Happy 4th of July

We started our July 4th festivities a little early. On Thursday Kate had a parade at school. Here she is in the hallway getting ready to go!

On Thursday evening we went to Sunnyfest here where we live. It is a big festival and fireworks show that the town puts on. It has gotten so big that they had to move it from our town park to Samuel Farms (still in Sunnyvale). It was very hot so JT was not able to come with us. Here is Kate by the log cabin getting ready to ride the train.

We have a train that runs near our house so Kate loves trains.


CHOO CHOO!!!

TJ on the rockwall.

We got to see a helicopter land and Kate thought it was sooooo neat!

The funny farm bounce house! Kate wanted to jump in here but I could not go with her and Bailey was not with us so I wasn't sure if she would actually do it...

But she did!

And loved it!!!

She even wanted to go on the bouncy maze!

This was as far as we got bc she wasn't quite ready for the GIANT slide at the end.

Hanging with Daddy getting ready for the fireworks show!

All of the kiddos! TJ, Colby(TJ's friend), Kate, and Bailey

Waiting for the fireworks!

Poor thing it was waaaaay past her bedtime so she was a little sleepy during the fireworks.

As Kate would say, "Fireworks go boom, fireworks go boom, hi-ho did u know fireworks go boom!"

Hope everyone enjoys their July 4th activities today! Happy 4th of July!

Thank God we live in the land of the free and the home of the brave!

ALL ABOUT JT

JT is such a BIG boy! He is almost 6 months old and he can sit up now. I believe the date on this photo was the begining of June so he has been sitting up for a whole month. He sits up for a really long time and he is trying very hard to crawl. He loves to get into everything especially his sisters stuff! She hides stuff just so he won't get it. He outgrew everything waaaaay too fast and he is now wearing 12months. He weighs 18lbs but I am not sure about his length. I will give you more official stats after his 6month checkup. He is a very happy little boy and he LOVES his food! He is eating us out of house and home! At his 4 month checkup we told the Dr. how much formula he was drinking and he said, "GIVE THAT BOY SOME FOOD OR YOU WILL GO BROKE!" Stage 1 foods just didn't do it so we went up to stage 2 foods after a week. I make his food most of the time so really it is just a little thicker and there is more of it. He gets very excited for his green ball!
He tries to bite everything even Kate and Charlotte!

Petting Charlotte. She is very cautious bc you never know when he is going to get excited and grab on! She got used to it with Kate so she is a very good sport:)

ALL ABOUT KATE GRACE

Kate's goal in life is to become a princess and own everything that is pink in the WHOLE WORLD! She is almost 3 years old and I can not believe it. She is kind of going through some seperation anxiety with me right now. It really surprises me bc she never cared if I left her. She has always been Miss Independent! She cries when I leave her even when it is just with JB. I totally understand the heartbreak of the daycare moms now but I know it is just a phase. Before I can blink she will be so embarassed that her mom works at her school. She dresses up in a princess dress complete with a backwards crown everyday. Sometimes she even shares a crown with JT:) She is showing you her favorite sparkle shoes. Heaven help us when she outgrows these!
Posing for the camera! She actually had 2 more pink tutus on under this dress but I wasn't quick enough taking pics.

My head says, "Fix the hair and straighten it all up." but the MOM in me says, "This is too fun!"

JT's Bath

LOVE LOVE LOVE these toes! Poor thing he is waaaaay to big for his bathtub but not quite sturdy enough to take a bath in the big tub.He looks like he is about to drown but he got really excited when I started taking pics and started to flop around. I love this smile and YES it is there all of the time!

Bruisers Bath

I am pretty sure that poor Bruiser has not had a bath since last summer. She comes in the house quite often so I decided she needed a good soaking! Bruiser loves water! Back in her prime she was a duck hunting dog. Sorry no ducks here just little girls :)
Kate Grace loves the water too!!!

Trying to splash Mommy but the water hose went a little crazy!

Sweet Boy! JT was just hanging out on the porch in his car watching all of the fun.

Brandons Graduation

These pics are a month old but there is sooooo much to catch up on! Here is Uncle Brandon on his graduation day. He graduated from nursing school and is working at Presby Plano. It was a long road but we are very proud of him and his accomplishments!One VERY happy wife!

JT is proud of his Uncle B

Kate Grace deserves some credit bc she was his test subject on more than one occasion.

WALKING THE STAGE!!!

Psalm 118:24

Spring and Fall are my favorite times of the year bc of all of the beautiful changes! This is ironic bc I do not like change but the changing seasons always remind me that God is in control and each change is just another step in his plan for us. This past week I took some time to breathe (which doesn't happen very often) and just enjoy what is around me. I must confess I am quite the worry wart and I am always planning so rarely do I ever stop to enjoy the moment. The other day I was looking for some books to read the kids when I came across a story that we used to read to Kate every night before she went to bed. It is called "My Little Golden Book About God". JB and I both used to have the words memorized bc we had read it so much to Kate. I ended up losing track of the book after our move last summer until I found it just sitting on Kate's book shelf the other day just begging to be read. This book does a wonderful job simply stating for children what all God has done for us. The kids and I also read the Creation story from our childrens 5 minute Bible story book and of course it explained all that God made for us. These stories were a great reminder to me to stop and enjoy life a little more instead of just rushing through it with every moment planned. I wanted to share some photos with you that remind me of a few bits of advice... May your biggest concern be the bug on the sidewalk...

Take a moment to stop and smell the roses...

May your hopes and dreams flourish like spring time flowers...

So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your children. So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:21

Always take a moment to hug your family...

The Lord is my Sheperd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in right path's for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff- they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long. Psalm 23

Do not let the sun go down on your anger. Ephesians 4:26

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24