Class Trip

Yesterday, my third grade class went on our very first field trip! We walked to the Governor's mansion and toured the campus. It was beautiful and we had so much fun. In one room, all of the fine china and crystal were laid out in preparation for a party or a dinner! My fellow teacher and friend, Mary Elizabeth, went with us and she and I were commenting on how much fun it would be to attend a such an event! Wishful thinking. . .

Check ups

We took Summer and Tilly today for their well check-ups. Summer is growing like a weed! She weighs 26 pounds and is 34 1/2 inches tall! She has such a sweet personality, she loves to be held and to give kisses! Tilly weighs 11 pounds 9 ounces and is 23 inches tall! She is just the sweetest baby and her smiles just make our day! She is healthy and growing and for that we are so thankful! We take Tilly on November 12 for another ultrasound. We covet your prayers during this time. Please pray specifically and foremost that God would heal Tilly's body. Pray for clarity for the tech and the radiologist reading the ultrasound photos. Pray for Dr. Bussey, our pediatric surgeon, that he would have wisdom to make the right decision for our little one. Pray for Mommy and Daddy that we would have grace and strength for such a time as this. Pray for baby Tilly that she would grow up strong and healthy so that God can use her to impact His kingdom. We are so thankful for all three of our precious little ones. Here are a few recent photos for you to enjoy!
Mommy's helpers!

Hard at work!

Look at those sweet cheeks!

Larry, Moe, & Curly

This week has been crazy! David was in class for his doctoral work, so I was flying solo with the precious little ones! In an email to David's sister, I jokingly referred to them as Larry, Moe, & Curly! Carter is definitely Larry with his fun, curly hair! He has been so silly this week. The other night I was getting his toothbrush and toothpaste out and he said to me (very emphatically) "I don't wanna brush my teeth! I poopied in the potty todaaaaaaay!" Tilly would have to be Curly because she has NO hair! Summer would be Moe always thumping somebody on the head! We have had a crazy time getting through this week without Daddy! Thank goodness for the baby Bjorn, now if I only had go-go Gadget arms and legs. . .

Tilly Brooke is Two Months Old

Time passes by so quickly when they are little! Two months ago today we welcomed baby Tilly Brooke into our family. In this short time, she has already brought so much joy into our home. In honor of her two month birthday, I am going to blog ten things I love about Tilly Brooke. This is a short list because there are so many things I love about this precious little one. She is such a sweet baby, so content and laid back! Thank you, God, for baby Tilly! We love her so much!

1. I love her name! It has so much special meaning in our family! I just love it!
2. I love her smile! She has this cute dimple on the left side of her mouth, it is precious!
3. I love that she snores when she is sleeping really soundly!
4. I love how Carter talks to her in a very sweet voice!
5. I love how Summer kisses her on the head when I am feeding her!
6. I love that she is sleeping all night!
7. I love watching David hold her and talk to her!
8. I love looking into her big blue eyes and watching her look at me!
9. I love how she snuggles up under my chin when I am holding her!
10. I love that God gave her to us!

Happy Birthday Papa

Tomorrow, October 16th, is a special day for our family! We are celebrating David's dad's birthday! He is better known at our house as Papa. In honor of the birthday boy, we put together a slideshow of some favorite pictures of Papa with our family. Thank you for being a wonderful father to David and me and for being an awesome grandfather to Carter, Summer, and Tilly. Happy birthday! We hope your special day is full of all things that bring you joy! We love you and miss you!

Gigi

David's mom, aka Miss Cindy, better known at our house as Gigi came to spend this past week with us! She was such a HUGE help around the house and getting the children up and ready to go to school each morning. I'm not quite sure how we will make it this week without her help! We were able to do lots of fun things while she was here, but failed to take pictures of each event! I need to do better at taking pictures because the children change daily and I don't want to miss a thing! A few highlights from the week were yummy home cooked meals, cookies, singing lots of songs, reading lots of books, shopping, going to church, and going to the fall festival at the school where I teach and where Carter attends pre-school! Carter even got to go on his first pony ride! Also, David and I were able to go on a DATE! We went to see a movie for the first time in almost 3 years - I know sad, isn't it? Anyway, we went to see the movie Fireproof and it was awesome! We highly recommend it to any and everyone! It offers such a clear presentation of the gospel that if you have any friends who are lost and searching this might be a great way to open a door! The movie is also a great encouragement to those who are married or hoping to get married one day. Thank you, Gigi, for allowing us to spend some quality uninterrupted time together! This was truly a gift! We miss you already and we hope you will come back soon to visit! Here are a few pictures of Gigi with each of the children!

What a Week

We have known this time was coming, but boy did it sneak up on me! Being at home with my family since June has been such a sweet gift! I loved spending weeks with just Carter and Summer before baby Tilly's arrival and I have loved being at home with just my girls while Carter has been in pre-school. This is my last week at home and the time has just flown by. I am not sure this week has gone the way I would have chosen, but we don't always get to choose. Monday we spent the morning at Scottish Rite Children's Hospital having an ultrasound done on Tilly's pelvis. Two weeks before delivery a cystic structure was discovered, so this was to be a follow-up. Tuesday we received a phone call from our pediatrician with the results asking us to see a pediatric surgeon. Wednesday I spent the day crying and praying and worrying about my precious baby girl. Today, Thursday, we went to see the pediatric surgeon. My mom went with us and it was so comforting to have her there with us. After reviewing our file, he shared with us that Tilly does indeed have a large cyst (about the size of a golf ball) on her right ovary. We were not prepared for it to be so large. For now, we are going to wait and watch it. In 6 weeks we will return to Children's Hospital for another ultrasound and then we will wait to hear from the pediatric surgeon. I don't usually wait very well. A sweet friend shared this verse with me on Tuesday when I called to share with her our news. "When I am afraid, I will trust in you." Psalm 56:3. I have been very afraid this week. That same night, I was feeding Tilly and David was putting Carter and Summer to bed. We have a bedtime routine that has recently included singing songs together. They were singing Jesus loves me. Now, I have been singing Jesus loves me all my life, but the words. "little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong" struck a chord in my heart and it made me so thankful that Tilly does belong to Jesus and that He is very strong in her weakness. What a week it has been. There have been some really sweet moments this week too. Below are some pictures of my sweet children taken this week. Please join us in praying for complete healing in Tilly's little body.

Tilly on Carter's bed with his animals!

Carter eating a snack enjoying the fall weather.

Tummy Time

MUAH!

Carter loves his baby sister. He talks to her in

the sweetest voice! He gives her lots of kisses!