The Best Daddy!!

The kids know they have the greatest Daddy in the world! Since this is the 12th Father's Day that Dave has been able to celebrate, the kids have listed 12 things that they think are really special about their Dad. To make it fair, I let each child pick 3 things ... they could've gone on and on. Here are their favorites:
1. He works hard so Mommy can stay home with us.
2. He works on projects for us.
3. He does projects WITH us.
4. He takes us special places.
5. He takes us running with him.
6. He's fun!!! (there was much agreement on this one!)
7. He lets me use his tools.
8. He's building a deck with stairs for us.
9. He carries me to my bed.
10. He hugs me.
11. He kisses me.
12. He loves me!
And they love him!!
I could add a million things to that list, but I'll sum it all up with this: I thank God for giving me a great husband who is an amazing Dad to our children! Happy Father's Day, Dave!

Happy Birthday, Erica!

Well, I'm a few days late in posting this, but I was on time to wish my daughter a Happy Birthday in person! Erica's 11th birthday was on Sunday, June 1st. She had 4 friends sleep over on Saturday night and then they all came with us to church on Sunday morning. (Would you believe that we were actually early to church?!?) After church, we headed down to Richmond to meet my parents for dinner at Olive Garden - and Erica was thrilled to get to order off the adult menu. It was a fun and busy weekend, but Erica really had a good time!

Celebrating her birthday always makes me nostalgic - I can't help but think back to when she was just born... at a whopping 5 lbs. 14 oz. She was an amazing baby, and has grown into an even more amazing young lady! We feel blessed to have a daughter that is so thoughtful of the needs of others. She is a great helper to me, she enjoys playing with and teaching her younger siblings (most of the time), and she is a caring friend. It's neat to see the young lady she's becoming, but it sure is sad to see her growing closer to independence and maturity and farther away from the young years of needing her Mama. Happy Birthday, my sweet girl! We love you!

Sally

I have to tell you about Jenna's dearest friend, Sally. Jenna talks about her frequently - she talks about playing at Sally's house, she tells us about Sally's dogs, and she has mentioned many times that when she's at Sally's, she gets to play on the puter. The puter part is mentioned frequently ... I'm not sure why it's such an important part of the story, because Jenna has never used (or asked to use) the computer at our house - but she seems to love it at Sally's. If you ask her what Sally looks like, you'll get a description that sounds an awful lot like Jenna - blond hair and brown eyes. She will also tell you that she is three, just like Jenna. Have I mentioned that Sally's dogs are Kadie and BJ?? You've probably guessed by now, but Sally is Jenna's imaginary friend. None of our other children have had imaginary friends, so this is new at our house. I have to say, it is just so fun to talk with Jenna about her dear friend! She just goes on and on, and loves to tell us all about Sally. I guess one day we'll have to discuss the fact that Sally isn't real, but for now it's just so doggone cute to hear her tell the stories; I think I probably fuel the fire. Did I mention that Sally is in her preschool class and she's coming over with other friends for a sleepover??

Deck Photos for Papa

The Princess

The Princess ... it's hard to find a picture of her when she's not posing and acting like one. I should take a picture of her getting into mischief - that has been her main activity for the last week or so! She has been so busy - it's like having a 2 year old again. When she's missing from our sight, the kids and I all let out a panicked "WHERE'S JENNA???" She had a busy week of putting on Erica's make-up, using my nail polish (on her legs and the carpet!), "cleaning" the toilet, drawing (on things she shouldn't draw on), changing clothes, jumping on beds ... I could go on and on. It's not like her to be quite so active, so while I'm frustrated (and tired of trying to keep up with her!), I also have to laugh. We have said quite a few times in this last week that it's a good thing she's so cute ...

I want to be a Marine!

Liam loves to dress up ... it's been a favorite pastime for many years. There was a time when he wanted to be a police officer, so he wore that costume for days straight - even at bedtime. For the past few months, he has wanted camouflage to be a part of every outfit - I thought it was just part of being a boy. Grady will wear an entire outfit of camouflage if I let him ... shirt, sweatshirt, vest, pants, flip-flops, hat. I thought Liam just wanted to emulate his big brother - until last weekend. Dave took Liam with him up to work on Saturday - he had duty and Liam was "helping" him. During that time, Liam told his dad "I want to be a Marine."

Still smiling!

This is what Grady looks like in the Spring ... it would be worse, but he'd had Claritin and Benadryl already! His eyes water continuously, and they burn, but he is usually still smiling and laughing. He has had a few times when he felt and looked even worse, and on those occasions, he actually complained - that's how we know it's time to go to the doctor! He loves to play baseball, and he does hate that this always happens during baseball season ... but it doesn't keep him from playing. He's been doing better the last few days, thanks to the rain, so seeing this picture makes him laugh. He does look pretty rough!