Cousins

 We had such a great visit with our family in Tennessee! The 6 cousins had a blast together and all of us adults mostly got to visit and relax because they all entertained themselves and each other. Here are a few pictures from our weekend with the family.

I've decided that when we have a yard, a trampoline is a must...

Obligatory cousin photo op...left to right...William, Cole holding Brady, Leah, Logan, Miles and Lilly.

(My kids were hot not sunburned).

Sleepy, snuggle morning before everyone was awake...

Aunt Leslie lovin on Brady.

Logan, Lilly and Miles, hunting for Splinter. 

Cousins at the campfire.

Uncle Jeff and his men working hard for all of us in Afghanistan. (He's on the bottom right of the flag.)

Looking forward to seeing the Paschall crew again in June up north...and covering them and Uncle Jeff in prayer until then!

This is...

This is traveling with our family of five! 

Off the beaten path in the Jeep.

Ryan loving me so much, he finds a beautiful place to stop and take a family picture but iPhones don't have timers so we all squeeze in and get the shot we can...

Crossing borders together none of us have ever crossed before...

Snuggling with each other after arguing all day...

Sweet memories for their life and precious moments this mamas heart will treasure forever.

2 Months

 Brady, the time is flying by! You're growing into your own little look, making sweet sounds and showing us glimpses of your personality. Just for the record, you're 12 lbs, 12 ounces, 22 3/4 inches long. You're eating great and last night you slept for 6 hours, followed by another 4 hours! You love to be outside, had your first bike ride, and still hate, hate, hate the carseat. We see that you're stubborn and watch you follow Logan around the room with your eyes. Leah loves to care for you and calm you when mommy can't get to you. You go to nursery at church, and you 

Most of the time you're downright happy!

Sometimes you try to find your thumb..

Sometimes you're serious...

Mother's Day

Worship, naps, family bike rides still possible with a newborn, dinner on the patio, a walk at the lake...best day ever!

Baby Doll

It always made me kind of sad that Leah didn't ever want to play with dolls. This sequence of pictures is from the last 45 minutes...

This one is, "Ryan".

He's way better than a doll!

The Best Coach

I'm new to the world of soccer moms. I've watched my daughter play for 3 coaches now and it's always clear very early on, which style of coaching I want her subjected to. (Ryan doesn't coach a team her age so I find myself being very picky.)
I read this recently and thought, "that's the kind of coach I want my kid to have."

"Even though you won't know who I am from the next guy, I wanted to send you
a quick note of gratitude. You see, my daughter plays for Bill smith's
Warriors 03 team and we played you guys Friday night. I not sure you'll
recall, but late in the 2nd half my daughter, who suffers from asthma, had
to take a knee because her breathing really began to bother her. While
that's never fun for my daughter to have to do, she did mention specifically
after the game that "their coach was really nice Dad....he came over to see
if I was OK and treated me like I was on his team". While I suspect you're thinking that was just a common sense thing to
do.....it really had a positive impact on my daughter as she's seen the
other side of our opposing coach's passion to succeed. For this, I wanted
to take a quick second to say "Thanks".

It does seem like the common sense thing to do, but I've watched coaches not even show sensitivity to their own players when they needed it. I'm so proud of the character my Ryan demonstrates on and off field. I'm proud to be his wife. I'm proud to care for and raise his babies.
My kids are blessed. They may not have their daddy as the coach of their team, but he's setting such a beautiful example for them. He is a light to those around him, even the opposing team.
I know that because He is that nice coach. He never would have told me this story... I found that email in our inbox last week.
"Lord, thank You for using Ryan to shine Your light. Please continue to give him endurance for his long days. Thank You for parents that encourage him and uplift him. Remind me to encourage him as he goes about his long days, that he will glorify You through his temperament and his actions. Remind me to be thankful for his jobs. You are so good to us. In Jesus name I pray, amen."