Sheer Joy

Weekend before last we went to say cheese with Nana and Grandy and the Dixons. It was lots of fun. Ty loved the mini carousel, and riding in the car with Micah. He was so happy. It made my whole weekend to see that smile.

Too Cute!!!

Here are some photos I just had to post.

Jenny's Dinner

Last Thursday night we had a dinner in honor of Jenny and Sophia. It was just local family and a few of Jenny's closest friends. We had a great time at J. Alexanders, and Jenny got lots of great girlie presents. After years of blue, I'm not sure she knows what to do with all that pink! We can't wait to mee Sophia. I'm sure she will be beautiful like her mother. Here are a few photos from the party.

Zoo and Swimming

Ty has had a fun couple of weeks. We went swimming twice in the past week, and we went to the zoo last weekend. It was very hot, but lots of fun. Ty loves the fish especially, but the elephants are a close second. Karen, Shawn and Jack joined us at the zoo and made us dinner afterwards. Thanks! As you can see aunt Karen also did the hard work of carrying Ansley around the zoo. The picture with the stroller is Ty and cousin Jack. The other kids at the pool are his friends Taylor and Miles from church.

Not Merely a Flesh Wound

This picture truly does speak a thousand words. Ty attacked his sister last week before I could stop him and left this wound. The whole ordeal was devastating. I had to give Ty a major spanking after she stopped bleeding. I say all this to say that I had a moment last week where parenthood changed for me. It became glaringly evident to me that parenting is not for sissies. It is hard and heartbreaking even at this young age. It is a wonderful thing, but there are days when it just isn't fun. I also realized the tremendous responsibility we have to teach them right from wrong and help them become who God intends them to be. I knew all of this in my mind before I had kids, but now it is real and internalized. I can only imagine how many of these moments I will have over the next many years, but I wanted to remember this one. On the bright side, Ansley's face is healing nicely and Ty has improved a little on the hitting. Ansley can use this picture someday to make him feel guilty!

Cousins, Cousins Everywhere

Some of these pictures date back to late June, but I wanted to share some pictures of the kids and their cousins this summer. We are so blessed to have so many nieces and nephews and so many others who seem like nieces and nephews moreso than cousins. This isn't everyone, but here are a few cute pics.