9 months old

I am so in love with this little guy.  He is just a ball of energy.  He is standing everywhere and his little crawl is too cute.  We are having so much fun with this kid - love him!

Pops turned 60!

We celebrated Pops' birthday this past weekend in San Antonio and had such a great time!  Here are way too many pictures:

Happy weekend and Happy 60th birthday Pops!!!

8!

Growing up!  Ty is now in a new phase of movement.  He is pulling up - loves to stand by the window and look out.  Today I found him on top of the dishwasher door - and so it begins.  He can get into a sitting up position and we have seen a real crawl several times although he still goes back to the army crawl most of the time.  Perhaps its the floors or just that he knows he can get somewhere fast.  He LOVES eating finger foods - whole peas, banana pieces, apple pieces, you name it.  This kid continues to be joy.  He looks for attention wherever we go and can really ham it up.  We are in for it.  He still has just the bottom two teeth but that third one has barely been poking out for about 3 weeks - come on tooth!  What a gift this boy is - Matt was telling someone Ty's story the other day and said that Ty is like our Heavenly Father just giving us a hug when we needed one.  What a reminder that He cares for us and loves us.  Ty's life continues to remind us of our Lords faithfulness and blessing.  Happy 8 months little man.

Emma is 4!

A few weeks ago our "little" Emma turned 4!  I cannot believe how she is growing up so fast.  This girl LOVES to talk.  She is really into pretending princess, on a typical day you will find her in a princess dress or tutu outside swinging or digging in the dirt.  She loves her hair long and wants it to keep growing. Emma is a great big sister, always wanting to help but also likes her space when he is fussy.  We had a simple little butterfly themed party for Emma with a few friends and it was perfect!  Love this girl!

                                         

The gang - wings and all

Pops, Paka and Daddy built a swing set for Emma's birthday- its perfect!

6 & 7

Well - since Ty is almost 8 months its time to post the last two...

So here is our little guy at 6 months:

At 6 months he really started moving and has not stopped.  He loves to move, but can also chill in his carseat for hours while we run errands or go to Emma's dance class.  He knows how to go with the flow.

And now at 7 months:

At 7 months the army crawl is still going strong.  He can go so fast it is funny to watch.  His favorite places that I find him are in Emma's room and the bathroom.  He laughs as I try to catch him before he reaches the toilet.  Little stinker.  He also loves roaming under the table to see what foods Emma has dropped.  Eating - this guy is a great eater.  The only thing he does not love so far is bananas.  His favorites are carrots, sweet potatoes and peas.  He loves to be around people, he could watch his big sister for hours and she sure can make him laugh.  Its so fun to watch their little relationship grow.  

What a blessing they are - pictures from Emma's 4th birthday coming soon!!

5 months old

Somehow we missed four months... I'll have to find those pictures :) This bundle of joy is growing up way too fast, he is rolling all over the place and loves loves toys or anything he can hold onto.  He's going to be an adventurous one for sure.  Love this guy!

Home.

To many this is just a cute saying.  To my family this has gained significant meaning in the past year.  As I sit tonight I remember back to one year ago tomorrow - it was one year ago when we got a phone call that changed the course of our family.  We did not know it but my mom had begun her journey home.  A day does not go by that I do not miss her, it has been nearly 6 months that my mom said goodbye to this earthly home and went on to her forever home.  The biggest blessing was to watch a godly woman finish well, to know where she was going, to know that it was going to be better for her, to know that she was going to a place where she could kneel in front of her Saviour, face to face.  What in incredible blessing!  The second blessing was that she left a family that knows our Maker as well.  I do not have the strength to live my life without my mom - everyone needs a mom (which brings our desire for adoption in full strength, but thats for another post) - but He has the strength.  What a concept that He sees the big picture, that He knows, and that He cares.  So today as I remember back to when the journey all began I look at this pillow and I have hope - hope that my home is in Heaven, and I wonder, what do people do who don't have that hope...