Fun with Stephanie

This weekend we went to visit Denise and Kerry. Stephanie is crawling and pulling up now and William had fun playing with his little cousin.

2nd Anniversary

Russ and I have now been married two whole years!! :) We feel very blessed of the Lord in so many ways. I'm so thankful to be on this journey by the side of such a wonderful man. For a long time I felt like our life together was more like a gentle floating downstream. Now it is becoming more of a journey. The Lord has brought a few sad things and there are parts of the road ahead that, while still partially hidden, seem very steep and rocky, but I'm excited to see how the Lord will work. I'm also excited about the opportunity to grow closer and more in love with my husband as we navigate it together.

To celebrate our anniversary we took William to Grandma and Pappa’s for the night and then Russ and I went out to eat and toured Duke Gardens.

Here is William having lots of fun rocking in what used to be Aunt Denise’s rocking chair. He had lots of fun during his first overnight stay.

Daddy's Hat

Pool Time

Thanks for the Box

A friend recently gave William a present. We thought the contents of the box were great. William thought the box was the best. These pictures are a great summary of his interactions with all his toys. I would say he spends 10% of his time playing with toys and the other 90% is spent emptying my pots and pans cabinet, my towel drawer, bathroom sink cabinet...

William and Daddy at the Beach

Beach Trip Take 2

What a fun time we had! William, Caleb, Michael, Elizabeth and Joshua.

Our Beach Trip Take 1

We went to the beach on Friday. I don't think any of the kids really remembered the ocean so it was great fun seeing them so excited and loving playing in the water. The waves that day were great!! I'm sure they'll remember it forever.

When we first got there though it was cold and looked like it was going to rain. However the sun soon came out and stayed out the whole time we were there.

Williamsburg

This summer I'll be visiting Williamsburg quite frequently, which is great by me! I think its one of my most favorite places. We went when Tim and Amanda were here, I'll go again when my friends from St. Louis come, and then I'll go again when my Mom and Dad come. When William gets old enough to realize whats what I think I'll have to stop going so much or I'm afraid it will not be one of his most favorite places
and that would be a bummer.

Visit with Family

The first part of May my brother Tim, his wife Amanda, and their 4 children came to visit. Is was great having them here. William absolutely loved all the kids. He is very much of a people person it seems and he loves watching and playing with kids.

Joshua is 3 months younger than William but you would think its the other way around. He was already walking with no problem.

Uncle Russ made homemade strawberry ice cream for us all and it was delicious!

Heaven's Soul

This is the only “picture” that we will ever have of our second child. It’s a picture from the night I told Russ I was pregnant and we celebrated God’s gift to us. I was about 8 weeks when I miscarried. When I think of this one we will never see on earth I think of him/her as Heaven’s Soul. I decided I wanted to post this picture as a way of making a little memorial. A way of saying there is a person that was created and though he will never be known on earth he is known in heaven.

We are sad about our loss but we are confident of our sovereign God’s love and care for us. His ways are perfect.

Fun with William

Here are just a few pictures of William busy doing some of the many things he does these days. I am really loving this stage. He is so much happier now than he was the first, oh, 9 months of his life. He isn’t walking yet, but I think he will be soon. He is always under foot. His favorite thing to do is play in the kitchen drawer and kitchen cabinet. I have to admit that I love how he always wants to be where ever I am—well, except when I’m trying to clean the bathrooms.

I think this outfit is so cute!

Kleenex Anyone?