nothing like it

after successfully enjoying a walk with both kids and morgan (who by the way, is awesome on a leash!), elise had lunch and then both kids slowly started unraveling with tiredness. so i rocked both of them at the same time. after a few songs, isaac was long gone in one arm and elise looked up at me with those gorgeous, big, brown eyes...she snuggled into my other arm and before i knew it she was asleep too. aside from thinking, "how will i get the two of them into their cribs?..." i couldn't stop staring at them...from one adorable face to the other. each time i was ready to get up, i would sit longer just soaking in the moment. "thank you Jesus," i kept repeating under my breath. thank You for these children, thank You for a husband who works so hard, thank you that i am home each day for moments like these...there is nothing like it.

morgan

say hello to morgan-the newest member of our family. in a nutshell, God answered our unspoken prayers for another shepherd...for free! the family she came from was needing a finacial reprieve and wanted to find a loving home for her. we were looking for a kid-friendly, trained, pure bred shepherd...without having to go through the puppy phase. God crossed our paths and morgan joined our family this afternoon. and for those of you who had the privilege of knowing josie...could they look any more alike?! oh my goodness...i can't tell you how much i'm catching myself wanting to call her josie! anyway, she's already developed a tendency to follow justin wherever he goes...hmmm...that sounds familiar...what is it with him and dogs! lisey loves her and follows her around saying, "come here morgan..." she's only called her josie a few times, which is sweet to hear. it's only been a few hours, but already it seems she's doing well. just another evidence that God cares about the details of our lives.

recent pics

"spike"

lisey and jojo had a playdate at our house

we put an island in the kitchen just recently. lisey just discovered that the one side is just high enough for her to hide under!

yogurt face

stroller dude has a new hat!

oh my goodness...could he be any cuter! my handsome boy!

carrying on the name

justin and his other two male cousins have wondered for years now whether or not the baloche name would live on...but here is living proof that it will...thanks to little clayton and isaac...and any other little men the Lord might bless the family with. aren't they cuties!

our first vacation with two kids!

we recently returned from our first vacation with both kids...and we had a great time! we vacationed with mimi, grampy and aunt mare-mare. we stayed at doug's family's vacation house and got to visit the Zooquarium, the beach, a cool spot where the fish and seals come in, restaurants, and more. as crazy as it sounds, this was lisey's first trip to the beach and first time seeing the ocean! she thought the beach was her own personal sand box...and sort of warmed of to the ocean after a while as well. she also had her first experience with an outdoor shower and did quite well! isaac proved faithful to nurse and nap just about anywhere...even on a windy beach! it was a memorable time for all of us! thanks mimi and grampy!

recent pics

whew!

it has been a busy month already! first we celebrated justin's 30th birthday with a huge suprise party including our family and dear friends from church. it's been in the works since may...and with the help of countless people, we pulled it off! as you can tell...he was totally surprised! (poor elise though, was totally frightened!)

thank you vanessa, for the incredible cake!

all the babies that were in attendance...isaac is the little dude in orange.

then laura and nora came to town...here's one of the many shots we took while attempting a christmas photo. note the lollipops all the kids are sucking on to attempt to keep them sitting :)

and here is a recent pic of isaac. note the curly locks on top...it's a bit hard to see...but like elise, when his hair is wet, it sure does curl. we'll see how it grows in! it is amazing watching another little one grow before my eyes. it is all so different with the second one though. i don't even know that i can put it all into words. but i am enjoying him, and actually have to go now, because he is just waking up.