Resemblance

So, this is a little crazy to me.  A lot of people say to me that the girls look alike.  While I can understand why they say that (they both have dark hair and bright blue eyes), I don't really agree.   I just have a hard time seeing the resemblance.  My sister Jess mentioned a few weeks back that she thought Emily looked a little like Elijah.  At first I didn't see it (probably because of the hair color), but then I went back and looked at pics of E when he was Emily's age. I totally see it now.  Don't you think??

Preschool

I can not believe this, but we officially have a child in school.  Of course, it's only preschool, and it's only 2 days a week, but I am having a hard time getting over the fact that Elijah is now school aged and will never be home with me all day long every day again! I was so happy with how his first day went. He was not timid or nervous at all, but so full of joy! I pray that this year will be a great year of learning and relationship building for him.  Thankfully, he was the first one up on Friday so he and I snapped a few pictures on the front porch before the girls were awake. 

Pretty pumped!

Such a goofball.

I just love this one! I wish it wasn't blurry :(.

He looks like a little boy here, which I love.

He is crazy about his backpack. It is the size of a small elephant, but he doesn't seem to mind.

Doesn't he look like his at least 12 years old here??

This Guy

With Elijah getting ready to start preschool next week (are you KIDDING me? He was JUST born), I've been reflecting a lot on his little life and thinking about how proud I am of him.  The last few months, I have seen so much growth and development in his behavior and character.  He has such a tender heart.  When he hurts someone, either physically or emotionally, he is quick to say he's sorry and I really believe he means it.  He's very inclusive of other children and is quick to engage just about anyone he comes in contact with.  He has an incredibly active imagination and his sounds effect could rival any person's I've ever heard (seriously, yesterday we had him doing helicopter, airplane, car, train, and bike and they were incredible...and hilarious!)!  He is witty and has a really good sense of humor for a 3 year old.  He is kind and gentle to his baby sister.  He is loving and affectionate to his mom and dad.  He is honestly a delight to our hearts.

I was struck today, though, when I was thinking about all of his wonderful characteristics, about how none of his good behavior and positive character traits will mean anything if they aren't used for the Kingdom of God.  None of his kind gestures will matter if he doesn't recognize that he is a sinner and in need of a Savior. It's a tough reality to grasp...MY son is depraved.  MY son needs Jesus or he will have no hope.  I have earnestly prayed for his Salvation.  He is curious about God and about Jesus and he is interested in Scripture. I'm thankful to the Lord for stirring Elijah's curiousity about Spiritual things.  Lord, save him.  May he know deep down in his heart that he has a real need for you in his life. May he come to accept your grace at an early age.  May I constantly and unreservedly point him to you.  Thank you, Lord, for loving him so perfectly! 

4 Months Old!

Hard to believe we celebrated 4 months with our sweet Emily last Tuesday. I have been so blessed with low-key, laid back babies, and Emily is no exception! I call her a dream baby, because she really does have the best disposition.  She is smiley all the time and rarely makes a fuss! We can not imagine our family without her.  

We had her 4 month appt last Wednesday.  She weighed in at 13lbs, 8oz and 24 inches long (75% for both).  The doctor was pleased with her development and we are thankful that her breathing issues were short-lived. 

She is also now a "self-soother". She puts herself to sleep at naptime and night time.  Again, such a sweet, easy baby!!

We celebrated  her 4 month birthday by taking a trip to the park.  Just as I was starting to feel badly that she often is confined to her stroller while the other 2 run around and play, she looked over and shot me this face.  Oh, I love you, Emily.

We all love you, sweet girl!

True Joy

Well, I'm back.  That was quite a long exit from the blogging world, but for anyone out there who still checks it from time to time, I will try to be a little better! We have had a crazy month, moving into a new house, trying to get settled, and going on vacation in the middle of it all! However, we are staying put for a while and going to do our best to make this house a home (and do plenty of documenting too!).  

I had to share these pictures from last weekend.  Kirk was out of town on an annual golfing trip he does with some college buddies and the kids and me were flying solo.  Doylestown holds an event each month called "First Friday" with lots of live music, street vendors, and other special events. A man from our church let us know that the fire trucks would be on display Friday night and Elijah just HAD to be there.  I hesitated going a little bit, since I didn't know if I could wrangle all 3 kids on the busy streets.  I decided to go ahead with it though and I am so glad I did.  The Lord heard my prayers and gave me a great night with my kids.  They were well behaved, polite, and really enjoyed themselves.  Elijah didn't even cry when he had to say goodbye to the fire trucks.  If you know anything about Elijah's love for fire trucks, this is a HUGE deal.  

First, we stopped at a specialty thin crust pizza joint called Jules.  It was our first time there and it was delicious!

