Our Summer From the Outside

Here is just a quick run down of some of the highlights from our summer! 

My baby turned one.....

 



 

We had a BLAST camping......



We spent some perfect days with our best friends (a.k.a. brother, sister and cousins!)...

 



Spent the day at the County Fair...

 

 

 

Painted our house (WOOOOHOOOO!!!)....

 

Got to meet some amazing people, like my dear friend LaNel whom I'd only known online for several years...

 

 And David's sweet cousin Callia whom the girls had never met...

 

 

And possibly the best part of the whole summer, meeting the newest cousin, Baby Micah!  I am so hopelessly in love!

 

 

In between these wonderful times you could have found us playing in the sunshine, working in the garden (with what the deer didn't demolish!), at the library (our new favorite thing!) or just living life as usual!

 

I can't believe summer is almost completely over ( although being the fall lover I am I can't say I'm too sad!).  We have had so much fun!  We may not have hit everything on our bucket list (maybe we'll go to the zoo in the fall instead...) but it was such a wonderful time to live life together! 

Cousins, Alfalfa and Caves, Oh My!

Last week we went down to southern Oregon to visit David's brother Jonathan, his wife Laura and their three beautiful daughters.  Our girls adore their cousins! 

Talia is only two months older than Ella and the big girls all loved playing with her!

Eliana (Ellie) and Esther are only three months apart and they have always had a special bond with each other.  They were making each other giggle the whole trip!

Baby Tirzah is growing up so fast!  She was full of smiles the entire time.  It felt so good to have a baby to hold and smooch on! (My baby is growing up WAY too fast!)

Laura fed us like kings (hilarious I know).  She is such a good cook and we were completely spoiled!  The girls got to help Uncle Jonathan make ice cream one night!

On Saturday it was "Bonanza Days" so went went downtown and watched the parade.

Our girls had almost made a dent in their candy from the 4th of July so this was very providential.

With eight girls seven and under it was a party all the time!  Jonathan is working on his in-law's farm this summer so while he and David weren't moving wheel lines and swathing they took the girls on dirt bike rides through the alfalfa fields.  The girls loved it there on the farm.  It was so beautiful!

Sunday afternoon, before we came home, we went to the lava beds just across the California border.

It was a fascinating place.  So barren yet beautiful. 

 

Auntie Laura stayed with the babies while the rest of us went down the explore the first cave.  It was so incredible to think of the lava that flowed through to make these caves.  The girls LOVED trying out different paths and seeing what holes we could all fit through.  Only Ella was a little distressed that she didn't have her own flashlight.

Cousins in a cave!

Happy little "Spelunkers"

It was such a blessed trip.  We came home feeling refreshed and encouraged in spirit even if we were a little tired out physically.  There is hardly anywhere in the world that I feel as at home than with them.  We love you and miss you already!!!

Baby #1

Remember how I said I had four neices or nephews due this year?  Well, the first one was born!!!  She sneaked in three weeks early and took the place of first arrival even though she was supposed to be second!  Sweet Tirzah Marie was born to David's brother Jonathan and his wife, Laura.

We were abundantly blessed to get to see them only a week after she was born as they haeded through our part of the woods on their way south for the summer.

She is gorgeous.  Absolutely stunning.  They graciously allowed me to take some photos of her which thrilled me to no end.  I've never taken newborn pictures before and it was so much fun!!!

We love you Baby Tirzah!!!

Birthday Fun!!!

Spring is upon us and around here, spring means birthdays!!!  I think I have been the most blessed woman when it comes to the timing of eachof my pregnancies.  The most pregnant I have ever been during the heat of summer has been six months.  Three out of five of my babies have been born in the beautiful spring time.  (Now this year we are adding two new cousins to the springtime birthdays!)

Havilah and Lydia's birthdays are exactly two weeks apart, so we almost always do a joint family party for them.  This year we included my Aunt Cheryl who is also an April birthday.

What is more wonderful than celebrating people we love with people we love?

Catching Up!!!

Last time I wrote I said I was behind.  Now I must be woefully behind.  I so want to come back and cover these topics in more detail, but for now I'll give you a quick glance at what has been going on in our lives!


These days we are.......

Growing a year older!!!



Eating tie dye cake!!!

Or just eating daisies while Daddy tills!

Playing in  piano recitals

Or playing with a beautiful new cousin!

Just chillin' out

And just growing up!!!

Happy

This morning I was going through pictures from the last week.  It made me very happy as I looked at faces I loved soooo much.  Here are just a few things that make me very, very happy.

One of the greatest blessings God has brought into my life has been, sister-in-laws.  David and I were married four years before any of his brothers got married and I had no idea what an impact these new additions would have on my life.  My blood related sisters are my best friends in the whole world and I never could have imagined that these dear women entering our family would become as close as real sisters to me.

Isaac and Stefani are now engaged!!!!  Another sister is joining the ranks and I could not be more thrilled!  I've known Stefani for years and she is a treasure.  Isaac and Stefani are soooo well suited for each other.  And they're just a little happy.

One of the best things about these sister-in-laws is that they make me an auntie (a role which I'm finding suits me quite well!).  All of my married sisters are expecting right now which just about sends me through the roof with excitement!!!  My sister Mary (I don't have a picture of her but she is gorgeous as well!) is due in just two weeks, followed by Laura, then Melissa and ending with Hannah in September.  That means four new cousins in five months!!!!!!  (Imagine a giant bouncy ball springing all around the house, ready to explode.  That's me.)

I love you girls!!!  Thanks for being the best sisters and friends I could have ever imagined!!!



Our Trip to Tacoma

Last week we were able to take off to Washington for four days to visit David's two brothers, their wives (who are some of my dearest friends) and our two beautiful nieces.  We've been trying to get up there since last August, but finally, we made it!!!

Ella and Talia are only two months apart and have become GREAT buddies even though we don't get to see them very often.  Their personalities jive perfectly and it is sooooo much fun to watch them bop around together.

Esther and Eliana are two months apart as well, and they ADORE each other!  It is so sweet to watch them be so excited to see each other.  No one in the world makes Esther as excited as Ellie!

Jonathan and Laura and Benjamin and Melissa both live on apartments which are located right next to a HUGE mansion that is part of the seminary.  The grounds are beautiful and the girls had a blast exploring.

The weather was GORGEOUS the entire time we were there.  Unbelievably gorgeous.  On Monday we spent a large chunk of the day at Point Defiance park.

The girls loved the duck pond!

(I just ADORE this picture!!!)

My two gorgeous sister-in-laws with their adorable baby bellies.  (Did I mention I LOVE being an auntie?  Did I also mention that I have four new nieces or nephews coming this year?)

On our way home we all stopped by Cabela's.

The girls all agreed that this was the best store EVER!!!

The visit was so wonderful.  Our siblings truly are our dearest friends so it was incredibly refreshing to just soak up our time with them.  Now we miss them all like CRAZY!!!