It was time!

Mae was ready for some solids so we started with oatmeal and now she's doing bananas and green beans too!

Sadie thought Mae was eating ice cream and was pretty upset she didn't get any...

Still not sure we love it!

We seem to have a thing for eyewear...

But the baby's toys are the most fun!

Wait, this isn't a toy for me?

Oh, am I supposed to get out?

Really?

But it's soooooo comfy!

Cheese!

See

Yes, really, I'm not kidding.

Sometimes I look out my kitchen window and I just start to giggle a little. Today, as it was brilliantly sunny, I actually broke out into a full on belly laugh. Seriously.

What's so funny, mom?

Oh, it's nothing.

But I just could not contain myself as I looked out the window and saw this in the driveway.

Yes, it's our new car. Passenger vehicle. Bus, if you will!

We started talking about the possibility of a new car later in the summer. With Mae's impending arrival and an older model-high mileage car that was getting less and less reliable, it was time to start exploring some options. As we talked and prayed and thought about what to do, we decided that it would be best just to wait.

Shortly after Mae's birth, we revisited the topic and through a pretty amazing set of circumstances and a seriously incredible deal decided it was time to go ahead with the sprinter.

It wasn't supposed to be a done deal until March, but things were a little quicker than we anticipated and we actually went to pick it up on Saturday. Crazy! The kids are having a blast exploring all the ins and outs and have already been discussing just what we need to do as a family to fill up the extra seats :)

Side note: If you haven't already, you should definitely read Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis. It will make you want to buy a 12 passenger van and fill it up. Seriously.

So anyways, we spent a little while checking it out and then headed home to park it in the driveway.

It's too big for the garage.

Awesome

Birthday fun

We had so much fun celebrating Bo with his classmates from school. He requested a science party, and I think we delivered!!

We warmed up with legos because nothing seems to unite a group of 6/7 year olds like a bin of legos!

Mae was happy to watch from the couch with Papa (my dad).

We made slime.

Jason gathered the kids and did an awesome demonstration of the clock reaction. It was definitely a success and the kids were impressed!

We blew up balloons without using our mouth [although it took a while and J had to "nurse" the bottles to make it happen].

We made lunch and then got to enjoy cupcakes. Bo requested that they look like one of his microscope slides and said that I pulled it off :)

Sadie enjoyed her cupcake too!

Presents!

We love you Bo-man, and we're so glad we got to celebrate YOU and your SEVEN years!

Ladybugs and theology

We sit at the top of the slide and study the ladybug that crawls all over her fingers. It is black with red spots and we marvel at how tiny it is.

I've never seen a black one before. She rolls her fingers to keep it from falling.

And suddenly we are talking about Jesus and Heaven and God's beauty that surrounds. I ask Ella if she's ever told Jesus that she wants to be his forever friend. She suddenly gets shy and quiet.

No, but I want to mom. I want to.

So we bow and we pray as the wind wind whips her hair in my face. She melts into me on the swing and she is serious and excited all wrapped up in one.

I was a little scared, mommy. God is so big and powerful and I was a little scared. But now I am excited. I am so excited about Heaven!

She squeals and I bury my face in her hair and I will myself to remember everything about that moment. It is beautiful. She is beautiful. The Gospel is beautiful.

Seven

I still remember the way my belly felt, all stretched and tight for the first time.

The way he rolled and kicked and made my body swell and dip.

The way my skin itched.

How hard I laughed at our Valentine's dinner the night before he came.

The kick and feeling of my water breaking.

The panic/excitement/anticpation/disbelief that this moment was finally happening.

And this...

I remember this moment like it happened yesterday, or this morning, or right this minute. I didn't even know the camera was focused on us. Didn't realize that Bo locking eyes with his dad and my own flow of emotion was even captured on film until much later. But that moment is etched in my mind and my soul for eternity.

So how did we get here??

This inquisitive, silly, amazing little man used to be that same tiny baby. Seriously?!?

Today, we celebrate Bo and all of the wonderful things that he adds to our family. I am so amazed that the Lord lets me be his mom. It is an awesome privilege and I am often overwhelmed at the magnitude of the task.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!