two little fairies
Chasing each other up and down the ramp at church,

examining a lady bug for a long while, it was stuck to masking tape-- mommy to the rescue!

This park is so much fun, and it is absolutely beautiful this time of year.
A quick family shot.
This is the view from the gazebo.  The girls have a blast running in circles chasing each other up here (much like it was with their cousins in Florence!)
There was an airplane flying overhead while we ate our pb&j's.

Last Saturday we had 4 teenage boys over to help convert the storage room into a livable space for Noah.  It is a slow process, but it was fun having the guys over.  One of them purchased a real whip while he was in leavenworth, and was truly excited about learning how to use it (not on others, just for fun!  He saw someone give a cool demonstration.)  This photo is of course staged!  Our Noah is the guy on the left, of the three in a row. 
The door and window getting framed in.

This was the color of our door. Once we realized we would constantly have to fight the urge of reciting the pledge of allegiance upon every entry, we removed the beautiful blue color.
For one day, our house and garage were the color of pepto-bismol. Yes, intense pink! We had the neighbors talking- they said so themselves (they were talking to me!)
My girl.
A little action shot. Note the intensity of my hubby's concentration as he tapes something.

This picture is from last winter, but I thought I would post it because ever since our first cold snap, Esther has been asking on a regular basis if it is going to snow. I am looking forward to playing in our own little winter wonderland again. Also, the pj's she is wearing in this photo are now snugly worn by Gracie. Oh how they grow...

For those of you who may not know yet, I have been doing some work from home for the children's program at our church. I am considered "part-time," and have the task of developing a team of leaders to minister to the kids and families at our church. The great part of the job is the flexibility- I am able to do 90% of the work at home, with very little interruption to my time with my girls. Don't worry- I will protect my wife and mommy time to the end!! Our staff at BMCC is wonderful and they recognize that family must always come first. I am in the middle of my second week, and am enjoying it! I know that it won't always be easy or convenient, (and you might read some blogs on that!) but I appreciate the opportunity to serve the families in our church and pray that in my own household I can continue to learn what it means to be a wife and mommy first and foremost.

If you are interested, I have added links to the curriculum and model that our church would like to emulate. Of course, resources and circumstances are different, but their curriculum is presented and packaged in a way that kids can truly relate to. One more thing that I love is that they believe parents are the best and biggest influence in a kid's life. I am excited to do everything I can as a facilitator to bring parents and kids together again, allowing the parents to be the spiritual leaders that they were made to be.

This was so funny: Esther was diligently trying to do her ABC puzzle, and Gracie was just as diligently trying to give love. She repeatedly came up behind E to hug. Esther was mostly patient with her, but tried to be upset and hide her smile =)

More and more they are playing together, and Esther is doing so well at learning her "big sis" role, although it is not always smooth waters. It is clear that Grace loves Esther and wants to be around her. I pray that they will be good friends- and I think we're on our way.

Sister kisses!

Someone thought she was super cool- she was jumping around the house for a while like this!
Look at that form- a future drummer?
Papa with one of his princesses.

I thought I would invite you to "hang out" around the house with us! After helping mama make pancakes, my girls are "helping" with clean up too (or they just like the bubbles in the sink!)

As you can see, Mr. Potato Head brings lots of joy into our house, although he is usually loses his parts to the girls.
I think we were eating peanut butter "swanich," but this picture shows how grown up E is becoming.
We had a really cold couple of days, but this pic somewhat shows the new house color...woo-woo!