Tyler and Grace playing trucks.

July/August

Our trip to Amish country was awesome. We had a wonderful time together and it was the perfect trip. The place we stayed was amazing and it was nice to spoiled and pampered for a few days. It was a much needed (and enjoyed) break, but we were ready to get back to our angels! They had a wondeful time with their grandparents and I'm so tahnkful for all the help we had and for the relationships the kids have with their grandparents.

In early August we took a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina to see Josh and Lia. It was a really fun time and we really enjoyed getting to see adn spend time with the newlyweds. The long weekend sped by way too quickly! We really did love the Charlotte area too. This was good news to the elder Bush's but we quickly assured them we'd be staying in Ohio, unless God does a huge work our lives- which we're always open to! :)

We also got to see Victoria twice already! Once the day after she was born, at the hospital, and last weekend at their house. It was so fun to see the house all put together and decorated (we'd not been their since moving day) and all the baby stuff out. I got to hold Victoria and feed her too! She's so sweet. The poor dear is colicy though so Shannon and Joshua and quite exuahsted Pray for them. I'm thankful that her crying is colic and not a serious illness. As difficult as colic is, I'm thankful its nothing worse. They are doing a fabulous job with her and it's so fun to see my brother be a dad!!

For the Alliance Carnation days we also attended the Parade, Days in the Park, and the Fireworks. Our church hands out water bottles at the parade so we went to help put labels on them. People in the church purchased several hundred of them but it didn't take us long to get them labeled and in coolers. Gary took Grace and Pops took Tyler while I sat with Esther. Grace didn't make it too far so at the first cooler refill she joined Esther and I roadside. By the time the parade started though, the boys got stuck on the other side of the road! The parade was about half over by the time they made their way back to our seating area. The parade was great and it was nice to have a little one on one time with the girls. I was able to talk to Grace and not have any inturuption. We have a very intelligent young man who likes to answer all questions heknows the answer to, or correct the questioner to change the question to his liking. Grace really enjoyed all the princess and queens- and there were a lot! We went home for naps and then headed back to the Park in the evening for food. The kids love sharing elephant ears with Pops, bless his heart for sharing with two kids who two fist their sweets! We ran to the car as the storm started and spent the rest of theeveing with the Bush's. The rain clouds cleared for a few hours allowing us to catch the fireworks show. We drove to a nearby parking lot and sat outside to watch. We dind't get to see the laser show I hear they had, but the kids don't know the difference and we didn't have to sit in traffic or near any smoking, or swearing or teenager hormones.

This past week we had an extra super special treat of the Pierre's coming to visit and even staying overnight!! The kids had SO much fun with their friends and I enjoyed the sweet fellowship of having Hannah here! I love staying home, but sometimes I do miss being social- Facebook just doesn't cut it usually! I think they had a good time and I hope we can do it again soon while the weather is still nice. We never did get out the pool or the slip and slide!

In Esther news, she's fabulous! She's pulling up to stand now and eating all sorts of things. She's singing and babbling but mostly a quiet observer. I shudder to think what's she's learning by observation, but her sweet spirit gives me hope!

We had our first "harvest" from the garden. If you can call it that. We've had the most of the one thing we don't eat! Somehow I ended up wiht Cowhorn Peppers which are hot. I'm giving them away which is fun. We've gotten 4 tomatoes and so far only Esther and I enjoy them. If we can get what we have to turn red we'll have enough for me to eat and maybe even make some sauce! Our green peppers are pretty tiny but they are growing! We're already talking about doubling the garden for next year and what additional plants we want to try to get. We simply started planning way too late.

Yesterday we went to the Cleveland Zoo and met Grandma Sandra there. We saw almost the whole zoo and the kids really enjoyed showing their favoirte parts to grandma. She read lots of signs to them and answered their questions so the teacher in me took a break to just make it a real family day. I think Grandma really enjoyed it too!
I was devistated to find, as we were leaving, that I left my camera in a bathroom when I took Grace potty. I was able to ask an employee for help and the head of lost and found drove me back up to the Northern Trek (of course I lost it as far as possible away from the main gate) to look for it, wiht no luck. I had over 600 pictures on the memory card. I'm praying someone will return it and we can get it back but I am not holding my breath. I'm so dissapointed in myself that I was too lazy to download those pictures in the past two months. Every picture from June 30 till now is gone except for the few I downloaded of our anniversary trip. Those are moments we'll never get back- including the events mentioned above. I know it's a stupid and small thing with no eternal implications, but the regret is still there... lazy and careless. *sigh*

