Gettin' some morning lovin's

i love how he doesn't take his eyes off me... like 'am i safe, mommy?'

Gagey's new underpants :) Thirsties covers & premium prefolds. They will be paid off after about 400 diaper changes! Yowzahhhh!

But, c'mon, is there anything cuter than a baby in cloth?

Hee hee... i love this expression...

mmmm... Cai took a pic of lunch time when i wasn't expecting it, but it's kind of cute for posterity... There's just a little piece that needs a receiving blanket! ho ho ho!!

Gage, the sweetest, happiest little baby ever.

dj cool&fresh... umm... that doesn't sound cool... substitute your own cool rapper name for my little cutie. The girls took this & think it's funny.

"momma!! Take my picture!! i'm the princess of Cutieland!!" haha.. Modesty from her daddy.

Oh ~ summer has arrived. She was so shy, i thought she'd never come, but she's here & beautiful.

Today we went to the beach & got some sun. i'm lovin' family time lately. The kids are such a crazy wide age range ~ & there's always something interesting happening, or extra arms to hold the baby, or someone to visit with.

We sculpted the sand into a bumbo for Gage & put his towel over it so he wouldn't fall & he did great. (He's sitting up now (!) but he still topples when he's reaching for his little toes to chew on).

Oh! i was also going to update on his little foot. We had our ped appointment & all went well. The ped was excellent. He confirmed that Gage does have metatarsus adductus & likely will need some form of correction, but we'll need x-rays & to see an orthopedic surgeon before we know exactly what will happen. For now, we're doing stretches with his foot, trying to help it correct a little... we'll see.

My eyes are a little bleary from last night ~ Gage woke at 3am for the day... just visiting, cooing, squealing & wiggling. *Ahhhh* even the tough parts of this job ~ like being deprived of sleep ~ are sweet. Sometimes i wonder if this gratitude will wear off a little. Somehow, i doubt it.

So, a friend came to see me today. We were supposed to go to the lake today, but it was so rainy, i emailed her & said 'c'mon over' instead. So, she came. She has 2 kiddos ~ one a boy who Charter thinks is the coolest ~ & despite being a couple of years older than Charter, plays so nicely with my little guy ~ & a teeny tiny little girl who is 3 and a half? months older than Gage & about 2 and a half pounds lighter.
Anyway, i decided if i vacuumed my stairs by the time she got here, i was *awesome* ~ so, i'm awesome! Ha! (i also did 4 loads of laundry & a miscellaneous list of chores that are always needing to get done, but it would be too tedious to type them out ~ but i digress...)
So, back to my friend. She arrived with a burst of *energy* through the door. She had brought a few tidbits from her pantry that she didn't think they'd use & thought we might, a birthday present for Charter, diapers for Gage, a teething soother for Gage, & was full of upbeat, positive conversation for an hour & a half & then was gone. She's always so well put-together & her house is so sweetly tended & immaculate & she's beyond creative in inventing new ways to be generous. She's a giver.
i love seeing how people 'wear' their Chrisitanity. i really believe that as we press into the Father, it will become more natural to choose to act like Him. My friend was such a great example to me today.

bahhhh... i haven't posted for 5 days... but it's *still* raining... i feel like it's been raining forever... & all i can think about are the mosquitoes.
i don't usually get blue, but i am.
i should probably just shut up when i feel like this, but...
i could tell you all about what's right with the world:
When Neil was gone, i was *spent* on Sunday, so when i got home from church, i crawled into bed ~ didn't make lunch or anything ~ just put on my jammies & climbed in with Gage & Cai. We watched "So You Think You Can Dance" (hee hee!!) & visited & played with the baby. During commercials, i went & made a lasagne (i already had the meat cooked in the fridge) & then at around 3 pm we had 'lupper' :) of lasagne, garlic buns & salad. That night, Cai crawled into bed with me again & we visited till way past her bedtime & i realized what great company she is. She's bright, cheerful, funny, insightful, kind & a kindred spirit.
Then, today, a rainy, cold, uninspiring day, Peyton found me on the couch nursing the baby & we worked on some of her school stuff that she's not done yet... It was so refreshing & fun to just work with her one on one & watch her breeze through the stuff that she just wasn't ready for a couple of months ago. Since it went so well, Charter came & found me with his reading (he's doing so well!) & then Sloanie, with her spelling... we ended up getting a lot done.
Even little mollen got a little 'mom & me' time ~ dragged her blanket down & put it over our knees for a little snuggle time.
Tonight, i *finally* made Charter's birthday cake & he asked what was to drink & i said, "water" & he said, "OH, GREAT, MOM!! I LOVE WATER!!" (yes, he does talk all in caps...)
So, why am i blue...
i dunno...
Maybe it's the rain, the price of gas & the driving we've already committed to this summer, the fact that i live so far from my family, that i missed my husband last week & i still haven't recovered...
Really, tho, i should be ashamed of myself. My blessings are beyond comprehension... i'm surrounded by people i love & who amazingly, love me. Summer is here... just shy... & money is just money...
There's a psalm going through my head... don't know if i can remember the whole thing. i'll give you a nickel if you know the reference...

i will acclaim His majesty,
Shout for joy,
Give glory
Exalt the name of the Lord, Glory to the righteous one.

Kinda gives me a better perspective. Gratitude, Praise, Joy... here i come.