Growing Up

Hannah is growing up. I know that sounds like such an obvious statement. All kids grow up. But I'm so aware of it right now as I watch her. I can actually carry on a decent conversation with her. She has her own opinion about things, and she's not shy about expressing it! She asks me questions like, "How was your day?" and tells me, "Let me know if you need me" as she goes to another room to play.

Just today our friend Naomi came home with us from preschool and the two of them were carrying on the most adult-like conversation. It began something like this:

N: Hannah, do you remember we saw the fireworks? (I'm assuming she was referring to July 4th)
H: Wow! The fireworks! Yes, we did!....

She began going to preschool choir at church last night and had so much fun. She had about 10 minutes to eat her dinner at church before going off to Cubbies, the preschool version of Awana. (I will eventually remember to take my camera and actually take a picture of her. She looks so cute in her vest!) She took it all in stride.

Now if we can just get the potty training down, all will seem well in our world.

Firsts

Last night we finally started Kaitlyn on cereal. She really could have started a month ago and I think she's been ready, but with all our travels and craziness here we waited. So, here she is. It didn't take her long to figure out what to do and she ate the entire bowl!














Today Hannah began attending her new preschool at Parkway Baptist. Here she is just before going in. She had a great day! We are all excited about this new year in preschool.














This doesn't really go with the theme of "Firsts", but it's a cute picture I recently took so I thought I'd include it. Hannah and Kaitlyn are really having fun together now since Kaitlyn can respond to Hannah. Hannah loves making her little sister laugh!

Scootin' Around

I may soon have a crawler in my house!! Yikes! Kaitlyn has gotten quite fond of rolling over and can scoot on her backside quite well. Well, today she scooted at least a foot on her belly. She can't wait to be all over the place like big sis!

And just look at that pretty girl holding herself up!















P.S. Okay, I have to admit that after reading what I just wrote I had to go back and change Kaitlyn's name to Kaitlyn b/c I wrote Hannah. Is anyone with me on the second child potentially having an identity crisis b/c you tend to refer to them using the first child's name or am I the only dysfunctional mother doing that?! A friend informed me last week that I actually signed Kaitlyn in at the nursery as Hannah. The sad thing is I didn't ever catch it and couldn't remember doing it. Could I just blame it on sleep deprivation?

Random Happenings

Here are some random pictures from the last few weeks....

Hannah posing amongst the bamboo at the zoo














Kaitlyn's famous "deer-in-the-headlights" look, as our friend Amy adequately described it.














(Okay Beth, here is a swimming picture! :)) I would have preferred to post one of just the girls, but we don't have one. :( This is momentous though as this is Kaitlyn's first time in a pool. We were at the Waller's, good friends of ours who bless us often by providing free child care!



















It's a bit dark, but unfortunately this is the best one I have from our awesome day at Fundom Kids last week. Most of them are blurry due to the fact that I was either holding Kaitlyn or the kids were in constant motion! Hannah and Naomi are dressed up as princesses posing in front of a 2-story castle equipped with child-sized furniture and a slide. And yes, the dress-up clothes are provided. This place is awesome! It is in an old skating rink....They have a tricycle track, a pedal-car track, a couple of inflatables, and all kinds of other hands-on activities to keep the kids busy and having fun. At one point they even gathered everyone under the disco ball as they turned out the main lights and got some strobe lights and dance music going. The kids were so fun to watch!














A sweet sister moment. Hannah is enjoying her big-sister role more and more and I can already tell Kaitlyn loves her so much!














Kaitlyn trying out the jumpster a friend loaned us for the first time today. She really liked it. Now she can get a good leg workout!




























And a-one, and a-two.......














What a joy it is to have Kaitlyn in our lives! She is 5 months old today. She has definitely discovered her voice and is beginning to find her feet now too. I am eager to know the ways her personality will resemble Hannah's and the ways it will be unique, but I'm not eager to pass through this sweet phase we're in......

I'm Back

I've been out of pocket for awhile, but I am back now. It's a little overwhelming to look back and see how incredibly busy our summer has been. They're always busy, but this one tops the rest I think! There's no way to quickly recap the last couple of weeks, so maybe I'll tell stories here and there later.

So far this week we've tried to relax and hang out at the house. We're not going out much with 100 degree heat all week! Tomorrow we've got a play date planned with friends at Fundom Kids, a 16,000 ft indoor play "kingdom". This will be our first time there and we're looking forward to it!

