tent trailer...

If your husband wanted one of these things, what would YOU say???

Our favorite things these days...

J.R. – cars, clothes, “I rescue you” (which to him means “I'm about to tackle you”…and then he will)

April – reading, a clean house and feeling cute (both are constantly eluding me these days...these might be vain favorite things, but at least I'm honest), yoga, Riondo pink Prosecco...I've only had it once, but it's the best wine I've ever tasted

Jon – learning (he's teaching himself Economics right now by listening to college lectures on ITunes University), family time

Caroline – dancing, accessories accessories accessories, putting on make-up...my makeup or markers work equally well for this in C's opinion

Anna Kate – princesses, rainbows, writing and drawing (She wrote her first story yesterday!! Here it is: Once upon a time there was a princess. She was so beautiful. One time she met a prince. The End. by Anna Kate)

Ty - eating his stitches out of his leg so we can buy him new ones

Houston - who knows? cats are such enigmas.

The Memorial Service...

I can't even describe the tremendous peace and healing I feel in my heart after the service. I had so much anxiety before the service that it would be super awkward and weird, but I just couldn't let my baby's life end here without this closure and I am so super thankful for the support of my Pastor and church family that made this possible.
Jon and I cleaned out this "compost" area before the service.

Our Pastor opened us in prayer.

Jon read some verses about how God creates life in the womb, we are members of God's family and God is the one who takes care of us.

Then our Pastor read Ps. 145:8-21...and we all read aloud verses 9, 13b, 17 and 21b.

Then Anna Kate read the letter she wrote to the baby.

Dear Baby ~ We love you so much. We miss you and wish you were here and I wish we were best friends. I wanted to name you Katelyn. I love you, you are so precious to me. Love, Anna Kate

Then I read a letter I wrote to the baby.

My precious child ~There is so much I do not understand. I do not understand why you were a part of our family for such a short time, but I pray that you know that we love you and are thankful for the time we shared with you. Your time here mattered. You reminded us how very fragile and precious each of our lives are…I want so hard to plan and control when life comes, and when it goes, but God alone is the Giver of Life and He alone allows life to pass in His perfect time. I wish you could have known the loving, gentle arms of your earthly father, and shared in giggles and laughter with your brother and sisters, but I trust that you are in our Heavenly Father’s care. You will always have a place in our hearts and we will not forget you. Love, Your Mom

Then Jon read a letter he wrote. It was longer and very personal.

We buried these letters with white rose petals that represented the body of the baby since we do not have it with us.

Then we sang The Love of Christ is Rich and Free.

Then we planted 3 rose bushes as a family...each rose bush was a gift from each of the baby's siblings. He's Always Been Faithful by Sara Groves played during this time.

Then Pastor Colin closed us in prayer and read II Cor. 5:6-8.

We wanted to do the service in our driveway and plant the roses here so that each time we come home, we remember that we are not home yet, but we are going home to live with our Lord and the Saints who have gone before us. The best is yet to come…

Our marriage has made it 6 years...

From our coldest moments...
To our hottest...

My best moments have been with you.

J.R.'s 3rd Birthday Bash at Pump it Up...

Arriving. Glasses upside down and underwear backwards...that's how he rolls.
Cutest pic ever?
Caroline kind of did her own thing.
I had the idea to have all the kids race their hotwheels (party favors) down this slide. Execution of this plan was touch and go.
The group...so fun...lots of church and preschool pals.
Happy 3rd Birthday J.R.!
Déjà vu? He did have a CARS party last year, too.
He's always loves them for as long as I can remember :)

Healthy cupcakes made of garbonzo bean flour...

So I got my heart set on having healthy, albeit yummy, cupcakes for JR's 3rd bday party since it was in the morning and I thought it would be a way to serve our friends (the parents of his guests) to not give their kids sugar and junk food. So the only recipes I found without refined sugar or artificial sugar were gluten-free so I went with a recipe from Babycakes that won "Best Cupcake in NYC." Then I spent a small fortune on the ingredients (things like arrowroot and agave nectar and garbonzo bean flour and coconut oil and such), much to the chagrin of Jon. After I made them and served them...I realized...something can't be healthy for you unless it's eaten (these weren't). However, I do hope to experiment substituting agave nectar for sugar in traditional cake recipes... P.S. Jon and J.D. were never able to get the icing to thicken.

A fun visit from dear friends...

