Joseph is 4 1/2

This boy has sure had his fair share of celebrating lately! Happy half birthday, sweet Joseph!

 

100ish Days Until New Baby!

I'm posting out of order, but I just cannot contain my excitement anymore. It's hard to believe how little I've blogged about "new baby" as we all so affectionately call her. Life is so full that when I go to blog weeks or months later, I just go back over my saved photos and blog about what I see. If I haven't taken a picture of it, well, it doesn't get blogged about. So, needless to say, our blog is not an accurate indication of what our lives and hearts actually look like. But, some events are just simply that exciting and memorable that they must be documented, even if there is no picture to spice it up. This is one of them!

In just about 100 days our baby girl will grace us with her presence! The waiting is oh, so hard. It has been a pregnancy to top all pregnancies. I have felt incredible the entire time and have enjoyed it more than I can remember enjoying any pregnancy. Watching these precious children fall in love with my growing and moving belly is more beautiful than I can describe. Seeing their hearts make room to love yet another life and making plans of how they will welcome her into our family makes my heart melt. Andy has been especially enjoyable to watch. He knows what it feels like now to have a daughter, so his excitement for this one is beyond measure. This man holds a very special place in his heart for little girls. Before we have laid eyes on this little one she has completely stolen our hearts. She is truly a gift from God that we never thought we'd have the honor to love. When we think of her life, we are constantly reminded of God's grace in our lives and cannot help but give him praise. May her life always bring him glory!

Blue Ridge Hike

We got away for a bit and headed up to the Blue Ridge Parkway for an evening hike. It was just perfect. We soaked in the beautiful scenery, marveled at God's handiwork and watched our children explore the land; all the while finalizing our newest blessing's middle name. Nothing brings about more clarity in our lives than when we are outdoors enjoying God's creation. It reminded me of when we were kayaking and we finalized Samuel's name before Andy deployed. But this time was even more memorable... we were able to share it with these 3 cherubims below:

 

Smith Mountain Lake - Part 2

Quite a full kayak, I'd say.

 

Poor girl just wants to go to bed.

 

 

Joe Frog.

 

 

We took a tour of an alpaca farm. This is Rosie. She was my favorite.

 



 

Poppy and Belle reading books.

 

Belle had her first smore. She was in heaven.

Such a special part of the vacation was that Roo Dog got to come with us. The house was super dog friendly and he had an absolute blast the entire week. It was so nice to not have to leave him at home.

 

It was the first time both of the boys rode in the tube alone and, it was Joseph's first time in the tube all together. They were fearless. They kept wanting Poppy to drive faster.

 



Annabelle wanted to ride alone as well, but when Mommy refused, she settled for a ride with Daddy.

 

Me and my Mama.

Mama requested a family photo. I think it came out pretty darn well considering we used a timer and were trying to get 7 people to look descent in the same shot!

There was an ice cream boat on the lake. A highlight of the week for sure.

 

The men played a pretty intense game of putt-putt.

 



 

They even got to camp out in the front yard for a night.

The boys even went kayaking on their own.

 

My favorite movie is What About Bob? and here is where they filmed it. I was so excited to be able to find the house.

 

The highlight I think for the boys was that they were able to go fishing for the first time. Poppy bought them some poles back in June and they patiently waited to use them at the lake. They had a blast. They caught 6 in total. Daddy bought a fishing permit for a year so they'll have plenty more time to use it up.

 

Here's the first culprit.

 

Such amazing memories were made that we'll cherish forever.

Smith Mountain Lake - Part 1

We spent an amazing week at Smith Mountain Lake with my parents.

 

Annabelle had her nails painted for the first time.

Joseph's 1st Anniversary of His Savior Day!

It's been an entire year since this precious treasure accepted Christ as his Savior. We are daily encouraged at the Holy Spirit's work in his life. He loves BIG and has a deep passion to show love to those around him. God is doing some awesome things through this kid. We are honored to be able to be a part of his life.

 



His anniversary was on the 9th, but we had to wait to celebrate together as a family on the 13th.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Seeing as though I'm coming up on the big 3-0, Andy wanted to do something bigger to celebrate my birthday this year. He asked if I wanted a party or to go away. I said neither. I wanted our kitchen, hallway and stairwell painted. Our home was built in 1974 and it doesn't seem like the kitchen, hallway or stairwell had been painted since then. I'm not exaggerating. Unlike a bedroom or bathroom which can be closed off from the kids while they are home, our main living area cannot. So, we haven't attempted to paint them the entire time we've lived here. And, they needed a paint job desperately.

 

You should have seen the look on his face when I told him that's what I wanted for my birthday. I hated to do it to him, but at the same time, that's honestly all I wanted. He paused and cheerfully said "okay". I knew he was overwhelmed just thinking about it. Well, his dad and step mom came in to save the day once again!!! (This is not the first time they've come in and helped us paint.) The timing worked out perfectly. I had already had a visit planned to visit some friends out of town, so they came in while I was away with the kids and did it all in 2 days.  I am on cloud nine. It is amazing what a couple coats of paint can do for a room...and for the woman who lives in it!

 

Here is our kitchen before and after. The color doesn't look right on the screen, but you get the general idea.

 



 

Not only did Andy's parents drive from 2 hours away and commit 2 entire days to this gruesome task, I came home to all new stainless steel wall plates!!!  They look amazing. They made things look so put together and complete. As I entered our home, I immediately choked up. The love, thoughtfulness and sheer talent overwhelmed me. They are impeccable painters! We don't live in a palace, but I certainly feel like a queen in our fancied up home. Thanks again, Dad and Berta, for making my birthday so memorable! I love you both.

 

*I haven't taken pictures of the hallway and stairwell yet. But, it's a light green color called soft fern by Benjamin Moore. 

Fast Friends

In this day and age, people are finding their soul mates and marrying them through the internet, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised when I meet and become fast friends with a woman over the internet, but I still am. Jennifer and my paths crossed about 5ish years ago through a mutual friend and we immediately connected. We met for the first time in person about 3 years ago but haven't seen each other since then.

 

We talked about trying to get together this summer and were finally able to make it happen. It was fantastic. The kids had a blast together and we once we got them all settled in bed were able to chat the night away just the two of us.

 

 

What a blessing this woman has been in my life these past years! I have found so much strength and comfort in her! Love you, Jennifer!

 

22 Weeks

Andy and the boys finally convinced me to take some pictures of "new baby". It's always easy to brush it off and say we'll do it later, but I'm so glad they succeeded this time. I'm going to cherish the pictures of me and my baby girl for years to come.

 



Girl Things

A sweet friend of our family gave Annabelle all of her old hair accessories for her birthday and the boys had an absolute blast initiating her into the world of girl stuff. It's precious to see how excited they get for her girly things. Since she has turned two, Annabelle has considerably ramped it up in the girl department. She is now constantly asking me for my chapstick to put on and is wanting to always comb her hair. This whole growing up thing is happening way too fast for me.