Some highlights of Hannah's day were: 1) seeing "the dudes" - what Hannah calls Dale's interns, Caleb, Patrick & Stephen. It also may refer to any other guy who may happen to be hanging out with "the dudes". 2) helping Mommy build a castle/space ship with her Mega Fort pieces she got for her b-day and visiting Saturn. All she had to sustain her on her long journey were Goldfish, almonds & apple juice. 3) seeing 2 bunny rabbits in our backyard this evening 4) watching a Transformers cartoon episode with Daddy. Yes, he's created a monster. She knows the names of many of the characters. He loves it.

Some highlights of Kaitlyn's day were: 1) getting to ride in Hannah's space ship 2) trying to sit up to see her kicking toy 3) taking a bath - she LOVES bath time!

A date with Hannah

Well we are at least winding down with the summer craziness, although we're not quite done yet. Dale returned from his 3rd week away on Friday and we were all ready for that! Hannah has begun to really feel and be affected by all the comings and goings of him and family over the past few weeks, not to mention still getting adjusted to her baby sister. We had some tough times last week, but we made it. I will say though, I think I would have absolutely gone nutso if it hadn't been for the Lord! I just don't know how you can do this thing called parenting without Him.

Anyway...... on a better note, I had a great opportunity today to take Hannah out for some one-on-one Mommy time and it was so much fun! She is such a fun little girl, when she's not being temperamental. So full of joy and spunk! The plan was to go to Opry Mills b/c I had an errand to run there anyway and then have some ice cream from Marble Slab. It was her first Marble Slab experience and I think she chose well. She had strawberry ice cream w/ chocolate chips mixed in. Really the only reason she chose strawberry is b/c it's pink! I had chocolate swiss w/ Butterfinger and hot caramel - OH YEAH!! A heavenly combo.

That was supposed to be the extent of our date, but she really wanted to ride the carousel that we passed that is a part of Stingray Reef. Then when she saw the sting rays she really wanted to go touch them. So, in my moment of weakness I paid for an all-day pass, just so we could go pet the sting rays for a minute and ride a 2-minute long carousel ride! She couldn't get enough of the sting rays, so we ended up spending about an hour in there and rode the carousel twice. I must admit it was quite fun having the sting rays come up to us and hearing her squeal with delight as she got to touch them. In the end I'm glad I did it. 2 passes to Stingray Reef plus ice cream - $$; enjoying a special treat w/ my 3-yr old daughter - priceless!

Kaitlyn

For all the family out there that reads this and likes to know these things ....... Kaitlyn had her 4 month check-up yesterday, and more shots. Not fun! But she is doing well and definitely growing. She's up to 13 lbs 8 oz and is about 27 inches long. She'll begin eating cereal just whenever we're ready, which will be after all the summer craziness is over! We're very thankful to have a healthy little girl!

Blog Tag

It looks like I'm playing my first game of Blog Tag. I've been tagged to let people know what I dig about Jesus. Here are the rules:

1. those tagged will share 5 things they dig about Jesus…
2. those tagged will tag 5 other bloggers…
3. those tagged will post a comment here with their name and a link to their “dig” Jesus list…

So, here's my list of 5 things I dig about Jesus:

1) I dig that Jesus never changes. He's reliable. Hebrews 13:8 - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." James 1:17 - "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." In a world that changes constantly, it is a comfort to know that He is my constant, my Rock. He won't be my friend one day and blow me off the next. He will always be present with me, when others are far away. He won't ever be anything but what He tells us He is through His Word. What I learn about Him today will be true of Him a million years into eternity. He NEVER changes and this gives stability to my ever-changing life!

2) I dig that Jesus is TRUTH. John 14:6 - "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He is the way to salvation - the ONLY way, and He can be trusted to save anyone who would simply ask in faith. Because He is truth He can be trusted. He will not lie. He is The Standard I can base my life upon and know that I will not falter as long as I am following Him. When differing views about how to live life bombard us every day, we can look to Jesus to show us the way. When I need to know how to parent, how to respond to a disappointment or frustration, how to be a godly wife, etc, etc, Jesus brings clarity. I am thankful that He is THE truth!

3) I dig that Jesus pursues intimate relationships with sinful people. Ephesians 1:4-5 - "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ..." He chose me. He sought me out. I am His daughter, the church is His bride. Psalm 139 indicates His intimate knowledge of me. And He still pursues me to love and know Him more. And not because I'm somehow worthy of it. But because He's God and this is what He does. The gospels are clear that Christ came to seek and to save the lost - He didn't come to hang out with "church people" - He hung out with the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the drug dealers, the murderers, the gossipers......those in need of grace. I am glad for His intimate pursuit of me!

