family

 Rarely are birthday celebrations a one day event in our home. Miss T got to celebrate her birthday two weekends in a row!

Grandma and Grandpa were here for a short visit the weekend before Miss T's birthday. This little girl really enjoyed opening her gifts this year.

 Love her "cheesy" smile as well as the real deal...

T is 2 - photoshoot with mama

 

a Typical Summer Evening

 swings....popsicles....family walks...gardening...playing while daddy mows all of the grass....dirty faces and hands....happy hearts....