We've also started school! With all the extra I have from my teaching days and fun things I want to do with them we're still working through our Preschool curriculum but we're not quite ready to purchase the Kindergarten one, so it'll all work out. Daddy's first day of school is quickly approaching so more and more staff is coming every day. His super crazy busy time is quickly turning into impossible and overwhelming- can't -please-everyone time. He lvoes what he does and is surrounded by fantastic people. Kids will be there after Labor Day and then the fun can really begin!!

I heard some exciting news from a dear friend this morning so I want to say to her again CONGRATULATIONS!!!! We love you and hope to see you soon!

PS: Look for rain soon! Last night I watered the garden and Gary and the kids just washed the car and the van!

Welcome to the World!!

We're so excited for our friends, the Neely's,
as they welcomed their newest blessing into their family!

Lila Claire Neely
born Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 5:07 PM.
She weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. and is 20 inches long.

Congratulations Jason, Jennifer, Aubrey, Jack, and Zeke!! We love you!

Mrs Neely is having her baby today!! We're very excited to see this amazing family grow again by two little feet!

July 28, 2010 at 9:30(ish) PM

we became Aunt and Uncle!!

Victoria Marie Torres

8 lbs and 21 inches

arrived perfectly healthy and gorgeous!

We went up the following evening to see her and she's just amazing! We're so blessed as a family! Shannon was up and around and looked fantastic. She had a wonderful labor and I'm so thankful. I prayed many many nights she's have a first delivery that was much much better than mine, and she did! It was so fun to get to meet her for the first time and see the love and excitement between my brother and his wife. We are so happy for them!

Today we celebrate 10 years of Marriage! We're incredibly blessed, and all the glory goes to God.

I John 4:7-19

⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

¹³We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. ¹⁶And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ¹⁷In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹We love because he first loved us.

Leaving in the morning tomorrow for our anniversary trip to Amish Country! I'm very excited to get away and spend some (quiet) time together. I"m also nervous and sad about leaving the kids. I know it'll be good for us, and I need this break, but it's still scary to leave your babies!

Last week was a busy one! Saturday night we came home from the lake and got ready for Sunday. Sunday was Esther's baby dedication followed by the church picnic. Mom stayed to visit awhile and then I did some major trimming of all of our bushes. Monday Gary had church meetings, Tuesday was a run to Sam's Club and then my Bible Study. Wednesday, I woke up with poison ivy. :( That night we traveled to calling hours for the father of our friend Tom. This was a very emotional time for all of us. We took the kids which was difficult, but also a good learning opportunity for Tyler. He didn't ask many questions, and since he didn't know the gentleman, it was not something he dwelled on. It was good practice at traveling, sitting quietly, and then traveling home. They did a very good job of behaving and I was very proud of them all! I"m thankful they were so helpful to allow us to go and support Toma nd Connie and Mary Jane. We had a bit of car trouble, but arrived home safely thanks to a very generous good samaratin and his car expert friend! Thursday came with another evening meeting for Gary keeping him away from home. I"m drawing a blank on what we did Friday. Saturday morning Gary helped some friends of ours move (I stayed home with the kids) and then we tackled more yard work. All week I've worked on cleaning and other organization projects so I continued with that. And playing with the kids of course. :) Sunday we had church, then the planning meeting was here at our house. It was so fun! I love that the kids can go upstairs and I know they aren't breaking other people's things and we can eat and talk in relative peace. I think we're getting settled enough to finally start having people over regularly. :) That afternoon we napped and then headed over to the Haywood's for an Open House/Pool Party/Birthday party. THe kids had a blast in the pool with Pops and Daddy and playing with Marta of course. She and Tyler are still the best of friends! Caleb and Esther seem to have bonded as well. :) Monday we got our grocery shopping done and hair cuts, and last night we had the Haywoods/Miranda's over for dinner and for the kids to play. Us ladies went to Bible Study and Gary watched our three kids and Marta. From the sounds of it they were really good, and he had fun. I am really enjoying this study we are doing and I"m excited about it. {Annointed, Transformed, Redeemed: A Study of the Life of David}

Today I"m finishing up getting the house relatively "in order" for the grandparents to come stay with the kids while we go away. I need to pack too! :)

Josh and Lia's professional wedding pictures are up! Take some time to check them out, they are AMAZING! A day filled with that kind of love and fun (not to mention such a good looking couple and group of friends!) was sure to get great photos, but add in Hooman's amazing talent and these pix are stunning!!