4) I dig that Jesus is patient. Exodus 34:6- "The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness..." He is slow to express His anger. There will be a "day of God's wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed" (Romans 2:5). But for now He waits patiently as the world spirals deeper into moral decay, lovingly waiting for the salvation of those who have yet to be saved. He is patient with ME. When I stumble over the same sin again and again and again....... Romans 8:1 - "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." When I fail Him, when I don't obey Him, when I don't reflect Him adequately to others.... He continues to love me, waiting patiently on my growth in Him.

5) I dig that Jesus suffered to bear my sin. 1 Peter 2:21-24 - "...because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps. 'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.' When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed." Beautiful. God Almighty, the creator of all, left the riches, the comfort, the perfectness of Heaven to become a man, Jesus. He entered into the pain of humanity. He endured separation from the Father. Even though He had never sinned, He took the punishment - a humiliating and barbaric death on a cross. All of this so that we, who are the reasons He went through this in the first place, could have a relationship with Him. Amazing. I love Jesus for bearing my sin!

What a great thing to reflect on attributes of Jesus! I can't wait to read more from others.

Family and Fun

The past 2 weeks have been filled with family. They all helped Hannah celebrate her birthday and we were blessed to reap the rewards of their labor for us around the house. My dad was especially helpful as he and Dale completed some things our contractor left undone. Yea!!

Here are some pics of the girls w/ Grammie and Pawpaw.










































We spent a lot of time GRILLING and the 4th was no different. We grilled my dad's awesome spare ribs and took it easy most of the day. That evening we enjoyed a refreshing, cool breeze as we sat at a local park to watch Nashville's famous downtown fireworks.

Here is Hannah "fixing" Grandma's head. She received a toolbox full of tools for her b-day so she can work alongside Daddy now. She loves them! Although, the pliers have become styling scissors as she goes around wanting to cut everyone's hair with them. :)














Kaitlyn getting kisses from Grandma!














Hannah playing in her "Mega Fort". It is really cool! You can use combinations of the pieces to build literally hundreds of differently shaped "forts", which is perfect for this child who wants to use whatever possible to build "houses". This can be used indoors or outdoors. You can tell she's excited!














Kaitlyn's wide eyes. She is becoming known for her big eyes!

Ordinary and Uneventful

I recently read Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper. GREAT book! In it she examines the lives of 5 women in history. One of them is Esther Ahn Kim, a Korean woman, who refused to bow to the Japanese idols that were imposed on the Koreans when Japan ruled the Korean government. As she faced imminent imprisonment, she prepared herself to die a martyr's death. She said that what she faced for the sake of Christ was far greater than living "an ordinary and uneventful life".

That phrase jumped out at me and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since - "ordinary and uneventful". I don't believe Christians are called to be ordinary. Scripture is clear that we are set apart - called to be holy, to love as Christ has loved us, to walk in humility, to joyfully persevere through hardship, to be grateful rather than a complainer, to fellowship with Christ in His sufferings..... The list could go on. None of this is ordinary. Neither does Scripture depict our lives as uneventful. Jesus came that we might have abundant life, eternally AND presently.

Yet how many of us yield to the ordinary and uneventful? It's so easy to become self-absorbed; materialistic; to settle for the status quo; to think "I can't possibly make a difference."..... I find that my standard often becomes people around me. And even though I am blessed to be in some pretty great company at times, no one is a match for Christ. He is our standard. And if we're not being imitators of Him, as He calls us to be, then we're just living ordinary, uneventful lives. If we're not being obedient to the things He is calling us to, we're submitting to the ordinary and uneventful.

As I read the above mentioned book, I was confronted by women who passionately followed Christ no matter where it led them, to the mission field, to prison, and even to the home. One, Sarah Edwards, wife of Jonathan Edwards, was a faithful wife and mother leaving a godly legacy for generations to come and allowing God to use her husband mightily. No matter what station of life we find ourselves in, may we not allow societal norms to conform us to the pattern of this world. Let's let our God who is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us" lead us to greater things, whatever that may mean. (Eph. 3: 20)

Transforming Experience

I got major points for promising to take Dale to the first showing of Transformers for Father's Day. To say that Dale is a Transformers fan is an understatement. He has been looking forward to this movie for a very long time. Then I surprised him by buying I-Max tickets and last night was the night. I'll be honest. I was more excited for Dale to see the movie than for myself. I just wanted to watch the happiness burst out of him, which it did! But, I found myself quickly being taken in by the very impressive special effects and the intriguing story line. It really is a great movie and I'm actually looking forward to the sequel.

