What a great discovery!

I have been looking for a public pool around here where Elijah and I could go hang out and yesterday, I found out about this one, just 10 minutes away.  Aubree and I and the kids checked it out today and it is SO great.  It is really like a mini-waterpark.  Aubree's girls loved the slide and Elijah even had fun splashing around in the water.

Taking it all in with Aubree (who is about 4 weeks away from giving birth by the way...would you even be able to tell by looking at this picture?!)

Swimming lessons.

Lily coming down the slide.  She was slightly terrified her first time, but she loved it from then on!

Evie's turn! I think the girls could have done this all day.

All that action wiped Elijah out! He was asleep within about 30 seconds in the car!

I Met Max!

Elijah and I had the chance to go up to Muncie this afternoon and meet Max, not even a day old! He is so cute...I just can not get over it!  He was awake when I got there so I was very happy I got to see him with his little eyes open :).  

Max was looking up at his grandma in this picture! Look at that face!

I'm bummed that this picture is a little blurry, but you can still tell how precious he is.

I got my turn with Max! He's so little and sweet!

The new mommy and son :).

Us and our boys...so fun to have kids so close in age.

The Yordys!

Ah...look at that face.  Nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby. 

Kelly and Brad, congratulations again.  Max is just too cute and we know you guys will be great parents to him! We love you guys.

Go Daddy!

Elijah and I went to cheer on Kirk yesterday in his intramural football game.  His team is the reigning champions from last year and it looks like this year is going well too! So far, they are 2-0.  It was a great night for a game and we had a good time.  I was laughing during the game because there were 2 little girls, both about 2 years old who were cheering "Go Daddy!" the whole time and when one of them would say it, the other would say "That's my daddy!"  They obviously don't understand yet that there is more than one daddy out there!  But anyway, we had fun cheering on all the daddys (and mommys and non-daddys and non-mommys)!

Kirk trying to sack the quarterback.  This was an unsuccessful attempt, but he did have several sacks last night!

Go Daddy!

Huddle (and that's Andy on the right, Jacki's brother!)

Action shot.

Welcome to the World, Baby Max!

Congratulations to our good friends, Brad and Kelly! Their first child, Maxwell Thomas, was born last night at around 6:30 pm. He was 7 lbs, 13 oz and I am bursting at the seams to go see him. Hopefully I will get a chance to go up there today (they are in Muncie, just about 30 minutes from here) and will post pictures as soon as I can. Congrats, Brad and Kelly! We love you guys.

Happy Father's Day!

Elijah and I would like to wish a Happy Father's Day to one of the best dads in the world! We are so thankful for such a wonderful provider, supporter, and friend.  I can not really put into words how awesome it has been to watch you embrace your new role as a father.  Even though we would have never guessed that we would be celebrating Father's Day this year, you have willingly and happily stepped up as an excellent dad! Thank you for all you do.  We love you!

And of course, I want to mention my dad.  Dad, thanks for always being there to love me and encourage me.  Because of you, I have always believed I can do anything I want to do with the Lord's help and guidance.  You are a very wise man and I've always admired how you live your life above reproach.  I love you very much! 

I also want to give a shout out to my father in law! Dad Duncan, I appreciate the way you have raised up Kirk as a man of God.  He often comments on the positive example you set for him in so many ways.  We love you!

Elijah and I made Kirk breakfast in bed this morning.  Kirk may not love me for posting this, but in his defense, he had only been awake about 3o seconds before I pulled out the camera!

We took some pictures outside after church.  I just love these guys!

This is my favorite picture of the day. Have you even seen 2 cuter men?

I love how Elijah is reaching over to his daddy!

What's up, dad?

Super Baby!

I don't know, maybe something made him mad.

We thought it was so funny when we put Elijah down on the grass, because even though it wasn't that bright out, he acted like it was killing his eyes.  Maybe he's going to be a bit of a drama king? Hm...would that be taking after daddy or mommy? I'll let you decide.

He is working so hard on sitting up! He's got his head off the ground, if only he could figure the rest out!

I love this picture.  It's like he's saying: "Why is mommy holding me if it's Father's Day? I want to go to daddy!"