~Josh and Lia Bush~

Relaxing @ the Lake

Ahhhh....

Sitting at my dad's with the windows open, kids are sleeping, listening to the waves and the Tribe (winning BTW). Good times. We got to have dinner with Dad, Uncle Joshua and Aunt Shannon. We had awesome Lake Erie Perch... too much! :) Dad and I thought we'd take the kids for a walk on the beach (his apartment is on the lake), by the time we came back both the kids had stripped down and were soaked completely and covered in sand. Baths, Ice Cream and Blues Clues later- sleep! Tomorrow we'll be here for the whole day and the kids are very excited. Grace didn't even put a toe in the water at the Ocean this year, but she's dying to get "all the way" into the lake. It should be a very fun, and exhausting day.

Sunday Esther will be dedicated to the Lord at church. I"m excited but it's not lost on me the seriousness of this. I know it's a formality, it's making public something we feel and commit to every day... it's just hard. You KNOW they belong in God's hands but in our humanness we just want to hang on and hold them close...keep them as our own. They aren't our own so there is really no "keeping"... I don't know how to put it, but it's emotional.

Speaking of emotion, geez this Lebron Circus has been a disaster. "It's not what you say, it's how you say it." You want to go, bye- you'd probably even have our blessing for the most part, but to make a spectacle of yourself and our city? No thanks. Then, bless his heart, Mr Gilbert tries to rally the troops not to leave with Bron by bashing him.... eh... not so classy either... pointed, and mostly true, but not so classy. That's my take. Everyone feels entitled to do what "makes them happy", fine. Try that. True happiness will not come with a ring- THAT I can guarantee. I tell Tyler all the time- Life is not about you, and it's not about what you want. I'm sad for Lebron- the guy needed a strong man in his life, or more strong men maybe, to tell him he's just a person. Yes he's talented, but he's a person. He's not a king, he's not a savior. Only ONE gets those titles.

On to better things. :) Last weekend, our family weekend was FABULOUS!!! We left Friday morning pretty early and headed to the Pittsburgh Zoo! It was amazing- they had all the animals the kids wanted to see this year that neither Akron, nor Cleveland, had. We took our time, saw the whole thing and skipped naps. I predicted we'd end up at the Aquarium at the hottest part of the day, and everyone else in the world would be there too b/c of the air. I was not wrong! It also happened to be nap time, and a holiday weekend where there were (I assume) more people than usual. It was still fun and we had a great time. We left and checked into our hotel. Yup! We got a hotel room! Thanks to Grandma Sandra's Christmas present of a zoo membership, what would have been a $50 admission was FREE!!! So we figured we'd check it out, and there are cheap rooms out there! It had a pool so after McDonalds in the room (We're so cool) we went swimming. Our little Grace girl who's afraid of water has now become a mermaid. She LOVED it and they both had to practically be dragged back to the room. Grace just sat contentedly in her seat and watched laughing and clapping. We had baths, watched a show and then put the kids to bed. Gary tried watching a little TV but the overtired little guys were very distracted, and he was exhausted, so he went to bed. I read for about a half hour, and then went to sleep too- the last time I looked at the clock it was 9:40. Ahhh... (The Tribe Wins!) Saturday we had breakfast at the hotel and checked out. Then we headed to Target to wander around a bit. We forgot the overtired kids would only want to look at toys, toys we were certainly not buying, so that was a bust. The Zoo had effectively advertised Eat N Park's 99cent kids meals so we headed there for lunch. It took just the right amount of time to get us to 1:00 so we could head to the Kelloggs. Faith's birthday party was a blast! Jackie always makes a big deal out of it and it's so fun. All of Faith's cousins were there (two were celebrating their birthdays as well) so the kids had a blast running around with other kids. They also loved the games and food and cake of course. We stayed and visited all the way till 10 for fireworks. The kids loved that too. Then we headed for home. The kids talked about the trip the ENTIRE way home which meant it was well past midnight before they went to bed/sleep. Sunday we had church. I was in nursery with the girls, and Gary volunteered in Tyler's class (they had 22 that week!) and then we headed to the Bush's for a 4th of July cookout with them and Pap. The kids enjoyed another full day outside, this time with squirt guns! We also had lot of Pap's onion bread. YUM-O! My favorite! The kids napped, for a very long time, so we decided to stay for fireworks in Alliance too. We found a spot in a parking lot on State Street and watched from there, getting home very late again. It was worth it!

