IS's 2nd Birthday!

We got back from our trip just in time to celebrate IS turning 2 at the beginning of June! All 4 grandparents came for lunch and cake; we are just so thankful for this precious and sweet little guy! In the months before and since his birthday, he has become increasingly busy, verbal, and engaged with playtime with his brothers and sisters. He is making all kinds of sentences now and through the summer some of his favorite things to say were "Doot!" (as in "I want to do it!") and "Holt!" (and in, "I want to hold it!"). He is a combination of fearless physicality (like climbing, diving onto the furniture, and initiating wrestling matches with his brothers) and heart-melting affection and sweetness (like insisting on nightly rounds of hugs and kisses for us all and twirling his hair and cuddling like a champ). We finally got his hair cut a month or so after his birthday (see last pic below) and that made him look older instantly, but I am still hanging onto his bedtime routine and putting him down in the crib because I hate to give up that sweet time (which includes him reciting all my facial features in his sweet little voice)! He is a wonderful blessing to us all!

Washington DC

We kicked off our summer with an extra-special week for the whole family! The three boys spent several days with each set of grandparents and had tons of fun while T and I took the girls to DC for the week! It was an awesome week all-around, from the flights (the first in any of the girls' memories) to the sights and so much more! The following pictures show just a sample of our jam-packed days of touring, sight-seeing, and visiting dear friends we hadn't seen in years. In order: we toured the White House, SJ, LL and our friend A met some neat creatures at the Museum of Natural History, enjoying a picnic and jazz in the garden outside one of the Art museums with our friends from way back (the Parkers), me and the girls with my friend E and her daughter A at the National Zoo, A and the girls loved the ducks at the WWII memorial, A and girls at the Lincoln Memorial, with Earhart's plane and the National Air and Space Museum, touring the Capitol and getting a behind the scenes look at a reception room honoring Lincoln, outside the Capitol with it's dome under renovation, girls with the Washington Monument (which we toured!), and the girls enjoying their favorite treat in DC, shakes at Potbelly's. We are so thankful we got to enjoy this trip and the boys had such a super time with their grandparents that week! It was maximized memory-making for all of us!

NO Zoo

In early May we finally made it to the NO zoo and had a great time exploring! Here are a few pics for the record! I especially want to remember that this was in the middle of IS's commitment to constant cap-wearing, though he took it to a rare extreme in the photo below. And not surprisingly, our little extra-affectionate guy was super-friendly with the gorilla statue!

Super Bulldog Weekend

Back in mid-April we had a fun weekend trip to Starkville with Gran and PopPop. It's been years since we'd been there and it was fun to go back and see how things have changed and catch a few baseball games and the spring football game. We also go to visit with Uncle M and Aunt C on campus and had a great visit with the pastor who married us (our campus minister)...so amazing to see him 14 years later and introduce our kids! I'm including a series of pics of T and IS because I love how it shows IS's total commitment to displays of affection; he is very generous with his kisses and hugs! We really did have a super weekend!

Happy Birthday, T!

While RL and I were on our little weekend road trip, the girls were at home busily mixing, baking, and decorating a birthday cake for T! They made a yellow cake from scratch and then decorated it with colorful homemade frosting...it was even more delicious than it was beautiful! T came home from work for lunch that Monday so we could celebrate with him...we are so thankful for him!

Project with PopPop

A few weeks ago I was planning to go "home" for a friend's baby shower and was planning to spend a night with my parents the night before. PopPop suggested that I bring RL along so they could work on some projects, and RL had a great time helping our while Gran and I went to the party. Among other things, he got lots of hammering practice by helping put together a picket fence. He loved it!

AG Turns 11

April 2 marked 11 years since AG arrived on the scene, beginning for us this wonderful and wild experience of parenthood. I remember bringing her into our house in her carseat and sort of wondering just what to do next! Definitely a unique experience as I look back on it! She has, since that day, grown into a lovely, bright, fun girl who brings so many valuable qualities to our household. She is a beloved big sister and has gained levels of creativity, thoughtfulness, and independence that bless us daily. We are all so thankful for this sweet, precious gift of a girl! We celebrated with her grandparents and Uncle D the Saturday after her birthday with lunch and then all had a ball going bowling. What fun! I, for one, was thankful for the guard rails:). Then later in the week her sisters accompanied us to get her ears pierced! She did great...before and after pictures are below.

Spring Arrives!

The azaleas peaked here around the end of March, just a week before Easter. I've learned over the years that they come and go surprisingly quickly, so we got some pictures of the kids with them while we could! And in capturing these background blossoms, the timing allowed us to also record evidence of a (thankfully) brief event for LL, her (barely) broken arm! After three weeks in a cast she was healed up nicely:).

Boys!

They are so much fun and so busy! Here are a few views of them this spring: IS in tub and with phone (saying, "'Lo!"), SA in a favorite set of pjs with his "bear an noah" and in a typical self-selected outfit, and RL with the bunny train and wild hair!