The height differential.

Thanks for being such a great daddy! We love you very much.

I just think these are too cute not to share!

To my pregnant friends: get one of these mats for your baby.  Elijah has loved this thing since he was about 6 weeks old and here he is, still going strong with it at 5 months!

Growing up!

Elijah is really turning into a little boy...he is developing so much lately and it's fun to watch all of his new discoveries.  I took Elijah back to the doctor on Thursday for a weight check since he was nervous at our last appt that E wasn't gaining enough weight.  At his 4 month appt he was 12 lbs, 8 oz and at the appt on Thursday he was 14 lbs, 14 oz! He went from the 10th percentile to the 24th! Way to go, little man! Dr. Rob is no longer concerned!  

Jess and Kevin handed down their exersaucer to us since Cam is grown out of it now.  Elijah absolutely loves this thing...it was hard to even get him to look at me for a picture!

Lauren, this is the Phillies shirt you gave him!

What mom? I'm trying to play!

So many things to look at, so little time..

An Oldie but a Goodie

When I was home, I came across this picture of Grandma Spier, Jess, and me.  I asked my mom if I could take it to make a copy.  I scanned it into my computer today and can not stop looking at it.  This is how happy Jess and I (and Rach) always were to be with her! She spoiled us rotten. 

It is well with my soul...

On Saturday, my precious grandmother, Evelyn Spier, went to be with her Lord.  I can not accurately express how meaningful my relationship with her has been over the years.  It is only later on in life that I have realized how often she went above and beyond anything anyone could ever ask from a grandmother.  We had the honor of having Grandma live with us for 20 years as I was growing up.  I would often go see Grandma in the apartment downstairs, only to walk in and see her reading her Bible and praying for her family, her friends, even those she had never met.  I remember that all she wanted for her 80th birthday was to have her whole family together in church, worshipping God together.  She always kept us laughing with her quick wit and incredible sense of humor, even later on in life as her health was failing.  She was an absolute joy to be around...she is one the most vivid examples of what it means to truly love and follow Jesus, no matter what the cost or circumstance, that I have had in my life.  We will miss her greatly, of course, but what an incredible blessing it is to grieve with hope, knowing that when this life is over, I will walk the streets of gold with her.  

I'm so glad Elijah had the chance to meet his Great Grandma (by the way, he is one of 13 great grandchildren) when I went home in March. 

Please Pray TODAY.

Friends,

As I mentioned a few months back, my Uncle Bob (mom's brother) has been diagnosed with leukemia.  Today, my mom is donating her bone marrow to him.  Please pray that his body will accept the cells that he needs from my mom.  The next two weeks are critical, so we would covet your prayers in the coming weeks as well.   Also, please pray for my Aunt Karen, and cousins Will and Adrianna...I'm sure it's not easy to watch your husband/father go through something like this.  And the procedure does take a bit of a toll on my mom's body as well...pray for strength and comfort for her as well.  

Thank you so much for your support.  I know God is bigger than this illness and able to heal...may He be glorified in it all! 

Gotta Love This Laugh!

We just love making Elijah giggle.  Here's a video of a recent laugh!

First Baseball Game!

Last night, one of Kirk's co-workers arranged for a bunch of people to go to an Indianapolis Indians (minor league) baseball game (thanks, Robin!). We had a lot of fun taking Elijah to his first baseball experience. He seemed to really enjoy it and was definitely taking it all in the entire game. It was a late night for him (we didn't leave the game until 10:30 and he is usually asleep by 9), but as a result, he slept in until 9 this morning, when he is usually up by 7! Not too bad!

The field. It was an absolutely perfect night for a baseball game!

Taking it all in with Mommy.

He looks the part, doesn't he?

Hanging out with Robin (the organizer).

Elijah Tries Applesauce!

Elijah has definitely taken a liking to fruits more than rice cereal (who can blame him?).  I've been giving him pears, which he loves, and the other day, we tried applesauce for the first time...

Hmm, interesting, I've never tasted this before...

I'm a little confused...

Still thinking about it...

Yup! It was good!