We're very blessed to have so many wonderful opportunities to spend time as a family, with extended family and friends. We're enjoying our summer and pray you are too!

OBX Vacation~ Bush Wedding ~ June 2010

**Please note that I'm recording this for me and the kids to remember the day. Please, of you are just stopping by to see what's going on in our lives, don't feel like you need to read this. **

Saturday, June 19th, was an amazing day. It's amazing it's already been almost a month now! We got up and had breakfast together and began some packing. We usually spend a good amount of time cleaning and packing the last full day of our trip. We knew we'd be leaving about 7AM on Sunday so packing had to happen sometime. While cleaning was going on I was attempting to get our stuff organized, and out of the way. This of course put a lot of it IN our room, which is also where we all needed to be getting ready for the day.

Gary, his dad, and Tyler all went to the groomsman's house late in the morning to get ready there. They then were riding the limo bus to the church. Gary was the best man, Tyler the ring bearer, and Mr. Bush a groomsman. I needed to take Grace, the flower girl, to the bridesmaids house because Lia wanted to see her in her dress and have some photos taken of the two of them. It was so fun to be in the house full of girls getting ready for the wedding! I thought we'd be there 20 minutes tops, but it was close to, maybe more than two hours! Lia had gotten a halo of flowers for Grace's hair and I'd planed to have it back off of her head, and then curl the back, or leave it straight. I didn't do anything with her hair because I just wasn't sure what the flowers would look like and how her hair would need to be to secure them. We got there as the girls were all doing their hair and Lia was having hers done, and her makeup.

I'm a wedding freak as some of you know- obsessed. Being there for that was just so amazing. I was able to watch the girls come in and out and see Lia and burst in to tears. I was able to observe as her mom lovingly steamed her dress and hung it on the door. Watch as her dad made sure everything was assembled and ready to be taken to the different sites. And watch her dad just look at her as dad's do when their little girls become brides. I was able to watch the photographer capture moments that most people miss. I was able to watch Lia's sister do her makeup, and her friend do her hair... it was just amazing to see it all come together. To see all these gorgeous women, especially Lia, become even more beautiful. Lia was so relaxed and I really think she was trying to just be in the moment. Lia, if you ever read this, thank you for letting us be a part of that. The most fun part was seeing my little girl Grace, in her flower girl dress, trying to play in the shower as we waited for Lia's hair to be done. :) One of the girls curled Grace's hair which was so fun for her. Finally, when Lia was ready and the photographer captured a few very sweet photos of Lia and Grace.

We then rushed back to the house so we could get everyone ready. Grace finished some lunch to hold her over, we fed Esther and my mom and I somehow got us all ready to go. In fact, mostly my mom got the girls ready. She straightened my hair while I fed Esther her bottle, then she curled Grace's hair and got both girls dressed while I laid everything out, packed food and bottles for Esther for the day, and got dressed and put my makeup on. We were about 500 feet down the road when Grace fell asleep in her seat. Mom and I got to visit the whole way to the church, and then when we got there, everything was a whirlwind.