Growing Girls

Okay. I actually started this one a couple of weeks ago. And even more has happened, so I'm glad I never finished. Just thought I'd share how our girls are growing!

KAITLYN
She is so good about going with the flow with our crazy schedule. She's either sleeping or smiling at everyone. She smiles when people talk and sing to her and chuckles when she's kissed or tickled around her neck. She loves it when Hannah talks and sings to her, as she does often, and has proven pretty tough against the not-so-gentle ways Hannah will attempt to "play" with her.... She is rolling over now! But then she doesn't know quite what to do once she's on her tummy. Thank goodness! I'm not ready for a crawler! Although she wiggles a lot as if she is wanting to get up and move, just like her sister. She also tries to sit up occasionally when she's lying on her back. It looks like she's trying to do a sit-up.... She was already growing into the 3-6 month clothing before she was 3 months old. If she continues this pattern, her big sister's hand-me-downs just aren't going to last as long as we were hoping! Yikes!.... She enjoys reaching for objects of interest, including my hair lately. My hair is still a source of comfort for Hannah as she still holds onto it when she's being rocked or when she's tired. It looks like Kaitlyn may follow that pattern! I'll never be able to get my hair cut short! AND, it looks like she's already getting a tooth! This child is growing fast in every way! Too fast in my opinion!

HANNAH
Sometimes I feel like I have a 15-yr-old trapped in a 3-yr-old body. She changes clothes many times a day and is very particular about what she is wearing. If it doesn't somehow qualify as a "ballerina dress" it just won't do. The only way I could get her to wear a pair of shorts the other day was to point out the ruffles that were on it.... She's improving slowly in the potty department. The only poop that's gone in however was the one I mentioned a few posts ago. But she's being more consistent, so I'm grateful and trying to be patient. She has memorized this mantra and states it often as she sits on the potty, "Big girls don't wear diapers, they wear panties." I'm trusting that one day this will take..... One of Hannah's latest sayings that has us cracking up is, "I want to jump over you. You're the moon, I'm the cow." She definitely pays attention to the nursery rhymes! And her favorite game at the moment seems to be Hide and Go Seek, since she wants to play it ALL the time. But she still doesn't really get it. She'll either hide in the same exact spot I just hid in as I'm watching her, or she'll yell out from her spot, "Come find me!" which is a dead give-away. It's quite entertaining actually.... She figured out several weeks ago how to write the letter "H" without any coaching from us, so we're working with her on other letters, since according to her "H" is her name. :) .... She has become quite sensitive to others' feelings and is often concerned if someone appears sad, unless she's caused the sadness by taking away a toy or something - she does have her moments!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17) We thank God for our girls and pray that we are good stewards during the time they have been entrusted to us!

Birthday Fun

Grammie and Paw Paw came into town Thur. for Hannah's birthday. They bought her a swing set! So, when Daddy came home Friday from Super Summer EXHAUSTED, he got to help Paw Paw assemble the new addition to our backyard. Here they are hard at work.














Hannah's first words about it: "WOW! That's the hugest one I ever saw!" What a GREAT gift!!

We had Hannah's party today. I decided to have a simple party here at the house and only invite a few close friends. The swing set got broken in well and the kids also enjoyed playing in the pool and sprinkler.

Hannah and Naomi swinging














Veronica and Hannah on the big girl swings! (Sorry Joy for cutting your head off!)














Ethan and Hannah in the sprinkler














The girls in the pool














The kids enjoyed eating lunch and then diving into the cupcakes and ice cream cones!










































Hannah received lots of fun gifts. Hannah has grown to LOVE dressing up and wants to do it all the time. We go through many outfits a day, mostly dresses. So, we gave her a trunk full of dress-up clothes. That was a big hit. Our outdoor party quickly became and indoor dress-up party. Aren't they precious?!




























I have to say that throughout the whole event Kaitlyn was perfect! She welcomed everyone with a smile and then went to sleep and slept the entire time in her bouncer! It was a great day with friends and family.

