HOT! Weather

We have had some really hot weather this week, temps in the 90s, and we've had to break out the pool and slip-n-slide to keep cool while playing outside.

I think we might have to invest in a bigger pool... the clearance pool I found is a bit too small for both girls so if we're going to let Noah join in on the fun I think we'll have to upgrade.  =)

 Noah has been a happy boy playing in his stroller under the porch in the shade.

 The hot weather combined with lots of physical activity has left us with some very tired little girls!  We couldn't resist this sweet picture of Audrey snoozing.

New Swingset

This past weekend Michael and his friend Kurt worked hard to get the kids' new swingset put together.  It has been wonderful entertainment this week as they've spent MANY hours outside playing on it. 

 The girls have had lots of real and pretend picnics on the built in picnic table.  :)

No more Pink!

Thankfully Noah is content to play with anything, however, I think we need to invest in some more boy toys for our little guy.  He probably won't like this picture when he's older and sees that he played with Barbies and My Little Ponies when he was a baby.  :)

Smith Family Gathering

A few weekends ago we traveled to IN to celebrate Aunt Aimee's graduation from I.U.  The girls had so much fun playing with their cousins!  Hallee, Fairin, and Bayli were wonderful entertainers and such a great help with our kiddos. 

Above:  Anna, Fairin, Noah, Hallee, Audrey, and Bayli

Below:  Anna, Fairin, and Audrey

 Great Grandpa Burch with Daddy and Noah

 Aunt Jenny's phone was a popular item!  Audrey especially loved playing the drums on it.

 Noah was a happy boy playing with Aunt Aimee.

 Grandpa Smith and Noah

 Great Grandma Burch and Noah

Noah and Great Grandma Smith

Peaceful Place

Michael and the kids got me this beautiful white wicker porch swing for Mother's Day and it has become one of our favorite places.  The girls LOVE to swing and sing praise songs and so do I.  It's so nice to sit and relax and just be "still".  Something we need to do more often!

Kindergarten Graduation

We celebrated Anna's graduation from Kindergarten on Thursday and she was so excited!  I didn't have my camera batteries charged so I didn't get any pictures of her during the program.  I was so angry!!  She did a great job memorizing her lines for the program and we enjoyed a nice reception at the school following graduation.  It's hard to believe she'll be in first grade next year.  I mentioned a few posts ago that we're considering home schooling her next year.  We're still undecided as far as what we're going to do but we trust that God will lead us in the right direction in His timing.  Somedays I'm "ok" with waiting for His answer and other days I want to know right now!  :)

Noah and Audrey were proud of their big sis!  :)

Good Friends

When we were back in Indiana over Easter, I was able to meet up with 2 of my good friends.  I've known these girls for a long, long time and I'm so grateful that we still keep in touch.  Cara and I were pregnant at the same time last year and it was so nice to have someone to vent to throughout my pregnancy with Noah who I knew understood as she was experiencing a lot of the same stuff.  She is a great encouragement to me as she's made it through some very tough times and continues to keep her eyes on the Lord.

 It never works out that everybody looks at the right time.  :)

 Noah and Cooper (born just 13 days apart) were so much fun to watch.  They would look at one another and pull on each other's arms.  Won't be too long and they'll be playing tag. 

 I also got to meet up with my friend Sonja whom I hadn't seen in YEARS!  We met at a mall play place and didn't even attempt to get our kids in the picture as they were very busy playing of course.  Sonja also is a great encourager as she's a stay-at-home mom who strives to be a strong Christian mom and can relate to a lot of my day to day struggles.  I'm so glad we finally got a chance to chat in person after so many years!

Easter

So, I'm a few weeks late in posting this but better late than never!  We spent our Easter in Indiana with my family this year and had a wonderful time.  We ended up staying almost a week as Michael had to travel to Houston so the kids and I were able to spend more time with my family.  My parents were a WONDERFUL help with the kids!  They played with them, read to them, took them outside, we took many walks together, and it was such a blessing to have extra time with them.  Noah got to meet many new faces and was an all around pretty good traveler.  We enjoyed a nice church service on Easter morning singing hymns that Michael and I grew up singing which was very uplifting.  Thanks to my family for the fun and help with our kiddos!  We love and miss you!