As always, Gary in his tux took my breath away. The sight of my sweet Tyler in his tux made me cry. He was quite tired and crabby and collapsed into tears several times within minutes of my arrival. Gary was in Best Man mode and barely stopped to say hi to me. I soon realized that I couldn't sit with my mom and just let Gary and "whoever" take care of the kids. I probably could have, but with them being tired and the wedding SO close, I didn't want to take any chances of them melting down. The girls were doing finishing touches, the guys were wandering around trying to keep Josh away from Lia. The fathers prayed for and over both bride and groom seperately, the girls prayed, the guys prayed, the parents hugged and greeted family... I sat with the kids reading them books and getting them drinks, and panicking when Tyler's boutonniere broke. :) My mom stayed in the church with Esther and before I knew it, the mom's were going down the aisle! I asked the kids to stay with the girls and Sue and I went up stairs to sit. At that point though, Sue asked me to have the girls come upstairs. The way the church was laid out they had to walk outside. I ushered the kids inside and then suddenly, Val (Lia's sister, the Maid of Honor) had to go in and someone needed to hold the dress! Lia and I were outside and I wish I could say I said something encouraging or special to her before she went in to be escorted by her father down the aisle. I don't remember what I said, but I know it wasn't anything special. :( Sorry Lia! Suddenly, Sue was opening the door and there was her father and then I was fixing her dress and down she went! I stood back to the side so as not to be in any pictures and then slipped down the side aisle to the front where I was supposed to be. I missed the whole processional and thankfully, even though I wasn't there waiting for them as promised, the kids did a fabulous job. At least that's what I"m told...

Two of the groomsman played/sang the processoinal and a unity candle song. Val and I read scripture, Pastor Dan did a great service and Josh and Lia gave roses to thier mothers and grandparents. Grace wanted to color and chit-chat through the whole ceremony and she dropped her basket of flowers 3 times, Tyler kicked it over at least once. They both wanted what the other had and papers and books were flying all over the floor. Esther made herself known too, but not enough to have to be taken out. Thank goodness my mom was there to hold her! I feel so badly that the kids were being disruptive because I fear they distracted Stephanie. *sigh* However, I wills say- we all knew going into this that anything could happen! They are 5 and 3! :)

Soon it was time for the kids to follow Mr and Mrs Josh Bush back down the aisle!!! It was a beautiful ceremony. So intimate and special and such a tribute to Love that comes only through Christ. I had many "favorite" parts. One was during the song for the unity candle. Josh and Lia went forward and just stood praying together before lighting it and giving of the roses. It was such a sweet moment between them and the Lord, but we each got to witness it. After the recessional we all stood outside and that was magical too. The sun was bright, and you could see the ocean from the church. We were surrounded by friends and family and then out they ran as we threw rose petals and blew bubbles.

They took a short ride in the limo bus while we got the rose petals cleaned up and assembled back inside the church. At every wedding the Kandray family always gets a big family photo of everyone there. I think we had 41 this time? After a few more photos in the church the kids began to melt down so I let them play in the nursery downstairs. When it was time to leave we loaded in the van (Gary went with the bridal party for pictures on the dunes, and apparently, ice cream!) with my mom and headed to the reception site. We decided to stop and get a snack at McDonald's. I know it's not real food but it's amazing how a couple nuggets and fries really help a kid get moving again!

We sat a little in the car and then got out to go get some photos on the beach- the kids with me and the kids with my mom. When the bridal party arrived they did some photos on the beach as well.

Lia had this GREAT idea of having the kids hold a photo frame and Josh and Lia stand behind them so that they were "in" the frame as the photo was being taken. Their FABULOUS PHOTOGRAPHER has already posted this photo to Lia on Facebook and it is AMAZING! He has posted a few on his facebook page as well. You've GOT to check it out. I cannot say enough good things about Hooman. He was amazing. He was so kind and willing to do anything it took- to capture every special moment!! It was fun to get to know him and see him work. He TRULY loves what he does and he's extremely talented! See for yourself- check out the above links, especially the BLOG! (*If you search for "Bush" in the blog you can see the engagement photos as well!)

After pictures it was time to party, and let me tell you- these two, and their bazillion friends, love to PARTY! They did a dance for the grand entrance that was awesome. I wish I knew how to get the video off of my video camera and onto here! So cool. The meal was awesome, the dances were so special and Gary did a perfect job on his speech. Val's was perfect too- I love what she said. It was just the perfect day. I hope it was for Josh and Lia too. It was fun to get to see family and I wish I'd have gotten to visit with them more. There's just so much to say about such a fabulous day... I could go on but I've been composing this for two days, over numerous sittings and even more interruptions! It'll be another hour at least to download all the photos so I'll close here.