Our good friends from UVA Law came to visit us and it was SOOOO fun as we hadn't seen them in a few years...WAY too long :) They have kids close to the same ages as ours and the same sex birth order!! I credit their oldest, Madelyn, with making me want to start a family. We got to law school and Carey was pregnant with her and about 20 wks along and she didn't even look pregnant, so I thought, "I can do that!" (and I thought it might be a great way to get out of my job). Oh how I knew absolutely NOTHING about being pregnant and having babies. But until then, I had thought that only Catholic and Morman friends could start their families before 30. I am so thankful to Madelyn for getting us going on that :)


The big kids chillin.
Anna Kate and Madelyn as baby friends...matching!!
Now they are big girls...
and love hanging out together :) They both love pink and princesses and being big sisters :)
We went to the Arboretum and it was so humid that a lot of the pics turned out like this :(
All in a day's work...gathering horse apples.
Caroline says, "What's up."
Fishing? Are you allowed to do that there? jk
Jon and J.D. "fixing" my healthy cupcake icing.
They added everything Google said could thicken something...the marshmallows didn't blend in as well. More on this cupcake befunkel (love those made-up words that work their made-up word magic). No pics of beautiful Carey...but here's her fun blog. You might watch out b/c they are VERY liberal and eat naked limes and their kids went nuts over our hemp waffles -- haha -- jk ;) (not about the hemp waffles though) love yall.

At the spray park...

Love those yummylicious thighs :)
Getting hauled around sure beats walking.
Posing for pics.

Fun times three.

Just another mess...or two...

Someone spilled the beans...I'm not joking...they were pintos.
A mess a day keeps mom's sanity away ;)

My Book Club…

Just kidding, I'm not in one, but I have been reading a lot lately. I wish I had a book club, but the books I like are nerdy…and nonfiction...and somewhat random. For example the most recent books I have read have been about: eating healthy, Women’s health, Passionaries (how people got the idea for the non-profits they started), about foster families, how we can better care for our elderly citizens, about families with children with disabilities, how to help poor people without hurting them, Catholic theology by Scott Hahn (love it…he sheds an amazing perspective on the gospel that I've never thought about before), sexual intimacy in marriage, an amazing book about when babies/children die called Safe in the Arms of God and what I want to read: parenting parenting parenting books like The Baffled Parent’s Guide to Stopping Bad Behavior (I am SOOO that baffled parent!!!), child brain development, about the oppression of women throughout the world, about Cambodia and other countries whose people have experienced grave oppression. The consoling thing is that the books Jon reads for pleasure are SO MUCH nerdier than mine…trust me…the titles are freaking paragraphs with words I can’t even pronounce. Love him.

New dress?

I told Jon I needed a new dress for a wedding b/c I didn't have anything that fits right now b/c I'm a different size and he said, "I've heard than many times before...how many different sizes can you be?" Nuts, oh it's SOOO much more fun to wear a NEW dress :)

Poor Ty :(

He had surgery on his back leg to get a tumor removed. He also has an ear infection. So he ate his stitches from the tumor wound right off!!
So he has to wear this thing for two weeks.

The kids tried to set some toys inside it for him.

Funny stories from Anna Kate...

Every night she prays for Matt and Sukey and that their babies won’t get tangled and hurt (they are our dear friends and pregnant w/ twins in a high risk pregnancy w/ 2 umbelical cords in the same sac), the poor people in Africa and that Sugar, Grandpa, Gail, Mammaw/Bubba, Gabby/Papa won’t be lonely because they don’t have any children.

She made all these envelopes for Africa filled with these “treasures.” The return address she put cracks me up. Our afore-mentioned friends Matt and Sukey live in a hut in rural Africa as missionaries and when we described it to Anna Kate, she got really worried that they don’t have good front doors to keep the snakes and bad guys out…so she saves pennies and treasures she finds to “buy doors for people in Africa.”

Another thing she does is if any one gives us flowers or a card for the baby, then she gives me flowers and a card for the baby, too. Like this leaf card she drew and the dandelion she put in a vase with water.

Funny thing J.R. said...

Aunt Missy brought us this amazing Manicotti. Every one LOVED it and all three kids cleaned their plates for the first time since…ever? But today J.R. said, “Are we eating more of that “Man-in-the-Potty?”

A funny story about Caroline...

She was playing with a baby dolly at the Y and laid it down and another little boy came over and dropped his toy lizard on the baby and Caroline started screaming desperately in fear with her hands up in the air and the teachers said they came running over to see what was wrong…what a drama queen!

Other times she will play w/ our toy snake and go “Ssss” “Ssss,” at people with it and gets a total kick out of “scaring” you.

HE'S THREE!!!!

I tried my darndest all day long to get a good picture of him and he was determined it wouldn't happen...and he is determined!!

In J.R.'s closet deciding what he'll wear next.Jon decided to add a lock to the door so he can no longer constantly change clothes. Happy Birthday J.R.!!! Just kidding...we'll celebrate it on his party day at the end of July.

A Camping Trip and a Slumber Party...

So we finally gave up on the return of the good-ole-days of Sunday School and joined a church home group and we LOVE IT (THEM)!!!! So the guys were all going on a camping trip and bringing their oldest kids...so the wives (actually just Jamey and I) decided to have a slumber party at Erin's with the babies!!! The best idea EVER!!! I think we should do it every month :)
Anna Kate waiting for Daddy to get home so she can go camping...she's so excited.

J.R. threw a HUGE fit, so he got to go too, since it was his 3rd bday weekend. On their way!!! So the weather was TERRIBLE and rainy...nevermind that though...well, apparently I heard that J.R. did mind the weather, but every one else had a good time.