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Eternal Life

Last Wednesday, May 11th, Anna made the best decision she'll ever make in her entire life!  She asked Michael and I if she could pray and ask Jesus into her heart.  We were both in her room as it was bedtime, each of us kneeling on one side of the bed, and we gladly told her "yes!"  We each took hold of her hands and Michael lead her through the prayer.  I, of course, was overcome with emotion and couldn't say a word but I cannot describe the amount of joy I felt in my heart.  I've never felt anything like it!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I am so thankful for my 3 sweet blessings who call me Mommy.  I used to think it was the best title in the world and becoming a mother was the only dream I had when I was younger.  Most days I still think it's the best title in the world.  :)  We have cuddle sessions like the one above often and while sometimes I'm not always so thrilled at the idea of being piled onto at the end of the day, I am very thankful that I have precious children to surround myself with and a loving, supportive husband who is a wonderful dad to our 3 answers to prayer.  Happy Mother's Day to you if you're a mom... I am very blessed to have a wonderful mother who gave me the best gift ever - teaching me about Jesus and modeling for me daily what it means to live for Him.  Thanks Ma!

Noah's Dedication

On April 17th we dedicated Noah to the Lord.  We believe the Bible makes it clear that baptism should be an individual's choice after he/she has accepted Jesus as their Savior.  So, in place of infant baptism, we believe in infant dedication.  This is a time when we publicly acknowledge that our child is a gift from God, that he/she is God's child, and we also commit ourselves as parents to raising our child the way God intends.

My sister, Jen, and her husband, Mike, were visiting that weekend and we were very grateful to have the extra help with our three Indians.  =)

 Our pastor did a wonderful job with the ceremony and allowed me to share with the congregation what a miracle Noah is after all of the complications I had during the first half of my pregnancy with him.

 Such a sweetie!

 I took many, many pictures of the kids trying to get a decent one of the 3 of them together... not sure I got a great one but one of these will have to do. 

 I love sepia pictures but I can't decide if I like this one better in color or not.

Playing with Fire

I'm so far behind with posts...  In April Grandpa and Grandma Smith came to visit and they helped us burn our massive pile of tree limbs that we'd collected over the winter.  We even made a weenie roast out of it and the girls loved it.

 Grandma did a great job keeping the girls entertained so that they wouldn't get too close to the fire.

 And of course our two performers found a stage, also known as a tree stump, and serenaded us and the entire neighborhood with lots of singing.

Noah enjoyed the outdoors as well until he got cranky and needed a nap.

 It's always great to have our families visit and we really appreciate their help with the kids!

Mr. Giggles

Noah has been full of laughter lately and we're loving it!  Sometimes we don't even try to make him laugh and he just bursts out into giggles.  He's so much fun!  He had his 6 month check-up today and is doing great.  After weighing him I think he's actually lost weight or slowed down greatly since he was weighed 3 weeks ago.  He got a terrible cold, thus the reason he was weighed 3 weeks ago at the doctor, and was coughing so hard he vomited after almost everything he ate.  And it wasn't just spit-up, but vomit, an entire 8 oz.!  Today he weighed 18 pounds 9 ounces (3 weeks ago he was 18 lbs. so he hasn't gained much since then due to being sick I'm guessing) and was 24 1/4 inches long (I'm going to check this too because the nurse did not take her time getting an accurate measurement).  He's right around the 70th percentile for growth.  We knew he was a big boy... my arms definitely know he's a big boy!  :)  Enjoy this short little video of our happy guy.

A few of his favorite things...

 Playing in the exersaucer and chewing on the toys...

 Hanging out with Daddy...

 Playing with Sophie the Giraffe...

and snoozing with his taggie.

A Hard Lesson to Learn

Michael and I are so proud and humbled by our sweet Anna.  She's been struggling with a mistake she made and she took the tough road to make it right.  A few days ago after our bedtime devotions, Anna shared with Michael that she had cheated on the Standard Achievement Test that she and the rest of her kindergarten class took 3 weeks ago.  The word "cheat" is a bit of a stretch because she didn't change any of her answers but she did look at someone else's paper and to her that was cheating.  Michael explained to her, as I did the next day when she told me, all of the consequences that go along with cheating... possible wrong answers, getting caught while doing it, the guilt of knowing you did it, etc.  She apologized to Michael and I and asked God for forgiveness and we left it at that.  Michael and I both thought that the matter had been laid to rest.  However, this past Tuesday night while eating her bedtime snack, she asked me if she could tell her teacher Mrs. Haines what she did.  I asked her if she felt like she needed to and she said "yes".  So, I promised her that I would go to her classroom with her the next day to talk with her teacher.

6 Months Old

This will be a quick post, there's lots more I hope to post in the next few days as I've gotten way behind, but here's a little peak at our sweet boy.  He is 6 months old today... wow, how I wish I could freeze time.  He continues to be very laid back, happy, adaptable, a great night time sleeper, he's doing better with naps, he can sit up and roll over from back to belly and he loves to eat.  We started solids with him a month ago and there's not a fruit or vegetable he doesn't like.  His 6 month check-up is Friday so I'm anxious to see what he weighs.  He was 18 pounds almost 3 weeks ago so we'll see if he's added to that or not.  He's making my arms and back very strong and he's almost too big for his infant carrier.  =)