Colorado, Montana, and home again

While AJ enjoyed views like this on a trip to Glacier National Park with his dad and brother,



and impressing everybody he met at a Chick-fil-A training in Atlanta to be a Grand Opening Trainer,

the kids and I went to stay with my parents in Colorado Springs for two weeks. AJ was so sweet to orchestrate the details so that we weren't left home alone. I didn't do a very good job of taking pictures, but here's a few.

While in Colorado, the kids loved gardening, playing outside in the beautiful weather, playing with friends, yummy treats homemade by Grandma and from the ice cream truck, and lots of playing with Grandpa, Grammy, and even Great Grandma who came to visit for a couple days. The big memory from the trip was the wild bunny AJ found on the road in his few hours at my parents' between his two trips. My mom suggested that we let the kids have it for a pet while at their house. Unfortunately, it didn't even live the one week we had left there, but they still loved having a pet for a short time.

The day after Drew was released from the hospital for some more breathing issues, my mom and I made the trek with the girls to Cheyenne, WY for AJ's cousin's wedding. It was a big treat to see so many family members, and my dad was so kind to keep Drew so that he could recover at home.

Here's a shot of the great grandkids of Great Grandma Maggie's who made it to the wedding.

Another big highlight was a trip to The North Pole the day before we left for Arkansas. It's an amusement that's really geared for small kids, and we had a great time!

When asked what they want for Christmas, they just stared. We'll enjoy it while it lasts!

The kids loved this tram even though it went high above the ground. As long as things don't go fast, we can handle them!

This was Drew's favorite. There were no lines, so when he finished riding the bus, he'd yell (that's really the only volume he uses) for the firetruck or motorcycle and rode it many times in a row.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a fun memory and for hosting us for two fun weeks!

Sharing the news

A summer in Arkansas

Well, it's been hot and humid, but we've enjoyed getting to know new people, spending time with family, and a few visitors too. May was full of trips then we were mostly home for June and July then went to Colorado for a couple weeks in August (post coming later). Here's a few picture highlights.

We were thrilled to have Julie Brown (a sweet Midland friend, favorite babysitter, and discipleship teammate) come visit for a long weekend.

Julie and the kids on a hike at Mt Magazine

We love living closer to family and having opportunities to see them more often!

Hugs for cousin Alexandria

My friend, Sarah, and I have been swapping babysitting to give each other a break once a week. It's been nice, and the kids have a good time together!

Lydia and Matthias

Popsicles are a definitely summertime must!


The new Mr and Mrs Chaney came to visit in July. Travis was a huge hit with the kids!

Making dinner with Auntie Gigi

And my favorite summer pictures of the kids:

Reading stories to their babies. Everyone's dresses were made by my mom--adorable!
The girls are starting AWANA this year and love going to story time at the library, playing with friends, and dancing, singing, and playing with their sister and brother at home.



Drew loves to stand at the counter and be my helper. He loves trucks and choo-choo trains. His favorite thing to do is stand by a road and pump his fist asking trucks to honk at him (Daddy taught him one day, and it's a cute guy thing they like to do). He plays more and more with his sisters, has strong opinions about most things, and is very loud pretty much all the time. We think he's so handsome, and we laugh at him a lot.

In other news, he's been diagnosed with reactive airway disease which is pretty much asthma in little ones. We're hopeful that he will grow out of it with time, but for now any allergy season or cold brings lots of inhaler puffs, concerns about having to go back to the ER, and a need to watch him very carefully.

All in all, we're doing great and really enjoying our current life stage!

A baby! A baby! A baby!

When I found out I was pregnant, the thing I wanted to do most was tell the girls the exciting news! However, I knew I had to wait unless we wanted the whole world to know right away. The day of my 8 week appointment, we decided it was time. I made these stick people pancakes to represent our family and used sprinkles to decorate, including a special design on everyone's shirt using their favorite color. When we brought the kids down, they immediately named everyone then got to the little person on the end. "Who's that?!" We told them that Mommy has a baby in my tummy and that they get to be big sisters again. Jenna gave my belly a strange and confused stare then both girls were full of big smiles. Then came our favorite comments:
"Mom, God answered my prayer!" -Jenna
"I'm SO excited!" -Lydia

The girls continue to check on the baby often, asking if she's hungry and quickly telling me to start eating. They've also asked if the baby will be okay when I'm driving and if it hurts the baby when they touch (or elbow during story time) my tummy. Drew loves to pat my belly and say "Baby!" I'm 12 weeks now, feeling great, beginning to show, and super excited! And...AJ's working on my stamina and is trying to convince me that we should wait til Baby's birthday to find out the gender. I'm pretty sure he's going to win this with his logic, just like he does most arguments.