I know you can't tell how excited he is to be sitting on a fire truck and talking to a fire fighter, but trust me, the kid was thrilled! This particular fire fighter was so kind to him also and told Elijah all about his job.

Free hat!

Then he tried out the old fashioned fire truck.

This just captures his joy so well! I love this kid and his passion for life!

They were flying the American flag on their ladder truck and Elijah thought it was so cool that the fire fighter was climbing up there.  Leah, on the other hand, thought it was terrifying.

Happy Birthday, Leah Girl!

Last Wednesday, our sweet little baby girl turned 2 years old! It is hard to believe 2 years have gone by, but at the same time it is hard to remember life before her.  Leah brings so much LIFE to our days.  She gives us never a dull moment.  She is a busy beaver, always up to something, and truly loves her life! She is affectionate, sweet, loving, and a bit of a clown! She loves to make people laugh and she accomplishes this every day! I am so thankful that the Lord has allowed me to be her mom.  She is a delight (99% of time :)) and I look forward to many mother/daughter memories to come! Leah, you are loved and valued more than you know.

We had a nice day on her birthday.  The kids and me went for donuts for breakfast and then met my mom up at the country club for a little swimming and lunch. We had a small party with dinner with our family that evening.  

Birthday donut!

Emily wore her cupcake shirt in honor of the special day.

Leah enjoyed opening up her presents! She got so many girly things, like jewelry, dress up shoes, and baby dolls.  She is thrilled with all of it!

Putting on her heels.  ps. she did not take them off the entire next day! Yes, we made a trip to the pool with those on and to Aunt Jess's house.

Girly girl.

I may have made a bit of a selfish choice when I picked a Dairy Queen ice cream cake for her birthday treat.  Yum...my absolute favorite! (forgot to take a picture before Kirk cut into it :)).

Happy Birthday, Leah Doris! 

Mommy and Leah

I just love when I happen to get some sweet one-on-one time with one of my kids.  I have really come to cherish that lately since it seems to be a rare occurance.  Today, Leah was cuddly on my lap while Elijah was occupied with a video and Emily was sleeping.  We decided to have a little photoshoot with Daddy's iPod.  She loves seeing herself...doesn't seem to be lacking in the the self-confidence department :).

Smile!

Surprised face! (Leah didn't get the memo)

Fishy faces.

Kisses.

Say cheese!

I love you, sweet girl.

Snapshots

I have a camera again, so this will be the last post with poor quality iPod photos.  Here are a few snapshots of life around here: 

Leah LOVES her baby sister. Emily gets lot of kisses (and pokes) throughout each day.

No lack of personality here.

Elijah is acting more and more grown up these days.

I worked very hard to capture Emily's sweet smile on camera. Here is an outtake.

It's coming...

There it is! 

Ahh! Love it!

I mentioned to my sister the other day that I wanted to give Elijah a buzz for the summer.  Next thing I knew my brother-in-law was over with a razor and...

The hair is gone! He loves it and loves being called "Buzz".

Lest you think we are "all smiles" in this house...

This is often how I get some cleaning done at the end of the day. Little Missy is at a "I don't want to be put down" stage.

Memorial Day

Kirk told me on Sunday night that he thought our Monday was a little too packed, since we had a parade, a trip to the pool, and a bbq all on the schedule. I asked him what he wanted to cut and he couldn't pick, so we decided to keep everything on and see how it went.  We were tired by the end of the day, but we had such a fun time with family and friends. 

The town of Doylestown has the oldest parade in the country on Memorial Day. I actually rode in it a few times as a kid and it was fun to go back and watch it with MY kids this time! Elijah and Leah struggled with the noise level at first, but adjusted and ended up really enjoying it.  Sweet Emily slept through the entire thing. We had a blast.

Leah, waiting for the parade to start with Grandma.

Elijah was quite excited about his patriotic firetruck shirt that I bought him.

Daddy ran some "exercises" for Elijah and Cam to pass the time waiting for the parade to start.

 Leah joined in.

I could not love this picture any more than I do.

We attempted a pic of all 5 of us.  Leah didn't want to cooperate in this one.

This one is a little better!

Finally, the parade begins!

The Jacksons, enjoying the show.

A little video of the action. Please note Elijah's pink noise cancelling headphones.  They are Cam's and thankfully, she let him wear them because they were the only thing that got him through!

The nice part about the kids being a little scared is that they actually sat in our laps the whole time! 

After the parade, we headed up to Saucon Valley Country Club, where my parents are members and hit  the pools.  It was the perfect day for it and we picture ourselves up there quite a bit this summer! Emily woke up for this part and was just as content as can be in her carseat.  Have I mentioned I love this child?

Leah is a little fish.  She could stay in the water for hours and Grandma is happy to oblige!

We finished the day with a bbq at the Jacksons, which I unfortunately did not document, but we had a great time! All in all, it was a full, but very fun day.