In Escrow!

Praise the Lord, we are in escrow with our townhouse in Santa Clarita. Lord willing we will close August 15th or sooner. We have learned not to take anything for granted, so please continue to join us in praying that this will close successfully. Things are progressing very smoothly and it will be such a blessing to have that burden lifted.

Ode to Sally

This is for my dear friend and sister Sally on the occasion of her 32nd Birthday.

An ode to my friend Sally

so faithful and so sweet.

Excellent wife, encouraging mom,

her friendship is such a treat.

Often I sit and wonder

how can others go through

this life that God has given

without a friend like you.

I LOVE you Sal and hope that you are having an awesome day!

A Dress From My Mom

Mom, here is a photo of me wearing the dress you sent me. I wore it one evening while celebrating our anniversary. I love it because it is comfy and can be either casual or dressed up. Thank you so much.

Our Anniversary

July 14th is our 7 year wedding anniversary. As a surprise Tonii took me away for the weekend to a small beach town called Southport. We stayed in this great old southern mansion on the water built in the 1800's that is now a B&B. We ate at a couple of fantastic restaurants and really enjoyed exploring the town and sitting together on the porches at the B&B and just taking in the water. On Saturday we took the ferry over to Bald Head Island and spent the day riding bikes ALL over the island. We even parked the bikes in the sand and spent some time splashing around in the warm waves. It was an anniversary trip that I will never forget.

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

Although it may sound like a livestock disease my precious little girl has come down with it this week. Much to my surprise it is a totally normal virus that many kids get. In fact, she caught it from her cousins when we spent time with them on the 4th of July. She had a high fever for 2 days and then when the fever broke she developed a red rash over her hands, feet and sores in her mouth (hence hand, foot and mouth disease). The saddest thing is that she is just miserable and won't eat or drink because it hurts her mouth. Please pray for her quick recovery.

Moments of Innocence

I don't even know how appropriate this is to share, but it was just so cute and innocent that I had to. Dane woke up from his nap (a rare occurrence anymore) and was rubbing himself in the groin as if he was in pain. I asked him what was wrong and he said "mommy my wee wee is strong, ouch, ouch". I had to stifle a laugh, but discerned that he meant hard and assured him that it was OK and that it happens sometimes so he didn't need to worry. He looked at me and said "mommy does your wee wee get strong too sometimes?" Oh, how I wish I could freeze the innocence and sweetness of those moments for later use.

4th of July

What a great 4th of July we've had! We can hardly believe that we've been here only 3 1/2 months and we were invited to 4 parties this weekend and none of them were our family. We are so grateful and humbled to be so included and accepted so quickly. The above photos are from the party that we went to the evening of the 4th at a historic home on the Cape Fear River built in 1855 and beautifully restored. The people who live there are parents of some friends of ours and they have an amazing view of the river and the battleship. We had perfect vantage point for enjoying the fireworks display. On the 3rd Beka was terrified of them because of the loud booms, but on the 4th I was able to stay inside with her and watch them through a large window, which she loved. She would point and say "peety" (meaning pretty). Dane had a great night "fighting the Philistines" as he put it (playing rough with his cousin and the sons of our friends).

Beka Boo

This evening we took the kids to the pool before dinner. When we got home I went to run a bath for Beka. She disappeared for a minute and then reappeared in the bathroom wearing this lea around her neck and looking so proud. It was just too cute. (This photo was actually taken in Dane's room, FYI)