Josh and Lia~ we love you so much!

JULY!?!?!

How can that be!? Summer's half over already! I know you are anxiously awaiting pictures of the Bush Wedding, but today is busy with laundry, covering my baby with kisses, and packing for our suprise weekend trip! I"m so excited! Gary's been putting in an annoyingly insane amount of unpaid hours at work so to make it up to us he came home Monday with the idea of making this weekend a little bit of a family vacation. I'm still so much in shock I'm having a hard time motivating myself to pack! It promises to be fun though, and we'll get to see the Kelloggs for Faith's birthday party. We're so blessed to get to spend her special day with her!

Esther is crawling all over the place now. She seems to preferr army crawling but it depends on what outfit she's wearing I've had to move around some furniture and find the baby gate! Grace is totally potty trained at home now. It's probably time to start letting her wear underpants out and about but I'm waiting just a few more days, for my own sanity. :) She was having a hard time with not being allowed to get up from bed to go when she needed to so I've put her in *gasp* pull ups. We'll test it out this weekend at home and on our little trip and see how she does. She's so independant! If she'd tell me when she needs to go, I wouldn't worry about it but usually I ask her if she needs to go only to find out she's already gone twice herself. She doesn't even ask for her M&M rewards anymore! My baby girl is growing up too fast! I'm thankful I didn't push her a year ago though. :) Tyler still has a love/hate relationship with learning. He's improving greatly on his reading and writing skills. His comprehension and retention are astounding. I suspect he'll be a student like his daddy- everything will come fairly easy and he'll only do what he absolutely has to do to get by. :) Mommy will just have to accept that's how he was made!

Praying everyone has a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend.

Be smart.

Be safe.

Remember freedom is not free.

Wishing a very Happy Birthday to Faith Kellogg!

She's a blessing in so many lives, as are her amazing parents. Learn how the Kellogg family is a true testament of God's goodness and faithfulness. Read their blog. He allows things in our lives that seem bad- so that the good can shine more brightly! We love you!

Outer Banks

Thursday & Friday

Thursday we got up and got out to the beach mid morning. We loved that this year we had a parking lot just off the dunes that we could drive to and park. made the van very sandy on the way back, but it was so great to not have to lug all the stuff, and the kids a few blocks. They were able to play a lot more and not be quite so overtired. Josh and Lia came out to see us for a bit and we got a few quick family photos. We tried them in the cabana to include Esther. She, was sleeping in her seat and you can hardly see her, and the people in the shade you can hardly see either! :( We're all there though. Gary helped me get the kids back to the house, bathed and fed before he left for the bachelor day. He organized a round of golf, then a cookout back at the beach house the groomsmen were staying at. I hear they had a wonderful time. I got the kids down for a short/early nap and afterwards the kids, myself, my mom and Stephanie all went up north to Corolla. We love TimBuckII! My mom and I had found these Blessing Bowls at Eclectic Treasures the year before. She said that would be a great wedding gift for Josh and Lia. Once I knew I was not going to get them, she decided she would. I hope Josh and Lia love it. We had fun walking around a few stores and we ate at First Light which was delicious. The kids were less than trilled about shopping and I had to lug Esther in her seat because the Stroller had not fit in the van for the trip. I should have just carried Esther in my arms. We didn't stay too long and instead we stopped at the grocery store for ice cream and went home. My mom got the kids their treat and read to them out on the porch. It was so sweet. I love those moments when the grandparents do something special with the kids. I always want to be apart of it, but don't want to interrupt it either. The kids went to bed and we relaxed. I think that was the night we had a total downpour and water actually came into our room! It was a quick storm, but caused a lot of flooding! Maybe it was Wednesday night? I really don't recall... Later in the evening Paula suggested we play Hand and Foot. I LOVE playing cards and so even though I was exhausted and it was late, I played and it was SO much fun! Paul, Sue, Kyle and Deneal joined us. It was so fun to see the Michaels kids interact with each other and their mom. I"m not around very many adult kids and their parents, it was awesome.

