4th of July Fun!

Lil' G's 1st 4th of July

EE thinking of running through the water falling from the slip-n-slide

BA enjoying the trampoline

CJ...almost waited too late to slide

EE...cutest thing ever!

Me and my G-daddy

Me and Nona

EE trying to see the fish

Happy swimmer :)

My lil' snorkeler :)

Eating another cookie on a stick...not sure how many she had, but it was a lot

G watching the swimmers with Meme

All tired out from such a busy day

After the youngest ones got to bed...a little treat with the older ones :)

These pictures give a glimpse into the fun day we had on July 4th. We celebrated our freedom with family and friends- one family gathering at Uncle Frankie and Aunt Dela's house in the morning and a church pool party/ cook out  at Kevin and Wendy's in the afternoon. We are so grateful to live in the USA. May we never take our freedoms for granted.

Lil' G @ 2 Months

I have decided that time is escaping faster than I like it. Lil' G is now 2 months old! He is growing and maturing really fast. At his check up he weighed 14 pounds, 13 ounces and was 23.5 inches long. G mostly wears 3-6 month clothes, but he does wear some 6-9 month clothes. He wears a size 3 diaper. My favorite thing is that  he now flashes those adorable smiles and cooes at you when you talk to him. He has learned how to suck on his hand. (And don't take it out to buckle him into a car seat or you will find one furious lil' fellow!). G's acid reflux is improving a lot since his medicine was changed, so we hope that he can start sleeping in his bed instead of the car seat soon! All of the other kids really love him and ask to hold him a lot. The problem with that is that G is learning if he cries when they get him, Mom comes to the rescue. BA has told me many times, "Mama, he just doesn't like me." I think I have finally about convinced BA that it has nothing to do with him, but that babies just want their Mommy. I silently savor the preference, because I know that there is coming a time- and sooner than I will be ready for it- that he will prefer to trot off in the yard with his Daddy and the rest of the guys. So in the meantime, I'm loving every minute of cuddle time I get!

Marine Lab

Checking out the sea animals

BA and his hermit crab...one of the first he picked up...a little nervous :)

EE looking at Papa's crab. Shortly after he picked it up she told him to "put that back in the water."

EE and the other member of our family...She doesn't let us go anywhere without her baby.

Me and lil' G

EE with cousin L teaching her about the animals

CJ was proud of his star fish

Have you ever seen so many fiddler crabs? I bet there were thousands in this boat!

BA's favorite animal- the horseshoe crab....he was slightly afraid to take his eyes off the crab for a picture...but we managed :)

CJ and the horseshoe crab he caught

This post is a little late, but I wanted to share about our trip to the marine lab. It was a spur of the moment one, but it was worth it. It all started with a call from Papa and Meme, and pretty soon we were off to join them on the road. After a short trip, (with many "Are we there yets?") we were there. The children LOVED seeing so many sea animals, and I was asked far more questions than I had answers for. The lab had different tanks set up throughout- some where you could touch the animals and some where you couldn't.  At first none of the children wanted to pick up any animals. In time, both BA and CJ got brave, but EE never decided to hold one. Quite a few times I heard her say, "Put that back in the water!" At any rate, some of their favorite animals there were sharks, stingrays, crabs, and the giant sea turtle. I'm thankful that we were able to take them, and I look forward to going back to visit the "sea creatures" (as CJ calls them).

Sunday Scroll

I rejoiced with those who said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

                                               -Psalm 122:1

Precious Memories

When I took this picture a week ago, I knew it was a treasure. It was hard to put into words then, but now they seem to come to me. This was when Lil' G met his great granddaddy R. We knew time was fleeting for granddaddy and we wanted our youngest to meet him. We made the 80 minute trek, and now a week later we are so thankful we did. For Granddaddy has now gone on to be with Jesus.As I now look at this picture it sends me into so much deep thought...mainly how God highly values life. We believe that ALL life is precious in his sight- from the cradle right to the grave.

The following verses continue to remind me that no matter our age, God has a plan that he has known before we were ever in existence. May we be challenged to live a life honoring unto our Lord. Thank-you Granddaddy for the legacy of faith you have left behind.I am so thankful to serve a God that knew when we would arrive in this world and when we will depart from it.

"My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Psalm 139:15-16