An ordinary day

Today is not your birthday. It's not a special day. It's just an ordinary Friday. But I am overwhelmed today at the gift of being your mom and I thought I should mark the day with a post. Here are some things I love about you today:

• Singing "Ring around the Rosy" in the backyard until we all fall down and end up covered in leaves.
• The Wheels on the Bus!
• Kate's "Tinkerbell Mommy Dress." You wear this dress around the house with whatever else you have on. You even go to sleep with it on.
• Your love for your daddy. He is your hero and you just can't get enough of him. 
• Saturdays together. It's the one day the four of us have together every week and I treasure every minute.

Kiddos, I feel like life is running by so quickly right now and I'm always trying to catch up. I always worry that the time and attention I give you is not enough. I'm so thankful to God for filling in the gaps. I love you both more than words could ever express.

In God we trust

Every letter I ever got from my grandmother had the words "In God we trust" written across the back of the envelope. I got the news tonight that she passed from this world into the arms of Jesus. I can't help but reflect on the importance of those words to her. 

My Gram started telling me about Jesus before I could walk or talk. Every time I spent with her as a child was filled with stories from the Bible and she never missed an opportunity to tell me that Jesus loved me. I could believe in Jesus' love because I believed so strongly in her love. 

She was a feisty woman. When we were kids, she came to all of our games, recitals, etc. If she didn't agree with a call that an umpire or coach made, she wasn't afraid to tell them. She was our biggest fan. 

For the longest time, I thought she wrote "In God we trust" on her letters because she was really patriotic. While I don't doubt her love for America, I think now that she wrote that as a testimony to her faith that God was trustworthy all the time, no matter what. 

In all my life, I never saw her faith in God waver. I never saw her miss an opportunity to share God's love. I'm so glad she had the occasion to meet and hold both of my children. I will always treasure this picture as I share with Kate and John Parker the legacy she leaves behind. An unwavering faith in a trustworthy and always-loving God. 

I already miss you so much, Gram. I can't wait to dance with you on the streets of heaven.

Gram with Kate and John Parker, Christmas 2010

A little man at 18 months

Dear Little Man,

You are 18-months old today! I can't believe how fast time is flying by. Last night I was really getting on to you for throwing your food on the floor. I made you pick up every piece and put it back on your plate. I was trying to be so stern with you, but you kept looking at me with your big blue eyes and I just wanted to give you a big hug and a kiss. You are strong, physically and mentally, and I know you're going to keep me on my toes. You bring so much joy into our lives. Here are some of the things I want to remember about you at 18 months:

• You go to sleep most nights about 7:30 and you wake up around 7 a.m. (actually you wake up around 5 a.m., but we give you a cup of milk and you play for a bit and go back to sleep). Usually you are so tired at night from playing all day long that you go right to sleep. 
• You are so, so strong. The other day you pulled a cable outlet completely out of the wall behind your crib. You love to climb stairs and play, play, play outside.
• You are starting to talk more all the time. You call Alli "Ya-ya." Other words you say are "Momma, dada, ball, bubble, and book." I'm sure there are lots of other words you're trying to say. We're learning your language :)
• You don't care much for television or videos. Sometimes you'll watch for a few minutes, but you'd rather be playing.
• You eat most things now. You love fresh fruit, peas, chicken, hot dogs. We haven't really found much you don't like at this age.
• You love your sister. You like follow her around and play with whatever toy she has. She loves you too. The other night we were at Chik-fil-A and it was so sweet to hear her taking care of you in the play area. 

Little man, it's not an exaggeration to say my heart bursts with love for you. I can't even contain it all. We love you, little man!

Fro-yo with Momma

Moving upstairs

A little over three years ago, I walked down a long hallway at church and dropped my baby off for the first time in the nursery. A few months later, I left her for the first time with people I didn't know at her little preschool. It was hard, but each step of the way God has provided amazing teachers for her who have loved her and have seen in her all the amazing things we see. 

This morning at church, Kate moved to a new class, upstairs. Tomorrow morning at school, she moves to a new class, upstairs. I don't know why, but this just feels like a big step. Like everyone else in her life is seeing what I see, that she's not a baby anymore. Not even a toddler. She's a little girl. 

She rationalizes. She takes care of her little brother. Tonight in the bathtub we had a conversation about compassion. She wants to wear pink shoes and a dress to school because that's what the other little girls wear. 

I can't lie, I'm not ready to let go of the baby years yet. I miss her chubby little cheeks and fingers. But I'm already seeing the amazing plans God has for her life unfold and I can't wait to see what He has in store. So let's do this, God. Let's go upstairs. 

Kate with her little friend Isabella (left) when they were two. They're still in the same class and still great buds!

*Update*

Here they are this morning! Big girl and boy heading upstairs to their new classes.

Making memories

One night at the beach, we had the chance to take some family photos. It was such a beautiful night!

The whole family

John Parker chilling out

Kate and Dottie 

Uncle Dave and Aunt Lisa 

Kids must so confused when you let them get nice clothes dirty during photo shoots :)

Dottie and Ditto 

Momma and her girl

My dad and brother. Two great men!

My not-so-little brother

Dottie and John Parker

A stunning sunset 

Ana Maria Island

The wedding was great, but this picture of John Parker pretty much sums up how tired we all were. Luckily, we headed to the beach for a few days of fun in the sun!

We stayed in Ana Maria Island, near Bradenton. It was a beautiful little inn right across the street from the beach. Our rooms opened right onto the pool deck and one of our units had a great balcony where we could watch the sun set. It was beautiful. 

Our rooms.

On our first day there, Uncle Dave and Aunt Lisa chartered a boat for us to all take out together. I was a little apprehensive about taking the kids on the boat all day, but they did so great. We had an unforgettable day. We cruised around for most of the day.

We stopped for a while to fish and play in the water.

John Parker took a great nap.

And we pulled up to dock at a great restaurant for lunch. It was such a fun day. 

On the second day, we played most of the day on the beach. Kate has been apprehensive in the past about playing in the water, but she loved it. She played with Aunt Lisa for the longest time and loved splashing in the waves. 

John Parker took another long nap. Something about the water just knocks this kid out. 

He woke up in time to get some quality play time in. 

He spent some time hanging with Uncle Dave when we headed inside. 

Sweet Summertime

So as to not lose my sanity, there are a few promises I've had to make to myself. One is to never apologize for how long it takes me to update this blog. Life's been busy with lots of fun and good times, so I'll try to update over a few posts. I'm taking a little bit of time off this summer and it's been so great to spend extra time with the kids and Fred. We started the summer off with a fun trip to Florida. The last time we went was Christmas and we all had a stomach bug. We didn't get to see many people. This time was so much better.

We started with a visit to our dear friends in Tallahassee. This is Fred's best childhood friend and he and his sweet wife have two little girls. The kids had fun playing together and we all had a great time visiting.

We headed on to Central Florida for Uncle Earl's wedding. What a happy day!