Just some random pictures

Here are some random pictures of the kiddos. I've been meaning to post these for a while but life has gotten in the way.

Here is Maggie in her sailor outfit. Isn't she cute???
Jacob got a helmet (not sure why yet...I guess cause he asked for one). He is riding his bicycle around the house a lot and has fallen a few times but I think we'll hold off on wearing the helmet until he rides outside. ; )

Here's a shot of Maggie in her bed...she's getting ready to scream since she thinks I'm going to leave her.

Trip to the zoo, etc.

We had a nice trip to the zoo this week with Chris, Amy, Wesley and Dylan. We went on Thursday and it was the best day of the week to go, since Monday and Tuesday were on record for the hottest days of the year so far. The weather was beautiful and we didn't get too hot. I've posted some pictures from our trip and then a few extras of the kids around the house.

Here, Amy and I are discussing something very important, probably the upcoming election, or the war in Iraq, or the horrible housing market...definitely NOT talking about losing baby weight or some other silly topic.
Maggie did great at the zoo, especially since she had to miss her morning nap to go. She did get a quick snooze while riding in the Bjorn, but was in a good mood as you can see below.

Here you'll see Jacob and cousin Wesley in the petting area of the zoo.

Jacob thought the alligators were pretty cool...that and the frogs. In fact, he was probably most excited about the frogs. Why pay $26 to see stuff you have in your own backyard?!?

Before we left for the zoo Brent put this camo hat of Jacob's on Maggie. For the record, she will never wear camo again. This was a photo opportunity only. Consider this pay back for Brent since he would pitch a fit any time I wanted to put something "traditional" on Jacob as a baby...(code for "fru-fru").

Here's a shot of Jacob playing with his letters (note the big-boy underwear). He is usually in pull-ups but the POINT is that we are potty training. Yay!

And lastly, here is little Maggie, who is not so little any more. This is a shot of her sitting up with the aid of my boppy pillow. This was her first time to sit like that...she is growing up so fast already. What a sweet girl she is...

Much to be thankful for

We've had a busy week this past week and are looking forward to next week being a little more low-key. I am currently overwhelmed with how blessed we are as a family. God has provided for us in so many ways and He continues to watch over us and our children and we are so thankful for that. We had a scare with Maggie on Thursday of this week...having to take her to the hospital via ambulance to learn that she had/has a UTI. The poor girl had already been to the doctor this week for thrush and she also cut her first tooth. So, it has been an eventful week for Maggie. However, although we were very worried about Maggie and we didn't know the outcome, we are thankful that she is going to be okay and that God gave us the strength to make it through this trying situation. (Notably, I was thankful that I didn't lose my composure at all, with only minor crying as Maggie got her catheter at the hospital - that's a praise in and of itself.)
Times like these make me truly treasure the gifts God has given us in our children. They are precious and I pray that we are equipped to parent them in the best way possible. Thanks for letting me ramble in my own emotional way... : ) Below are some pictures from the past two weeks.

Many changes...

This week has held many changes for us...all good, but different just the same. First Maggie had her 6 month appointment. The fact that she is growing up so fast just blows my mind. She weighed 14 pounds (a whopper!) and is now drinking - or attempting- from a sippy cup (see below). The other major change for us was getting Jacob his first "big boy" hair cut. We have purposefully kept his hair long because we liked the way it looked and we liked his curls. However, his hair seems to have lost most of the curl so we decided to try the big boy look. Oh my, the change in him. He is still the most adorable looking boy, but it made my heart skip a beat to see my baby looking like such a big boy. : )

More vacation pictures

Here are some more shots of our vacation...Below you'll see Jacob and Emma eating strawberries in sync... A picture of Mom and Dad

John and Emily...

Lauren and Emma jumping off the pier

Maggie getting a bath and enjoying it quite a bit.

Me opening my "40th" birthday card from Brent. He is just hilarious.

John on the tube...

Jacob jumping off the pier to Brent.

Pics from Arley, Alabama...what? You've never heard of it???

We are currently on vacation down in Arley, AL with my mom, dad and niece Emma. I bet you're wondering what there is to do in Arley, but my parent's house is on Smith Lake and we have a lot of fun swimming, fishing, tubing, skiing, etc. So, here are a few pics of our trip so far...

Emma with Grandaddy fishing off the pier. Emma is using Jacob's chair and fishing rod since she threw part of her rod in the lake earlier in the day. Ha! Grandaddy has already fashioned a new one for her to fish with. No fish so far! Here is Mom and Maggie enjoying some time on the water. Maggie has been such a good girl on this trip! She started sleeping through the night last week and it has made such a difference (at least in my life it has!). Here she is wearing her hat, which she later chewed on for quite a long time.
Here is a picture of Brent riding "big bertha." He had quite an interesting stance on the tube, but I have spared you that picture. As usual, he got sunburned on our first day down here...
Here is a picture of Jacob and Brent fishing. Jacob had quite a time playing with the night crawler worms. He let them crawl all over his arm, etc. Funny thing is he wouldn't hold a frog!

Jacob enjoys sitting inside the tube while in the water but we have managed to actually get him in the water some and he does pretty well. He really likes holding onto his noodle and he LOVES playing with tubes of sunscreen, which he calls his chapstick and rubs on his face nonstop. At least he is protected. (They actually look like a fat tube of chaptstick...we're not letting him play with lotion sunscreen...)

Here are Jacob and Emma eating some strawberries in sync.

John and Emily got to spend a few days with us before heading for a 2 week tour of Europe. At least our arm pits won't be as hairy as the folks they'll encounter over there...that, and we actually like Americans.

These last two pictures are some of Jacob playing in the back yard before we left for Alabama...he is blowing bubbles and playing with a mushroom.