Cousins reunited...

Over the 4th we were blessed with a visit from my cousin P, my Aunt P, and little baby D. It was great to get reaquainted, as it had been a long time since seeing my Aunt P. We spent the time catching up on each other's stories...viewing our fair cities from on high and trying to stay cool from the heat. Esther loved mothering little baby D. Thanks for such an awesome visit Cuz!

Mom, Daught, Little mommy Ess and Baby D. When Cuz P and I were little...everyone would think we were sisters we looked so much alike. We should have posed together to see if that is the same now...next visit!


Aunt P lovin' on Ess.


The Kiddos trying to stay cool...it was the first day we hit the 100 degree mark...can you say toasty?


Baby D workin' on some all American P & J. Cuz P is an awesome new Mommy!

A visit to long time friends...

I have a little catching up to do as we have had a fun filled summer thus far getting back in touch with friends, family, camping etc. This is a trip we took a few weeks past now to stay with some long time friends of many years who live on the west side of our fair state. It was so good to see our pastor friends, their new home, their awesome family, and catch up on all the Lord is doing in their lives. We were totally blessed and honored by the time they took out to spend with us! Here are the highlights:

Here are the members of the L family who were home that weekend, plus Esther, who wanted to say "cheese". This is on the steps of their beautiful front porch. Their older two children were away serving the Lord, literally around the world. They also share their home with their youth pastors and two young men who are part of their son's band. They are an amazing family! Thank-you L family for such a great weekend!


Here is Ruthie, riding a horse, with a beautiful view of a famous volcanic peak in the foreground. We did lots of walking on a rails to trails section near their home. Ruthie was the lucky girl to help exercise Blaze, their teenage daughter's horse. Of course, Ruthie was thrilled!


Did I mention they had a trampoline?... Ruthie's dream gift which she has never received. I think she logged over 8 hours on the tramp that weekend. Of course, we all took some turns jumping around...feeling those joints and the effects of years of gravitational pull. Alpaca Rob took his turn doing Kung Fu Panda moves with Ruthie. "There is no charge for awesomeness!"


Ruthie doing mid air splits or depending on your perspective...she is very carefully balancing on their shed roof!


Ru and Ess were trying on some slick fashion wear of the eldest daughter's. She has many hats to accompany her outfits and the girls couldn't resist.

Summer Fun!

I will preface this with stating that girls are so different than boys. I know that news won't shock any of you. I have gotten such a kick out of Ruthie this summer and how she likes to organize social occasions. It is so different from how the boys were at her same age. The photos you see are of the "end of school" celebration she organized. She has another one scheduled next week with some different friends.

A little slip and slide anyone?



Esther directing traffic. Notice how tall Ruthie has gotten. She has grown another couple inches. She looks more like a 4th grader than a 2nd grader!



Some summer health food for dinner! I so love the fun of summer!!! I don't want it to go too fast...

Glasses...

Esther has had her glasses now for about 3 weeks. By about 8pm she takes them off and hands them to us to let us know she is done. Right away there were certain things she examined very closely like she had not seen it to that level of detail before. She also had some tripping issues, as her depth perception was effected...but she adjusted quickly. A two year old in glasses is a little tricky in that any touch emits usually gooey finger prints that I don't always see and she doesn't tell me...probably reminds her of her old blurry world, so she doesn't complain. So, I thought I would share a few pics of our intellectual girl with her new look...pretty cute eh? Of course, I'm the biased mom who always thinks that;O)

No loose teeth yet!


I love to pretend I'm a doctor.


My new favorite veggie...buttery corn on the cob. We have since learned to remove glasses before eating!!

This one is for you Papaw!!

Papaw has asked for more baseball pictures since he can't be here in person. So, here are a few glimpses for you Papaw. These red and white are shots of the new legion ball team...the purple and white is the end of regular season...and the last time he'll wear those colors. We love you Papaw and Grandma!! Wish you could be here in person to watch this slugger;o) Scroll down to the end to see the other big and little people not wanting to be left out!!

You've come a long way baby!

Can I get a little sentimental with you here for moment? As we approach our 2 year date of Esther being part of our lives (June 25th)...we received a package yesterday with photos of Esther's hometown and 0-6 months digipics of her with her foster family. Although there were only about 15 pics of her before she came into our lives, I am so thankful for these! Because she lived with a foster family and they had to do quarterly reports...there were a handful of pictures taken every three months. It gives you just a glimpse into her beginnings. It brings both emotions of sadness that I didn't get to be part of those early days and joy to see how the Lord blessed her and took care of her!!

This would be Esther around 4 months old...about Christmas time there which would still be fairly warm by our standards...but they love to bundle the babies there! What a happy baby!!


This photo was dated in September, so Esther would be less than one month. The little white faded shirt is actually one of the clothing items she was found wrapped in when she was first found. We were given this clothing item as a keep sake when we first received her.


This picture is probably the youngest picture of her. It was dated Sept 16, so she was just over 2 weeks. WOW! So many changes in her life in almost 3 years!


This last picture is around the 4 month age again...winter time...like you know 60 degrees. I love this one because it reminds be of an expressions she still gets now...it just looks a little different now because she has lots of hair around that cute little face.

I am filled with gratitude for this sweet unexpected package that arrived. Proverbs 25:25 says, "Good news from afar is like cold water to the thirsty." Thank you Lord for your sweet report and blessings!!

Weekend Get Away

It is always nice to get away for the weekend. We had a super adventure getting away from our fair city. Esther had some chills being away from home...rather unsettling for her to be in a hotel room, I think. The first night she went around and checked everyone in their places in bed until about 11:30pm when I finally firmly placed her on her sleeping bag with some Mommy tone (you know the one) and told her not to move. The second night we had to move rooms due to air condition failure. In the process, we lost the famous Jingle Bear (Esther's side kick since she came home). It was a tragic event for her...so night two was plagued with some tears on and off during the night. Even with my less than desired amount of sleep...it was still great to get away with my Honey, I love, and my kiddos. Here are the highlights...


This overlook was a cool stop on our way home. Soft lighting at the end of the day...peaceful.


We had a fun rendezvous with my Cuz, her hubby, and new baby. What fun! We will get to see them again over the 4th.


This would be Evan attempting to ride the elephant tricycle at the zoo!


One flew over the cuckoo's nest? It feels that way sometimes...this is the average size of an eagle's nest...yipes!!