better late than never {family photos}

We had some pics taken a few weeks after Selah was born. I meant to post these umm...say months ago! (I can't believe she is old enough for me to say that. Sigh.) But anyway, my cousin came over and worked HARD for us to have these. Thank you Breana!

The two above make me laugh every time because both of those photos were taken one right after another. It's completely accurate of Evangeline and her moods. One moment she's fine, then the next she's not. :)

Ari had no problem sitting still and following instructions. Evangeline could only handle it for a minute or so at a time. But thankfully we still got some good ones of her smiling.

I was not hopeful of getting ones of Selah because she was already 3 weeks old but she surprised me and cooperated very well!

Even though she wasn't sleeping she was very content. 

It's funny how babies manor-isms continue on...she still sticks her tongue in and out really slow.  

We're excited for Breana to begin her married life starting June 14th, but also very sad (in a selfish way) that she is moving to Nebraska :( Our personal photographer will now be far away so we will have to schedule our sessions when she comes back in town. Thanks again for working so hard!

Hilton Head

It's been a few years since we have been on a week long vacation, so it was nice getting away for a while. I have only vacationed in a few different places but Hilton Head is by far my favorite. The beaches are smooth and flat, there aren't high rises and lots of people cluttering the beach. It's peaceful and easy to enjoy what God created, not man.

We drove through the night and arrived just in time for breakfast. Then AJ took the bigs straight to the beach while we waited to get checked in to the house.

It was actually 60 degrees and raining when we arrived so long pants and jackets ended up being appropriate beachwear.

It did get warmer but it was windy and rained on and off the first few days, so we kept with the theme of wearing street clothes to the beach.

Ari didn't care what the weather was or what he was wearing...he just wanted to be jumping waves.

Evangeline was so confident when it came to the pool. She would count "1, 2, 3, JUMP!" and as soon as she hit the water she would exclaim "AGAIN!" It never got old with her.

It was rare but on occasion she would just want to relax. That girl and her sunglasses just slay me.

AJ's sister's friend's husband (did you catch that?!) runs a fishing boat and took the guys out for a few hours. They didn't catch any keepers but still had fun trying.

Depending on when the tide came in we tried to sneak in a walk before the kids bedtime.

It was really fun seeing all the different wildlife that comes with a beach. We saw horseshoe crabs, white sand crabs, jellyfish, dolphins, sand dollars, and an assortment of shells with creatures inside.

It was fun to spend a whole week with our little nephew. I can't believe he is already 7 months old! The kids enjoyed making him laugh.

The kids would have AJ work really hard on a sand castle, then immediately want to destroy it when he was done. I guess stomping on it is more enjoyable than just looking at it.

We ventured out a few times but it is always easier to just stay at the house so the kids can run around when they are done eating.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my husband? He is perfect in every way.

AJ took the kids to the top of a lighthouse in Harbour Town. Selah and I had just as much fun keeping our feet on the ground. :)

Selah finally made it in to some pictures.

Look how squishy she is with those rolls! She is so content and laid back...she did great just hanging out at the beach.

Owen got to enjoy the pool for a little while as well.

I love how intentional AJ is with spending time with each of his kids. They have such a special relationship with their daddy because he takes time to know them...not just at bedtime but in the morning before work and every minute he is home until they go to bed.

Selah is giving us lots of smiles these days. It doesn't take much for her to light up.

We got to spend a little time at the beach the last day before heading home. The beginning of the week was cold and rainy but we ended on a high note of 86 degrees. It was hard to leave but that's why vacations are special because they don't happen  frequently.

 I am so thankful for the time we got to spend as a family, not rushing around and having every minute of the day filled with something to do, but just relaxing and enjoying each other.

two {Evangeline}

1 Samuel 1:27 "I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him."

Evangeline has taught us so much about parenting, about joy, and about cherishing the little things in life. She has also taught us how to live on little to no sleep. :)  We have learned a whole new meaning to resting in Him and have learned that our strength doesn't come from sleep but only from God.

She is our "wild one". She is fearless and faces challenges head on. We also call her our hippy chick because often times we will find her with her eyes closed and bobbing her head to music (nobody else can hear).

Most people would say she is strong-willed, but I disagree. I call it opinionated. All children are strong-willed at some point, she just knows what she wants and will fight for what she wants. She wears her feelings on her shoulder and you never have to guess what she thinks about something.

You will either find her mothering a doll or accessorizing herself. When taking care of her dolls she will often go through the routine of feeding it (under her shirt), use a real wipe for the diaper change, and then put it "night, night".

She is very attentive to what Selah is doing and will keep me informed when she is "Awake!" or "Crying!"

Lots of things are "No, mine!" so we are learning to share.

This shirt is very fitting for her because we are always saying "Be happy, happy!" (in a Phil Robertson kind of way). Often times we will catch her saying "happy happy" and crying at the same time. And speaking of a girl who knows what she wants...she has worn this shirt 3 out of the last 5 days (sigh). We are also learning to pick our battles :)

Her vocabulary is expanding every day. She is now saying phrases and attempts to say anything. She can't say her S's so she calls her sister "Wee-lah". A frequent saying we hear is "Ok! Alrighty!"

She still puts herself to bed when she is tired during the day. She usually gets tired around 11:30 and I will find her random places. Sometimes I have to search diligently to find where she landed! She even sleep walks at night and doesn't usually wake up where we originally put her to bed at.

Swinging outside is her favorite thing to do but finding toe jam between her toes comes in a close second. She will search very diligently between each toe and if she doesn't find any "treasures" she will find someone else's toes to look between!

We are so blessed to have such a precious girl. Children are a blessing and bring so much joy that cannot be measured. We love you Evangeline!