Just like my Dad

Wearing Daddy's hat... hopefully I can keep him from becoming overly attached to one particular hat like Daddy.

Love Story

Today is our fourth wedding anniversary, and we are still crazy about each other. In some ways, it seems like we've only been married a short time, but in some ways it seems like it's been forever! We are so blessed to have been given the gift of a shared passion and heart for so many things, and for the way we help each other grow closer to Jesus. We are grateful!

Cousins

I am so behind posting this, but we had so much fun when we went to visit my mom and dad a few weeks ago. I think the best part of the trip was the great time Isaiah and Anna had together. They just played and played and had a blast, making us all wish they could play together more often. Anna is now 3 and a half, and she is such a big girl. It is really amazing how much she has changed in the last few months. Even her voice is deeper!

One of the most fun things we did was take the kids to a local swimming pool, which has a zero-depth entry area. It gets deeper as you go, which Isaiah just loved. It gave him time to get comfortable in the water. Soon he was trying to put his face in!

Maybe the least fun thing we did was that D. accidentally hit my brother's car... while driving my dad's car. Oh my. We both felt terrible about it, but it is all taken care of now, thank goodness!

Excitement

We are going to have a nephew! We are so excited for my brother and sister-in-law who are adopting a baby boy from Ethiopia!

Okay that is really all I have to say, but did I mention that we are very excited?

More vocab

Isaiah keeps saying new words. He says a new one just about every day. His most recent word is "more." He has a few new favorite foods:
Mashed Sweet Potatoes (They have lots of great spices, including curry)
Strawberry Applesauce
Macaroni and Cheese (I've been making the Annie's kind from a box)

When he finishes these foods, he is adamant about wanting "more." It is the cutest thing, because he can't quite get the word out yet.

Another new word is "stay." When it is so hot outside, Rigby needs to come inside sometimes. After her obedience training, she is great about laying down and staying when we let her inside. D. has a motion he uses and he says "Stay!" Isaiah has been saying it all the time now. Anytime he sees Rigby he says it, but he also tells D. and I to stay sometimes too. :)

Splash!

Like I said, the first day Isaiah was not all about going in the water. But as each day passed, he got more and more into it! He has this sweet new thing he does when he wants an adult with him. He'll just take your hand and pull you along wherever he wants you to go. This series of photos demonstrates how hard that little hand is to resist!

I LOVE the beach!

Yum!

So if you know me, you know that I love recipes and that I have recently become into eating more healthy foods. That does not mean that my sweet tooth has disappeared, but I am working on replacing a lot of sweets with healthier options. I do still eat a cupcake every now and then...

Okay, so I have this amazing friend who is so healthy and knows so much about eating well. She shared this recipe with me. We made it last night and it was SO good that I just had to post it here. Note: We omitted the walnuts because of D.'s allergy.

Multigrain Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
¾ cup natural brown sugar or turbinado
½ cup organic peanut butter
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup + 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
¼ cup wheat germ
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup walnuts

Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
2. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda then set aside.
3. In a large bowl beat sugars with softened butter for 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and peanut butter. Add oats and beat at reduced speed until combined. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
4. Stir in wheat germ, chocolate chips, and nuts. Scoop dough into balls on parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
5. Allow cookies to cool for 3 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet.

Notes:
• Yields about 25 cookies. You can scoop the dough into balls and freeze them on a cookie sheet.
• Once frozen, transfer them to a zip-lock freezer bag and they will keep for weeks and bake up as well as when fresh. You will need to add 2 minutes to baking time.
• If doubling this recipe use three eggs.

Sandy... I think I'll call him Sandy

Our first day at the beach, Isaiah was a little tentative about the water. Who wouldn't be? The ocean is really big in case you haven't noticed.

He wasn't tentative about getting into the sand, as you can see. He dug right in and built, and stuck his hands in it, and laid in it, and chased a few seagulls.

And why not? A bath takes care of it all.

Kindred Spirits

A few weeks ago, our friend Ashlee came to visit. She is a friend from seminary, and now she's a Campus Pastor in Kansas. We miss having her close by so much. Ashlee is one of my best friends in the entire world. She and D. are good friends too, which makes it really fun that she was able to come visit.

Things we did while she was here:
We ate at Bottletree and enjoyed Strawberry Brioche...yum!
We went to Square Books, Off Square Books, and Square Books, Jr.
We took her on a tour of the Wesley House (woo hoo!) and the Ole Miss Campus. D. was tour guide. :)
We went to Holli's Sweet Tooth.
We went to Rowan Oak.
We ate at Taylor Grocery, although she did not get catfish. What was she thinking?
We talked and talked and talked... and talked.

What a gift!

Where have we been?

We've been everywhere!

A wonderful, kindred-spirit friend from Kansas came to visit, and we explored Oxford together.

We went to the beach in NC with D.'s family.

We drove over to Mocksville, NC to visit my family.

We'll be posting some pictures and stories soon!