A Walk to Remember

Sophia took her first steps back in the beginning of August. Like her brother and sister, however, she has only recently begun to master it with a HUGE toothy grin!! I'm actually thankful that none of our kids were early walkers. I've really enjoyed watching their progress and honing the skills necessary to take off on foot. All of them, Sophia included, went from taking just a few cautious steps here and there to just deciding one day to stand up and take off! Quite surprising and exciting all at the same time. I managed to grab a few shots yesterday as Sophia came after me down the hallway. While I forgot my flash thus making the first shot a huge blur, her expression is priceless! And you can also see the game wasn't so fun to her anymore because Momma kept moving her back while Momma remained further away to capture the moment! Oh the torture of it all ;)

Just like Daddy

If there's one thing that makes me smile, it is the sound of my husband's truck rumble into our driveway. Diesels are like that. The only thing that makes me smile bigger is the sound of our three kids squealing and scampering to the door to greet him. It truly makes my heart swell.

I remember when Daryl and I were dating, I was moved to tears one day thinking of how blessed our kids would one day be because of having him as their dad. It was something that I was keenly tuned into--especially if we would one day have girls (which, by the way, I thought I would never have--but God has a great sense of humor that way).


And while I know that dads are equally important in their son's life, there is nothing that a girl on this earth needs more than her daddy. I was a Daddy's Girl. And when my dad was in his car accident it turned my life upside down. Thankfully, I also have some great uncles. And I became an Uncle's Girl. It's great for me to see this all coming full circle.



And when I was little, the best pajamas were my Uncle's work shirts. I loved them almost as much as I loved him! I felt so special and important in them. That shirt was like a badge of honor. It embodied what I saw in my Uncle. I saw how hard he worked, what a loyal and faithful worker he was, how the shirt would bear a salt-line at the end of the day from his sweat, how he used everyday job scenarios to witness to his buddies, how he helped friends & family in need after a long day's work. That shirt, when worn by my uncle, taught me lessons in life--hard work, faith, family, sacrifice, love, honesty.

My older sister and I still talk about those shirts.

So the other night when Brayden and Savannah came into our room and asked Daryl if they could wear one of his Jayco shirts to bed, my heart melted all over again. I knew exactly what they were feeling and exactly how wearing that shirt made them feel. I saw the pride and admiration in their eyes as Daryl helped them put on their shirts. I pray that they, too, may see the same life lessons I did in a shirt. Because their Daddy embodies those same qualities--hard work, faith, family, sacrifice, love, honesty--qualities that my kids relate with a shirt and, more importantly, the man wearing the shirt.


You see, my kids adore and admire their Daddy...and rightly so. They get it from their Momma :)

Celebrating Phia's first year

BIRTHDAY GIRL!!

Sophia is 1 today!! Here's a look back to what we were doing one year ago...I am so thankful to not be there right now :)







...and some glimpses of Sophia's first year:















What a blessed year it has been with Sophia added to our family. She is our (almost)always smiley-face! She has such a great disposition...I pray that it carries through all of her life. She adores her family--especially Brayden, Savannah, and, more recently, Grampa! The highlight of her day is anything with her brother and sister; they're the first ones she looks for when she awakes and the last ones she hugs and kisses before bed. The year has passed so quickly :( I'm thankful for pictures and video to capture some of the many moments that we cherish. Before long she too will be heading off to school :( For now, she's conquering and exploring everything around her, soaking in all the love and adoration from her siblings, and growing like a weed!

Happy first birthday, sweet Sophia Kathryn! We love you soooooooooooo much!

Bruised AND broken!!!

That would be our little Savannah. Bruised face--broken collarbone. Yes, you read that correctly. I had her to our Dr.'s first thing this morning for x-rays to confirm what we had already suspected (thanks Jennifer for your impromptu eval at our house!). She did her x-rays like a champ, albeit somewhat reserved, but she did great nonetheless. And I could see the break as clear as day as soon as the tech processed them. I was the one kicking myself for not having known sooner! We're not sure if it happened when she collided with Logan or when she fell off the bed during her nap OR a combo of the two or even something totally different. Dr. says this is common...I sure hope not in this house! All that being said, she's doing great. Wrapped up in a figure-8 ACE wrap and running through the yard as if nothing happened! Oh, and a little Motrin on board for the pain :]

The two photos above are Savannah right after her collision with Logan--instant purple egg on her head. Its now morphed into a greenish-yellow and has moved down the center of her face and around her eyes. So cute, eh?? She kinda looks like the Beast instead of Belle(from Beauty and the Beast)!

I haven't taken any shots of her all wrapped up yet, so maybe I can get to those later. Until then, pray for a fast and great healing at the site! And, yes, I am thankful that she didn't need casted, surgery, or anything crazy--the break was a "clean" one--no crazy edges or fragments...so there are blessings in this!!

5 Months--and the best picture ever!

Sunday, Dec. 9th marked Sophia's 5 month birthday. Hard to believe she's that old already!! Granny and Pap were out to visit & help with the Christkindl Market. Granny decided to help Sophia celebrate by putting Brayden's new earmuffs (AKA cheek-squeezers) on her--as you can clearly see she was NOT initially impressed by them...




But the idea quickly grew on her and she was soon smiling from earmuff to earmuff...




She is truly such a happy baby, always smiling and now singing us these wonderful little tunes.



Her beautiful, big blue eyes (which she got from her Daddy) are twinkling and bright and bring us so much joy! I thought you would enjoy gazing into them as well...



She has now conquered rolling over from her back to her belly (which actually irritates her!). Oh, and doing "Windsor Pilate Powerhouse crunches" in her swing. It is hysterical to watch and about gives me a heart attack every time I see her doing it. I think that she's going to go head-over-feet right out of the swing! She still adores her brother and sister--and Brayden can get her belly laughing without much effort...she LOVES him!! They both still have a hard time giving her some personal space, but she'll handle her own soon enough. And she gets SO excited when her Daddy comes into the room...her chunky little leggies start kicking about a mile a minute!

And, of course, she still thinks her Momma rocks most of all...and I am totally LOVING that!

What a blessing you are, Sophia Kathryn.

The beauty of Fall

WE LOVE FALL !

Its amazing to think that God created all of this for His glory and our pleasure. He speaks to me so vividly through His creation. I am always humbled and in awe of Him when I'm outside...especially in Fall. He could have just made the leaves fall off in one day, but instead He paints them all different colors, gets the lighting at sunset just right, and scents the air with that crisp, fresh smell so that I'm standing there in utter amazement at the beauty of it all...and of Him.

The kids and I have been having a blast in the leaves. Brayden & Savannah ( and me, too!) love seeing all of the pumpkins and watching all of the farmers around us harvesting their final crops for the season. We're drinking up all of the local homemade apple cider that we can because, like everything in life, this too will pass. Truly, to quote one of my favorites, This is My Father's World!