Friday was rehearsal/rehearsal dinner day. We were invited to a party at the bridesmaid's house after the dinner so we knew we'd not have time for another trip to the beach for the rest of our trip. Friday morning we packed full! We hit the beach for about an hour and a half. I could hardly bear to tear myself and the kids away. They were having so much fun and it just brings you joy to watch your kids enjoy life, you know? I knew too that once the wedding stuff started, it would be a whirlwind. I wanted to just soak in those moments! WE did leave though because the kids REALLY wanted to hit the pool one last time so we headed back to the house, and the pool which was also a blast. After quick baths and lunch and some packing (I think the kids laid down for an hour but I"m not sure) we hit the road. The rehearsal went well and we got out of there in time to get to Mako Mikes for the dinner. It was delicious. It was such a blessing to get to see Josh and Lia surrounded by SO many friends. I'm always jealous of how popular the two of them seem to be. They truly do have a HUGE group of amazing friends. And they truly are close to, and loved by each and every one. This is a group who loves the Lord, and loves to have fun! It was special to be a part of that. At the party after, even MORE of their amazing friends were there! I know too, they had many friends they were unable to invite due to numbers, and who were unable to attend. I hope they know how truly blessed they are to be surrounded by so much love. To have the love of both family and friends, is an amazing blessing. It makes me miss my far away friends just writing about it!

Esther is getting the hang of eating solids!

Shes done well with larger chunks of mashed foods, but occasionally swallows things and then gags a tiny bit. With her laid back nature , of course, she laughs at this, and asks for more. Steph has asked me recently if she's eating more "real solids" yet. Oops! Should think about that huh? I have been focusing so much on getting her to sit up unassisted (she likes to rock back b/c we catch her and I think she'd really rather be down rolling and scooting around on the floor), and holding her bottle, I just don't focus on the eating. We play,read and watch her scoot around! (She's on the verge of crawling now! She's moving those hands and knees forward, but not quite in the "correct order" for official crawling. I give it a week, tops.)

When I do turn my attention to her eating, I either over analyze, or just feed her what we have and don't think about solids. She's gumming her stars well. She's also making progress getting them into her mouth herself. She's been picking them up with the pincer grasp for a long time now, but she'd rather play with them than put them in her mouth. :) Throwing them, of course, is most fun. Since she's eating them whole now, I thought it might be time to try something else. Our friend Faith has sensory sensitivity, and gets very anxious when she chokes, and regresses with her eating. Praying for her regularly and watching the process they've gone through as a family has made me much more aware of such issues, and more nervous about feeding Esther. I don't want Esther to be afraid to eat because I fed her something and she choked, but I also don't want to delay the learning to where she's much older and really does remember. On top of that, I really don't remember how the other kids transitioned from pureed foods to dry crunchy foods. I asked Gary last night, what did we give the kids after stars???

I was hesitant to go straight to cheerios so last night we tried bites of Ritz type crackers. She ate two! She likes that she can grab the whole thing and take her own bite. She coughed a couple times but immediately figured out what size bites to take, and to swallow what she had before getting more (after struggling awhile to get down a rather large chunk). She just did it! I"m so thankful!

Sometimes kids just figure things out on their own- it's natural. I'm seeing more and more in life how sometimes, knowledge can hold you back. Now that I am aware of how kids should use their tongue to push food to the sides of their mouths and things, I'm watching for those things. When you don't know what kids are "supposed" to do, you just live. I'm trying the "just live" approach in many areas with Esther. With Tyler, I was afraid I was doing it wrong on my own so I was constantly checking the books to see what we were "supposed to be doing". Checking to make sure I wasn't messing things up completely. I also had people asking me a lot of questions. Why isn't Tyler crawling yet? Shouldn't he be crawling? Shouldn't he have teeth? Why can't he eat mashed potatoes with cheese off of my plate? What about this chicken? When is he going to eat candy? Each question made me run to the books to see when I should be doing it and it made me second guess the path I'd already determined we'd take with learning different skills. With Esther, I'm not consulting the books. I have a baby food book I check to see what month it's "safe" to introduce a food, but I"m not checking the other books to see when she should be crawling, or walking, or doing front double handsprings. With the other two, I'm sure I just fed them and if they didn't eat it, I waited a week and tried again. I knew how I wanted to progress from food to food, and I just stuck to it, with lots of book checks after the questions! With Esther I'm fighting my urge to just enjoy her, the urge keep her a baby (she's growing up too fast!) and my urge to analyze every little thing. Different things "win" the battle different days, and it's frustrating! It's frustrating to feel like the road you are on is not quite the best road, and frustrating to feel like you might be holding your own kid back. This is true for all of them in all areas. When it comes down to it though, I love my kids more than I could ever describe here, and am doing the best I can for them. Yes, others are doing it better, but I'm not them.

