Our Fourth

Beach trip #2

A trip to the beach never disappoints - especially on the 4th of July. We did have a little rain and a little oil, but we still had a great time playing and being together.

Buzz and Woody eating a little lunch.

Water balloons were a huge hit with the boys. They had a blast playing with them under the cottage.

This girl loved the sand! She just kept digging her chubby little feet deeper and deeper.

Here's a view of the oil on the beach. We had to watch where we stepped as we walked down by the water.

And here is an up-close view. Notice the water bottle covered in oil.

-On a side note, we had been talking with Andrew and Forrest about the oil - preparing them that it might interfere with our beach time, but also praying with them that the Lord's creation would be protected. One night while at the beach, we were reading the boys' devotional to them (The Jesus Storybook Bible) about David being anointed with oil as king... Andrew was so confused on why they would pour oil on him! His little mind only knew oil as a bad thing. Funny how they take things so literally!

We had few days of nice beach time!

What a hug! Love these smiles!

Getting buried is a thumbs up!

Little Miss Blue Eyes

Forrest in front of the movie theater. We took the boys to see Toy Story 3... it was their first movie to see in the theater, and they loved it! The previews scared them a bit, but once they saw Buzz and Woody they were set!

11 months old!

Our baby girl is 11 months old! I can't believe her birthday is less than a month away. The first year has really gone by fast with her! She is so much fun these days. She is so good-natured, and she has a fun, playful side that just makes us laugh and smile. She is such a blessing.

Some of her favorite things lately...

Loving on her baby dolls

Exploring & learning new things
(climbing stairs!)

Playing Pat-a-cake

Standing up!

Playing, laughing, being silly

Crawling in the tunnel - of course, any of these things are all the better if a brother is near!

Our sweetheart!

Bubby is the best!

I wanted to follow the last post about Father's Day with a post about my dad. It's just taken me a little while to do it!

Thank you, Dad, for being the patient, loving and wise father and grandfather that you are. Living in a house of girls must have been tough at times, so thank you for always being so great with us all. Looking back, I can see how you always made our family a priority. You always gave of yourself and your time to be there for our family. Thank you for the example you were and continue to be today. My children are so blessed to have Bubby in their lives! We love you!

8 years and Father's Day!

On June 22nd, Wilson and I celebrated 8 years of marriage! It's amazing to think that we love each other more today (and everyday) than we did the day before... but it's true! God has been so good to us. He has given us wonderful times together and precious blessings. I am so thankful for His gracious, merciful hand in our lives. When I stop and think, I am truly amazed and humbled at the sweet, sweet family He has given me.

Wilson and I enjoyed going out to dinner on our anniversary. It was a great night to spend reminiscing and just being together.

I love you, Wilson! Happy Anniversary!

Now, let me say a little about my husband and what a great daddy he is...

Wilson is a wonderful father. He loves our children so much and I thought I might just list a few of my favorite ways that he demonstrates his love:

• coming home to us as quickly as he can in the afternoon to play - swinging, riding bikes, mostly outdoor activities!
• he is "hands-on" - he gives baths, changes diapers, etc.
• wrestles, swings, and rough-houses - not that I love all the rough & tough play... but I know it's good for those boys!
• plans fun activites... just last night, he and the boys had a "camp-out" in the playroom - complete with sleeping bags, pillows, a tent, and a portable DVD player with Toy Story 2! (I was gone, so sadly I don't have any pictures of the fun that they had!)
• disciplines, teaches and prays with & for our children
• reads Bible stories with the boys every night and teaches them about our great God... When I asked Andrew what he wanted to give Dadda for Father's day he said "A new Bible story book for him to read to us at night." I'm so thankful for that nightly story time they have together and love that it means that much to Andrew, too!
• gives hugs and kisses freely
• plays and makes things fun!

Sweet pictures of Wilson and our little ones...

Happy Father's Day to the best Dadda ever!!! We love you!

Ann Evelyn and Forrest

A couple of fun sets of pictures of Forrest and Sissy....

They have really begun to have so much fun playing together. In these they are mainly playing with Forrest's tools. I wonder if Ann Evelyn is going to be a tomboy with these 2 brothers to play with...

And these are some of my favorites. You can get a glimpse of how tough this girl is. Look at how she goes after Forrest's paci! But I think the cutest part is how much fun you can see that he's having. He loves his sissy.

Buzz & Woody

Buzz & Woody are popular characters around our house these days. I hear several "To infinity and beyond!"s throughout the day from both boys. Forrest has recently learned to jump, and he yells Buzz's favorite phrase as he bends his knees and begins his jump. Really cute! Wilson encouraged this... he introduced the boys to Toy Story this spring. After the boys get their pjs on at night, he'll fly them through the air saying "To infinity and beyond!" Now the boys have just learned to recreate their own versions during the day. Wilson is planning to take Andrew to his first movie in the theater in a couple of weeks to see Toy Story 3. Both (Wilson and Andrew) are so excited! And both of the boys couldn't wait to put these new pjs on last night. I had to take a picture of my little buddies. Cute!