painting nails

only aunt mare mare would let her favorite niece paint her nails :)  you're the best mare!!

elise's careful precision and focus was adorable.

can't forget to add the hello kitty sparkles!

beautiful!!

what do pretty girls do after they've painted their nails??  have a tea party, of course!

our children are so blessed to have their aunts and uncles as such an integral part of their daily lives.  thanks mare for keeping family such a priority.  we love you!!

brothers

father's day

years ago, i posted a pretty heart-on-your-sleeve post about the emotions stirred up in me on father's day.   but today, i rejoiced and praised God...for the first time, i did not dwell on my earthly father this father's day.  to be honest, he didn't even cross my mind until we were in church.  that may sound sad and even a bit bitter, but the truth is, that God has done and is doing a work in me.  for the first time, father's day was first and foremost about justin, and the father he is to our children.  and i was resting in the Lord, my heavenly Father, and looking to Him this morning as we sang in church.  so i'm rejoicing that the Lord is renewing my mind.  when i was in college, i went through quite a bit of excellent Christian counseling to work through things with my parents' divorces and my relationship with my father. i remember wishing the raw emotions would just disappear and fade away.  the Lord is working that all out and i am grateful.  i will still call my father today and he still holds a special place in my heart.  but i am thankful for my Lord, my husband and my family, and how the Lord is changing the focus of my heart.  what a blessing to have a joyful father's day and not have the sad tug on my heart.  thank you Father.

seasons

some seasons are full of rejoicing.  you go from one blissful, fulfilling moment to the next.  yet the temptation is there (and i often fall for it) and you end up feeling self-sufficient and forget to thank God.

other seasons are marked by trial.  you feel as though you're walking through the fiery furnace like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  the flames are kicked up 7x hotter, you're bound and thrown in.  yet one who looks like the Son of God is in there with you, protecting you, so that when you come out of the furnace you are not singed, there's not even a smell of smoke on you.  but your heart is changed.  Lord, may that be true of us in this season.  it could be much worse, my heart knows that full well.  but that doesn't negate that this is indeed a furnace season for us.   when will work come?  what work will it be?  strengthen our faith to persevere and not give in to fear, anxiety or unbelief.  you take care of the sparrows, the lilies, and you've taken care of our greatest need: saving our souls.  this is a piece of cake for you.  strengthen our unbelief, loving Father.

happy birthday dear isaac, happy birthday to you

happy birthday my sweet izie boy.  we are blessed to see your personality come out each and every day. you are full of energy, joy and laughter.  you are gentle, kind, thoughtful and helpful.  you are athletic, physical, strong, and agile.  you love your sister and love to torment her too.  you adore your brother and are so quick to help him when he needs it.  you are snuggly and still love to play with my hair each and every time i hold you.  you are such a blessing to our family.  we love you izie boy.

lisey and i made ball decorations since that's one thing he loves...footballs, baseballs, basketballs, and soccer balls have been hanging around our house for the last three days.

two-year-old photo shoot.  izie, you have the best facial expressions!!

that night we realized it was time to convert the crib to the toddler bed.  he was thrilled.  note the awesome old school phillies pajamas he's wearing.  izie, those were your daddy's!

the next day, we celebrated with a family party.

we celebrated isaac and aunt mare mare's birthdays.  he thought we were singing twice to him :)

his faces while opening cards and presents were priceless!  he made such expressions, such joy, such shock, such excitement!  the batman card was a particular favorite.  he opened and reopened it at least half a dozen times!

loving on mimi and grampy

trying to sneak back for more cupcakes!

lovin' on his cousins...

loving on oma and papa (told you he was snuggly...)

YEAH!!!!  family photo that actually looks good!  only took about a dozen attempts!

one of my favorite chaotic ones!

i love my little boy.  everyone told me there's a special bond between mother and son...it's so true.  i just love this guy more and more every day.

and of course, reesey was there to enjoy his first birthday party.  he tried out the walker to commemorate the occasion.  best part of having older siblings is that he gets rides all over the house now.