I'm me.

God choose me and I have to believe, that He felt I'd do a good enough job- with or without the books.

So, yes, Esther can eat crackers. She probably could have eaten them a month ago, but she ate them yesterday. And we're thrilled.

PS- She's crawling beside me! :)

Usually I hate computers, but yesterday was another example of how fun they can be. This kind of thing does happen occasionally, but yesterdays experience was exceptional, and I don't want to forget it.

The day started off with a conversation with Tyler that led to what he wanted to be when he grew up. He wants to drive trains, but not any train- a Shinkansen. These Japanese "bullet" trains were introduced in the 1960's and at the time were the fastest in the world. Japan has a large fleet of them and several other countries now have them. The US has expressed interest as well. Currently the fastest train is in France. I know this all because of the magic of the computer, and the internet. Tyler pulled out a book yesterday morning, opened to the page showing these trains, and said that's the kind I want to drive. So several articles and You Tube video's later- we all know a lot about these trains!

Anita Renfroe does it again! Enjoy!

HE answers prayers!!!!

Blog coming soon over @ the Kellogg Family house!!

Esther is 8 months today!

I love you my sweet Esther Joy!!

*She's officially army crawling forwards and backwards!! It's TOO cute!

Packing, traveling, and the first day...

Gary had to work Tuesday so we planned to leave when he got home. I agreed to drive the first few hours so he could nap. I told him that he kids would probably not be asleep or quiet until about 10 pm and he'd have a hard time getting rest. It was really nice to have all day to finish packing. I got a lot packed and organized over the weekend, Monday began packing the van,and by the time Gary got home Tuesday, I was pretty much ready to go. It was nice to pack, organize and clean as I went so that the house was not left in shambles. I even got the beds stripped and the sheets all washed so we came home to clean sheets. It took us about an hour to get everything finalized and get on the road. I drove about 3.5 hours and those kids were still wide awake! They were not quiet at all for Gary which concerned me. After I drove I went right to sleep for about an hour, then rested on and off till about 2AM. From that point on I stayed awake to help keep Gary awake. Plus, with the kids finally sleeping, I have his undivided attention so we can talk! We got to the beach house just after 4:30. We made only 2 stops I believe, but now it's all a blur so I'm not sure. maybe it was 3. Anyways, we made it in 10 hours! Makes a difference staying in a house further south, you aren't crossing the bridge and heading north for a half hour. My mom had two twin beds made and we quickly got the kids into those beds and she moved to the couch (THANKS MOM!) so we should not have to dig out kids sheets. Gary set up the playpen and Esther went right down. While he did that I found our sheets and pj's and we went to bed.

Wednesday

We got up to rain so we did some things inside and the pool in the morning. It was disappointing, but it was so nice to have the time to relax and not rush right out. We did early naps (which was easy since we were all tired) and then out to the ocean. It was gorgeous!!! I just LOVE the ocean. I know if you think about it too hard, it's gross, but it's just amazing and beautiful to me. It's a place I connect with God- I can't explain it. We went back later in the afternoon and I realized very quickly that we'd have to have baths. We managed to all get bathed and dressed before dinner- Spaghetti night! It was so good! I have no idea what else we did that evening... After the kids went to bed we watched a movie, Gary worked on his speech (he had to re-write it so he could read it), and I did a puzzle with Paula, Sue, Deneal and Kyle. I love puzzles! It was fun to get one completely done in one night too.

Grandma Stephanie and Esther

Steph & Heahter

Sandra & Heather

Grace & Tyler

Esther

Esther's first time in the Ocean!

Grace was not interested in touching the water so she and Grandma Sandra sat in their chairs. They scooted closer and closer, but Grace never got wet!

They LOVED playing in the sand this year!

Our Family Feet

Watching a show before bed