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Poor Hannah had to visit the doctor on her birthday! She awoke last night with a horrible cough and was complaining about a sore throat. It turns out she has Croup, Croupe....? Whatever. So, she'll be contagious for about 4 days. The 5th day is her birthday party. Whew! Glad that didn't get messed up, since that is the ONLY Saturday for several weeks we have open to have her party. Crazy!

Anyway, it did not deter us from having her small & simple birthday festivities. After dinner I gave her one of her presents and let her open all the cards she'd received in the mail. Then we watched Toy Story and ate popcorn and chocolate chip cookies. We danced to the credits and then she was so worn out, she was ready for bed. How's that for a party!

Little Performer!

Well, forget what I said previously about Hannah's lack of stage performance. Yesterday morning at church the kids performed their VBS songs again and she seemed to be the main attraction as she REALLY got into it! At one point she especially liked twirling her dress as she "twisted" to the beat. She had me cracking up! And I was so proud of her as she knew a lot of the words to some pretty hard songs for her age. And wouldn't you know, I completely forgot they were singing and did not have a camera!!

Speaking of age....... she's 3 TODAY! Wow! Her party won't be until Sat., but we're planning to rent a movie and eat special treats tonight!

Catch Up!

What a busy, busy week we've had! Last Sat. our friend Sarah left to do mission work in Los Angeles for 3 weeks with Campus Crusade for Christ, so Fri. night we met her and some other friends at Pizza Perfect to say good-bye before her big trip. We topped the pizza off with Ben & Jerry's ice cream! Yum! Good times with good people!

Sat. Hannah had her first of several birthday celebrations. Her sweet Sunday school teachers, Brenda & Eddie, who are the adopted grandparents for all the little people at our church, gave Hannah, Ethan & Will a combined birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. They all have birthdays in June. Will just turned 1, Hannah will be 3 & Ethan will be 4. It was very cute and the kids had a great time!
Hannah with Brenda














Kaitlyn's having fun too!














We had a meaningful time of worship Sunday at church and had a good Father's Day lunch with the Shrums - grilled ribs! I am thankful to have a great dad, who I always miss being with on Father's Day. Hannah and Kaitlyn have a wonderful daddy too! We are all very blessed.
Proud Dad with his girls














This week was Vacation Bible School, Hannah's first to attend as a participant. We had it at night this year and Hannah ended up being more tired than I've ever seen her by the end of it. I don't think we'll attend another night VBS any time soon! One day she was ASKING for her nap! But overall, she did great and had a really good time. She would come home singing the songs and doing the motions. But the last night, when all the kids performed the songs for the parents, she went into shy mode again. She's turning out to be an on-the-spot performer rather than a staged one I think. Although, she was also really tired.
Excited to be at VBS!














"It's okay Daddy, I'm a big girl."














Dancing on the last night.














We said good-bye to Daddy this morning as he headed off to Super Summer to serve as Dean of the Orange School, otherwise known this year as the Transformers. Those of you who know Dale know his love and fascination with Transformers, and thus, you know how pumped he has been about his theme!

The rest of us had a great time at Ethan's birthday party today downtown at the Bicentennial Mall Fountains, where we had Hannah's party last year. It's such a fun place for the kids! Ethan turns 4 a day after Hannah turns 3. Kaitlyn had fun sleeping the entire time. If she's in her car seat carrier, she's probably asleep - it's like magic! I was SO thankful! The highlight was when Anna Grace's & Houston's daddy, who is a Nashville Fire Fighter, showed up in a fire truck and let all the kids have a minute to "drive". He definitely won Daddy of the Day!
Naomi & Hannah splashing around














Hannah eating the fabulous Cars cake Saundra made!














Hannah taking her turn in the truck.














The whole crew. Aren't they cute!

Potty Victory!

Okay, so Hannah has been going potty fairly consistently since she got her own bathroom until the last couple of days. And, no pooping yet. So, today I recalled something I read awhile back about a mom using M&M's as an incentive to go potty. I don't like the idea of bribing my children with food, but I've become desperate to have this child potty trained. So today I told her that every time she pees in the potty she gets 1 M&M and every time she poops she gets 3 M&Ms. About 15 minutes later I hear her yelling from the bathroom. I am proud to announce that she pooped in the potty!! I've never been so excited to see poop in my life! We'll just see if this ends up working for good. And then I'll be stuck with how to stop the M&M train. We can't be giving M&Ms out indefinitely. Can you just see her going to school in a few years and asking her teacher for M&Ms after the potty break?!

First Hair Cut

Today Hannah had her first hair cut! Her hair has become a little hard to manage so I asked Kim, my hair stylist, to shape it up a little. And I was hoping she could help me get Hannah excited about me fixing her hair since she hardly lets me touch it, even to brush it sometimes, much less to put clips, bows & pony tails in.

Hannah was so excited when I told her she was going to get her hair cut like Mommy. She felt like such a big girl and she did SO well!!

Here she is waiting with anticipation.














She loved the smock....














but wasn't too sure what Kim was doing back there, although she didn't complain.














A little styling with the diffuser.......














and what a beautiful finished product! Kim's cut and style really makes her curls come out. She said she'd let me play "beauty shop" with her at home, so we'll see what happens!

Moments from the Week

We are all grateful that Dale is back home! He came back from camp exhausted and full of stories, some I still have yet to hear. Our kids had a blast and experienced God powerfully.
Since they returned from camp on Wed. afternoon, Dale would not be able to come home until late, after Encounter. So, I took the girls up to the church early to say hi. Hannah was SO excited to see her Daddy. She just hugged and hugged him, like I've never seen her do before. It was very sweet.

The weekend was really nice with Dale back. We got so much done at the house and had fun too! We finished buying stuff for the new bathroom and installed everything. It happens to be in the girls' room, so Hannah feels ownership of it. She took her first bath in HER bathtub. (By the way, we then discovered that the tub loses water, as if we need anything else to be frustrated w/ our contractor about!) That aside, one good thing about this bathroom is that Hannah has also been excited about HER potty. Even though we have a training potty, we decided to buy her a Dora seat cushion that sits on the normal toilet seat. She has been so pumped about that and has been going potty quite a bit. I'm so excited and hopeful that this will be what she needs to get her going........ Going in the potty that is!

I got to get away Saturday and have breakfast with my friend Sarah. It was quite refreshing to be out for a little while after being at home with the girls all week by myself. We went to IHOP. MMMMM, it was good! I especially love the stuffed french toast. It's not too good on getting rid of pregnancy flab, but it's great on the taste buds! And Sarah is such a sweet, encouraging friend. I always enjoy spending time with her.

The other night, while Dale was rocking Hannah, she began asking questions about God and Jesus, like "Where is Jesus? Where is God?" So he was having quite a theological discussion when she broke in with, "Does Jesus have his p.j.'s on?" :) The mind of a 2-yr old!

Dale and I got to rent a movie too! These days this is a big deal. Anyway, we rented The Pursuit of Happiness. It's a must-see, but get the tissue! Wow, it sure will bring you down to earth. We have so much to be thankful for. May I never complain about lacking anything!

Here's the "big girl" in her tub. She got to pick out the bathroom accessories (with our guidance - I really didn't want an entire bathroom full of Dora!) I think she did pretty good. I'll have to post more bathroom pictures later.














This is Daddy's suitcase that we emptied out b/c she was determined to take a nap in it! I was skeptical that this would become play time, but she fell right to sleep!














Sweet girls!














Sweet Kaitlyn feet! Look at those long toes!

Gone to Camp

I'm 2 days into the first of several trips Dale will be away on this summer. This week it's Student Life youth camp. Dale called yesterday to talk to Hannah. She asked him if he was in his tent. :) I'm making it okay with the girls on my own, but I sure miss Dale! I am so fortunate to have a husband that helps me tremendously. He helps me keep the house somewhat in order. Is it ever REALLY in order these days?! Since Kaitlyn's arrival he's mainly been the one to do Hannah's bedtime routine and baths. While we're having some fun girl time - We'll be watching The Little Mermaid tonight - we're already looking forward to seeing Daddy again.

Little Swimmer

This summer, rather than having Hannah attend a summer mother's day out program, we decided to give her swim lessons. I've been a bit nervous about actually paying money for something I wasn't sure she'd actually do. This is a child who FREAKS OUT if she gets water in her eyes while taking a bath. It's almost impossible to wash her hair without a screaming fit.

Well, today was her first lesson, and we were SO PROUD of her! She just jumped right in, literally, and had a blast. The first time the instructor tried to get her to put her head under the water, she did it, but she cried. Yet, she did it 2 more times during the lesson and by the last time, she just shook her head and said, "I allright". What a brave little girl!

Here she is kicking....















jumping in.......














"swimming"......















and smiling proudly!















And yes, I changed our blog. I got bored with the first one. This may happen some as I get more acquainted with how to do this blog thing.